Walk Around The Lake

... in just a few million footsteps.

On April 29 2010, Kate Crowley & Mike Link, veteran naturalists, set off via foot & kayak to circumnavigate Lake Superior.

145 days later they'd gone full circle.
It was 1555 miles. (2503 km)
That's quite a walk.

They took video, and collected valuable data on water quality, invasive species, ecology, geography, and human impacts all along their hike. So it was a scientific venture as well as a personal adventure.

link to their interactive map

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Their trek struck a chord with me because my family traveled to see Split Rock lighthouse, one of their landmarks, when I was a child. The shore was rocky, the lake was clear, cold & endless.

And I was chilly after only a few minutes.
Can't imagine how bone-cold you'd be after 5 months.

They saw these moose tracks along the shore...

...and maybe it went in circles around them but
I bet it didn't go as far as they did. :)


For TT's 'Full Circle' day
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Escaping the Costa Concordia

Teen films as family escapes the ship.

This 5 minute amateur video chronicles their evacuation, from the moment they felt the crash during the magic show, until they reached the emergency shelter on shore.

The kid added explanations (in text windows) so you know what's going on during each individual video clip. Interesting raw footage, and well worth a look.



Imagine getting in a lifeboat like that, and then just when you think you're rescued, it tips so badly that you have to go back onto a sinking ship. And try to fathom what was like, climbing down the side of that giant boat in the dark!

Scary, nightmare scary...

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Walk the Wicked Way

And ponder this perilous pathway.

Filming all the way, this guy hiked the most hair-raising section of the disintegrating El Camino del Rey gorge trail.



El Caminito del Rey (The King's little pathway) is pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge near Málaga, Spain.

It was built in 1901 for workers at the hydroelectric dam at Chorro Falls, and was one meter (39 inches) wide, complete with a handrail. Now its obviously in a highly deteriorated state, with all those large gaps bridged only by narrow beams. They did install a safety-wire alongside the path, but several people still fell off in recent years, so the local government closed it about 10 years ago.

But apparently they don't patrol it.
Can't blame them - who'd volunteer?
I mean, besides ^ that guy ^.

btw, this inspired me to look up 'scary' words:
frightening, terrifying, alarming, bloodcurdling, chilling, creepy, eerie, hairy, horrendous, horrifying, intimidating, shocking, spine-chilling, spooky, unnerving, perilous, risky, treacherous, uncertain, unhealthy, unsound, wicked... I think they all apply here.

A late entry for TT's 'stairs' day. Happy New Year!
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Flying Art

My Modern ScareCrow, done for a local art fest.

Didn't win, but it does spin nicely in the breeze.

And no crows landed on it.

*did the construction before H'ween, but just did the pic today, so I can enter it as my daily dose in this 'Art Every Day Month'... ;-)

Find other's art via Twitter, hashtag: #aedm2010 (or search twitter)

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And if you'd like a Thursday Travel Tip, here's mine:

The contest was held near La haska, PA, at a place called Peddler's (tho no one has a cart) Village. And now's the time to make holiday plans. Every store there is unique, no chains, so they get a lot of shoppers at gift giving time.

Its like a giant outdoor mall, {store map} with cobbled paths and quirky decorations. Plus lots of food, lodging, a kid play center, and a great variety of wares.


Half of the units are grouped around a big sloping 'village green', so disabled travellers beware. The closest Int'l airports are Newark & Philly; just click on the map for more info and reviews.

*And don't forget to tap her palm tree above if you'd like to enter phhst's most recent travel contest!
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