Diving Truk Lagoon

by Erik Olsen on

It is considered one of the world’s best dives, and they say the more you dive Truk Lagoon,
the more you discover because not only is the dive riddled with wrecks, but the sea life is amazingly abundant. There
are many places to dive around Truk, but one hot spot is the wreck of the Fujikawa Maru, a Japanese WWII wreck that
stretches some 435 feet along the bottom of the sea. The area around and inside the wreck is riddled with rice bowls,
gas masks and brass lamps, all not to be touched.

If you want to read more about Truk Lagoon and see some sweet pics, check
out this site. It has detailed info on the various dives and
a nice gallery comprised of photos from several
photographers. Another site has a list of the ships in the lagoon
and full page pics. And finally, a wonderful full-length shot of
the wreck Fumizuki. Happy diving.

Harry de Windt

by Erik Olsen on

Harry de Windt had cojones. A Fellow
of the prestigious Royal Geographic Society of England, De Windt was known for two classic traits among
explorers: bravery and foolhardiness. One day, he told his friends and admirers that he was going to do
something no one had done: travel overland from Europe to New York going east.

He lashed the massive shanks of horses as we rode a sleigh across the frozen steppes of Siberia. He howled
at dogs as they pulled him over the ice-packs of the Arctic Ocean.  And finally after crossing dark
oceans and scortching deserts, he made it to New York.

Why is all this important? It’s not. It’s just that a friend of mine recently recommended that I read De
Windt’s
book: From Paris
to New York by Land, which he called one of the best adventure yarns he’s ever read. So I thought I’d pass on his
rec. A gift from me to you.

Celebrating Artisans

by Erik Olsen on

In a world increasingly mass-manufactured, it’s nice to read about and visit places where the
spirit of artisanship is flourishing. Maybe it’s just me, but you just don’t see that many craftsmen around anymore.
Sure there are artists here and there, especially electronic artists for whom the computer is their medium, but what
about the folks that make pottery and other crafts?

The Christian Science Monitor has got a nice piece
on Asheville. North Carolina and the thriving artisan community there. There are several festivals around the region
where artisans show their wares. In Asheville, the Highland Craft Guild hosts a festival in the spring and another in
the fall. The Biltmore Village Craft Fair happens in August, and is a well-regarded show.

Crossing Australia

by Erik Olsen on

A while back I posted about a film I saw at the
Explorers Club film festival about a guy who crossed Australia on foot south to north. A great film.

Here’s a

New York Times piece on a similar topic, albeit the story is not nearly as harrowing as the one told in the film.
The writer decides to cross the rugged Kimberley Plateau, a vast, dry forbidding swath of earth in the land down under.
He gets by licking ants, dodging dingoes and bellowing the national anthem in a natural amphitheater.

Long before Crocodile Dundee I found Australia interesting. And yet it is the only continent which I have not yet
visited. I am likely heading there next year for a friend’s wedding, and have to admit I’m psyched to do so. The only
question is how much time can I get in to do some diving at the Great Barrier Reef?

Anyway, that’s way off topic. Take a read of the article above. It’s a good one.

Roadside America

by Erik Olsen on

Despite the chintz and cheesiness factor (and it is rather cheesy), I have to say
Roadside America is a pretty entertaining and useful site.
Where else can you get details on the (alleged) world’s
largest cow, the Steve Canyon tribute (who?), and learn
all about the town where one of our favorite disasters of all time took place:
the Hindenburg crash?

The site is filled with little tidbits like this that offer a glimpse of a quirky America that you can’t help but
love. You can search by state and find a wide assortment of places to visit and odd attractions. If I were planning a
road trip anytime soon, I’d give this site a whirl for sure.