Super-fantastic Journeys

 Advocate Harbour is a small community of around 800 full-time residents that serves as a great landing spot for exploring many of the outdoor adventures available in this area.  Seasonal tourism is a significant part of the livelihood here so there are some options for lodging and food available here.  Located close to Cape d'Or lighthouse and Cape Chignecto Provincial Park there is lots to do here in addition to enjoying a little quiet time strolling on the beaches with the driftwood. Things to do in Advocate Harbor: Nova Shores Adventures 37 School Lane Advocate Harbour Nova Scotia Toll-Free: 1-866-638-4118 Web Site Open May thru October Sea Kayaking in the Three Sisters was on my bucket list for Nova Scotia and is the real reason that we ventured down to this part of the province.  Kayaking on the Bay of Funday is an amazing experience and seeing the difference in the tides is amazing.  Nova Shores Adventures is your best choice for guided kayak tours from...

 Cape d'Or is located on a prominent point that sticks out into the Bay of Fundy near Advocate Harbor.   From this point, you can see the Bay of Fundy on one side and the Minas Channel on the other side of you.  On this point sits one of Nova Scotias lighthouses situated in an ideal spot for mariners.  Standing 30 feet tall and painted a classic red and white, the lighthouse is still operating today. In addition, to being an active lighthouse, the lighthouse keepers home has been converted into a Bed and Breakfast with amazing views of the water and rugged cliffs of Cape d'0re.  The green grass around the lighthouse is deceiving as there are rocky cliffs in both directions.  The cape was named by the French explorers because the cliffs have native copper deposits that made them look as if they were the "Cape of Gold".  This is a unique spot to watch the tidal rips as the tides change.  The rips can be quite large and one of the activities inv...

 Located less than an hour's drive from downtown Nova Scotia is the iconic Atlantic coastal town of Peggy's Cove.  The cove here is a small inlet with docks and a boat ramp that would provide fishermen refuge from the sea and a place to call home.  The prominent rock outcropping that protects the entrance to the cove also served as an ideal spot to build a lighthouse for navigation along the rocky eastern coast of Nova Scotia.  The first light on this site was built in 1868.  The first light was atop a wooden house and stood until 1914 when it was replaced with the current octagonal lighthouse with it's classic red and white paint job.  The lighthouse stands 49 feet tall and can be seen from 10 nautical miles away.  The light is still an active light and is run by the Candian Coast Guard. The location of Peggy's Cove makes it one of the most visited tourist attractions in the province of Nova Scotia.  While it is extremely busy it should be on you...

 Page Arizona was established as a temporary work camp in 1957 when the Glen Canyon Dam was being constructed.  Now it serves as a hub for many of the outdoor activities that are in this area of Southern Utan and Northern Arizona.  We planned our trip to have about 24 hours to explore the area around Page Arizona, and now I realize that you could spend a week or more here and still not experience everything the area has to offer.  The town has just over 7,000 full-time residents and is all about tourism in the area. Where to Stay: There are numerous places to stay while you are in page with a wide range of pricing.  The hotels have been built along the north side of town on the hill so that they can claim to have a view of Lake Powell as a part of their marketing. We stayed in the Courtyard by Marriott Page at Lake Powell .  Wow, I would hate to be the one who answers the phone and has to say that name a hundred times a day.  The Courtyard is a very t...

 In today's view from the wing tip I was able to capture this shot of Soldiers Field, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Chicago Aquarium as we were flying the downwind leg out into Lake Michigan before turning to the left and coming in for a final approach into O'Hare International Airport.  It was a nice crisp November morning so the view was great.

When you see pictures of Antelope Canyon you cannot help to put it on your bucket lists of places you want to experience first hand.  The great news is that this is an easily accessbile item from your list that you can experience with a trip to Page, AZ. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon that has been created in the sandstone by floodwaters that come from the surrounding area when it rains.  The rainwater is funneled into this thin canyon through a small crack in the and as it's path is constricted into a smaller space, the force of the water carves the slot canyon.  As you stand inside the canyon you can see the waves of rock that have been created by the water flow.  At times the canyon is only wide enough for a single person to walk through and then it will open up into a small room.  The walls can reach up to 120 feet above you and they can limit the light, or at just the right moment the suns rays will find that path through the rocks and create a single ray...

 So when you talk about Mexican Food in the state of Texas, you have to be careful about what you are going to get.  There is a real variety but the most popular in Texas is really Tex-Mex.  What makes Tex-Mex different, we will start with the cheese and beef.  Tex-mex restaurants love Queso, a melted cheese sauce that is either served with chips as an appetizer or is used excessively to cover a burrito or enchilada.  Texans love to smother everything with queso and it is nasty, way too much for me.  The second item that separates Tex-Mex from other regional Mexican food is the use of beef.  When you order and enchilada with chili sauce (because you do not want all that queso) it is a red sauce with ground beef crumbled up in it.  This is not the same as a green chili from New Mexico or even a red chili from Arizona.  Beef also shows up in the ever-popular fajitas, sliced skirt steak grilled and served on a sizzling platter with lots of sides...