August 29, 2009 – 6:43 pm
In a little town in the heart of Mexico, a long time ago a lightning bolt hit an agave plant. It cooked the plant and later the local people found that the cooked fermented plant produced a sweet juice that made them feel good. Ages later that little town was named Tequila and the drink was too. When we visited this little gem, we thought it would just be a simple fun time learning about how the world famous liquor was made at the main headquarters in Mexico, but what we did not realize is that the drink, and the town have an incredibly rich history and culture. The visit to the town turned into a truly memorable experience after we spent the day on the VIP
The Richardson Highway that we took down to Valdez, Alaska is one long, meandering curve after another. Barely a stretch of straight road created awe-inspiring vistas that seemed to just spring-up of nowhere. One second we were driving along the road with tall trees and colorful wildflowers by our sides, the next second our eyes were popping out of our heads trying to comprehend the magnificence of a stunning sight of sun beams bathing massive, jagged snow-covered peaks that somehow just appeared in front of us. That stretch of highway was made for the gods, I do believe.
By Kristen Magnuson
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Also posted in Accomodation Reviews, Action Sports, Alaska, History, North America, USA, adventure
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Tagged Alaska, alaska b & b's, alaska hotels, anchorage, Brookside Inn Bed and Breakfast, columbia glacier, glaciers, icebergs, Keystone Outfitters, Pangaea Adventures, richardson highway, sea kayaking, Valdez, valdez accommodation, white water rafting
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The sense of community we all felt when we arrived at the Old Minto camp for an Athabasca Indian potlatch was incredible and inspiring. We were all very fortunate to interact with them and learned a great deal on our tour of the camp.
It began with a 30-mile boat trip up the Tanana River from Nenana, Alaska to the site that was originally settled in 1912. They have since moved their camp to a new location based on the flooding that continually caused them to flee, but still return to their old location for celebrations. It was here they were having a celebratory potlatch, as they come to the Old Minto a few times throughout the summer.
By Nels Thoreson
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Also posted in Education, Events, North America, USA
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Tagged Alaska, Athabasca, Cultural Heritage and Education Institute, Nenana, old minto, Old Minto Recovery Camp, potlatch, Tanana River
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Don’t get me wrong, I cherish these unique experiences and it’s one of the main reasons that I’m on the expedition. However, after the mad dash to the Arctic Ocean and back I think I speak for all of us on the crew when saying we were happy to have a host for a couple of nights at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge upon our return to Fairbanks.
By Craig Johnson
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Also posted in Accomodation Reviews, Alaska, North America, USA
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Tagged accommodation, Alaska, chena river, drinking, eating, fairbanks, hydroponics, lodges, lodging, pike's landing, Pike's Waterfront Lodge, restaurants, solar panels
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Back in Mexico, there is a special town named Tequila. As you all may have guessed, that is where Tequila comes from. It is one of the most charming cities we went to on the entire expedition and the tour of the Jose Cuervo headquarters was impressive to say the least. While you might expect the tour to be just a standard corporate tour coming from the one of the largest liquor brands in the world, it actually had an intimacy that was quite welcoming.
By Steven Shoppman
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Also posted in Mexico, New Photos, North America
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Tagged agave, alcohol, central, distilling, Jalisco, jimador, Jose Cuervo, Mexico, reserva de la familia, Tequila
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