The James Robert Hanssen trucks out of Seattle tomorrow, bound for Senegal. After applying the shrink-wrap hug into the wee hours of Monday morning, we’ve all had a brief opportunity to do this: … … yup, a whole lotta nothing! Well, at least a whole lot of other stuff NOT related to a trans-Atlantic rowing expedition. More to do though in the coming weeks before the whole crew takes off for Senegal.
This waiting around got me thinking though…
We meet many wonderful people who dream and plan like we do for their own trans-oceanic or inland waterway expeditions. For any of you who think our trips are at all interesting, I urge you to add a few bookmarks to your web browser to check in on what these other great folks are up to. Some do it for a charitable cause, some do it for themselves, some are doing it for you. Click the link for kiteboats, dogsleds, and links to a hundred other expeditions.
KROS: K=Kite, R=Row, O=Ocean, S=Solar. Rory Wilson is a high school physics and math teacher who knows how to fly a kite… and row… and teach… all at the same time! Rory just completed the 1st leg across the Pacific ocean to Hawaii in a boat no larger than a refrigerator. Onboard are 15 different kites and a set of oars, all there to harness wind and human power to fly across the Pacific Ocean. The onboard electrical systems were developed with the help of his own students. Follow his journey from San Diego to Hawaii, then onward across the Pacific. This is really, really cool.
North American Odyssey: On Earth Day 2010, two kayaks left Seattle for Ketchikan, Alaska. That’s usually where the stories end. This one continued on – by kayak, dogsled, and canoe. Over the past 1.5 years, Dave & Amy Freeman have been exploring the nearly 11,700 miles across the North American continent’s waterways – with their dog! The best part, is that they’ve turned their passion for adventure and exploration into a real-life learning opportunity – or, Wilderness Classroom – for students in classrooms all over the world. They’re presently paddling past New Jersey, exploring the leftovers of Hurricane Sandy. Not to be missed, the downloadable educational content delves into the environmental, and even sociological perspective of costs & benefits following weather events of this magnitude. Good stuff!
Lots more out there, so I’ll let you do the searching. Here are a few places listing present and future ocean and waterway expeditions: