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Fishing Burns Calories

American Press Travel News–March 10th,-Bob and Barb “On The Road Again.”  Probably have not thought about this, but fishing does burn calories. If standing on shore and casting for two hours how about 470-calories “gone?” Fly fishing as you walk in a stream, how about 670-calories an hour. In a boat, not moving around much but jigging on the bottom, about 500-calories  Bank fishing, sitting on your butt after a cast of bottom baits. About 360-calories for two hours. 

When your fishing, your moving, thinking, bending, casting, walking to your location and if your hooking up with scaled or unscaled critters, your burning calories. 

Of course hunting and other sports burn more calories, just as brisk walking does too, but it turns out just about anything you do out in the outdoors on a sustained minute by minute basis, burns that fuel you have stored.

So, its Sunday today and I’m heading out behind my home to our bass pond for some fly fishing activity. Or maybe casting with my new/old reel I bought at a yard sale yesterday to try it out. Its not that I don’t have about 90-reels, its just I love to sell duplicate reels and gear on ebay, so I can buy more gear at yard sales-boy do I have a two car garage that just hasn’t seen a car in ages!!

John Kricher’s: The New Neotropical Companion Book; A Review

AmericanPressTravelNews-March 21st, A book review for The New Neotropical Companion, by Biologist, John Kricher “Bob & Barb Stopping to learn all about ecological issues.This book will help thousands understand the complex ecology and natural history of the most species-rich area on earth, the American tropics. This $35 dollar book has 432-pages with 18-color illustrations covering all of tropical America. It describes the species and habitats most likely to be observed by visitors. It includes every major Eco-system, from low land rain forests to the high Andes. The book features a wealth of color photos of habitats, plants and animals. Check out press.princeton.edu   The book is 7.5 X 9.5 inches and the ISBN: 978-0-691-11525-2. HAVE BOOK WILL TRAVEL!

Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda Florida-Jewels in a S. Western, Florida Sunset

 

On the roof of the Wyvern Hotel, Tapas and great beverages with a view of the Harbor Bridge and earlier sunset moments!
Barb on the roof bistro at the Wyvern Hotel. The views were spectacular, people were friendly, drinks and Tapas (little dishes of foods) were very enjoyable!
Wyvern’s Pil Pil spiced shrimp served on the roof Tapas Bar.
A Tapas of olives, humus, veggies, celery, maters, carrots, tapenos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APressTravelNews-Feb 25th,-Bob and “Barb On The Road Again” & “Stopping to Smell the Roses” in Port Charlotte, at the Wyvern Hotel. Barb and I love great dishes, great ice cream, great views, friendly, hospitable folks and the feeling that your always on vacation. No kidding, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda are such places. We came into town to work on our assigned article from New Pioneer Magazine. The article is about the Worden Farms Agri-Business and 3-Suns Bison Ranch, as the side-bar. While in Punta Gorda we visited with our friends Janis and her husband and Jack Montague. We tried to get some daylight between our short time we had in the area, so we could also visit the great Van Hubbard. Just couldn’t do it!  We were scheduled to visit the solar powered new town of  Babcock Ranch. We did and were mightily impressed. A gorgeous planned community that will have everything any fine town or village has, but with one giant unique feature: Totally sun-powered electricity! Not open to public yet, there is a school, lake-front restaurant, homes lakes, boardwalks, bike paths, sports store, gift shop, ice cream shop, etc. Grand opening will be next November we were told. There will be a show and tell on the ranch March 12th.

Oh, love that hot fudge on Pistachio Ice Cream with a cherry on top!
The Worden’s! PH.D’s in Agriculture, they are helping provide healthy, delicious veggies and herbs, sunflowers and a whole lot more in Punta Gorda.
Great Bison meat available at 3-Suns!

 The best ice cream we ever had was just across the parking lot from the Wyvern. Walk around the waterfront marina and enjoy at this great mom and pop ice cream shop, the Harbor Walk Scoops& Bites!

Cataloochee Valley Tours-Heading to Elk Country!

Out the window photo of a young bull elk in the Cataloochie Valley!
Out the window photo of a young bull elk in the Cataloochie Valley!

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Out the window elk watching.
Out the window elk watching.
Elk calf at side of the road!
Elk calf at side of the road!
Side of the road in the Cataloochie Valley. Elk meander all around you!
Side of the road in the Cataloochie Valley. Elk meander all around you!

 

Bull Elk just after bugling setting up for mounting one of his cows!
Bull Elk just after bugling setting up for mounting one of his cows!

 

 

 

 

APtravelnews-September 10th, Maggie Valley, at Cataloochee Valley-We took part in visiting the Cataloochee Valley area full of transplanted elk. The bulls were bugling their dominance over their herd of cows-quite a display! The occasion for this trip was an Eco-Tour and Picnic lunch with Cataloochee Valley Tours, Inc. Esther, the owner and tour guide put us in touch with the history and actual animals (Elk) that had been reintroduced to the area known as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We took in the beauty and grandeur of a place in time and history that, although now having the protection of it being designated a National Park, put us in touch within a living history of the way this place once was, untold years in the past. The only obvious hint that this area has taken on the veil of modernity, was the 3-mile tar road area of the valley (most of the other roads are gravel) and the  (of a couple of hundred years of  human habitation now gone from the park except for a few buildings left as monuments of this habitation) signs of old foundations left after so many homes were burnt down, during the course of turning many private lands into a park designation, and takeover of the lands of the Cataloochee Valley by the US Government for future protection against the inroads of commercialization.

Viewing the elk and the big adult bulls, hearing their bugling gave me the feeling of a palpable tingling on the back of my neck, I realized that I was being witness to a tableau that has played itself out season after season for many, many millennium, and for a moment- a mere quadrillion of a second, on a million-year timeline, I was there touching the face of Gods handiwork “again!”

Esther, our Naturalist Guide was responsible for this opportunity! She is, and will be a teacher of visitors to this wild and natural area for a long time!

Esther Blakely – Certified Master Naturalist

(828) 450-7985 – cataloocheevalleytours.com