Adventure / Facts & Trivia / Nature / Tropics
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published November 27, 2015 · Last modified November 17, 2015
Most people have a fairly romantic notion of swimming beneath a waterfall. I’ve done it. More than once. You’ve probably never given this much thought but there are different types of waterfalls. When fantasizing about swimming under a waterfall, most people think about what’s called a free-standing waterfall. That’s where...
I’ve always had a knack for making birthdays and holidays special. Even when getting caught up in the materialistic, consumer culture of America, I still tried to put my own special twist on it. On literally the day my daughter was born we had a “zero birthday” party for her....
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published September 9, 2015 · Last modified November 17, 2015
“Are you crazy?!” “You’ll starve to death.” “You’re going to end up mugged or killed.” “Why would you put your daughter in harm’s way like that?” “How are you going to communicate?” I heard all that and more. As my daughter’s 18th birthday approached, I told her that I was...
Adventure / History / Modes of Transport / USA
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 16, 2014 · Last modified November 17, 2015
With a great deal of chuffing, 500 tons of steel slowly begins inching along. Not even walking speed. Trees and landmarks creep by the windows. The brass fixtures and polished wooden trim speak of a bygone era. An era most of us have never seen firsthand and yet, one which...
Adventure / Africa / Logistics / Nature
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published April 2, 2014 · Last modified March 17, 2014
Full disclosure: This isn’t my story, it’s my friend Tommy’s. Tommy is a super adventurous traveler. He’s also an absolute train fanatic. He loves trains, especially old steam trains. He travels all over the world just to ride on interesting trains that are still in service. A few years ago...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 19, 2014 · Last modified February 12, 2014
One thing I love about travel is all the firsts. An especially fantastic trip typically has a lot of them. (I even think that’s one of the things that makes a trip especially fantastic.) For her 18th birthday, instead of wrapping up some trinket she didn’t really need I decided...
The Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada is one of the coolest places you may have never heard of. Out of all Canada’s Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island tend to get a lot more attention than “plain sister” New Brunswick. So I was pleasantly surprised at finding...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 1, 2014 · Last modified February 5, 2014
To paraphrase one of the great movie quotes of all time, “Ocean? There’s no ocean. We don’t got no ocean. We don’t need no stinkin’ ocean!” The voice, of course would be that of a distinctly Hispanic-sounding Donald Duck and he’d be speaking in reference to surfing classes offered at...