Life of Adventure

Less Than Jake – Johnny Quest (Thinks We’re Sellouts) Rock & Guitarras Santiago, Chile 25-04-09

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REPORTER LINDSEY ASHCRAFT FOLLOWS REAL-LIFE GHOSTBUSTER PATTI STARR ON A HUNT.

Ghost Hunting

With thousands of adventures worldwide, for Americans, Alaska and Canada adventure travel beats just about anything else because of the convenience and awe-inspiring views.

For Americans, there are several advantages to traveling in Alaska and Canada. For one, since Alaska is a US state, you do not need a passport when traveling there by plane or cruise. And, until at least January 8, 2007, Americans do not need a passport when heading to Alaska and Canada for adventure travel activities.

And they speak English… sort of!

One thing that I really like about Alaska and Canada adventure travel is that even in Canada, there is not a huge difference from the United States. Canadian banking systems, hospitals and hospitality are all on par with the United States.

There is one major difference though. I hate to say it, but Canadians are, simply put, nicer and more helpful than my fellow Americans.

The thing is, though, that the same can be said for Alaskans. It must be something about the clean air and water above the 49th parallel that causes this friendliness because Alaskans are also incredibly hospitable.

So, what are some of the best Alaska and Canada adventure travel destinations?

Of course, this is not an extensive list for Alaska and Canada adventure travel but a great place to start. To get more details about each of the locations / topics below, please visit our website Odyssey Adventure Travel at:

http://www.odyssey-adventure-travel.com/alaska-canada-adventure-travel.html

Hiking / Trekking in Alaska

Anchorage, Barlett Cove, Chena River State Recreation Area, Chugach National Forest, Copper River Delta, Cordova, Dalton Highway, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Girdwood, Gustavus, Haines, Homer, Juneau, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kennecott / McCarthy Area, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Seward, Sitka, Skagway, Unalaska Area, Valdez, Wrangell

Hiking / Trekking in Canada

Glacier National Park, Yoho National Park, Kottenay National Park, Banff National Park, Waterton National Park

Mountain Biking Tours / Cycling in Alaska

Anchorage, Chugach National Forest, Copper River Highway, Denali Highway, Fairbanks, Gustavus, Haines, Homer, Jakolof Bay, Juneau, Kennecott / McCarthy Area, Ketchikan, Kluane to Chilkat, International Bike Relay, Nome, Skagway, Valdez

Mountain Biking Tours / Cycling in Canada

Banff — Start at Banff then over Vermillion and Sinclair Passes, head south through Kootenay National Park, north through the Columbia River Valley to Golden in Yoho National Park, then on to Lake Louise and back to Banff.

Icefields — Start at Icefields to Jasper to Banff past Sunwapta Falls, Columbia Icefields and Lake Louise

Nova Scotia — Start at Nova Scotia through Halifax, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg and Windsor

Skiing / Snowboarding in Alaska

Alyeska Ski Resort

907-754-2111

Toll Free: 1-800-880-3880

Girdwood, Alaska

Sking / Snowboarding in Canada

Banff Ski Resort

Alberta, Canada

Toll free within North America:

1-87-SKI-BANFF

Outside North America:

1-403-277-7669

Reservations & Ski Packages:

1-877-542-2633

Jasper Marmot Basin

Alberta, Canada

Email: info@skijaspercanada.com

Tel: 780-852-5247

Toll Free: 1-800-473-8135

Whistler Ski Areas

Alberta, Canada

Whistler: 604.932.3434

Toll-Free within North America:

1.800.766.0449

Toll-Free within the UK:

0800-587-1743

E-mail: Guest Relations

Mont Tremblant Ski Resort

Quebec, Canada

1-888-738-1777

(Overseas: 1-514-876-7273)

White Water Rafting in Alaska

Anchorage, Copper River Delta, Denali National Park, Kenai River, Kennecott / McCarthy Area, Kongakut River, Stikine River, Talkeetna River, Tatshenshini River, Valdez

White Water Rafting in Canada

Jacques-Cartier River, Quebec, Kicking Horse River, Rouge River, Chilco / Chilcotin River

Of course, there are hundreds of great places in Alaska and Canada for adventure travel. And I am always adding to this list so be sure to check back often.

Of course, there are hundreds of great places in Alaska and Canada for adventure travel. And I am always adding to this list so be sure to check back often.

