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Photo of the day 11.30.09


It's been a day full of adventure here on Gadling, so it only seems appropriate to feature this beautiful shot shared by localsurfer in our Gadling Flickr pool. As a SCUBA diver, I consider the ocean my last frontier ... so I think I have a pretty good idea of what this surfer must be feeling as he contemplates the waves in Tanzania.

If you've got some great travel shots you'd love to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day.

Gadlinks for Monday 11.30.09

I hope you all survived the biggest shopping weekend of the year! With Black Friday AND Cyber Monday your pockets may very well be depleted but your spirits should be high -- of course. As we enter a new decade in one month, it might be a good idea to adjust our travel lens and be travel adventurers! Here are some great adventurous reads for this daredevil-themed Monday. Enjoy!

'Til tomorrow, have a great evening.

More Gadlinks here.

Adventure travel Alaska style: Glacier flying

If you've ever wanted to see Alaska's beauty, but had no interest in hunting or fishing or if you think a cruise just isn't thrilling enough, maybe you should consider a little glacier flying.

Having grown up in Alaska, I've always told my visiting friends that the airplane was the only way to unlock the most spectacular sights in the state. Sure, you can drive less than fifty miles from Anchorage to view the Portage glacier from a distance, but a helicopter or airplane tour is something you'll never forget.

To get an idea what glacier flying is all about, just take a quick ride with Jerry Kallam, a pilot out of Palmer who's about to take off from the Knik glacier. Strap into his Piper Super Cub by hitting play below. He'll give you just enough time to fasten your seatbelt before starting the engine:

How do adventurers keep in touch?

In the old days, adventurers disappeared into remote corners of the globe and weren't heard from for months or even years. In our more interconnected world, modern adventurers regale us with their tales of travel in real time via the Internet.

How do they do it? It's all in the gear they bring along.

As he rides across Africa on a motorcycle, Thomas Tomczyk will keep the world posted on his Facebook page, Youtube channel, blog, and website.

"20,000 kilometers in Africa on a motorcycle, writing stories and taking photos and videos for publications on the Internet and in print requires some seriously interesting gear," Thomas says. "While I wanted to have the good stuff, I didn't want to feel anxious about losing a piece of equipment that was too expensive. I compromised between buying the best stuff out there and what was affordable, compact, and lightweight."

Thomas wants to shoot video too, so he's packing a PowerShot SX20 IS, because it's compact, takes sharp images, and captures stereo sound. His telephone, a 16 gig, 2G I-phone, bought jail-broken, can accept a cellular chip from anywhere and he'll regularly replace the chip as he travels from region to region. He better not expect to have a signal all the time; I couldn't get a signal half the time I was hiking the English/Scottish border! For news he's got a Tecsun DR-920, a compact and inexpensive shortwave receiver.

Internet communications shouldn't prove too much of a problem even in Africa. Every capital and most regional cities have Internet cafes, so it's a matter of writing as you go and uploading it when you have the chance. A solid state laptop with good battery life is a key bit of gear along with a small external hard drive to back up your data.

Our very own Andrew Evans brings along a lot of gear too. He blogs for us and National Geographic's Intelligent Travel. Because he's a contributing editor to National Geographic Travel, he gets a lot of cool toys to "test" (play with) on the road. These include a National Geographic USB power source and a foldable multiport solar charger so his equipment never runs out of juice. He's just started out on a trip to the outer, uninhabited islands of New Zealand and readers can track his movements on GoogleMaps thanks to his Trackstick mini and Gisteq Photo Trackr Mini DP.

But let's not forget that communicating with the people we meet is the most important thing. Knowing the local lingo is the best "gear" you can have. Both Thomas and Andrew can get by in a few different languages. You don't even have to be a brilliant linguist to pull it off. I've gotten a long way on a couple of hundred words and goodwill!

The best video of rafting trip crash and burns

When picking a rafting trip like one down the Grand Canyon, whether it's the day long or several days version, make sure that the trip is a good fit for you. How much excitement are you after? How does the thought of dumping out of the raft grab you? Are you up for a crash and burn experience or is a leisurely float more your style?

For a rollicking look at what dumping out of a raft in white water rapids looks like, check out this video. The footage is strung together vignettes over eight years of rafting trips. Amazingly, according to what I've read in the comments, no one was hurt with any of these dump and tumbles. If you have never figured out why a life vest is important even if you know how to swim, here's your answer. Plus, a helmet is your friend.

The rivers featured are: Gauley River in West Virginia, Zambezi River in Africa, the Moose River in New York and the Black River, also in New York. Click on each river for a link to a raft company that runs trips down it. The music for this video is a perfect fit.

The Drifter documentary now on DVD

Drifter Trailer from Poor Specimen on Vimeo.

