Guide to Whitewater Rapids

A Quick Guide to Whitewater Rapids

River conditions can vary widely and unpredictably. The following ratings were developed to give those unfamiliar with a river a feel for what they are getting into – before the get into it.

• Class I: Flat water, some current.
• Class II: Small waves.
• Class III: Big waves, requires maneuvering through hydraulic holes, in which the water breaks back on itself over a rock.
• Class IV: Big waves, many rocks, and very fast, powerful water. Requires precise maneuverability. Not fun to swim in if you make a mistake.
• Class V: Pushing the limits of navigability, should be done only experts. Extremely steep gradient of river: 30- to 40-foot drops. Mistakes of capsizing will result in injury or possibly death.
• Class VI: Pushing the absurd. Paddlers on the West Coast define it as not runnable. Those on the East recommend it only for experts, lunatics, or both. Injury or death is a distinct possibility.

Learning to paddle. Photo by Elena.

Learning how to paddle

Where to find out more about canoeing or kayaking before getting on the water.

Paddling Clubs: Paddling clubs are a good way to get your feet wet. Those looking for a club close to home should call the American Canoe Association – The largest paddling association in the country, it sets instructor certification tests and general water safety standards. Or North American Paddle Sports Association – also covers kayaking. Can put you in touch with a club near you.

Outfitters: Be sure the outfitter has a trained staff, a clean safety record, and is affiliated with a national paddling organization such as those above. To locate one near you, contact America Outdoors, which lists recreational opportunities with premier backcountry outfitters on public lands and waterways. National Association of Canoe and Livery Outfitters – A professional organization that will put you in contact with members.

Paddling schools: For those who prefer to have some easy experience on the water before embarking on a more challenging trip with an outfitter. Canoe and kayak retailers sometimes offer classes and can also be good sources of other information, including local water conditions. For schools near you refer to: Canoe & kayak magazine, all the news you need, and useful listings and ads from a variety of outfitters and schools.

Trails of Native Americans

Trails of Native Americans

Where the traffic is low on America's original superhighways

The weekend traffic is approaching bumper to bumper. And no wonder. Canoe Magazine estimated in 1992 that some 14 million Americans participate in some form of paddling sport every year, be it canoeing, whitewater kayaking, sea kayaking, or rafting. To make matters worse, more and more rivers are polluted or unsuited for paddling. For every mile of American river that's preserved, say experts, 85 miles are plugged with concrete.

Traffic jams in America's waterways are nothing new, however. America's history is full of the canoe exploits of adventurers such as René-Robert La Salle, who discovered and named Louisiana, and Jacques Marquette, the French explorer and Jesuit priest who first reported accurate data on the course of the Mississippi. And the Europeans, of course, were only taking their cue from nearly Native Americans, who perfected canoe travel and used rivers much more than overland routes.

The good news: Many of the routes originally mapped by Native Americans remain in, or have been restored to pristine condition. Native Trails works to preserve pre-mechanized travel routes. Below are its top eight picks for canoe routes you can still travel today that look much as they did centuries ago.

Boundary Waters: Grand Portage, Minn., to international Falls, Minn. Length: 160 miles. 10 days. The key highway for Native Americans and Canadian Voyageurs in the rich fur trade west of the Great Lakes. The route is still a wild chain of granite-reefed lakes and backwater rivers, little changed from the days of the bitter rivalry between the Northwest and Hudson Bay companies. Though little whitewater skill is needed, good judgment on wind-whipped lakes and stamina for portages are necessities.

Landscape. Photo by Elena.

Coosa Trail, Carters, Ga, to Coosa, Ga. Length: 150 miles. Seven to 10 days. Next to Carters, Ga., is the archeological site of Liitle Egypt, where 16th-century Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto raided the temples that crowned the city of Coosa's earthen pyramids. The raid yielded no gold, so de Soto marched on, leaving behind only the plague of smallpox, inadvertently destroying the Coosa people. The pristine route allows for keen appreciation of this former center of the Native American kingdom..

Eastern Ohio Trail: Cleveland, Ohio, to Marietta, Ohio, Length: 270 miles. 15 days. The Cuyahoga River was so polluted in 1967 that is caught fire. Today, it is a model of recovery. Its valley leads south to waterfalls and on old portage route to the Tuscarawas and Muskingum River system. French explorers, settlers, and the Ohio Canal all followed the water trail to the Ohio River. Though no longer wild, the scenery is still beautiful as the rivers wind through the western edge of the Appalachians.

