VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Eagle resident Mike Reid remembers his first world rafting championship as one of the most intense experiences of his life — he and five other teammates were paddling down a river in the Czech Republic against the Russian national team.
“There were probably 5,000 people on either side of the river,†said Reid. “You’re wearing the American colors, and we’re racing the Russians. We were pretty into it. Seeing the two boats come down the straightaway — it was one of most intense things you’d ever seen.†… Details
Here are some of the more interesting deals and websites that came across our desk this week:
The Aquapura Douro Valley Resort & Spa in Portugal has a ” Spring Break” package until April 18, at about $900 per person, double occupancy, that includes three-nights’ lodging. Information: www.aquapurahotels.com
•Napili Kai Beach Resort on Maui has a “Spring Break” package, which gives a third night free after staying two nights in an ocean-front studio, with rates starting at $380 a night. Information: napilikai.com/specials.html
•The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival will be … Details
A 20-foot-long cypress dugout canoe, commonly called a “log boat,” had for years served as a picturesque prop in the alligator lagoon at St. Augustine Alligator Farm & Zoological Park in St. Augustine.
But recently its unusual secrets — that it’s more than 100 years old and is a design made only in St. Augustine — were uncovered by archeologist Robin E. Moore, St. Johns County’s historic resources coordinator.
On Friday, archeologists from the Lighthouse Archeology Maritime Program, or LAMP, worked with Alligator Farm personnel, Moore and volunteers to gently ease the fragile, cracked and weather-beaten canoe from its earthen bed and onto a truck…Â Details
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Engineering students were cheerful at Utah Lake on Friday, despite strong, frigid winds that canceled their concrete canoe races. Brigham Young University professor Brett Borup told participants from schools around the country that the high winds made the water too dangerous for the races. They would have worked through rain or snow, he said, but the boat that was set to rescue any troubled boaters could not even keep itself on the water.
Instead, the teams did a “swamp test” on the individual canoes to make sure they could even float… Details and Video
