Crossroads Guitar Festival, Chicago, IL, USA

FIRST Really BIG Music Concert

LOGISTICS

Private Vehicle: Tim's Lake > Windsor, ON > Chicago, IL, USA > Austinburg, OH > Niagara Falls, ON, CANADA > Tim's Lake 

Excerpt From KANOE TRIPPING Journal:

I don't usually write up an Adventure Journal entry for entertainers, but this venue was different for us. The first time we've attended a large stadium 12 hour outdoor concert. The line-up of musicians was amazing, the sound quality and general organization at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois was superb, food quality was fair, food pricing was exorbitant, the heat and humidity were oppressive ...  12 hours went by too quickly ... this festival was an outstanding musical event!!!

Crossroads Guitar Festival Photography

Sandals Royal Hicacos, Veradero, CUBA

 

Diving The 'Bay of Pigs'

Synopsis: This was our third trip to CUBA and our most enjoyable. We found the time went faster on this adventure than in any other 'southern' country we've visited. Unlike our first trip to CUBA, in 2005, we didn't do much travelling around this time - most days were spent laying around the pools, reading and walking along the beach. 

Canoeing the Takhini / Wind / Peel Rivers, YT, CANADA: McClusky Creek > Taco Bar

Helen's Choice for BEST River Trip EVER

LOGISTICS (YT, CANADA)

Van Shuttle: Whitehorse > Mayo

Air Charter: With pilot Ernie of Black Sheep Aviation from Mayo > McClusky Lake

Outfitter: Adventure Tours Yukon Wild

Guide: Georg Saure

Mandatory Portage: McClusky Lk. > put-in on McClusky Creek

Tandem Canoe: McClusky Creek, WIND R.  > Taco Bar, PEEL R. - CII+, 16 days, 270 kms

Air Charter: With pilot Ernie of Blacksheep Airways from Taco Bar > Mayo 

Van Shuttle: Mayo > Whitehorse
DVD Available: Get copy from Store

View Takhini / WIND / PEEL in a larger map

Bear Man

I was sitting outside the Yukon Visitor’s Center in Whitehorse. We were waiting to watch a Bear Awareness video and I noticed a man stuffing clothing under his shirt. 

I tried not to be too obvious but my eyes were drawn to him. 

The Geography Student

Location: Yukon Territory, Canada - We're at the Mt Logan viewpoint about 50 kms north of Kluane Lake on the Alcan Highway, 150 kms south of the USA / Canada border.

The Alcan is the original name for the Alaska Highway and I prefer it. Mount Logan is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest peak in North America. The mountain was named after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada.  Mount Logan is located within Kluane National Park and Reserve in southwestern Yukon. 

Super Club Breezes, Paradise Island, BAHAMAS

Wikipedia: BAHAMAS

We were here for a brief stay only, April 20 - 23.

It's always difficult to get a truly realistic feel for anywhere, with such a brief stay, but, in general, we found this region of New Providence & Paradise Islands to be clean, well-cared for, expensive, quiet and safe. Locals are friendly and polite and ther isn't the presence of obnoxious panhandlers and street vendors that are so often encountered in other Caribbean countries. We did notice a couple of timeshare salespeople along the beach and in Nassau but they were mostly 'soft selling'. There appears to be a lot of new residential, commercial and tourist development and also some renovations of older resorts and properties. 

INSTRUCTION: PADI SCUBA Certification: Henry Morgan Resort, Roatan Is., HONDURAS

FIRST Time SCUBA Diving

 

Wikipedia: HONDURAS

Why didn't someone tell me about this 30 years ago? I would have started diving then! It's like being in a giant fish-tank ... what a natural high! 

Canoeing in Wabakimi PP, ON, CANADA

The WORLD"S Largest Wilderness Canoeing Region ... and Gerry caught fish every day!

LOGISTICS 
Private Vehicles: All our homes to Armstrong, ON

First Night's Accommodation:
Air Charter: Air Mattice
Planes: Single Turbo Otter & Beaver
Pilot(s): Don Elliot, unknown
Tandem Flatwater Tripping Canoe(s): some CI+, high water, some travel on the Allan Water & Caribou rivers
Paddlers: Karen, Gerry, Heather, Fred, Helen, Dann
DVD Available: Get copy from Store

We booked an air charter with Mattice Lake Outfitters and flew into Granite Lake. Flight time was 08:45 am. First time in a single-engine Turbo Otter for both of us. We found out at the end of the trip that this plane was built in 1956. The two Beavers used by Mattice Lake Outfitters are built in 1951 and 1953. All aircraft are in fine shape.  The flight in was about ½ an hour.  Staff load all the gear and secure the boats to the aircraft pontoons. We’re with Fred & Heather and Karen & Gerry will fly in one of the Beavers. The flight in gave us a good aerial perspective of the type of terrain we’ll be paddling through over the next 2 weeks …… the Northern Boreal. Gear and boats were offloaded on the water – a first for me. Thankfully we had calm conditions.

Canoeing in Frontenac PP, ON, CANADA

Jan & Keith's FIRST Canoe Camping Trip

LOGISTICS 

Private Vehicles: A short, approximately 10 km drive from home to the park.

