Turtle Nesting in Costa Rica

 If you are travelling this is the time of year to see Leatherback or Hawksbill Turtles hatching their eggs along the Pacific Coast, see this video of my experience on my first trip to Costa Rica.

I had to downgrade it a bit due to Blogspot's file limitations so don't enlarge the viewer (it will look pixelated).

Mahoosuc Notch. 9 Sept 1974

 

You have heard about it, so here are some pictures.

Later that day, I crossed into New Hampshire.

Today, on the moon

Fifty years ago, where were you?

I wrote about my location during the moon walk two years ago.

And today, while not in camp, I do want to celebrate this date in history and encourage more exploration in Space.

Today, go to Google for a short video and for more information.

Truly, Space is the final frontier.

Traffic jam on Everest

Despite the danger, climbers still head to Everest.  Check out this photo of the queue of climbers waiting in line to summit the peak.

And I thought Monadnock was crowded!

Communitas in Liminallty

Liminality continued....

During this liminal period, Turner (1969), noted the formation of a community called
communitas. This refers to the realization of a social bond between strangers who, regardless of
their individual backgrounds, temporarily find that they have a common goal during the liminal
phase. In the historic ritualized experience, they are also beholden to the elders, so this bond
develops among the individuals that break down the norms of society and the differentiation
between classes. All are now equal as they face the unknown of the future.

Communitas are also found in tourist groups where social inhibitions are loosened (Campo and
Ryan, 2008; Lett, 1983; Yarnal & Kerstetter, 2005). Night time entertainment in urban centers is
a good example where social norms are relaxed (Campo & Ryan, 2008). Typically these districts
attract a younger clientele who are fearless. Lett (1983) found yacht tourism in the British Virgin
Islands yields freedom to behave beyond the standards of normal accepted life. The communitas
formed during this ludic experience is both fun, freely created and liminal.

In challenging experiences this bond becomes not only important, but essential.

Adventure Tourism and Outdoor Activities Management

A new title for academics and practitioners is due in a couple months.

Dr. Ian Jenkins (2019) Adventure Tourism and Outdoor Activities Management: A 21st Century Toolkit, CABI

An essential resource for those wishing to understand the key factors behind the operation of an adventure tourism company and how to be able to deliver a profitable as well as a sustainable product. It discusses important factors such as how the use of technologies and the current importance of environmental impacts and climate change are areas that are key to adventure tourism firms. To remain profitable companies need to address these issues along with the important elements of risk and safety.

Key features include:
Industry Perspective case studies
Sustainable Adventure Tourism Developments
Management of Products and Customers

Created from the author's experience in delivering adventure tourism courses over the last 20 years, this long-awaited book is aimed at both university courses on adventure tourism and outdoor recreation as well as those working within the industry.

Readership
Suitable for students of adventure tourism and outdoor recreation management, as well as industry managers in outdoor activities.

Today, on the moon

Back in 1969, on this date, Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon.  Do you remember where you were?  I do.

I was at summer camp, in a tent, listening to a transistor radio and hearing Mission Control give instructions to Armstrong as he stepped down the ladder to place that foot print in the dust.  What seemed like hours, was probably only 15 minutes to a teenager. 

Coincidentally, it is also Sir Edmund Hillary's birthday.

To all the explorers out there, I dedicate this blog!

Eclipse Tourism

Forget Trump Slump, the hottest news in travel and tourism this summer is the Solar Eclipse.  There is a boat load of info on the web, so let me start with some links my colleagues at Westfield State have shared.

The American Astronomical Society has this one.  A commercial site from France has a cool map.

Now if it is a cloudy day, visibility will be poor.  So just like you need to have cloudless days to the Aurora Borealis you will need the same for the eclipse.  So check out the US government site for cloud cover on the day.

Last Sunday (6 August 2017) the New York Times has a special section on the eclipse.  You can probably find a copy in your public library.

Best places to see the eclipse?  Think West, where the skies will be clearer and less pollution.  Casper Wyoming might be a good spot.  SIU at Carbondale (Illinois) will open the stadium and enjoy the longest duration of 2 minutes 41.6 seconds (don't you love the precision mathematics of astronomy).  For us on the eastern seaboard the eclipse will rock the skies at 2:40 pm, while Salem Oregon it will darken the skies at 10:20 am.

Remember your glasses.

Cloudy or too far away?  Watch it on TV.

For a night time video on a lunar eclipse, check my entry here.

Paper accepted in Leisure/Loisir

Here is the abstract of our paper accepted in Leisure/Loisir.  Leisure / Loisir is the official publication of the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies/Association canadienne d’études en loisir ( CALS). While Leisure / Loisir is based in Canada and offers a primary outlet for individuals affiliated with Canadian institutions, the journal encourages international submissions.

Travel behaviour substitution for a white-water canoe race influenced by climate induced stream flow

Abstract
The World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization (UNWTO-UNEP-WMO, 2008) have identified one of the consequences of climate change is an interference of normal precipitation.  This research investigates the changes in travel patterns by participants and spectators at an annual canoe race as influenced by variable stream flow.   Given that stream flow varies seasonally, one might hypothesize that should a permanent reduction of water flow take place in the future, a decline or shift in water-based recreation might be expected.  Using data collected over two years at the Annual Westfield River Wildwater Races, interviews were conducted at the staging area as participants waited in the queue.  Observers of the race were also interviewed.   The two sampling years represent a low flow season and a normal flow season and yield a sample of 142 parties. During the low flow season, one that is projected to become the norm under climate change models, expert paddlers travelled a greater distance characteristic of destination substitutability while spectators decreased travel distance and this suggests a reduction of interest in observing the race.

Keywords:  Climate change, water-based recreation, substitution, travel behaviour, streamflow