Steve's Travel Guide

Extreme Mountain Top Bush Flying Over the Pacific Northwest

2011-03-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

This flight originated in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada close to the U.S. border and the North Cascades National Park. The route took us over Harrison Lake and up through Golden Ears National Park. Pretty hair rasing stuff flying so close to the mountain tops as you can see in the video! The light aircraft we were flying in was a Piper Cherokee and a pretty old one at that. Our pilot was very skilled though as you have to be flying around mountains. Mountain flying is extremely dangerous and there is a lot for a pilot to watch for and take into consideration.

I will be uploading a complete version of this flight in the near future if viewers show enough interest. There were a lot of pretty amazing lakes we flew over that aren't included in this clip and the landing was bumpy and awesome.

A Day in the Life of London

2011-02-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

This is a short film I made about the district around Tower Bridge in London. I try to highlight the anonymity that big cities can sometimes inflict on oneself. The blur tiltshift effect is supposed to represent this.

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Time-Lapse, Primrose Hill, London

2011-02-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

On a cold January evening, we headed up to nearby Primrose Hill to film a time-lapse over the city of London. Primrose Hill is located north of Regents's Park and offers one of the best views of the London skyline. If you're looking for views of the city, this is one of the best along with the views from Hamsptead Heath and Greenwich.

The video is best enjoyed in 1080p HD (you can change to this if your computer is fast enough to handle the processing by clicking on the '360p' icon on the bottom of the video window and selecting 1080p or 720p).

Inter-Railing Day 1: London to Rotterdam

2010-08-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

It's midnight on the Harwich Rotterdam Express, that is the Stena Line 7hr. 30 minute crossing from Harwich International to Hoek Van Holland (near Rotterdam). We've just left port and to my left side I can still see the harbour lights flickering as we pull out of port.

For the next two weeks we'll be travelling around Europe on an inter-rail ticket. This is my second time inter-railing, my first been ten years ago. The plan on this journey is to travel to Frankfurt (the big one), Munich, Salzburg, Venice, Rome, Florence, Menton, Paris and back to London in 15 days. We'll see how the plan goes but like rules, plans are made to be broken so let's see.

The ferry is a pretty reasonable deal - you get a double cabin that sleeps two for £104 one way or the rail and sail deal for about £120 one way allowing to travel by train from London to any Dutch station including the ferry crossing and a cabin. Travel during the day (at your peril - 7hrs. 30 during the day is tough going and pretty boring) for about £29 one way.

Until tommorrow. Goodnight!

Climbing Mount Rainier, Washington State, USA

2010-08-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Climbing Mount Rainier from Steve Ronan on Vimeo.

I tackle one of the highest peaks in North America which also happens to be an active volcano. Yeehaw!

Ghosts, Rattlesnakes and Tumbleweed in other words...Rhyolite

2010-08-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Death Valley brings a lot of images to ones mind....mainly ones of extreme temperatures and death. The lowest point in the western hemisphere is found here at Bad Water Basin (gotta love those names) and also the second hottest place on earth (the other is some place in Africa - you can look it up).

Death Valley and her surrounding desert was once the place of prospectors and adventurers seeking to make their name in gold, oil and anything else they could find worth mining (they found a lot more Boxite there than gold). The valley played host to many a famous story such as those of the 49'ers, a group of pioneers who ran into trouble whilst trying to cross this unforgiving landscape in 1849. Various stories surround what exactly happened to them but according to legend, death found them pretty quick. It was out of their ordeal that the valley got it's name.

Soon after the initial expeditions, mining towns sprung up in and around the valley and rapidly filled with an influx of prospectors looking for you guessed it...gold. Rhyolite, as seen in my video, was no exception.

Located on the border between Nevada and California, Rhyolite was founded in 1905 and grew to a population of approx. 5000 in 1907 in just two years. In fact from it's foundation, Rhyolite grew from just a two man camp to 1,200 people in two weeks - a population explosion. By 1910 though, the local gold mines were operating at a loss and by 1920 the population was zero.

