Category Archives: Adventure

“BuildingBridges” Is A Spectacular Short Film Tribute To German-American Friendship (2019)

Directed by JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI

Written by JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI & CODY CHRISTENSEN
Produced by MIRKO PROHASKA & JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI
Director of Photography FELIX REICHERT
B Camera Operator & Animation VALENTIN RAPP
Production Designer BARBARA PEISL

BuildingBridges Cinematic Poem Short Film Directed by JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI 2019

CAST
Pilot of German ballon TIM TAYLOR
Pilot of American Ballon ZACHARY BRAMBLE
Hitchhiker Girl BARBARA PEISL
Hitchhiker Boy LEVI ALLEN

BuildingBridges Cinematic Poem Short Film Directed by JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI 2019

CREW
Production Supervisor LISA GHIO
Production Assistant ALEXANDER SCHULZ
Property Master RONNY BIARD

High above the sacred Navajo land of Monument Valley, two hot air balloons float, circling each other as if in a dance. One carries the German flag, the other that of the United States. A closer look reveals that the balloons are not only tethered together, but that a person is walking on this thin, connecting line.

BuildingBridges Cinematic Poem Short Film Directed by JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI 2019

This is the sight that the protagonist of the short film #buildingbridges beholds, as he steps out of his humble Utah home and looks up at the sky. An old and lonely man, he finds his own courage through the actions of these strangers.

This balancing act in movie form by the young creative agency One Inch Dreams (oneinchdreams.com) was commissioned by the German Embassy as a tribute to German-American friendship.

BuildingBridges Cinematic Poem Short Film Directed by JOHANNES OLSZEWSKI 2019

watch the documentary of BuildingBridges here: vimeo.com/376121031

New Travel Videos: “Deep Sea Exploration – 360” (National Geographic)

In the final installment of National Geographic’s “Into Water” 360 series, dive into the midwaters off the coast of California with bioengineer and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Kakani Katija. She conducts deep water research at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, developing technologies that can go deep below the surface to observe wildlife and collect data and specimens.

National Geographic Deep Sea Exploration 360 She aims to study all aspects of life in the deep ocean and see how that knowledge can translate to technology and innovation. “Into Water: California” is the final stop on an around the world 360 tour that documents the work of female Explorers who’ve dedicated their careers to water related issues.

New Camper Vans: 2020 “VanDOit LIV” Built Into All-Wheel Drive Ford Transit

From a New Atlas online review:

Now VanDoIt has capitalized on the launch of the 2020 Transit AWD to make its modular vans even more capable and versatile, letting owners option right up to a full-blown off-road, off-grid adventure vessel. It received a pre-production prototype from Ford and got to work rejiggering its modular conversion around the updated van, bearing fruit in the all-new LIV.

Earlier this year, Ford announced plans to launch an all-wheel-drive Transit as part of its updated 2020 US van lineup. That might seem like small product news, but it means that the US market will finally get a second factory AWD van to compete with the Mercedes Sprinter 4×4 that came over the Atlantic in 2015. It also means we can expect to see camper vans that look more like this one. The masters of modularity at VanDoIt become the first Americans to offer a camper van on the all-new Transit AWD, adding the LIV van as the second model in their lineup of super-flexible adventure vans. With a full selection of plug-and-play equipment, the LIV can flex between eight-seat, toy-hauling sleeper van and fully equipped multi-bed camper.

To read more: https://newatlas.com/automotive/vandoit-liv-camper-van/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=330e6a3cf7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_11_26_02_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-330e6a3cf7-93002753

New Spy Novel Audio: “Passport To Oblivion” Starring George Lazenby

George LazenbyAn audio spy adventure based on a series of internationally bestselling books (published in 19 languages) by James Leasor, ‘Passport to Oblivion’ features an all-star cast that also includes Glynis Barber, Nickolas Grace, Michael Brandon and Terence Stamp as ‘C’ the Head of MI6.

‘Passport to Oblivion’ is the first of 10 planned audio recordings by award-winning Spiteful Puppet and based on books first published in the 1960s. The novels, which sold in their millions, have a worldwide fan base. This is the first time they have been adapted as audio dramas.

To order: https://spitefulpuppet.com/double-o-session-3/

To read more: https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/audio-book-passport-to-oblivion-preview

Top Hikes: “San Francisco Crosstown Trail” – Candlestick Point To Lands End (17 Miles)

SF Crosstown Trail logoThe Crosstown Trail is a route connecting San Francisco neighborhoods, open spaces, and other major trails. It runs from Candlestick Point in the southeast corner of the city to Lands End in the northwest corner. The route is usable by both pedestrians and bicyclists, and it connects many parks, business districts, residential areas, and public transit.

crosstown-trail-poster-size_page-0001.jpg

The Crosstown Trail is just one part of the city’s Green Connections Plan. It is one of the first to be concretely mapped and made available to the public.

Read New York Times article on the hike: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/travel/crosstown-trail-san-francisco.html

Website: https://crosstowntrail.org/

New Travel/Photography Books: “Remote Places To Stay” By Debbie Pappyn

From a Yatzer.com online review:

Remote Places To Stay by Debbie Pappyn 2019The visuals make up most of the book’s volume, with David De Vleeschauwer’s photography magically working on various levels: on the one hand, artfully conveying the splendour and beauty of all the featured remote landscapes, and on the other, focusing on minute details that we usually pay no attention to: such details are isolated and enlarged as if to make us stop and look for a while. Each location is also paired with a hotel or guesthouse review, together with snippets of information about the area and how to actually get there. Remote Places To Stay by Debbie Pappyn 2019Above all, ‘Remote Places to Stay’ is all about humans and the sheer variety of lifestyles that are possible, as through its evocative photography and well-written texts, we are able to uncover small, hidden corners of the world where life flows in a different tempo altogether.

