Gull Camping Weekend 2012

After the huge success that was the camping and cruising weekend 2011 we are pleased to announce the dates for 2012. We will be back at Rutland on the 24th/25th and 26th of August 2012. Rutland is a great central venue with a decent campsite but feel free to stay in a local B&B or hotel. You may decide to join us for a day or two or all three. As usual, there will be no set schedule just come along and join in the sailing as and when you can. Everybody is welcome to come along!

Also, if you can suggest any day sails in a location near you, please let us know and we may get a group of Gull sailors together.

Our Camp

Here is what our camp looked like when we were set up out on the ice. These are canvas whaling tents built with a simple frame and staked down with rope. Here we cleared the ice and just hammered the stakes into it. Each tent is heated with a single propane stove.

More Alaskan Adventures

This time, it was a trip down Seward Highway, to about Girdwood or so. The ice breakup, though no sign of spring, is beautiful and watching the ice chunks flow by with majestic mountains in the background is amazing.

But what is even more amazing was the sighting of not one, not two but FOUR Dall sheep on the moutainside next to the road. I've seen moose up here, and I've seen eagles, and even an otter. But not a sheep:

Alaskan Adventures

The trip to Alaska for the honeymoon provided a great opportunity for some fantastic photographs. It is a truly stunning part of the world...the type of wilderness I love. Just as with the coast and north of Norway this type of scenery never fails to inspire me...want to see some of the results? Let's take a look at some of the pictures.

The first part of our trip was spent in the Denali National Park, and a chance to visit the mountain of Denali (otherwise known as Mount McKinley), the tallest peak in North America at over 20,000 ft. We were warned that it can be rare to get an unobstructed view of the mountain due to the weather. The mountain is usually shrouded in cloud, and you can see it less than 30% of the time when visiting the park...but the morning of our trek into the park this was the view...

...not a cloud in the sky. That is from over eighty miles away, the white peak in the picture is Mt McKinley. The clouds did roll in as we made our way towards the mountain, but it was still clear enough that we opted for a flight to get a closer look...

That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, but to be honest, the entire trip was just full of fantastic photo opportunities, and I was really happy to get some of these amazing shots.

...a moody shot from the Independence Gold Mine, high in the mountains just outside Wassila...

...two bald eagles perched on the docks at Seward... ...an amazingly still lake, allowed for these great reflection shots... ...the remote beauty of Denali...

...then we went on some cruises in Prince William Sound, one out of Whittier and one out of Seward, so that we could see the glaciers up close. The Fjord trips really reminded me of Lofoten in Norway, and aside from a little sea-sickness, the trip was amazing, including some close encounters with a group of Humpback whales (which alas I didn't get on camera due to fighting to keep the contents of my lunch from projecting on my fellow passengers), before getting to see the glaciers. They really are an amazing sight. The ice is so old and dense that blue is the only color of the spectrum that escapes back from the ice in places, which give the glaciers this really bright blue hue that seems unnatural... ...the wonderfully named Surprise Glacier... ...Surprise Glacier 'calving', which is what they call it when the ice slips into the water... ...Surprise Glacier 'calving', which is what they call it when the ice slips into the water...

Valdez, Alaska Adventures

This past week our friends, Paige and Kyle, from back south came to visit us and this great state. We had amazing weather. I tried to inform them that it usually isn't as glorious and not rainy as they experienced, but I'm thankful that we had good weather to tote them around Alaska with.

We spent a good three days in Valdez, Alaska. It's about 6 hours from Anchorage. Home of the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill and the epicenter of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake that destroyed so much of this state. It's now this quaint little fishing town in the middle of no-where Alaska

I would like to try to give you a small glimpse of rural Alaska. Since my bladder inside my preggo body was about to explode, I had to stop. I'm not beneath going in the woods (did that too on this trip), but toilets are always better in my book. Sadly, this is one of the ONLY restrooms on our 6 hour journey. It's not like every hour or two you pass through a small down with a Dairy Queen (though I kinda miss those days). There is nothing.When the lady told me to pick up the bucket...I was a little concerned. Thankfully it just held the toilet paper and there was this lovely "moving" outhouse we could utilize. Wonderful.