At the height of it's success (which for better or worse didn't last too long), the town had 50 saloons (oh yes, miners like their liquer), 19 gambling tables (and their gambling too), brothels (and their women also for that matter), a casino, a public bath house, a school house, 16 restaurants and a weekly newspaper. By 1907, the residents even had their very own railway station. Little did they know that just three years later, the local population of rattlesnakes would outnumber them by a ratio of many to none.

The day we visited Rhyolite, the temperature would reach 52 degrees celcius, one of the hottest on record for the valley (or so the park ranger told me). When we reached the town, it lived up to it's title as a ghost town - we were the only visible people there, excluding the spirits of course. The only sound that could be heard were the constant creaking of old rafters and shutters banging in the wind. Signs warned of rattlesnakes at every corner. With such things I always have a dangerous curiosity to see if I can see any of the critters but fortunatley (probably, for my sake) I didn't.

I peered into the ruins of several buildings. Bits of furniture were strewn around. A few old pots and pans could be seen on the foor, reminders of the life that so many people briefly had here. Rhyolite is a creepy place especially when you visit on a day when there's no other tourists around but that's a bonus of course. To see a place like this gives you a fascinating glimpse into what life must have been like. This wasn't the first ghost town we had visited on this road trip. We had now seen two extremes, Rhyolite in one of the hottest places on earth and the ghost town of Tomboy near Telluride, Colorado beside the Imagene Pass, one of the highest passes in the USA at above 13,000 feet (I can't recommend this place enough - I will write about it soon enough and publish a video guide so keep an eye out, you hear).

If your're ever heading to the Death Valley, visit Ryholite for sure. Heading from the direction of Las Vegas, drive towards the town of Beatty and then on towards Death Valley National Park. Rhyolite is located on the eastern edge of the park.

Good luck and say hi to the spirits for me.

Monument Valley, Arizona, USA

2010-07-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Mexican Hat (Click to Enlarge)

It was a scorching hot summers afternoon as we drove through the surreal looking Valley of the Gods. The desert scenery glowed a dusty red around us, our car leaving a trail of red dust behind us as we zipped through the desert highway. We were on our way to Monument Valley, what for me was to become one of the highlights of this particular road trip.

We stopped off at a petrol station (gas station to some) to fill our tank up at Mexican Hat, a small town located between the edge of the Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley. Like many small towns found in the desert, there's not a whole lot to see in Mexican Hat. One can find there a petrol station, a bar and a few run down motels. I don't want to do the place an injustice but it didn't seem to offer a whole lot, although it is a good place to spend the night if you want to pay a little less for a motel.

We filled up our trusty rental car and continued on through the desert road toward John Wayne country. Along the way, we realised where Mexican Hat got it's name from (see picture above) - a pretty cool rock formation that actually does look like a Mexican Hat.

After several more minutes, we got our first sight of the towering sandstone formations that give Monument Valley it's distinctive 'western' look. Goodness knows how many films were made here (more about that in a future article). We stopped the car, got out, and....WOW...the view took our breath away...that is, until a giant articulated lorry came whizzing by almost sending us back to a more spiritual version of the Valley of the Gods. It was time to get moving.

Turning off the main road into Monument Valley, you stop by a kiosk to pay an entrance fee ($5) to enter the Navajo governed tribal land that the park is located within. Don't expect to get a cold bear here, alcohol is banned but they do have one of the greatest restaurants I have ever eaten in located in the most spectacularly positioned hotel I have stayed in

The hotel, built by the Navajo themselves in 2008 overlooks the famous view of Monument Valley that you would surely recognise from the movies. The hotel is surprisingly unobtrusive and respectful to it's surroundings unlike some hotels I've visited where they built eyesores in the most ridiculous places at times often ruining the feel of a place. Happily, that is not the case here.

We hadn't booked anything and were therefore praying for a vacancy at a decent price that suited our shoestring budget. We were greeted politely at the check-in desk (which is always nice).

"Do you have any vacancies", I asked fearing the worst. "You're in luck", the lady said, "We were supposed to have a coach load of Chinese tourists show up this afternoon but they have cancelled their trip.....too afraid of catchin' Swine Flu". We were both relieved at this (and thankful) and managed to secure a room for a discounted $90 as opposed to the standard summer rate of $170. Sometimes when you travel, you get lucky. This time we got very lucky. The hotel turned out to be a real treat.

