Paddling Near St. Helens

by Erik Olsen on

Having spent a god chunk of my life in and around the Seattle area, I confess I was a little surprised to learn about the solid paddling opportunities at a place called SIlver lake near Mt. St. Helens.

Yes, THAT Mt. St. Helens. The one that blew her top way back when on May 18, 1980 (my birthday, btw, for those playing at home). Now when most people think about paddling in the Northwest, they think of drawing strokes through the cool, crisp waters of Puget Sound, or perhaps up by the San Juans. That was me as well, so imagine how pleased I was to find some new waters to try out. This piece in the Seattle Times takes you there. By the way, since we’re talking volcanoes, this one might blow soon. Just a heads up.

Find free booze on your travels

by Martha Edwards on

When travelling, I’ve been known to enjoy a drink or two (or ten) — I find the pub is usually the best place to meet locals and fellow travellers, to swap stories and tips and Email addresses. I’m typically a backpacker when it comes to exploring the world. Translation: I’m on a budget, and the cheaper the better, if you ask me.

Which is why I wish I’d come across this website sooner. It’s called My Open Bar and it gives you insider info as to where you can find free beer while travelling. And you don’t even have to crash any parties or weddings (though you can if you want to, I suppose) — the listings are for actual restaurants and bars offering drink specials.

Right now, they only have listings for NYC, San Francisco, LA and Chicago, but Boston and Washington DC are slated to go live soon. I hope they do ones for cities in Europe too — London particularly, where finding a cheap (or free) drink can be a bit difficult.

(via Fly Away Cafe)

The Harry-est Town in America

by Justin Glow on

What’s the Harry-est town in America? And I don’t mean body fuzz.

Amazon is running a contest to find out what U.S. town (on a per capita basis) will pre-order the most copies of the new Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Interesting concept? Yes. Genius marketing idea? Absolutely.

The winning town will be announced shortly after the end of the contest at 11:59 PM PDT on July 15, 2007. Here are the current standings as of right now:

  1. Falls Church, Virginia
  2. Gig Harbor, Washington
  3. Vienna, Virginia
  4. Fairfax, Virginia
  5. Media, Pennsylvania

Visit Amazon’s Harry-est town in America promotion to see the top 100 cities.

Photo of the Day (3/17/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


Now how trippy is this shot? I can’t say that I would have picked it if there hadn’t been such a great explanation of what it is my eyes are witnessing here, but since there was such an explanation it’s getting Gadling love today. Stormygirl, the photographer, notes that the photo of these very white snow geese was captured on the farmlands of the Skagit County in northern Washington State where tens of thousands of snow geese spend their winter. She also notes that they are quite sensitive to disturbance and if you get out of your car – well you can expect a scene like the one above.

All I can say to Stormygirl is that you are one brave soul.

Deepest Snow in the World

by Iva Skoch on

Mt. Baker, in Washington’s northern Cascades is a lesser-known gem of a ski area, and well worth the trip. About three hours by car north from Seattle, this is pure skiing country: no frills, no megaresorts, no pretense. In fact, there is no real estate sold around the ski area and it it has no overnight accommodation. And best of all? Mt. Baker has had the record for the world’s biggest recorded snowfall: 1140 inches (1999). Heck, they average 647 inches per year.

Although it’s been a few years since I’ve been there, I can attest to being nearly alone on the mountain, sun-drenched and literally waist-deep in incredible, fresh powder. All this, while paying under $40 for a lift ticket, and avoiding the (kinda) nearby crowds of Whistler.

Do me a favor. Don’t tell your friends about this place.