Top Ten US Adventure Destinations

by Erik Olsen on

Good old Richard Bangs. He’s been doing some good stuff for MSNBC lately. A whle back, you might remember, he filed
dispatches and did a very sweet multimedia package called
Great Escapes in which he traveled to New Guinea. Now, on
a far tamer note, he’s listed the top ten great adventure trips in
the US.

The list includes several tripps I’d never even heard of, like Llama Trekking the Hoover Wilderness Area, and
Dogsledding the Gates of the Arctic. But then there are a few tried and true adventures like Kayaking the San Juan
Islands and Canoeing the Boundary Waters. This is a nice list to print out and file away for future reference.

Seeing Alaska’s Aleutians

by Erik Olsen on

There are few places in the US quite as remote or just plain out there as the Aleutian Islands. On the map, it looks
like someone (perhaps North America) grabbed Alaska by the waist, perhaps for a quick dance, pulling it from the grasp
of Asia, and a string of islands got left behind, trailing in the ocean like a broken spine.

The winds in the Aleutians are said to be fierce and unrelenting. Seems they are. Here in this fine
piece in the Globe and Mail writer Guy Nicholson heads to the distant Aleutians riding aboard a cargo vessel known
as “Trusty Tusty”. The ship hauls passengers and cargo a few times a year out to the Alaska Peninsula where they visit
villages, canneries, and commercial ports, and see all sorts of wildlife.

The folks along for the ride are not your typical tourists. There is Dieter, a Swiss kayaker who wants to explore the
islands’ historical fur-trade routes. A former state ferry captain who grew up in a Russian-speaking village on the
Kenai. And bird-watcher Jane, a something-genarian who is also an avid bird watcher.

Anyway, it’s a good piece that delivers a strong sense of what traveling these islands is like. It’s ain’t exactly
easy, but then again, what good travel is?  

Inflatable Life Jackets

by Erik Olsen on

It sucks to be out boating when the only life-jackets available are those bulky orange ones that make you look like
you’re about to compete in the Special Olympics 50m freestyle. Doesn’t it seem sometimes like life jacket technology
has hardly moved an inch all these years?

Well, it has. You just have to know where to look. For example, take a look at the
Inflatable Collar PFD from Mustang
Survival.

This is a PFD that you can wear over a t-shirt or a jacket, maybe even a tux or a nice blowsy dinner shirt with
frills, and yet is durable enough to keep you afloat should your boat go down in the middle of the Pacific. It’s got
neato strips of SOLAS reflective tape so folks can see you bobbing in the swells, and a safety whistle so you can
signal the passing container vessel or to annoy your friends and make them think you ARE competing soon in the Special
Olympics.

Itchyfeet on Rarotonga

by Adrienne Wilson on

Itchyfeet is an excellent travel log and source
for divers planning their next big vacation. Though
the site isn’t geared directly towards divers, featured articles on diving the Yucatan,
Roatan, and Dry Tortugas National Park certainly set the tone that it may be. I fished through a few before stopping at
this primer for folks planning a trip to Rarotonga in the
famous Cook Islands. The sleepy island, inhabited by the Maori people, is known for it’s lush tropical
volcanic landscape, coconut palms, reefs, and lagoons. We’ll call it paradise in Polynesia for now and how
I’d love to be there now. Whether you’re hiking, swimming, or diving a little ways away from the island there
is tons to do to keep one entertained.

 

This being my first run in with the little piece of paradise and several other unique locales to
escape to, I’ll definitely be back to Itchyfeet in the future.  

Florida’s Fort De Soto Park

by Adrienne Wilson on

After Fort De Soto’s North Beach was named
‘America’s Best Beach’ I couldn’t wait to fill up my
tank and take a trip on down to see what all the hype was about. I’ll admit I’m picky beach
goer having been to some pretty impressive beaches around the globe and for the North Beach I can’t say that it doesn’t
deserve best beach. Being tucked inside the park which has campgrounds, paw playgrounds (for the pets), trails, and
several recreational activities perfect for families the beach just places the icing on the cake. Clean, clear, warm
water greets your toes as you go into the blue after making way off the soft white sand.

Surprisingly the beach was rather quiet at the time of my visit, which could be due to the Red Tide lingering in the
waters. You’ll definitely want to check the
status of Red Tide in the area
before making your way out there as dead fish coiled with seaweed being washed ashore can place a slight damper on the
beach going not to mention the constant choking and coughing you might experience. Seeing many locals still splash
about leads me to believe you can still enjoy the water, but I’ll pass.