The Drifter film just finished it's autumn tour around the United States and is officially making its way around the adventure and surf circuit. The film centers around the writings of legendary surfer Rob Machado and his time spent in the South China Sea, exploring, learning and well, drifting. More potently, however, the topic strikes home for any long term traveler or lover of the Pacific Island culture, and having been there myself I find the film engaging.

With what appears to be a limited tour and release, tracking the film down to see in theaters may be a bit of a challenge, but if you're inspired enough by the trailer to order the DVD, it looks like a solid documentary.

[Via The Cleanest Line]

The Global Scavenger Hunt is looking for competitors

Ever watched "The Amazing Race" and longed to run around the world, racing through airports, darting in and out of countries and competing challenges? Well, if you've got about $10,000 to spare, you can, as a competitor in the 2010 Global Scavenger Hunt.

The event, which is described as being "like Survivor, The Amazing Race and the Eco-Challenge all rolled into one except with much more cultural interaction" is limited to 25 teams and takes place over three weeks in April. The teams will visit ten countries while traveling west around the world from Los Angeles to New York and competing in challenges in order to win the title of "World's Greatest Traveler".

Contestants must apply and go through a screening process and pay an entry fee of $9,900 per person, which covers accommodations, all flights, and 40% of meals. The event kicks off on April 9, 2010.

The event isn't all airport mad-dashes and physical feats though. According to the website, the goal isn't to race through each country as fast as you can, performing outlandish stunts as you go, but to connect with each culture (though with only 2-3 days in the country, that may be difficult) through the challenges. Each team is also asked to raise $1 per kilometer (which equals the daunting figure of $40,000 per couple) for a total of $1 million raised per event for the Great Escape Foundation, a nonprofit that funds long-term projects and micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries.

SkyMall Monday: Transparent Canoe

You wouldn't suspect that the world's preeminent authority on all things SkyMall would be an adventure travel enthusiast. You probably assumed that I just sit in the SkyMall Monday headquarters in a lab coat kick-ass sweatshirt looking in the mirror and calling myself the preeminent authority on all things SkyMall. But, I do get out into the world and attack it with more vim and vigor than a 14-year-old girl at a screening of "Twilight." I've raced camels in the Moroccan desert, jumped out of airplanes and eaten at a Waffle House at 3:30am. I've risked my life. I like staring death in the eye and waiting to see who blinks first (Hint: It's me, but only because my contact lenses get dry). In other words, I'm not one to shy away from danger. In fact, I like to see the perils that surround me so that I can flip them off and disparage their mothers as I conquer them with ease. That's why I've always been frustrated by the opaque nature of my adventure vehicles. Planes, cars and boats only have windows. How can I moon danger through a tiny window? Leave it to SkMall to understand this very specific problem. They understand that I must envelop myself in danger. That's why I am thrilled that I can finally taunt all the risks that await me when I'm on the water in my new Transparent Canoe.

Exploring a remote river in India by kayak

Some of the last unexplored places on the planet can only be reached by kayak, with explorers making a first descent on rivers that are wild and untamed. The video below is an example of such an expedition through the Tawang Valley located the remote Arunachal Pradesh in India. The journey was expected to take two weeks, with the team going completely self supported over 130 miles of river that, up until that point, had never been seen by man. Along the way, they experienced Class V rapids, deep canyons, perilous rocks, and plenty of adventure.


Enter Tawang Chu Part: 1 from Ben Stookesberry on Vimeo.

Four resources for horse-crazy travelers

I grew up riding horses, and though now that I live in a big city I don't get to ride as often as I'd like, I still love the feeling of galloping on horseback to the rhythm of hoof beats. I've ridding with the gauchos in Argentina, through coffee fields in Honduras, over rolling green hills in Hawaii, and on the five-gaited four-legged teddy bear of an equine that is the Icelandic Horse. If you love horses and are looking to plan an equestrian vacation, here are four resources to get you started.

Equitours, "America's largest and oldest horseback riding vacation company", offers packaged tours for avid equestrians. With tours in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, America, and the South Pacific, they pretty much cover the globe by horseback. The site allows you to search by experience level, location, length of tour, and date. Trips range in cost from $800 to $2900 and include riding, accommodations, meals and transfers, but not flights.

Hidden Trails Equestrian Tours offers packaged vacations, but goes beyond the standard trail rides. In addition to vacation treks, they offer cattle and wild horse drives, riding clinics, covered wagon treks, riding safaris and pack trips in over 40 countries. Specialty trips include ride and cook, ride and fish, woman only, and gaited horse trips. Rates range from $600 to $3000 and include riding, accommodations, meals and transfers, but not flights.

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