This past weekend saw the kickoff of one of the year’s biggest sporting events. No, not the Super Bowl. The 2012 Yukon Quest began. What is Yukon Quest? It’s just your run-of-the-mill 1,000 mile dog sled race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. It follows the trail that prospectors took during the gold rush of the 1890s and celebrate the Yukon River, the “highway of the North.” And while the Iditarod may be more well-known, Yukon Quest is considered by many to be the most difficult race in the world. Mushers and their dogs will navigate the frozen wilderness for two weeks and friend-of-Gadling Eva Holland is along for the ride and posting dispatches on her Twitter feed. She passed along this video of the start of the race and we thought we’d share it with you because, well, it’s just plain awesome.
Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, puts a new spin on in-room iPads
No need to worry about tipping your tour guide on your next trip to Vancouver, Canada, as the OPUS Vancouver hotel has recently added iPads to each of their 96 guest rooms to act as personal tour guides of the city. While the trend of adding tablets to hotel rooms is not a new concept, the OPUS adds a new spin by having the technology reflect the guests’ personality and show them around the city.
First, guests choose their rooms based on what they like: Red Modern and Minimalist, Blue Stylish and Sophisticated, Green Artful and Eclectic, Orange Vibrant and Outgoing, or Taupe Daring and Dramatic. Your in-room iPad concierge and guide will then give you a personalized tour of the city based on your personality. To make these fictional guides more human, they’ve been given names, professions, and home cities. Guides include:
- Pierre, a food and wine critic from Paris
- Billy, a cultured rock star from London
- Susan, a fashion executive from Toronto
- Mike, a doctor from New York
- Dede, an actress and prima donna from Los Angeles
And no need to worry about Wi-Fi as the virtual guides work offline, as well. For more information, click here. To get to know the tour guides a little bit better, you can also visit the OPUS Hotels’ Blog to read some posts written by the fictional characters.
Photo of the Day: Snow Covered Coastal Moutains
Flickr member James Wheeler is back with this Photo of the Day from Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC, CA, using a Nikon D5000 and tells us
“Vancouver and the west coast of Canada are known for their rainy winters. So, even though the coastal mountains are snow covered most of the year, us Vancouverites rarely see them because of the clouds and rain. I got this photo one morning when it was actually clear out for a while …”
Check out the location and better quality version of this photography on James Wheeler‘s blog at Snow Covered Coastal Mountains photo blog post
Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.
Photo of the Day: Western skies
There’s something indescribably calming about looking over a body of water at sunrise. Flickr user James Wheeler captures this feeling in today’s Photo of the Day, taken at 6 a.m. from an old pier in the West Point Grey district of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The image’s quality is partially thanks to Wheeler’s Nikon D5000, but the scenery doesn’t hurt either.
Does your photo belong here? Upload your favorite travel shots to the Gadling Group Pool and your image could be selected as our Photo of the Day.
Photo of the Day: Lake Louise from above
Tonight’s Photo of the Day depicts the stuff dreams are made of for hikers.
Flickr member AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker brings this shot from Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, in the Lake Louise and Icefields area of Banff National Park. In what is also known as the “hiking capital of Canada” this photo was taken with a Canon PowerShot S50.
Adam tells us “I’ve gone hiking in a lot of gorgeous places, but nothing else compares.”
Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.