Navy Seals Land in Atlanta for BATTLEFROG, 2015
My latest quest for Adventure Fitness carried me clear down to the Peach State where I, along with Rebecca and the boys, competed in the Navy Seals’ BATTLEFROG O.C.R. (obstacle course race).
Visit battlefrogseries.com for the next BATTLEFROG race near you.
Going into this particular O.C.R., I didn’t quite know what to expect other than one hell of a challenge. The fact that the course was designed and ran by our most highly trained, bad-ass members of the United States military was an intimidation factor all of its very own making. This 8 kilometer course definitely lived up to its founders’ reputation and certainly wasn’t created for the faint of heart! The course encompassed swamps, streams, tunnels, open fields, forest, walls, ladders, ropes, slides, and yes… lot’s of mud and water!
Look at Rebecca muscling those jerry cans 35 minutes into it. She is fit as a fiddle! (more…)
Posted in Adventure Fitness, North America and tagged Battlefrog, Navy Seals, OCR.
Goodwill Mud Run of Spring 2015
I find it’s very difficult to get the most out of adventure and travel if my current level of fitness is holding me back. I am one of those types who gain weight far too easily and practically have to kill myself to take any of it back off. It’s hardly my fault though – beer is just plain good!
Recently I’ve made a decision to take my health back and do whatever it requires to reach those self-imposed fitness goals. In doing so, I’ve created a new category in Big John’s Adventures in Travel titled Adventure Fitness. For my first post in this new, motivational category, I will take you to my hometown of Greenville, SC for the Goodwill Mud Run of spring, 2015.
The Goodwill Mud Run, presented by St. Francis Sports Medicine, is a 3.5 mile long race with 35 muddy obstacles for teams to compete in. Rebecca and I entered this event for the first time together. Our two-person team “Wanderlust” may not have been the fastest, but I definitely believe we had the most fun!
Team Wanderlust (Rebecca & Big John) feeling all clean and neat just before the Goodwill mud run. (more…)
Posted in Adventure Fitness, North America and tagged goodwill mud run, Goodwill Mudrun, Obstacle Course Race.
Fort Pickens and the Coastal Batteries of Pensacola Bay
In an age before nuclear bombs, precision guided missiles, and other sophisticated instruments of war, the best means of defending a nation was a well fortified harbor. Pensacola Beach, on the panhandle of Northwest Florida, is home to some of the world’s whitest beaches; it’s also the site of Fort Pickens and several coastal artillery batteries that defended its shores until the conclusion of the second world war. Today, Fort Pickens and its surrounding batteries are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The area is managed under the National Park Service and the U.S. Department interior. There are 200 campsites at Fort Pickens. For the last week Rebecca, my two boys, and I pitched a tent and called this little piece of seashore our home. This is the photo journal we’ve captured from that experience. I hope you enjoy.
Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida area. The fort is named after a hero of the Revolutionary War, Andrew Pickens. The fort was erected in 1834 and remained active until 1947. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Historical Journeys, North America and tagged Blue Angels, florida, Fort Pickens, Geronimo, Pensacola Beach.
Scrumptious Confections from Around the Globe
One of the most exciting aspects about international travel can be the simple joy of sampling new desserts. If you’re a globetrotter with a sweet tooth, you know I’m speaking your language.
In the following article I’ve compiled an assorted list of scrumptious confections from around the world. If you’re currently not traveling, no need to feel left out. I’ve included the complete recipe for each dessert featured; this way you won’t have to journey any further than your own kitchen to enjoy these tastes from around the globe.
Banana Fritters
Chinese migrant workers first introduced banana plants to Queensland in the 1800s. Since then, the taste of this sweet pulpy fruit has become an Australian favorite. The banana fritter is not only delicious, it makes for a low-fat , high-fiber dessert.
Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Ready In: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of margarine
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 quart of vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar (for dusting)
Directions:
First, in a large bowl mash the bananas. Mix in milk, eggs and margarine until it’s completely smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir these dry ingredients into your banana mixture.
Next, heat the oil in a deep fryer or heavy bottomed pan to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C. Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil, and cook, turning once, until browned 2 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels and dust with confectioners’ sugar. This may not be the prettiest dessert but they sure are tasty. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Great Dining, North America, South America and tagged culture foods, desserts, scrumptious confections.
Snowboarding Carnage and Mayhem at Cataloochee Ski
First things first: While I pride myself at being a pretty good skier, I am possibly the world’s worst snowboarder to ever grace the slopes. I am not kidding. Last weekend, Rebecca and I decided to embark on a ninety minute drive to Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, NC. For those of you not familiar with Maggie Valley, it is a charming little town in the Smoky Mountains between Asheville, NC and the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
Maggie Mountaineer Craft Store, near Cataloochee Ski resort in Maggie Valley, NC
To shed some light on the town’s more shadier past, there are a couple of infamous characters who at one time called Maggie Valley their home. The first was local boogeyman and mass murderer, Peter Lundin. The second was local hero and renown moonshiner, Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton. Both are gone now. The first is serving a life sentence in a Denmark prison and the second tragically took his own life to avoid being locked away. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, North America, Tall Tales and Big Fish Stories and tagged cataloochee ski, North Carolina.