The Great American Road Trip - through Paul Theroux’s Eyes

August 27, 2009

Paul Theroux is one of America’s great travel writers. Join him as he drives 3380 miles across the United States from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania. The Smithsonian delivers a 7 page article which will have you ruminating on a copycat trip.

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Top Drives of a Lifetime

August 26, 2009

National Geographic Traveler has just published an article detailing the top  drives of a lifetime. Listed below are a sampling of some of the drives.

  • California’s Pacific Coast
  • Lighthouse Coast, North Carolina
  • The Blues Highway, Tennessee and Mississippi
  • The Amalfi Coast, Italy
  • Banff-Jasper Highway, Alberta
  • Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, Oregon
  • Seward Highway, Alaska
  • Cheese Trail, Vermont
  • Provence, France
  • Kentucky Bourbon Trail
  • Creole Country, Louisiana
  • North Island, New Zealand
  • Flower Route, Netherlands

The article provides lots of information and links to places of historic and cultural interest. They also suggest the best time of the year to drive, the number of days needed as well as providing the links to the local tourism offices. The article is well researched and will undoubtedly provide you with some food for thought on new countryside to see.

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Kerry Way Eguide Published

August 24, 2009

The 16 page Kerry Way Eguide is now available for sale in a downloadable form. The Kerry Way is a 203 km(122 mile) signposted trail in southwest Ireland that mirrors the Ring of Kerry, which is the well known driving route.  It is usually an 8-9 day hike though there are options to shorten and also lengthen it with sidetrips. Included in the Eguide are the following topics:

  • getting to and from Killarney
  • detailed 9 day itinerary with route notes, highlights, warnings, accommodation options, and other relevant information such as availability of ATM machines
  • packing list
  • side trip information

The Kerry Way eguide is immediately available with a credit card for $14 Canadian ($13 US or 9 Euros).

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Cottage Rentals from The Land Conservancy

August 21, 2009

The Land Conservancy of  British Columbia owns a number of properties in interesting locations around the province that they rent on either a nightly or weekly basis. Consider spending some time at one of the properties listed below.

  • Monks Point Cottage in Tofino
  • South Winchelsea Island Cottage off the coast of Vancouver Island near Nanaimo -25 acres on waterfront all to yourself
  • Baldwin House - 25 minutes from downtown Vancouver
  • Ayum Creek Cottage -40 minutes from Victoria
  • Cowichan River Cabin - 30 minutes from Duncan on Vancouver Island
  • Nimpo Lake Cabin -fly fishing country in northwestern BC

Rates at these spots are very reasonable though some properties are more rustic than others. If you are a member of the Nature Conservancy you’ll get an additional 10% off.

By renting one of these properites you will also be helping The Land Conservancy raise money. It sounds like a win-win situation to me.

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Worldwide Per Diem Rates

August 20, 2009

Planning a trip and wondering how much it’s likely to cost? The US Department of State has done the bulk of your homework for you. They list  per diem rates (in US dollars) for over 1000 worldwide locations  by taking into account the average cost of lodging, meals and incidentals.

Their research is particularly useful because they further break down the per diem rate within the country of interest so you can quickly see which cities are the most expensive ones to visit. On their website you will also be able to check out per diem rates across all 50 states.

 At the very least you’ll get a quick snapshot of what to budget for each country that you would like to visit.

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Your Travel IQ

August 19, 2009

TravelPod has designed an online game with increasing levels of difficulty (at least 14) to test your IQ in 13 different travel related areas. Time and test yourself on

  •  World Capitals
  •  UNESCO sites
  • Europe
  • Canada 
  • Latin America
  • North America
  • USA Challenge
  • Flags of the World
  • Photos of the World
  • Oceania/Australasia
  • Asia
  • Africa and the
  • Amazing Race 

Improve your travel IQ and learn something new today.

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SPOT Satellite GPS

August 10, 2009

I haven’t used a SPOT Satellite GPS but they look like the type of gadget that will soon become indispensable in the outdoors. According to their website they can do four things for you.

  • alert 911
  • send messages to contacts to let them know how you are
  • send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress via Google Maps and
  • ask for assistance from your contacts at a specific GPS location

You wil be looking at about $US99 per year to sign up for all the services but that may be inexpensive considering what peace of mind your family would get if you owned a SPOT GPS.

