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Feature stories for the Adventurous Traveler
European Finds, Worldwide Adventures @ Travel Destinations

JUNE-JULY, 2010 Vol 14 , No. 4   Steve Giordano, Editor
 
Ixchel Temple, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
 

ISLA MUJERES: THE ISLAND OF WOMEN, by Vicki Andersen

Maya women came here to worship Ixchel, goddess of the moon, love and fertility. It was the offerings to Ixchel—shapely, voluptuous female figures—strewn about the island that caught the attention of Francisco Cordoba and his gang of soldiers when they arrived in 1517.....more

  
 
Tucson sunset
 

TUCSON, LAND OF HEAT, BLOOMS, EXPLORATIONS, by Larry Turner

The Warm winter and spring days are enticing for adventuring in and around The Old Pueblo, as Tucson is known. Late spring and summer days are great for adventuring, too, but your decisions on when and where to go are important....more

  
 
Glacier Bay, Alaska  
 

PADDLING GLACIER BAY, ALASKA, IN A "SEE" KAYAK, by Lee Juillerat

Glacier Bay, northwest of Sitka, Alaska: We scouted other campsites, but the moose and bear had picked well. We went back, beached our kayaks, unloaded our gear, pitched our tents and, after a quick snack, slid into our sleeping bags. If the bear or the moose returned, none of us heard them.....more

  
Zeppelin nose

MY IMPOSSIBLE DREAM: GETTING HIGH ON A 21ST CENTURY ZEPPELIN, by Ted Blishak

Friends and relatives reminded me, "You said you'd never fly again—so why ride in a blimp." "A dirigible," I corrected, "and it doesn't fly. It floats." A blimp is a big balloon. This dirigible has an interior structure and compartments filled with helium......more

  
 
Olso sculpture park  
 

A NORWAY CRUISE, by Yvette Cardozo

The guide stands with an ax in his hands. He takes a swing at a log on the chopping block. Only, it's not a log. It's dried fish, the basis of Norway's food chain. ...more

  
  Rose-faced parrot

BIRDING IN COLOMBIA, by Christopher Calonge

Despite its relatively small size, occupying 1% of the world's landmass, Colombia boasts 19% of the world's species of birds (more than North America and Europe combined). Colombia is the second most biologically diverse country on Earth, home to about 1,875 of bird species and, for example, over 3,000 species of orchids.....more

  
     
  Adventure travellers will be pleased to know that Endsleigh offers automatic cover for over 80 sports and activities on their standard travel insurance policy. Holidaymakers can also choose from a wide range of policies, such as single trip, annual cover and backpackers insurance.  
     
   

A FABLE FOR FLEAS, by Steve Giordano

Winner of the First Annual San Jose State College Survival Faire film contest in 1970, this 3-minute animated film began as a story Alex Weiss wrote for his kids' nursery school newsletter. Babs Jackson did the cut-out art and I filmed it, one frame at a time. Cost was $10 - $6 for the film and $4 for processing. It brought in about $1,500 over the years in rentals. The Smothers Brothers TV show wanted to run it, but insisted the word "feces" be taken out. We said no and lost out on $3,000. Dumb. The day of the Survival Faire, students in the Humanities 160 class buried on campus a brand new, never run Ford Maverick (they pushed it from the dealership) as a statement on dead technology. You can read about the day here: http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/

  
         
     

BABY BALD EAGLE CAM, IN THE NEST REAL TIME, 2010, by Lynn Rosen

This year’s baby bald eagle, an only child, was born on April 11th. The nest is in an old Garry oak tree in Sidney, BC – a suburb of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, situated on the South end of Vancouver Island. The area is near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal on the Saanich Peninsula. In nest season 2006, the eagles raised 2 eaglets. In season 2007 they successfully raised one. In 2008 they produced three eaglets in a new nest about 500 ft. from the original nest. A cam was placed in this second nest for the 2009 season, where the eagles successfully raised TRIPLETS again.

  
  Mother nature arranges for the baby bird to projectile it's excrement out and away from the nest. This keeps it clean and germ free. Unfortunately the camera box is level with the nest instead of over it and looking down. So it looks like the little one scored a number of direct hits right on the lens. The camera can't be cleaned by humans until the fall when the eagles are away from the nest on migration since it would disturb the nest and the fledgling. Perhaps it will rain. For more information here's a link to a post http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=60963#60963 giving a bit more detail.  
     
 

Who we are: For brief bios on the writers who form this Pacific Northwest collective, please click here.

  
     
 

For daily travel issues and news, visit ConsumerTraveler.com

  
     
 

Comments and Suggestions: rsgiordano@gmail.com

 
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