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February, 2009:

Destination: Franz Josef Glacier

http://www.franzjosefglacier.com/ http://www.motorhomehire.co.nz/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josef_Glacier

Coming soon – more bike posts!

I’ve been keeping an eye on what you readers seem to like best … and bike-related posts are floating to the top. So I’m going to dig deep into my nearly two decades of Arizona mountain biking expertise to serve up more info for you.
In bike-related news, a local Facebook group for mountain biking appointed me its “Vice President in Charge of Cool Dudeness.” I didn’t even know I was running, but I hereby accept the appointment!
I’m just hoping it comes with a sash I can wear that says “VP of Cool Dudeness.” Since Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons has a sash that says “Mayor” that he wears everywhere, I want a sash, too.

Grab a flight … like now!

So how many times do you talk to people about traveling, and they’ll say “I wish I could go (fill in the blank”?
Well, if there’s ever a time to do that awesome trip, this is it. Oil is cheap. The economy sucks, which means that airlines are doing all sorts of stuff to get your butt in a seat. The economy is also making it tough for those who don’t have trust funds, but seriously: prioritize. Cancel your cable for a few months. Eat a bit less sushi. Get a cheaper cell phone. Put off buying that enormous flat-screen monitor. Drink less beer. Put that bike you never ride on Craigslist. Sell your plasma. Do whatever it takes and take advantage of a nice combination of a relatively strong dollar and cheap flights.
For instance, round trips from LA to Sydney on Qantas are about $750. That’s ludicrous, and it means you can’t afford NOT to go. You’ll come away with far more memories and stories than watching HBO, that’s for sure.

The world’s coolest hotel … and one of the coldest!

About a year ago, I talked to a teenager who made an awesome visit to Sweden. He went there to stay at the ICEHOTEL, up in the very far north part of the country. He was a very clever guy who works part time as an architectural draftsman, so he was really fascinated about the idea of a hotel carved each year from ice and snow. He first learned about the ICEHOTEL in a documentary on The Discovery Channel.
It was also his first time traveling out of the country, so I have to give him a lot of credit for being bold enough to spent the better part of 24 straight hours in the air. And even better … from the airport, it was something like 30 miles by dogsled to get to the ICEHOTEL!
Here’s a bit more about the hotel:
It has some permanent, heated rooms. But the really awesome rooms are cold rooms, which workers build each year using blocks of ice from the nearby River Torne. The rooms stay at temperatures from 28 to 40 degrees F.
Each room, according to my source, had a “serene blue glow” from LEDs in the icy walls; the hotel’s silence added to the serenity. He slept on a bed made from ice covered in reindeer fur. The staff wakes guests up each day with a steaming cup of lingonberry juice, which is supposed to do wonders for keeping you warm.
There are some expeditions you can arrange from the hotel. JukkasjÀrvi [...]

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