Extreme Sports are the latest craze in our culture and kids as young as four and five years old are fascinated with it. As a parent of a 16 year old who has been skateboarding and surfing since he was seven, I can tell you that it does make you nervous when they do the crazy tricks. Some people hate extreme sports and some people think they are a blessing, let’s take a closer look.

The positive side of kids being involved in extreme sports in that they are out getting exercise and the television in your living room is starting to collect dust, plus your electric bill is lower. You have probably been hoping for this to happen for awhile but you aren’t sure about the choice of sports. Although skateboarding is probably the first of the extreme sports, it is only the beginning. Some of the others that kids are really getting into these days include BMX biking and trickblading.

BMX bikes are like a regular bike on steroids, they are built heavy and tough to be able to take the punishment of all the jumps and tricks, plus they have special pegs for the feet and padding to protect the biker where they are most likely to come in contact with the bike. These bikes are designed mainly for tricks and racing and are mostly used on dirt tracks and courses.

Trickbladers use the same parks as skateboarders and wear specially designed roller blades with smaller thicker wheels and have an added feature called a grind plate to help them do tricks like sliding down rails. I know, it makes my skin crawl just thinking about it! The idea is to be able to do a lot of the same tricks performed by skateboarders.

Skateboarding is thought of as the original extreme sport beginning in the 1960s when surfers put wheels on short boards to give them a way to cross train when the surf wasn’t up. These early skateboarders are probably amazed at the way the sport has developed with the huge half pipes and long rails that you see skateboarders riding today. It just makes me cringe to watch as they slide down a handrail while standing on a skateboard but incredibly my son has done it for over nine years and never broken a bone.

If you are like me, the first time that you watch your child go sailing through the air on a jump or paddling out in eight foot surf you will feel like your heart is going to pound out of your chest and you will be cringing every time they fall but as long as they have the right safety gear and are always with a buddy they will be fine, injuries are far more common in traditional sports. Encourage your kids, these days it’s hard to get them to like anything.

In Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, James Bond ordered his martinis to be made in a very particular way. The recipe – which was originally included in Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel, Casino Royale – is as follows:

* 3 measures of Gordon’s gin

* 1 measure of vodka

* ½ a measure of Kina Lillet

The ingredients should be shaken until ice cold and serve in a deep champagne goblet – or in a martini glass in the movie – with a large thin slice of lemon peel.

While Gordon’s gin and vodka are easy to find, many Bond fans had never come across Kina Lillet. And to make matters worse, the name of the product was changed decades ago and the product formula changed to remove the bitter aftertaste mentioned in the film.

So what is – or what was Kina Lillet?

Kina Lillet was introduced in the late 19th century, when it was fashionable to drink wine based tonics that included a variety of flavourings, including quinine, as well as fruit liqueurs. While the original product was known as “Kina Lillet” – kina signifying that it contained kina-kina, or quinine – contemporary ads show that “Kina” was gradually reduced in prominence and by the 1930s it seems that the product became known simply as “Lillet”. When Ian Fleming wrote Casino Royale in 1952 it coincided with a cocktail renaissance and Lillet became popular in both England and the United States.

Kingsley Amis questioned Fleming’s choice of Kina Lillet in what was later dubbed the Vesper, saying that its bitterness would have made the cocktail undrinkable and that Fleming had meant “Lillet vermouth” – probably a product known as Lillet Dry, formulated for the English market.

However, it is impossible to test Amis’ assertation because the company that produces Lillet was taken over in the 1980s and modernised. Part of this included updating manufacturing techniques to modern standards, but it also included changing the recipe for Lillet to make it more appealing for the modern palate, and that included reducing the amount of quinine and therefore the distinctive bitterness from the drink.

Today you can find two varieties of Lillet; Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge, which was introduced in the 1960s. It is the former that you should acquire if you want to mix Vespers at home.

While the bitterness has been much reduced, it has been proposed that to achieve the original flavour of James Bond’s cocktail, one should add quinine powder to the cocktail mix. Another alternative is to add a dash of bitters to give that distinctive flavour.

Today Lillet is still manufactured in Podensac, in the Bordeaux region of France. The company changed hands from private ownership in early 2008, when it was taken over by Pernod Ricard. While the increased interest in Kina Lillet seems to have taken the company by surprise and they have failed to capitalise on the free publicity provided by James Bond, it remains to be seen whether the new owners will do more to boost its popularity once again.