Our final trip with the 2007 Dartmouth Ski Team was a special one for the athletes, coaches, and administrators who have dedicated so much to the ski team in particular and Dartmouth Athletics in general. At the White House on June 18, President George W. Bush honored 27 of this year's NCAA Division-1 national championship teams-of which we were one-in an afternoon-long celebration that included a tour of the White House, a personal meeting with President Bush, and Presidential remarks delivered on the South Lawn........

Denali, the "High One," is the name Athabascan native people gave the massive peak that crowns the 600-mile-long Alaska Range. Denali is also the name of an immense national park and preserve created from the former Mount McKinley National Park. In 1917 Mount McKinley National Park was established as a game refuge. The park and the massif including North America's highest peak were named for former senator - later President - William McKinley. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) enlarged the boundary by 4 million acres and redesignated it as Denali National Park and Preserve. It exemplifies interior Alaska's character as one of the world's last great frontiers, its wilderness is largely unspoiled........

A glorious day for walking. Clear sky, cool and sunny. We decided to do Great Gable, not from Wasdale as illustrated above, but from the Slate Mine on Honister Pass. Sadly, although visibility was excellent, with the sun came haze and so it was not the greatest day for photographs.

The path up from the slate mine

The purist will say tackling the Gables from this starting point is cheating, as you have won a thousand feet before you get out of the car. But we have been up Gable a fair few times, and this was an ideal day for a family walk across from the Slate Factory, looking .........

People have been drawn to the rugged coast of Maine throughout history. Awed by its beauty and diversity, early 20th-century visionaries donated the land that became Acadia National Park. The park is home to many plants and animals, and the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast. Today visitors come to Acadia to hike granite peaks, bike historic carriage roads, or relax and enjoy the scenery.

 
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Welcome to the new Acadia National Park website! We are adding new content every day. Until the transition to the new site is complete, some links may .........

One in three drivers suspected of driving while 'over the limit,' but subsequently found to be below maximum permissible levels of alcohol, nevertheless tested positive for a range of drugs, reveals research in Injury Prevention. The findings prompt the authors to call for routine drugs testing in all drivers who are suspected of being over the limit for alcohol........

Ecology and conservation experts from the University of Exeter today urge international governments to work together to protect threatened Caribbean sea turtle populations. The Cayman Islands, a UK Overseas Territory, once supported one of the world's largest sea turtle rookeries, which comprised some 6.5 million adult green and loggerhead turtles. These populations were driven into decline from the mid-1600s onwards, when massive harvesting of nesting turtles began. Only a few dozen individuals survive today........

AND SO BEGINS Your Guide to Familiar Birds of Prince Edward Island, a pocket-sized, colour guide to some of the most sought out birds in the province. The book was compiled and written by legendary Island naturalist, the late Geoff Hogan, and published in 1991 by Ragweed Press, 222 Grafton St., Charlottetown........

The treasure of the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas is the country of nearly 700 islands, a stunning combination of magnificent reefs, and man-made miracles. The Gulf Stream is responsible for an astonishing variety of marine life. The Bahamas enjoys an international reputation for sailing, regattas, and races. The best season for a Bahamas sailing vacation is from November to March, but the peak period is from the middle of December to the middle of January........

Mother England. There's no place like home. I am always at a loss for an answer when people ask me where I am from. In 30andand#35;43; years I have moved house 30andand#35;43; times, so you can appreciate my confusion. I have lived in Cardiff, capital of Wales, for the past few years, but I am (very) English........

Riviera Maya is the ideal vacation destination for tourists visiting Mexico. Many content vacationers refer to Riviera Maya as paradise on Earth. Riviera Maya has something for everyone, whether it is sports, dining, shopping or just simply relaxing. The warm climate of the Caribbean is refreshing. The days are sunny and warm and the nightlife is vibrant and eclectic and there is always a party that one can join........

Hawaii is an archipelago of over nineteen distinct volcanic islands located over a geological "hot spot" in the Pacific. The Pacific plate on which the islands ride moves to the northwest, so in general the islands are older and smaller (due to erosion) as you move from southeast to northwest. There are eight major islands, six of which are open to tourism........

Italy is one of those countries about which you probably have quite many preconceptions before you have put one foot into the country. A country of olive oil and mafia, pasta, wine and sunshine, roman ruins and renaissance palaces, Italy has a lot to offer its visitors. Eventhough some of these images are appealing, it would be a shame if that was the only thing you come away with. Italy is certainly much more complex and interesting than that........

Spain is more than bullfights, flamenco dancers and crowded beaches. It's a spectacular and diverse country, the north resembling the rolling, green hills of Ireland and the south giving you a taste of Moroccan landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous history is reflected in its prehistoric cave paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling castles, Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals as well as some very unique modern architecture. The uniqueness of Spain lies in the separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation. These regions remain diverse in their language, culture, cuisine and art. These regions include: Andalucía, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla Leon, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Valencia. Areas of interest are not limited to each region, here are some highlights:........

The country was part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was acquired piece by piece by the Burgundians. At the end of the middle ages, it became a Spanish possession (together with what is now Belgium). Little survives from this period, except a few historic city centers, and a few castles. Following a revolt led by national hero Willem van Oranje (William of Orange), the father of the currently ruling House van Oranje (of Orange), the Spanish were kicked out as part of the Thirty Year's War (known as the Eighty Year's War in the Netherlands: 1568-1648). The split with Belgium came when the northern provinces signed the Union of Utrecht in 1579........

Previously, it was thought, islands of land could be preserved forever by simply drawing national park boundaries. Today, it is clear that this is untrue. National parks are not islands. They are greatly impacted by what happens outside their boundaries. A wood stork silently wades shallow waters like a drum major in slow motion. Bill submerged, its great, dark head sweeps back and forth across shallow, murky waters like a robot on an assembly line. Mixed metaphors of wild nature and human technology befit this endangered wading bird. Its dramatic decline in numbers symbolizes the magnitude of environmental threats stalking today's Everglades. "River of Grass" was the description affixed to this gently sloping, mostly level landscape in the 1940s by pioneering conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Within the park this river still flows slowly toward sea and gulf........