recent conversation with Vincent; we were discussing the possibility of our building collapsing from a weak foundation:
Vincent: If you could save one thing what would it be?
Lindsay: My harddrive (that has my PhD on it).
Vincent: Oh. I would have saved you... I see where I stand.
Oops.
January 29, 2011
January 18, 2011
the great frog appeal
Photo by Robyn Moore*Apparently, frogs are going bye-bye in a way that rivals the great dinosaur extinction. That is very bad for the earth. Help save them if you care about your (real, imaginary, future, or other people's) children. You are also allowed to save them because you love the planet!
Let the Amphibian Avenger tell you more about it
*I don't know who Robyn is, but dang, she can take great photographs of craz-diculous frogs!
January 15, 2011
tasmania, part 2
Imagine with me. A lovely tasmanian forest. A bright, sunny morning. Echidnas and wallabies search for breakfast. A yellow-tailed black cockatoo makes her presence known overhead. Peaceful, right? I'd even suggest serene.
Even so, I think it's safe to say we'd all do it again--what a great adventure.
It was not to last.The first one was an baby one, they encouraged. Just 10-15 meters. Easy-peasy. And it was. It was fun and delightful. The second one was not so bad either, although at the end of it we were suddenly 26 meters/85 feet off the ground discussing the "sturdiness" of the platform we were standing on. Hm. Hands a little shaky, we moved on. This time, it was a short run, very short--do not be fooled, they warned--this was one of the fastest. To be sure we didn't miss the end we had to break ourselves until half way. Vincent took that as a sign to be a bad-ass. Dad too. I took it as a sign to value being alive. We forge ahead and meet the longest one. We have to traverse a river valley--400 meters/1,313 feet long--and look for gigantic crayfish. I didn't see one but I didn't die either, so I'm marking that as in the "win" column. And at the very end we had to simulate a free fall and resist the urge to grab onto anything. I did anyway. Eh.
Even so, I think it's safe to say we'd all do it again--what a great adventure.
January 8, 2011
tasmania, part I
Hiking in Tasmania is serious business...hilly business.
12.45 kms / 7.74 miles
4 hours 8 minutes
A classic Tassie "walk." We had to basically go up a mountain to get to the Wineglass Bay lookout (worth it) and then hike all the way back down again to get to the beach (also worth it). Then we made our way through a swamp to Hazard's Beach and back around the mountain to get back to where we started. By the end, my legs were shaking. My dad looked pretty beat too. Vincent showed off by carrying all the water the whole way and not even breaking a sweat. Hm. I guess that's what hip surgery and old age to do people. Vincent's day will come.
Tiring as it was, the scenery and weather couldn't have been better. Little did we know how our hiking-luck was going to keep up!
approx. 5 kms / 3.1 miles
approx. 2.5 hours
I didn't bring my super-awesome-gps-running-watch on this hike, because we thought it was going to rain. Thinking back, I don't know why that stopped me since it's water proof for up to 30 minutes in metre-deep water. Next time. In any case, this hike was a bit on the fly because our originally planned hike turned out to be an un-maintained trail which would require a little extra "gear." My father and Vincent took that as a sign that I was trying to kill them. They decided we would choose another hike. No trust. Thus, we did Crater Lake/Lake Lilla loop, which basically, once again, took us up a mountain to Crater Lake and then down to Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla.
Cradle Mountain is basically an alpine rain forest! The scenery is impossible to describe--I'd never seen anything like it. 1/3 of the plant life on Tasmania is found only here. They also have wombats...and tasmanian devils.
5.89 kms / 3.66 miles
1 hour 56 minutes
Our last hike in Tasmania. Sigh. This was our easiest hike with the least elevation change and the shortest route. It was me, dad, Vincent and Bec! The view was beautiful and the weather held out for us. But we had to bundle up it was probably in around 4C/40F in some places/at some moments (my estimation). We walked right to the base of Cradle Mountain, which of course is the main attraction!
I'm secretly (or I guess now, not so secretly) planning another trip. Lemme know if you want in!
Hike #1: Wineglass Bay/Hazards Bay Circuit; Freycinet National Park.
12.45 kms / 7.74 miles
4 hours 8 minutes
A classic Tassie "walk." We had to basically go up a mountain to get to the Wineglass Bay lookout (worth it) and then hike all the way back down again to get to the beach (also worth it). Then we made our way through a swamp to Hazard's Beach and back around the mountain to get back to where we started. By the end, my legs were shaking. My dad looked pretty beat too. Vincent showed off by carrying all the water the whole way and not even breaking a sweat. Hm. I guess that's what hip surgery and old age to do people. Vincent's day will come.
Tiring as it was, the scenery and weather couldn't have been better. Little did we know how our hiking-luck was going to keep up!
Hike #2: Crater Lake/Lake Lilla Loop; Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
approx. 5 kms / 3.1 miles
approx. 2.5 hours
I didn't bring my super-awesome-gps-running-watch on this hike, because we thought it was going to rain. Thinking back, I don't know why that stopped me since it's water proof for up to 30 minutes in metre-deep water. Next time. In any case, this hike was a bit on the fly because our originally planned hike turned out to be an un-maintained trail which would require a little extra "gear." My father and Vincent took that as a sign that I was trying to kill them. They decided we would choose another hike. No trust. Thus, we did Crater Lake/Lake Lilla loop, which basically, once again, took us up a mountain to Crater Lake and then down to Wombat Pool and Lake Lilla.
Cradle Mountain is basically an alpine rain forest! The scenery is impossible to describe--I'd never seen anything like it. 1/3 of the plant life on Tasmania is found only here. They also have wombats...and tasmanian devils.
Hike #3: Dove Lake Circuit; Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
5.89 kms / 3.66 miles
1 hour 56 minutes
Our last hike in Tasmania. Sigh. This was our easiest hike with the least elevation change and the shortest route. It was me, dad, Vincent and Bec! The view was beautiful and the weather held out for us. But we had to bundle up it was probably in around 4C/40F in some places/at some moments (my estimation). We walked right to the base of Cradle Mountain, which of course is the main attraction!
I'm secretly (or I guess now, not so secretly) planning another trip. Lemme know if you want in!
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