Lifestyle

Out and about


Published: January 4, 2009

Maine guide's book serves as signpost

WHITEFIELD, Maine — Take Deboullie — if you're prepared. Or Scraggly Lake, or the Unknowns.

Wheeling and tromping across thousands of miles of Maine's remotest points, author Tom Hanrahan has been to those pristine patches and plenty more. While he doesn't mind being alone, he doesn't want all million-plus acres of Maine public lands to himself.

At the request of the state Conservation Department, Hanrahan has written a book, "Your Maine Lands — Reflections of a Maine Guide," to show Mainers and visitors the wild and breathtakingly scenic preserves that few people — Mainers included — know.

"We want people to know about these places and to go and enjoy them," said Hanrahan.

The master Maine guide's book is a series of first-person reflections on chunks of the state he regards as heaven on Earth that should be enjoyed by all who appreciate the outdoors. But he's also careful to point out that they're not places for casual day-hikers, and are full of potentially mortal hazards that can turn an unprepared sojourner's foray into sheer hell.

The state has outright ownership of some 500,000 acres of public reserved land, plus conservation easements of nearly 1 million more acres that are protected permanently. These public lands are open to anyone to hunt, fish, hike, trap, cross country ski, snowshoe, snowmobile or enjoy any other of a myriad of backcountry activities.

Lighthouse has a Brand new life

ST. GEORGE ISLAND, Fla. — Three years ago, storms toppled the 153-year-old Cape St. George Lighthouse. It collapsed on uninhabited Little St. George Island, where it had been accessible only by boat and boarded up as a safety hazard.

But now the lighthouse has been rebuilt in a location where many more people can visit and appreciate it. It reopened to the public Nov. 29, marking the end of a rescue mission that was improbable at best and thought crazy by most.

Volunteers spent thousands of hours cleaning the old bricks from the heap of rubble where it fell, the St. George Lighthouse Association raised money, and state lawmakers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency came through with grants.

The lighthouse now sits at the end of the 4-mile bridge that connects St. George with Eastpoint on the other side of Apalachicola Bay, about 77 miles southwest of Tallahassee.

Unusual hotels of the world

NEW YORK — What do treehouses, prisons, igloos, lighthouses, yurts and castles all have in common?

According to Unusual Hotels of the World, accommodations of one sort or another can be found in any of these types of dwellings.

There are igloos and ice hotels renting rooms in cold places around the globe, from Finland to Quebec. Treehouse accommodations can also be found in a variety of countries, from India to Germany, and several right here in the U.S., including the Out'n'About Treesort in Cave Junction, Ore., and Winvian, near Litchfield, Conn. You'll find accommodations in caves in Turkey, Spain and other places, among them the Beckham Creek Cave Haven in Parthenon, Ark., and in lighthouses like the East Brother Light Station in Point Richmond, Calif.

To search for other offbeat places to stay, visit unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/.

Travel adventures from South Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — If you're visiting Florida this season to escape the cold and you'd like to have a fun and fit adventure while experience some of that warm outdoor weather, South Florida Adventures magazine has come up with recommendations for travel adventures in the region.

They include mountain biking at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah; exploring the byways of the Tamiami Trail, including Turner River Road and the Florida Trail; diving reefs and wrecks off South Florida, including Sky Cliff near Boynton Beach and the French and Molasses reefs off Key Largo; kayaking Miami's Oleta River; learning about Native American life while hiking and visiting the Long Key Nature Center in Davie; biking from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale along A1A, and trying a stand-up paddleboarding workout, a fitness craze that literally consists of standing on a board and paddling your way through calm water.

Study: Zion bus system will need more money

SALT LAKE CITY — Eight years ago, Zion National Park launched a program to take visitors around to the park's most popular sites using shuttle buses. Last year, nearly 3 million people used the shuttles, significantly reducing pollution and traffic in the park.

But park officials say the shuttle system could face cutbacks if it doesn't get additional money in the coming years.

If funding remains at 2008 levels, costs could exceed revenue by 2012, according to the first in-depth analysis of Zion's shuttle program.

The March-to-November system, which also includes nine buses that run between the nearby town of Springdale and the park, costs about $3 million a year, Whitworth said. But costs are rising, and the fleet is getting older.

Cutbacks could include reduced hours, longer waits between rides and cutting out certain service areas, the analysis said.

Jock Whitworth, Zion's superintendent, said long-term funding for the shuttle program remains the biggest challenge.

"We definitely want it to keep going," he said. "I think the Zion shuttle is spectacular."

Shuttles are used in other national parks, too, including Grand Canyon, Alaska's Denali and Acadia in Maine.