Lee Chai has a good eye.
My buddy Grant climbed Volcan Licancabur. It’s much tougher and higher than it looks. 5916m (19404ft)
Category: photos
Gymnastics Rec Retreat
The second annual Alberta Gymnastics Rec Retreat was a blast. People who love recreational gymnastics are some of the most fun, most energetic, I know.
The whole weekend was super. But the most memorable part was not my presentation on Coach Team Building. It was the high ropes course.
See 50 more photos of the Recreation Retreat by jumping to the permanent webpage in Rick’s travelogue archive. 
tennis anyone?
Andre Agassi and Roger Federer duel (to the death?) on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.
cycling and hiking – Beat Heim’s amazing website
I’ve seen most of the popular hiking website / blogs on internet.
Beat’s Heim’s site is the best.
Great maps, great photos. Extreme travels!
You need a high speed connection as his stuff is graphic intensive.
More pics like this at betzgi.ch
Eli Crawford’s barbecue, Dunedin, Florida
A classic barbecue place. And a Blue Jays Spring Training baseball game. 🙂
I actually sent an audio review on Eli’s to the Rockin’ Ronnie. Still waiting on that to be published on one of his audiocasts.
travelogue – Florida retirement?
I visited Peter and Joyce Long at their new active retirement community just outside Ocala, Florida.
It’s a perfect Truman Show gated community catering to those age 55 or older who no longer work — but who refuse to slow down!
36-hole golf course, softball fields, swimming pools, aerobics, dance studio. 80 clubs and organizations catering to every interest, even synchronized swimming. We were waiting for the fitness centre door to open at 6AM each morning.
Two neighbours were both recently widowed. They met through the Singles Club and are now getting married.
If you are currently living in a SITCOM (Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage) you want to email Peter — peter.long@longsworld.net — to learn more about what it is like to retire to Florida.
Also, check Peter’s photos of our Kayaking and Cycling day trips. Flickr (free) membership required.
Next travelogue on this trip >> Daytona Beach, Florida
travelogue – Key West, Florida
… Homer: Florida?! But that’s America’s wang!
… Plant Psychiatrist: They prefer “The Sunshine State.”
I first learned about Florida from Miami Vice.
Sonny Crockett was the coolest cop on TV. He drove a Testarossa!
I wanted to put on expensive shoes (without socks) and drive that Ferrari to Key West. In the end I managed to drive a Chevy Nova rental — but without socks!
See annotated photos of the southern most end of the USA by jumping to my photos on flickr.
I know what you are thinking. What ever happened to Rico Tubbs? (Philip Michael Thomas)
travelogue – Holocaust Memorial, Miami
A few quiet streets away from the insanity of South Beach is a stunning memorial of the Jewish holocaust. Many visitors driving by only catch a glimpse of the giant bronze arm reaching for freedom.
Sculpture of Love and Anguish was created in 1984 by survivor Kenneth Triester. The arm has an Auschwitz tattoo and features terrified prisoners scrambling to escape.
The official website of the Holocaust Memorial.
No matter how many times I hear the story, it still drops me like a hammer.
I think of Sophie’s Choice.
I think of Schindler’s List.
And I think how impossible it is that genocide is still happening in the world today. 😦
travelogue – Xela, Guatemala
The most dramatic region of Guatemala is the Western Highlands: towering stands of pine, and every town and village tells a story.
Xela (shay-la) is the jumping off point for Highland adventures. It is also the home of the most important trekking organization in Central America, Quetzaltrekkers — a charity which raises funds by leading hikes.
Cool!
More than that, Xela is a unique, unforgettable city with a surprise on every street.
See more photos of fascinating Xela by jumping to flickr.
I did get in some hiking. 🙂
travelogue – Atitlan, Guatemala
In the 1960s Lake Atitlan was a paradise hide-a-way from the rest of the world. Gringos lived there in semi-permanent hippy colonies.
It’s still a paradise. And you can still live there for US$10 a day!
The lake is a caldera (collapsed volcanic cone) dominated by huge volcanos.
Everyone starts at Pana (Panajachel), then boats to one of the many villages not accessible by road. San Pedro is an idyl where people get stuck for weeks.
See more photos of Pana and Atitlan by jumping to flickr.
Rick McCharles 