They work worldwide but some continents have less coverage. Northern Africa is covered but the rest of the continent does not appear to be and the same goes for South America. Parts of it are covered (though I don’t know which parts) and parts are not. However almost all of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia and Europe are covered as well as a large part of North-Eastern Asia. Lots of offshore area is also covered.

The Spot Satellite GPS garners high marks from respectable newspapers and important outdoors oriented magazines. It works in areas where a cell phone does not because it uses satellites. Add one more gadget to the must have list though experience, common sense and the knowledge and know how to use the GPS are equally important.

Have a great outdoors adventure!

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Job Description: Lighthouse Keeper in Washington

August 8, 2009

If you would like a chance to be a lighthouse keeper then consider a week long stint  at New Dungeness Light Station, located at the tip of 5 mile long Dungeness Spit on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. You will have to join the lighthouse association but once that’s out of the way you can book your week. There is only one week available for the rest of 2009! Be prepared to work but for much of the time you’ll have the place to yourself.

Weekly rates per peron are $US240 to $US335.

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How to Survive a Bear Attack

August 7, 2009

I think it would be prudent for anyone planning to hike in western Canada, parts of the western USA, the Yukon Territory or Alaska  to know exactly what  to do if you are ever attacked by a bear. Fortunately, in the rest of the world you will never even have to think about them. (This blog IS NOT dealing with polar bears.)

First, get to know your bears. Do you know the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear? Size and colour can vary greatly in both types so those features in themselves will not help you. However, grizzly bears are usually medium to dark brown and the average size is 160 kg (350 lbs) to 225 kg (500 lbs) though a male grizzly can weigh up to 360 kg (800 lbs). If you see an enormous bear, it’s a grizzly. Black bears only average 50-140 kg (110-300 pounds).

From afar the biggest distinguishing characteristic is the distinct shoulder hump found in the grizzly bear. It is entirely absent in the black bear. Also, the claws of a grizzly are much bigger and can be seen in most grizzly bear tracks.

The basic principles when you happen upon a bear are as follows:

  • If a bear sees you but doesn’t run away then a) keep an eye on the bear but don’t make direct eye contact b) provide the bear with an escape route c) speak in a calm voice (easier said than done and it could be up an octave or two) d) remain in a tight group with four people being the magic number to avoid an attack and e) make yourself look taller.
  • If it heads in your direction then a) use bear bangers, flares or whatever noisemaker you have b)yell and speak loudly and c) use bear spray if it gets within 4 metres (12 feet) but make sure the wind isn’t blowing in your direction or you will become incapacitated.
  • If it charges stand your ground as it is usually a bluff.
  • Never a) run away as a bear can run 40 km/hour (25 mph) b) swim for it, as bears are better swimmers than you are and c) let your dog off the leash as it will  make the bear more agitated if it is running around barking.

And as for what you should do if it continues towards you or if the bear attacks-

If it is a black bear then a) DO NOT CLIMB A TREE but back away slowly b) if it attacks you, fight back with anything you might have and target it’s nose and eyes while doing your best to protect your face and stomach area and c) DO NOT PLAY DEAD!

If it is a grizzly bear then a) back away slowly and TRY to CLIMB a tree but it is extremely important that you get up higher than 4 metres(12 feet) or you will likely be pulled down by your feet and b)if it attacks protect your head and stomach area BUT THIS TIME PLAY DEAD!!

There are some hikes in Banff National Park where you are required to hike as a group of four, even if it means waiting to collect random people to form the group, as the park’s research has indicated that there has never been an attack on a group with at least four people. Also, use some common sense and make noise in areas frequented by bears. If you see a steaming pile of bear scat or some young cubs then make a ton of noise and leave the area as fast as you can.

And, if you want a reason never to hike in bear country then look no further than the book, The Bear’s Embrace. It is a thoughful and very well written book written by Patricia Van Tighem who writes about her attack by a grizzly bear.

Happy,safe hiking.

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57 Ways to Cut Vacation Costs

August 6, 2009

Most people want an occasional break from the routine of home and work but for many, vacations feel like an unnecessary luxury. The National Geographic article in relation to vacation costs is timely given the world’s present economic condition. Intuitively you’ll know much of what is written but nonetheless there are some great morsels of wisdom as well as many excellent websites mentioned that can help save you money.

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