This is where we ate dinner. About half way there is this booming town called GlennAllen. We were instructed we needed to stop there and fill up with gas and eat dinner as it was our last opportunity. It had 3 restaurants. Three. I know this as a fact, because we stopped and asked a local when we didn't see anything. Options: a local inn's restaurant, a Thai place in a van (literally), and The Freeze. Guess where we ate.

The drive was absolutely stunning. Steep mountains for hours and hours in every direction. Huge waterfalls. That highway is where they film some of the Chevy commercials. There is a reason for that.When we finally arrived, we set up camp here.

Pretty swank (especially compared to the rest of the town). It worked out well that Matt's work has an office there with a 2 bedroom apartment above it that was available for us to stay in. Couldn't get better.Out on the porch there was a view of the harbor and all the fishing boats. We were able to watch the charters come in and see them clean and gut their gigantic fish. This is a cleaning station. We made sure to crowd around and watch after we'd already eaten. We even got a glimpse of a full rainbow. I don't know if I've ever actually seen one. The even cooler part was that the end of the rainbow landed where there used to be a whole bunch of gold mines. Coincidence? I think not. We adventured out on a hike one day through this amazing, lush valley. I'm pretty sure they need to come film Jurassic Park 4 there. And of course enjoyed some more waterfalls. And the best part...we saw our first grizzly bear!! First we saw the mama (behind us) and then a baby a little bit later. We were driving, so I did not feel threatened since the car was just a stride away for safety if needed. It was amazing. As afraid of bears as I am...I do hope that's the only way I see them. Not stranded on a trail by our lonesomes. And just in case you want a close up. Yep, it's eating a fish. I took like a million pictures. On the drive back we stopped and hiked up to one of the many icebergs we saw along the way. They are gigantic and sadly quickly melting away. That was our trip to Valdez. The following days we spent biking, grilling out and venturing up to Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) to ride some ATVs. But alas, I forgot my camera for that. It was great mini vacation!

Leavenworth Rock Climbing Programs

Adventure Sport is Rock Climbing

As I looked past Jean-Claude into the ravine 400 meters below, I thought that perhaps it would be better if I could find a path down! We were fifty km north of Grasse in south-eastern France, where the turquoise waters of the river Durance wind their way through the 25 km of the Gourge du Verdon. Its stunning beauty is a mecca for outdoor adventure enthusiasts and is deservedly called Europe's Grand Canyon.

The gorge begins at picturesque town of Castellane which is overlooked by the spectacular 11th century Church of St Victor and is home to no less than 14 adventure sports companies offering everything from white water rafting to bungee jumping.

The limestone cliffs of the Gorge provide a challenge for all grades of rock climbers. The ravines are up to 700 metres deep and vary in width from 10metres of white water rapids at the narrowest point before expanding to a width of 600 metres at the widest part.

As the gorges famous vultures circle in the skies above, climbers make sure that they are securely tied on to the rock face - just in case!

It is however the spectacular scenery that attracts most visitors. With plenty of viewing spots along the narrow roads, travel can be quite slow! It is easy though to get off the beaten track and to go hiking along the dozens of trails that surround this beautiful spot.

Or if more leisurely pursuits attract, then why not hire a canoe or a paddle-boat to explore the Gorge where the turquoise of the Durance gives way to the blue of the Lac de Sainte-Croix, or perhaps just lounge on the beach beyond the Pont du Galetas!

With its ancient star hanging precariously between two guarding hills, the beautiful town of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie at the west end of the Gorge, provides the perfect place to finish the journey. Sitting in one of the heated spa pools at the Hotel Le Colombier in Moustiers and contemplating the view over the mountains is an ideal way to treat tired limbs at the end of the day - before a short walk into town and dinner!

Castellane is about 95KM north of Nice Airport and Moustiers is 120km from Marseilles. A wide range of hotels and restaurants are available in both towns.