Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

Around my neck of the woods, people get uncooped by going to a cabin someplace, which sounds like an oxymoron. Getting uncooped by getting cooped, I mean. Except if the cabin is one of these floating jobs. Talk about lakefront.This little gem belongs to Margy and Wayne Lutz and floats on Powell Lake in British Columbia. The 2-story, 20' x 21' cabin sits upon a main 40' x 40' float and has additional satellite floats...

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The WaterMat is kind of like a Slip’n Slide for adults. (Not that the Slip’n Slide isn’t for adults.) Basically, the WaterMat is a sheet of reinforced polyethylene foam that floats on water and can hold up to 1500 pounds. You just plop it in your pool or on the lake and run, jump, slip, slide or make like Jesus. It’s up to you. The 20' x 6' WaterMat will set you bat a cool...

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Via the always-fascinating, often-disturbing, updated-daily Environmental Health News network comes this story from the Duluth News-Tribune:Groups says feds are hiding data on Great Lakes health concernsA nonprofit public interest group says a report that charts human health problems near Great Lakes toxic sites has been hidden by the U.S. government for seven months because the findings might be too controversial.Keep reading... Thanks, federal government.   

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Located in Osoyoos, British Columbia, "Kliluk, The Spotted Lake" consists of a very high concentration of minerals that includes among others magnesium sulphate, calcium and sodium sulphate. As the ambient temperature rises, the water in the lake evaporates, leaving the minerals to crystalize, which in turn forms numerous yellow pools. Covering 38 acres, The Spotted Lake is privately owned, but is visible from Highway 3, 5.5 miles (8.8 kms) from Osoyoos. Via the Osoyoos Chamber...

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First, because I'm a proud Minnesota girl (despite living in California)...the Superior Hiking TrailThis roughly 250-mile trail follows the wild north shore of Lake Superior (which, as all of you should know, lies within the jewel of the Midwest: Minnesota). In a Backpacker magazine poll, this little-known but spectacular trail was voted the #2 best hiking trail in the country.Second, there's a trail whose very existence I was unaware of until three hours ago when I was browsing for...

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When I tease my boyfriend Joshua about his quirky surfer habits, he accuses me of dating him as a cover. "You?re studying us," he says. "You're probably writing a book." Then he points out that my outdoor passion, climbing, is just as weird as his. Which is crazier - surfing in near-freezing Lake Superior or clinging to a 200-foot cliff face that towers beside it?I can see why he's suspicious. First, I am a writer. Taking...

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I just interviewed a friend of mine, Cliff Langley of Fluid Groove Productions, who recently finished putting together his second film."It's a documentary," he says, "about how to survive a northern Minnesota winter without partying yourself to death."The film is called Long Cold Winter, Eh? and features ice climbing, snowkiting, Lake Superior winter surfing, and a host of other outdoor winter action. Good inspiration for anyone who's prone to complaining that it's too cold and...

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I just wrote a long post, with pictures and links and everything, and then a blurp in the internet swallowed it. I'm going to cry a little before I type the damn thing again.In the meantime, here's a cool video of Lake Superior surfing. Keep in mind, most of these shots were probably filmed in the winter, when the water -if it's not frozen- hovers around 33 degrees.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPhbaAYWnek&mode=related&search=Please note: this image is of Lake Superior, but clicking...

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