Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

Things are starting to warm up in Alaska and I'm not referring to the climate. Each year the Alaskans have fun in the snow, beginning with the Rondy in February. Visitors from all around the world descend on Anchorage for this annual celebration, February 22 through March 2, 2008, which grew out of a fur rendezvous for traders. It now includes many events, including a native arts market, snow sculptures, a grand parade and for the first time, the running of the reindeer. The Rondy also includes the World Championship Sled Dog Races.
Then comes the famous Iditarod, which is the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, it is kicked off from the Rondy at the beginning of March and this year is to start on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Mushers and their dog teams race over a 1,151 mile (1,853 km) route, taking aound one or two weeks, to complete the grueling and highly competative challenge. Read more about the Iditarod.



It was taken by ra64 at Farley's camp, about 3 miles east of the Nome finish line. The musher is identified in Flickr tags and photostream as Norwegian Robert Sørlie (Sorlie) in the 2007 Iditarod sled dog race.

Labels: 2008, Alaska, Anchorage, Iditarod, Rondy, Sled Dog Race

Reporter Jeannette J. Lee of Associated Press, has written an informative article in HeraldNet, about the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, and the efforts by its wealthy owner, John Byrne III, a self-professed ski junkie from Utah, to encourage snow lovers to abandon the classic slopes of Whistler, Deer Valley and Aspen and head to the far north.

Jeannette J. Lee reports that this long-time niche venue for locals and adventure skiers, is undergoing a $25 million expansion, including refurbished guest rooms, to lure larger groups of winter vacationers, particularly families, to its peaks.

Negotiations are underway to open hundreds of acres of raw terrain in the Chugach Mountains to skilled off-piste or backcountry skiers and snow-boarders but beginners are also being catered for, with a new conveyor-belt lift and snow-making machines. It seems the competition on the slopes is getting hotter.

Labels: Alaska, Canada, Chugach Mountains, Girdwood, ski, skiing, snowboarding

This is not a political blog but occasionally a piece of news is brought to my attention that is beyond belief. It is news that directly impacts millions of tourists and news that the world deserves to hear. The information appears to be valid and I forward it without comment; make up your own mind.

I will however, begin by quoting the Buddhist Thought for the Day:
"If you want to have friends, you must be friendly. If you want to make peace, you must be peaceful. - Peace Pilgrim...", which coincidentally, I happened to read just before I saw the article Merry Christmas Hawaii - And Bombs Away! by freelance writer, Cathy Garger.

According to a recent Associated Press article, "B-2 Stealth Bombers Hit US Targets" and the Cathy Garger article in OpEdNews, the United States government is using both Hawaii and Alaska to expand its war games and better train pilots by dropping bombs from stealth Air Force B-2 bombers on them around Christmas time.

No doubt the Alaskans aren't to happy about this and the Hawaiians have begun a protest movement because their land has been found to be previously contaminated with depleted Uranium from military exercises. A problem that would be compounded by bombing, since it would cause the toxic dust to become airborne. They point out that Hawaii is a special place, loved, enjoyed and visited by millions of people every year from all over the world. It truly seems beyond belief that tourists face being greeted with the US military's own unique brand of hospitality, which Cathy Garger describes as "the invisible gift of inhaled Uranium aerosol blowing in the warm tropical winds."

Labels: 2007, Alaska, Hawaii, protest, USA

For the fourth year in a row Italy placed first in 2006, as the single most popular destination for package tours booked through members of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA),with Rome ranked as the top city. California and the National Parks were cited as the hottest destinations for those seeking domestic package vacations.
In another survey aimed specifically at those with a special interest in photography, conducted jointly by USTOA and Popular Photography & Imaging magazine (Pop Photo), most photo buffs wanted to go to Hawaii, followed closely by Alaska, and Australia. Members have recommended the best places to shoot at these destinations as:

Haleakala National Park on Hawaii?s Maui Island,
Denali National Park in Alaska,
and the Australian Outback or Tasmania.

Labels: 2006, Alaska, Australia, Hawaii, Italy, package, photography, survey, USTOA, vacations