The Red Square

There are a lot of places that have somehow managed to pack a lot of importance into a small place. One example is Madison Square Garden, the most noteworthy square block in New York City. Another is the Louvre art museum in France, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Even Plymouth Rock, the landing point of America’s first immigrants, is important in my country’s short history while still being a pile of limestone.

Yeah...that's it.

What is it about these places that give them so much prestige? It could be what happened at the local, but so many areas in the world are distinguished with history. It could be the people who graced them with their presence, but I don’t think that’s it either. I believe, in the end, some places are famous not for their past or relevant meaning but just because they’re there; whether by fate or not if you believe in such a thing.

One of the most famous city squares on Earth is the Red Square. Located in Moscow, Russia, the square’s original purpose was to serve as the city’s main marketplace as well as to be the site of public ceremonies like the coronations of czars.

Red Square

There has been much debate on how the square received its name. Despite what you may have heard, it’s not because the bricks around the area are red or because of the association with communism. Instead, it came about because the Russian word for red can also mean ‘beautiful’. Although its alternative meaning was originally applied to Saint Basil’s Cathedral, it was later expanded to encompass the entire square.

Saint Basil's Cathedral

Everywhere you look around the Red Square there is something to admire and learn about. Lenin’s Mausoleum contains the body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union. I already mentioned Saint Basil’s Cathedral which marks the geometric center of Moscow and the center of which all construction has been built since the 14th century. It was the tallest building in the city until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.

Lenin's mausoleum

On the eastern side of the square there is the GUM (pronounced as ‘goom’) department store (now a shopping mall). In the shape of a trapezoid, the building combines Russian medieval architecture with modern design elements such as steel beams and a glass roof.

the GUM

inside the GUM

Next to the department store is the Kazan Cathedral, an Orthodox church built in the 1630s marking Russia’s freedom from aggressive Polish occupants. Then there is the State Historical Museum which showcases some of the country’s earliest historical artifacts as well as a countless number of priceless artworks dating back to the Romanov dynasty.

Kazan Cathedral

State Historical Museum

Iceboating

As an aspiring explorer, I have deep respect for the first adventurers of our time. Some of my favorite expeditions involve journeys to the most isolated places on Earth. And nothing rings true to the words ‘unforgiving and inhospitable’ than the Arctic. Expeditions at both poles were remarkable, whether it was the first ship to reach the Arctic Circle, the first man to reach the North Pole, or attempting the longest unsupported arctic trip in history (click here to see the related post).

But what makes travel so difficult in these places? Anyone who’s seen the raw power contained below the 30th parallel feels that everything around you is trying to kill you. Early explorers had ice as their main enemy; early ships only had wooden hulls and were powered by the wind leaving ice breaking to be done by hand. And it was never that simple. When you saw ice on open water you were likely to see it again, whether dressed as wandering ice flows, icebergs, or solid sheets spanning hundreds of miles.

International DN

In an attempt to make the transition from one medium to another easier, the iceboat (also called an ice/bay scooter) was created. Upon completion it could traverse between ice and open water with no changes in its structure required. Yet it was incredibly difficult to control; having no rudder, its course could only be directed by adjusting the main and jib sails. The earliest models ranged between 30-50 feet (9-15 meters) long and were used mainly for transportation of goods.

Did you know?- In 1869 the largest iceboat developed, for racing on the Hudson River in New York, named the Icicle came in at 69 feet (21 meters) long. It’s also recorded that in 1871 the boat beat the Chicago Express train on a run between Poughkeepsie and Ossining. This was not unheard of as early ice yacht clubs would often race trains.

iceboat race

Today, iceboats or ice yachts are primarily seen racing in clubs around the world. Perhaps the most recognizable class of these vessels is the International DN. The name stands for the Detroit News newspaper where the first one was built in 1937. Its design features a narrow, single-person cockpit, three steel blades arranged in a tricycle configuration, and a steeply raked mast. Boats in this class are required to be 12 (3.5 meters) feet long, with an 8 foot (2.5 meter) wide runner plank, a 16 foot (5 meter) mast, and have a sail square area of 60 feet.

Did you know?- With just a smooth ice surface and a steady wind of 12-15 mph, the International DN can reach speeds of up to 55-65 mph!

Those who live by a large body of water, in a seasonal climate, have no reason to pass up the opportunity to glide across the ice in one of these boats. Although they are expensive to buy and even harder to find, the majority are made by average Joes in garages all across the northern continents. By clicking here you can see the most comprehensive, free guide I could find on building your own International DN iceboat on a limited budget.

Zorbing

Zorbing (which also goes by globe-riding, sphereing, or orbing) is the stomach stirring experience of rolling downhill in an ‘orb’ made of transparent plastic. Zorbs come in two designs: harnessed or non-harnessed. Constructions with harnesses can carry up to three riders, while harnessed designs carry only one or two.

Outdoor Gravity Orb (OGO)

The zorb’s construction is both simple and ingenious. The ball is double-sectioned, with a small sphere inside a larger one with a layer of trapped air between. The difference between the two diameters results in a 20”-24” cushion of air. With the zorb being made of flexible plastic, this buffer helps to cushion the rider from any irregularities in the slope surface. Sometimes, operators place water inside the spheres to reduce friction allowing the ball to roll underneath its riders without tossing them around as violently.