Tandem Tripping Canoe(s): lake paddling, no portages

Frontenac PP Photography

Point Pelee NP, Leamington, ON, CANADA

To The Southern Tip of CANADA 

  

Helen stayed behind to care for her father who was recovering from shoulder surgery. I was joined by friends Karen & Gerry and Margo & Cary for a couple of days of walking, birding and some paddling.

Point Pelee NP Photography

Crusty ...

Melia Cayo Santa Maria, Jardines del Ray, CUBA

A Favourite Country

We felt isolated at this resort and for that reason alone, we would probably not return. I would recommend it to others though – it ranks quite high when we compare it to all the others we've stayed at. It’s a perfect location for anyone who doesn't need to do any tours or leave at all. The closest towns are back on the mainland – a journey back across the 48 km causeway. Most activities are focussed on the resort. Any tours that leave the resort are for full days or in some cases multi-day. We weren't able to travel the Cuban countryside or visit the small towns and villages like we did in 2003 because of our isolation.

Rooms On The Beach, Ocho Rios, JAMAICA

Ja Mon!

Wikipedia: JAMAICA

This may be our last chance at a quick getaway for awhile ... we'll begin construction of a new home when we return. We hesitate to commit to only one week trips, because there is never enough time to do anything other than become moderately acquainted with any area. This last minute hotel based trip to Jamaica was certainly no exception. But we did experience enough wonderful Jamaican scenery, people, food and music to convince us to return someday.

Ocho Rios, JAMAICA Photography

Crusty ...

Punta Cana Princess Resort, Punta Cana, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

               
 

Santo Domingo is an ancient Caribbean seaport city of firsts, discovered by Christopher Columbus it became the first capital of the new territories, the first to have Spanish coinage, a fort, a monastery, a cathedral, a university, a hospital and a palace.

Santo Domingo is where Madrid's rulers in 1512 set up the highest level of its judicial system since the Middle Ages, the Spanish Colonies' first royal appellate court.

Canadian National Adventure Racing Championship

Safety Boat

LOGISTICS 

Private Vehicle: Home > Timmins

Wanapitie Suburban / Boat Trailer: Timmins > Lady Evelyn PP 
Partner(s): Unknown bow paddler & co-driver

Shuttle: Moved 15 canoes in a single load to the start of the paddling segment

Portage: One miserable portage, poorly marked & documented, partly by atv through heavy marshland 

Tandem Canoe: lake paddling

Wanapitie Suburban / BoatTrailer: Lady Evelyn PP > Wanapitie Outfitters Base 
Private Vehicle: Wanapitie Outfitters Base > Home

                        

Shawn Hodgins from Wanapitei Canoe contacted me to work this race. 

Drug Smugglers

  We had no problem getting here, but this was sure a difficult country to get out of. 

We drove the highway along the island’s Atlantic Coast and got to the airport just as the ZOOM Airlines plane was landing. Flying empty from Canada, allowed the pilot to gain time and arrive an hour and fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Our GO Travel representatives, Stephanie and Juan were traveling home with us and warned everyone that the ‘line-up’ system that was employed in the Venezuelan airport could be confusing at times … little did we know. 

Pedro

 Comme la Jeep de Pedro

   
Carlos informed us that all Jeeps and Landcruisers were full and that he had made arrangements for another driver (Pedro on left)  and Jeep to meet us at the first stop. Unfortunately, we’d be ‘crammed in’ somewhere until we were able to get into a vehicle of our own …

… the ensuing brief drive with 6 other people, in the open rear, sans ‘safety equipment’, of a small Toyota Landcruiser, that bounced, ricocheted and bruised it’s way along a narrow, pot-holed highway ... 

... turned out to be the calmest and safest segment of the 200 plus kms we would drive that day!!!

Isla de Margarita, Neuva Esparata State, VENEZUELA

Wikipedia: VENEZUELA

This trip marks our first time in South America, although barely. This was a typical resort based vacation. We were quite idle, didn't move around much and to be fair we never got more than a brief tasted of the culture of Margarita Island, let alone any exposure at all to the mainland of Venezuela. Only the Dominican Republic was explored earlier than this island (Simon Bolivar landed here 2nd) and yet there is hardly any evidence of 500 year old Spanish history.

Terry, Mike and Frank: Rescue in Paddle Prairie

We expected to fuel up with gas for the day at a 24 hour station in Manning, but it had stopped selling gas … so, … we moved to a lodge a few kilometres down the road. We pulled in and immediately realized that ...

Gas Pumps covered in plastic wasn't a good sign! 

Bobby Dodds ... a Brief Encounter

Bobby is the resident Information Centre 'Greeter' here in Grimshaw, Alberta. Bobby is an ex-trapper and he's in his 70's. We didn't ask, but he volunteered to tell us some of his life's story.

... he made a couple of fortunes (we never did find out how) ... he and his wife blew the last of it all in Australia ... he's not with the wife any-more ... she's in southern Alberta ... somewhere! Somewhere where it rains most of the time and he likes that!!!

Dave's World

Dave swears he saw one, two, three ... at least a dozen caymen. Well OK!, maybe just their eyes, so that's six. But they were big ... the eyes were BIG and they looked right at me!