Northern Lights Attempt

Location: Churchill, Manitoba, Canada 
Address: Joe Buck's Ridge
Date: Oct 2014
Website:  www.everythingchurchill.com

  We went to Churchill to see polar bears and Northern Lights.  We succeeded in seeing polar bears.  The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles entering the Earth's atmosphere.  The resulting collision causes the much sought after light display.  Usually it manifests itself as greenish lights causing waves across the sky.  Unfortunately, for the three nights we were in Churchill, the skies were cloudy.  We slept in our room each night with the curtains drawn back despite the glare from the street lights.  All of this was in the hopes of catching even a glimpse of this spectacle.  

  While we were in Churchill, we went dog sledding with a company called Bluesky.   They are located to the south-west of the town.  As we waited for our chance to go sledding we could see the lights from the town to the north.  The lights were giving off a yellowish green glow visible through the trees.  The picture below may be able to fool some people into believing we had captured the Northern Lights, but not us.  We hope to head north again soon and give it a try once more.  Perhaps in Iceland?

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Map of Our World
Churchill, Manitoba

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Post # 49

Top 5 Characters in Times Square

1. Batman
2. Elmo
3. Minions
4. Toy Story
5. Hello Kitty 

Times Square in Manhattan is known for having thousands of tourists swarming around 24 hours a day, and for having lights and advertising wherever you look.  It is also a place to find people dressed up as popular movie or TV characters.  You may even encounter people dressed as "What the hell is that supposed to be ?".  They can all be found in Times Square hoping to pose for photos and earn a buck or two.  This list includes our favourite characters.

1 ) Batman
Not dressed like Adam West Batman, (We would pay to have our photo with him) but more likely the Christian Bale Batman or Michael Keaton Batman.  Or is that Val Kilmer or George Clooney?
Anyway, it just depends on how long they have had the suit and when they decided to start wearing it in public.  If you are going to invest in a costume, Batman is a safe bet.  Although you will have a fair bit of competition.  We were also surprised not to see any Dynamic Duos.  Sorry Robin.
2)  Elmo
Everyone's favourite giggling Sesame Street monster can also be found in abundance. We once were on the New York subway when an Elmo got on at 49th street after a hard day's work.  He soon revealed himself to be one very sweaty man.
3) Minions
Minions from Despicable Me are taking over the streets.  With a Minion movie and Despicable Me 3 on the way, they are not going to disappear anytime soon.  You can spot their little yellow heads through the crowds.  When choosing a costume, minion is best left to the shorter people.  Nobody wants to take photos with a 6 foot 4 minion.  If you taller people insist on dressing as minions, may we suggest you dress as the purple guy with the crazy hair.
4) Toy Story
The popularity of Toy Story characters has yet to fade.  Maybe it has faded a bit, but Toy Story made the list mainly because Woody & Buzz never seem to be too far from each other.  This also makes them the only duo on our list.  Again, sorry Robin. 
5) Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty has worked her way from the pencil cases of Japan and into the hearts of the world.  Now she is waiting to become part of your New York vacation memories.

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Map of Our World
Times Square

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Post # 48

Grand Etang Lake

Location: St. George's, Grenada
Address: Grand Etang Lake
Date: Nov 2001
Website:  www.grenadaexplorer.com

    During our Princess Cruise, one of our ports of call was the island of Grenada.  We took a Grenada Highlights bus tour.  One of those highlights was Grand Etang National Park.  There are many hiking trails where you can get a closer look at the plant and wildlife.  Many people mention seeing birds and mona monkeys in the park.  Mona monkeys can be found in western Africa in places like Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.   The population in Grenada was brought over from Africa many years ago and has thrived ever since. We are always on the lookout for wildlife when on vacation.  Actually, we are always on the lookout for wildlife.  Unfortunately we did not encounter anything during our brief visit.  We were also only there long enough to take in the view overlooking Grand Etang Lake.  Grand Etang Lake is formed inside an extinct volcano.  Grenada consists of several islands in what is called the Grenadines and the whole island chain is volcanic in origin.  The best known volcano is Kick 'Em Jenny which is located in the sea about 8 km north of Grenada.

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Map of Our World
Grand Etang Lake

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Post # 47