“In an age of acceleration, nothing is so cherished as slowness,” writes essayist and novelist Pico Iyer in his reflective preface for the book Remote Places to Stay — an exceptional hardcover featuring 22 of the world’s remotest travel destinations. The book is the brainchild of Debbie Pappyn and David De Vleeschauwer, a pair of devoted travellers that is also behind the popular travel blog Classe Touriste.

To read more: https://www.yatzer.com/remote-places-stay

Adventure Bicycle Trips: Touring In America On 1,357,430 Miles Of “Quieter, Unpaved Roads”

From a Wall Street Journal online article:

Patricia McNeal, a 58-year-old brain-aneurysm survivor from Panama City, Fla., is currently riding home from Seattle on her 2017 Trek Émonda SL 6 road bike. She’s improvising a route, but confessed she’d one day love to ride the Great American Rail Trail, a transcontinental route from Washington, D.C. to Washington state that’s now in piecemeal development.

A self-described “credit-card camper,” Ms. McNeal doesn’t rough it. She carries a single bag and sleeps at hotels and homestays arranged via warmshowers.org, a peer-to-peer cyclist’s site, as well as supporters who learn about her travels via the Black Girls Do Bike organization. Her necessities are padded shorts, a gel seat, chamois cream to help with chafing and some music. 

ACA Bicycle routes in U.S. Illustration by John S. Dykes Wall Street Journal

Bicycle touring in America is shifting gears away from that old school derring-do on skinny tires, when cyclists scraped by 18-wheelers on highways. Instead, the sort of protected cycling paths common in urban centers are now stretching tendrils over abandoned railroad lines to link cities coast-to-coast. Meanwhile, riders are joining mass multiday fundraising rides for safety in numbers, or taking to America’s 1,357,430 miles of quieter unpaved roads. For that, they ride increasingly popular “gravel bikes,” a toughened road bike designed for speed on off-road with added mounts for gear.

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-right-bicycles-for-an-epic-ride-across-america-11573235337

Top New Travel Videos: “Through Our Lens – Mongolia” Directed By Kay Van Huisseling

Director, CreGator, Editor: Kay Van Huisseling 

Through Our Lens Mongolia by Kay Van Huisseling 2019

Hero Traveler’s favorite places to visit and things to do in Mongolia include:

UlaanBatar, Gobi Desert,  Ugly City Eagle Hunters

“Through Our Lens'” celebrates the beauty of a destination through the point of view of one of our spirited creators. Come along with filmmaker and Hero Traveler Contributor Kay Van Huisseling as he takes us on a breathtaking cinematic journey through Mongolia.

Through Our Lens Mongolia by Kay Van Huisseling 2019

Website:  https://www.instagram.com/kayvanhuiss…

Road Trip Adventures: The “Khar Us Nuur National Park” In Mongolia

From a Wall Street Journal online article:

A will to avoid traveling absurd distances had informed our itinerary, but in Mongolia, it seems, you can’t get anywhere without one hell of a journey. The arena for this particular expedition was the Khar Us Nuur National Park. Accessible by road from the dusty town of Khovd, itself a two-hour flight from the capital, Ulaanbaatar, the park spans a transitional zone between the Altai highlands and the Gobi Desert. In the company of our driver, Gala, my friend Marcus and I had set out to experience three of Mongolia’s predominant habitats—steppe, mountains and desert—in the space of one drivable circuit.

Khar Us Nuur National Park - Wall Street Journal Illustration by JOHN S. DYKES

WE HAD already been driving for three hours when the lake appeared in the heat-shimmer and the pink smear behind it resolved into sand dunes. I guessed it would be around 10 minutes until we reached the shore. Fifteen tops. We arrived at the water’s edge two hours later. On the empty plains of Western Mongolia, perspective is illusory, patience a necessity.

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-road-trip-in-mongolia-bizarre-in-the-best-way-11572520659

Travel Destinations: Bonefishing In Bermuda Combines Luxury Leisure With Island Adventure

From a Wall Street Journal online review:

Bonefishing in Bermuda Wall Street JouranlWe headed west and hugged the shallow shoreline, casting at shadows of fish as the sun mixed with clouds making it more difficult to sight fish. We curled around a point of land I instantly recognized as Cambridge Beaches, where I stayed with my parents on my first visit to the island and where my sister celebrated her honeymoon.

Mr. Linnell used a push pole to move the skiff quietly along shore as he chatted up guests snorkeling nearby, expertly keeping them away from our bonefish spots by urging the snorkelers to take in sights a safe distance away.

I HAD NEVER considered fly fishing for bonefish in Bermuda. Chasing the elusive, silver-green creatures, prized for their fight, was something you did at remote outposts and rustic camps, where showering was optional and accommodations primitive. Such a trip could be fun for a few days, but you’d never dare drag your wife or kids along.

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-a-luxe-fly-fishing-trip-try-bermuda-11572455090