After dropping off our bags in our room, we had one thing on our mind...to go horse riding through the valley. After leaving the hotel, we walked to a distant stables in the hope of securing a guided horseback tour through the valley in time for sunset. We came across two very friendly Navajo guides who showed us a price list. We paid $180 for the two of us for a 1hr 30 minute tour. This might seem steep but it is well worth it. There are some things you do in life that stay with you forever and this is one of them. If you're going to spend money on something, spend it on this. Check out my video below in which I try to capture the magic of this horseback tour through the valley (it's not easy holding a camera steady while riding a horse!). Our guide was incredibly informative telling us the history of the valley, about Navajo culture and beliefs and how her grandfather was a good friend of John Wayne, and stared in several leading roles in his movies.

Upon getting back to the hotel, we went for something to eat in a really great restaurant located within the hotel. We paid $8 each for one of the most amazing meals I think I've ever eaten, delightfully presented and equally tasty. You won't be eating out if you come here (good job too because there's nothing with about 20 miles).

After washing down our food with some non-alcoholic beverages, we walked out onto the giant balcony found at the back of the hotel which overlooks an awesome panorama of the valley. It was dark and too late too see the view but instead we were greeted to an outdoor showing of John Ford's 'Rio Grande' starring John Wayne, projected onto the wall of the hotel. It's simply amazing to watch a classic movie like this on the set where it was filmed. Yeehah!!

Following this we went for a short walk around the edge of the hotel, looking out into the starry desert void listening to the many sounds of the night time desert (If I am too be truthful, I spent a lot of time looking for desert tarantula's and other creepy crawleys ...though with much regret, I didn't get to see any). It was time to retire back to our room now as Monument Valley had something extra special in store for us the next morning (to be continued....).

Video and Music Produced and Performed by Yours Truly.

How to Overcome a Fear of Flying - top tips on how not to freak out

2010-07-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Many people suffer from a fear of flying, at times even flight attendants themselves. The fear factor varies from person to person. Some people get a few butterflies whilst others can have a panic attack before or when they board an aircraft.

A fear of flying is both an irrational and an understandable fear at the same time. It's instinctive in some ways to be nervous flying at 500mph, 40,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube. However, it is also the safest form of transport.

It is often the lack of knowledge of how an aircraft works that intensifies this fear in many people. For example, the noises and vibrations one feels vary depending on where you are sitting in the aircraft. Turbulence may feel worse if you sit at the back of an aircraft than if you sit at the front. Certain parts of the aircraft cabin are noisier than others.

In this article, I will try to address some points which might help reduce your fear of flying:

It is normal for the wings of an aircraft to flex during turbulence. In fact the angle which they can theoretically flex to is incredible, so there is nothing to worry about in terms of when you see the wings bending during turbulence/high wind.
Modern aircraft are designed to withstand extreme turbulence. Extreme turbulence is very rarely experienced as there are computer systems on board showing pilots geographical areas where they can expect turbulence and therefore avoid flying through these areas.
Regular levels of turbulence are normal so expect it when you fly. Also when landing in large cities turbulence can be created from heat rising off buildings. So when your coming into land and you start to feel the odd bump, don't worry. The same is true of mountainous areas.
Modern aircraft have the ability to practically land themselves via the autopilot and the glide slope system (ILS). All large airports in the developed world usually have a glideslope beacon which sends out a signal that the aircrafts computers pick up. This signal tells the aircraft to follow the beam which leads the aircraft at a safe angle automatically onto the runway. So in bad weather such as fog, aircraft can automatically locate the runway for themselves.
Aircraft carry onboard radar which tells the pilot if an aircraft is flying too close to it or if there might be a collision. This is a back-up to what air traffic control are in charge of.
When you take off, the aircraft's engines are set to almost full thrust to give the aircraft enough lift to take off. This is a law of physics - the aircraft will lift off once it reaches a certain speed.
Often you may notice about a minute after take-off that the engines reduce their speed and the sound becomes less loud. There is nothing wrong with the engines. Pilots are not allowed to exceed more than 250 knots (airspeed is measured in knots) under 10,000 feet so this completely normal. They are simply reducing the thrust of the engines, which slows down the turbines and reduces the nice you hear. Again the autopilot usually controls this.
Prepare to feel vibrations under the aircraft upon take off and landing - these are the wheels moving up or down. This usually take about 20 seconds.
Flaps which are located on the aircrafts wings move up and down in order to reduce/increase speed (they cause drag) and help keep the aircraft stable. These are partially lowered before and during take-off after which they move back up to become level with the wing. During landing these are moved down fully. This can occur in several stages. These can make a loud noise depending on the aircraft model and where you're seated so don't be alarmed.
A speed break is present on both wings of the aircraft. These may be used during descent and approach to slow the aircraft's speed. These are similar to the flaps as they produce drag but instead move upwards at a 90 degreen angle to the wing when used. They are also employed to slow the aircraft down upon landing just as the reverse thrusters kick in when you land.
A twin engine aircraft can fly on one engine safely. If there is a need to shut an engine down most likely due to a bird strike (when a bird enters the engine, poor bird), the pilot can confidently fly the aircraft to safe landing on just one engine. Whist a rare event, this happens more than you might think - it's simply not reported in the news because it rarely causes a major problem.
Aircraft are dismantled and put back together regularly to check all parts. So even if the aircraft your flying on doesn't look the newest, I assure you that every part of it has been checked in the recent past. The same goes for new ones.
Aircraft are put through stress tests during their development to deal with just about any emergency situation. They are also designed to glide even with no power. It is not possible for the plane to simply fall out of the sky, again a law of physics.
The reason they don't have parachutes onboard (something I often hear people complaining/joking about) is because jet aircraft fly too fast for you to simply jump out of in an emergency. They are also pressurised so you can't just open a door. On top of this the rare number of accidents that there have mostly occured during take-off and landing. When your at 40,000 feet altitude, there is very little that can go wrong in the aircraft at this point. Many people I know refuse to fly long distances because of the length of time they are in the air. This makes very little difference to safety. It is take off and landing where care is needed. A 15 hour flight is no different in terms of real safety than a 2 hour flight. So sit back and relax and visit those far off locations you've always dreamed of going to but too afraid of the length of time spent in the air.
Watch a movie to take your mind off all of the above when your onboard. You have far more chance of winning the lottery than anything happening to you so just think about that to yourself - am I likely to win the lottery today - I wish!! Therefore am I likely to be in air accident to day - not a chance!
If you do enter a situation where there is bad weather, rest assured that pilots have trained for 1000's of hours on how to deal with this and they will not put your safety in jeopardy. If they think there is a slight chance of an accident, they will simply divert to another airport and/or abort the landing and try again. Again, this is not such a big deal to them, they experience events like this regularly - they are not major events in their book - just a normal day at the office.

I have included 4 videos below this article of a recent flight I made from London Heathrow to Edmonton in Canada. These videos will show you the several stages of flight describe above in a Boeing 767-300 series aircraft (Air Canada). Enjoy the great views over Britain, Iceland, Greenland and Canada. This is what you should focus on when flying. Look forward to it and remember to is nothing to worry about!

If you would like to find out more about overcoming your fear of flying, I would recommend the following books - 'The Fearless Flier's Handbook' and 'Fly Away Fear' which can be purchased/viewed from the links below:

Departing from Heathrow Airport, London, England

Enjoying the view over the Lake District

Flying over Iceland and Greenland - Beautiful Clear Skies

Landing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

London 2012 Olympic Park Film

2010-07-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

A short film I have shot and narrated introducing the site and surrounding area for the 2012 Olympic Games at Stratford, London, England.

London 2012 Olympic Park Visit

2010-07-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

With the World Cup now over in South Africa, the sporting world will be turning it's attention to the next big sporting event - the 2012 Olympics. Over the next few months, I will be running several articles on why you should plan to be there when it begins from the 27th July - 12th August 2012, that is of course so long as the Earth doesn't end beforehand. I would take my chances if I were you.

Today, I travelled to the site of the Olympic Park in Stratford, London to see what was happening. As you can see from the photos, building work is advancing fast and the project is on course for completion (albeit, a little over budget). It's costing the taxpayer over £9 billion pounds so let's hope it holds long lasting value for the city. More to follow.....