The idea behind the orb’s design is based off of the small rodent balls that have been in production since the 1970s. It wasn’t until the 1980s that humans would adopt the principle for themselves in a big way. The Dangerous Sports Club constructed a giant sphere 23 meters (75.5 feet) in diameter with a gimbals arrangement supporting two deck chairs inside. No pictures of the machine have been found as it was shortly disassembled thereafter for scrap.

In 1994, Dwane van der Sluis and Andrew Akers created the first zorb in Auckland, New Zealand. After acquiring two investors, they were quick to capitalize on the idea creating the now famous firm ZORB Limited. After years of networking, similar companies such as Downhill Revolution have been created as well as a couple of spin-off inventions like the Outdoor Gravity Orb (OGO) and the Fishpipe.

Fishpipe

Fishpipe- The world’s first rotating barrel ride. Up to three riders enter the barrel where operators then add 20 gallons (75 liters) or water and spin the contraption up to 45 revolutions per minute. Occupants can attempt to surf the ride while standing up though it’s difficult to get the hang of.

Did you know?- Although zorbs generally descend gentle slopes, I want to break the land-speed record for a zorb! The world record for fastest zorb ride is held by Keith Kolver at a speed of 32.3 mph (52 Km/h).

The reporter below thought it would be funny to be struck by an empty zorb rolling down a hill. She was wrong…

International Birdman Competition

Ever since man first gazed at the sky, it has dreamed of flying. Not until a little over a hundred years ago did that realization come to pass. Society has the Wright brothers to thank for the conveniences of modern flight, but if it wasn’t for the groundwork completed by previous visionaries, we might still be grounded today. Yet, if you watch the old black and white reels of inventors testing their weird flying machines, it looks like the Wright brothers made huge bounds with their research. And even though we’ve progressed far in avionics this past century, the desire to realize flight is still present in the hearts of average Joes all across the world. So sometimes you just have to go against all logic, build a giant paper-Mache chicken, run off the end of a pier, and hope for the best. What?!

The International Birdman Competition is held annually in Worthing, England. The event has always been held on piers in West Sussex, on the island’s southern coast, originally beginning in Selsey, then moved to Bognor Regis, and finally to Worthing in 2008. Although similar events have manifested, this competition is the oldest Birdman Rally in the world.

The rules are simple, contestants take off running down a 30 foot high pier attempting to fly the furthest distance until striking the water surface. As of 2009, a reward stood at £30,000 ($46,900) for anyone who could reach 100 meters (330 feet) past the pier’s end.

While there is always a share of serious individuals competing each year, most participants enter to just have fun. In the rally’s long history, contest organizers have seen too many preposterous-looking contraptions to name. In order to keep festivities moving the event has been divided between advanced aviators looking to win and those who just want to make a big splash.

Did you know?- Steve Elkins set the record for longest flight in 2009 at 99.8 meters (327 feet)! He didn’t win the prize money.

I want to know…If you entered this contest, what would your aircraft be modeled after? Maybe a prehistoric pterodactyl or a refrigerator with wings? Leave a comment below.

Alaskan Highway

Last week I finished finalizing my bicycle tour directions from home (Toledo, OH) to Leavenworth, WA. And let me tell you, at this point, I’m pretty sick of looking at roads in Google Maps. In fact, the realization that I will be sharing the same roads as thousands of vehicles on a rickety bicycle leaves me a little timid. When I’m done with my first leg I’ll probably be too afraid to drive again because I’ll after having become so acquainted with the fear of being struck by traffic. Although after months of recovery, I’ll probably be back on the road heading back towards the Atlantic Ocean.

the Alaskan Highway

Yet someday, whether it’s when I’m in Washington or down in Florida, I’d love to ride my bike to Alaska. And as far as I’m concerned there’s only one way to get there, via the Alaskan Highway. The highway is 1,390 miles (2,237 Km) long stretching from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska.

Proposals for the highway’s construction were given in the 1920s when an investor thought it would be beneficial to build a ‘super-road’ linking the United States, Canada, and Russia. Yet in order for the idea to take root, Canada, where the majority of the roadway would lie, would have to be very supportive of its construction; they were not. It wasn’t until the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the later Japanese invasion of Alaska, that the idea was approved by U.S. Congress and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Canada approved of the highway as long as it along with all roadside assets were turned over to the Canadians after the war.

Many bridges were simple, makeshift woodem designs

made by hand from the surrounding forests.

The majority of the highway’s construction was done by the U.S. Army. 11,000 soldiers along with 7,500 civilians were put to the task of building the shortest road to Alaska that, at the very least, could be used to transport military equipment. Two crews started from each end point and worked their way to the middle. It’s actually quite remarkable that the two teams met without global positioning satellites (GPS) been launched yet.

The most difficult setback in creating the road came not from subarctic temperatures, but from the Earth itself. In the summer, the ground underneath the quickly thinning permafrost was filling with water and becoming increasingly unstable. When this top layer was removed in order to lay the road the soil turned into quicksand, sucking bulldozers and other heavy machinery with it.

Did you know?- On September 24, 1942 crews from both directions met at Mile 588 at what became named Contact Creek.

This will be me someday…