Missouri Breaks: Fort Benton, Mont,, to James Kipp recreation Area, Mont. Length: 160 miles. Seven days – Much of the upper Missouri has become a series of shallow, windswept lakes, hostile to canoes. This federally protected section escaped that fate. The painted cliffs of the Badlands hem the river from Virgelle to the end. Good current and few rapids make this an easy, scenic trip.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Old Forge, N.Y., to Ft.Kent, Maine. Length: 680 miles. 1 t0 2 months: Like the Appalachian Trail, it traverses the wildest regions remaining in the Northeast. Some sections are not marked, but the trail is usable throughout – beginning where the St. John and Fish rivers meet at Fort Kent and following more than 15 rivers across the Adirondacks, Vermont, New Hampshire, and ending in Maine. Some sections are easy, others are broken by difficult rapids. Intermediate (class III) whitewater skills are needed to do the entire route. There are at least 30 mandatory portages on the trail.

Potomac Heritage Trail. Old Town, Md.. to Piscataway National Park, Md. Length: 200 miles. - Eight to 10 days – The Potomac was the Native American's major highway through the Appalachians. Most miles are easy, but rapids and falls break the river at Harpers Ferry and between Seneca and Georgetown. Many of the falls require portages for other than expert canoers. The last portion of the trip, just before Georgetown, is in tidewater, so paddlers need to plan their trip according to tidal charts.

Rogers Retreat: Newport, Vt., to Williams River Landing near Bellows Falls, Vt. Length: 260 miles. Ten days. Charts one of the boldest initiatives of the French and Indian War: the attach on St. Francis, Quebec, by Robert Rogers and his rangers. Experience the agony of victory by climing slowly up the Clyde River, racing and portaging down the Nulhegan and Connecticut rivers, then up the Johns River to portage the ammo for a long downriver run to where the Rangers finally reached a safe retreat. The route is difficult but rewarding.

Wisconsin Trail : Menasha, Wis., to Prairie du Chien, Wis. Length : 240 miles.!4 days. Indian guides introduced this route to Europeans in the middle of the 16th century. The route has pretty, in not particularly wild, scenery starting with Lake Winnebago, ascending the slow-moving Fox River, and finally following the Wisconsin River past the Baraboo Range and into the hills of western Wisconsin. Some short portages at a few dams are required along the way.

Best Places on the Planet

The Best Places on the Planet

The United Nations has declared these sites to bi vital to humanity

Without doubt, the most difficult landmark designation to obtain is that of a World Heritage site. Established by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's general conference in 1972, the World Heritage Convention chooses sites that members feel have such outstanding value that “safeguarding them concerns humanity as a whole.”

Today there are about 400 designated World Heritage sites in more than 80 countries. Signatories to the convention not only agree to forever preserve sites located within their own territory, but also to respect designated sites in other countries. Following is a list of the 18 sites included on the list in the United State:

Cultural Sites

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Illinois:

The low bluffs and alluvial terraces of this region where inhabited by large numbers of pre-Columbian people. Here they built a major agricultural and trading base that extended 1.2 million square miles, to include Monk's Mound, probably the largest prehistoric earthen site in the New World. The mound is larger at the base than the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids, although, at 108 feet, it is not as tall.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico:

The pinnacle of pre-Columbian civilization in the United States, this site is also the largest, with over 2,800 archeological sites and the ruins of 13 major pueblo villages.

Independence Hall, Pennsylvania:

This two-story, red brick structure was the seat of the U.S. Government through the 1780s until 1790, when Washington, D.C. Was designated the capital.

La Fortaleza and San Juan Historic Sites, Puerto Rico: Both sites are part of the fortifications that surround San Juan and together make up the largest historic fortifications in the Americas. La Fortaleza dates from the mid-16th century, evolved into a 19th-century palace, and today is the residence of Puerto Rico's governor.

Mesa Verde, Colorado: this site has the most complete record of the Anasazi culture in existence, including ceremonial shrines and residences, that range from one-room houses to enormous cave villages.

Green Bridge. Photo by Elena.

Monticello and the University of Virginia, Virginia: Jefferson drew his ideals of universal freedom, self-determination, and self-fulfillment from Greek and Roman precepts. Here he built stunning neoclassical structures that embody those ideals. Monticello, his home, was built between 1784 and 1809, and the university was built between 1805 and 1824.

Statue of Liberty, New York: This symbol of freedom was presented to the United States by the government of France on the occasion of the first centennial in 1876. The 151-foot figure is dressed in a Roman toga with a torch in her right hand. In her left is a tablet marked July 4, 1776. She is stepping forward from shackles of slavery – a broken chain lies below her feet.

Pueblos de Taos, New Mexico: Taos is a prehispanic town that has successfully retained many of its early traditions. It was founded by the Anasazi Indians of the prehistoric period, and remarkably today most of the multitiered adobe buildings have retained their original forms, changed only by the addition of a few new external doors and windows, and modern fireplaces.