The Main Olympic Stadium (click to enlarge)

Looking Across the Site towards Canary Wharf and Stratford Station (click to enlarge)

Construction Site Entrance (click to enlarge)

Bear Watching, Vancouver Island, Canada

2010-07-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Bear Watching, Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada

It was 7am on a bright and sunny April morning in Tofino on Vancouver Island. Having already travelled over 5,000 Km so far on this trip across the Pacific Northwest of the USA and Canada, we were anxious to get to finally see some black bears up close and personal....though not too personal we hoped.

The best way to do this is to go on a guided bear watching tour. Some people try to do this themselves and many have not lived to tell the tale or were given a healthy dose of regret after doing so. The bottom line is DON'T look for bears by yourself. More often than not these beautiful creatures have already crossed your path without you even realising. They can smell you up to 25km away, maybe further if you haven't washed recently (though I know you have).

When they hear or smell you coming, they generally leave the area without you knowing they were ever there to begin with. However, if you try sneaking up on them, they are likely to try to defend themselves aggressively, especially if they are with young, and that's just the black bears. If you are looking for an encounter with a Grizzly - forget about it! For more info on being bear aware, check out site's upcoming article on bears (though bare in mind, no pun intended, I am not an expert on bears).

Anyway, back to our trip. As you can see from the above video, seeing these creatures in the wild is a remarkable experience. Bears are highly intelligent animals and not the monsters they are often made out to be. They deserve respect and acknowledgment as masters of the forest.

We set out from the cosy coastal town of Tofino on a pretty niffty Zodiac speed boat. The trip would last for 3 hours and we would not only see black bears, but wolves, eagles and Californian sea lions. This region of the world is another world when it comes to the variety of wildlife that one can see here.

The guide you travel with communicates with other tour companies via a radio so that if one company spots something, they will tell the other company. This almost guarantees that you will see some interesting sights along the way. In fact, part of the excitement really is partcipating in the search for the bears. It is up to everyone, not just the guide to help out with this. In fact this is how we got to see the wolves I mentioned earlier. In this case, they were sighted by a client on the trip with us.

The wind blowing through our hair, and quite often restyling it in dramatic new shapes (I for one looked like a received an electric shock afterward), we made our way through inlet after inlet with the most amazing scenary passing us by. Vancouver Island is extraordinary. Tofino is sublime (see the photos).

A hushed excitement came over over the five of us on the boat as we sighted something moving on the shoreline. It was a black bear. They come down to the shore early in the morning searching for seafood to feed on. And this region has it in abundance. The video above shows this particular bear munching on what seems to be a crab. Notice the power of the bears front limbs as it overturns large rocks with almost no effort at all. That's why they call the paws of bears 'meat hooks'. You don't want to come to close to these.

But close it what we came. The boat floated to within just a few metres of the bear who didn't seem at all interested in the Irishman, the Pole, two Swiss and a Brit staring at him in awe and admiration. It is surreal to be so close to animal like this in the wild. This trip is a must for nature lovers who visit this part of the world.

Following this encounter, we then moved onto to see another bear about a mile away followed by a pack of wolves (apparantly the first encounter with a pack in two years by this particular tour company - see the video). Finally we sited a group of Californian sealions basking on a large rock (see video).

Experiences such as this change your perception of nature and how you see your own place in the world. It makes one realise that nature truly is more powerful than us and that we have no right to take what we want from it. We need to live with it and understand it's needs. Go to Tofino on Vancouver Island, experience it's beauty for yourself, and see these wonderful creatures in their natural habitat.

Cost of Bear Watching Trip: $80 (Canadian) per person - no young children allowed

How to get there: From Victoria, Vancouver Island, Take the Trans Canada Highway 1 to Nanaimo, then take Highway 19 until you meet the interesction with Highway 4 which will take you all the way to Tofino on the west coast of the island.

Time needed to get there: 5 hours from Victoria (lot's of windy roads on Highway 4 which make it take longer than it looks on a map)

Recommended Number of Days to Stay: 3 days

Other Things To Do: Hiking, Whale Watching, Surfing, Great Beaches, Sailing

Videos, Photography and Music on this article filmed, performed and edited by the author

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IyfM-vX78Y