Natural Sites

Everglades National Park, Florida: The largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, the Everglades are a heaven for over 800 vertebrates. In addition, the park has one of the greatest natural history, and environmental education centers on earth.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: The Grand Canyon's walls, a mile deep at some points, are a geological record that reaches back some 2 million years. Also in the area are ruins from the ancient people who lived in the rugged environment.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee: In addition to one of the last great virgin forests in North America, this park contains one of the largest collections of fungi, mosses, and lichen in the world.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii: Here, active volcanoes rise directly from the Pacific Ocean floor. They have provided the best records and understanding of of volcanic activity on earth. Also throughout the park are numerous archeological sites that indicate that indicate the understandable reverence early Hawai'ian peoples had for the volcanoes.

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky: The largest cave system on earth, with hundreds of miles of charted chambers. In fact, the known chambers are 10 times as extensive as the next-largest cave system.

Olympic National Park, Washington: The park contains one of the largest temperate rain forests remaining on the planet. Its relative isolation on a peninsula accounts for the park's many rare plant and animal species.

Redwood National Park, California: The park contains the three largest trees on earth – the largest is 468 feet. Redwood also has archeological sites stretching back to 300 b.c., including well-preserved semi-subterranean plank houses, sweathouses, and crematoriums.

Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, Alaska: Contains the largest number of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks over 16,000 feet on the continent. One of the most unspoiled national parks in the United States.

Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming: The central third of the oldest national park in the United States is the largest volcanic crater on earth. In addition there are 27 fossilized forests, and over 10,000 geysers.

Yosemite National Park, California: The multitude of glacial features found here is virtually unmatched in the world.

Stunning photographs and essays by world-renowned figures about all World Heritage sites can be found on many websites.

The Surf Is Thumbs Up

The Surf Is Thumbs Up

Dr. Beach picks his favorite coastlines for swimming, snorkeling, and sunsets :

A few too many beach towels encroaching on your territory, menacing schools of jellyfhish, or glass shards glistening in the sand can make your trip to the shore a far cry from a day at the beach. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, whi used to be the director for the Laboratory for Coastal Research at the University of Maryland, ranks the nation's beaches every year. Known as Dr. Beach, Leatherman used 50 criteria – from sand softness and frequency of mosquitoes to wind speed and number of sunny days – to determine America's top 20.

Pollution is most likely to bring demerits to coastal retreats. “No one's going into water that has floating garbage”, notes Leatherman. He also has found that swimmers like warm surf (70 to 75 degrees) and clear water. “Even though clouded water might merely be the result of a river or marsh nearby, we have to downgrade for sediment.”

Surprisingly, California beaches don't make the grade. Leatherman cites big waves that run the risk of crushing small children, water that rarely registers over 65 degrees, and beaches that are too crowded.

In fact, crowds are a key factor wherever you go. Leatherman says, “The best beaches aren't necessarily the most popular. For example, the most popular beach in the country is Jones Beach, Long Island. Over 10 million people visit each year. I've flown over in a helicopter and the beach looks like a giant patchwork quilt.” 

Dr. Beach's picks are always curious. He takes first-place beaches out of the running every year because “top beaches will always be top beaches.”

Best Beaches in the World. Photo by Elena.

Manhattan - Part II

Manhattan - Part II

In 2010, the City launched the City Hall Rehabilitation to correct structural issues and preserve the historic building. In addition to structural repairs, the project included the installation of a new fire safety system, an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, a fuel cell, and vastly improved electrical service in order to bring the building up to 21st century standards.

All the pictures have been taken by Elena.

A lonely bench.

Manhattan buildings.

Manhattan Place.

New York, downtown.

New York... New York... Staten Island Ferry.

Manhattan costline view.

Manhattan, modern city.

Manhattan, downtown.

Battery Park Blok of modern buildings.

New York City Hall. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, New York`s City Hall is one of the oldest continuously used City Halls in the nation, and houses the offices of the Mayor and City Council, the executive and legislative branches of government. Considered one of the finest architectural achievements of its period, City Hall was designed by architects Joseph François Mangin (before 1794-1818), a French émigré, and John McComb, Jr (1763-1853), a native New Yorker.  The building is in the Federal style, with clear French influences that can be seen in the large arched windows, delicate ornamental swags, and more decorative Corinthian- and Ionic-style columns and pilasters. City Hall is a designated Hew York City landmark, and its soaring rotunda, dramatically encircled by a keystone-cantilevered staircase, is a designated interior landmark.

Manhattan street.

New York buidlings.

A statue in face of an official building.

An old building.

A park.

St-Andrew Church. 

Old residential buildings.