Fantasy of Flight Takes a Bold Next Step on Its Journey

Fantasy of Flight owner, Kermit Weeks, announced today that effective Sunday, April 6, the attraction will be closing its doors as a public attraction and will focus on its private event business and  the design and development of a new future destination attraction. “Although we are located just 20 minutes west of Walt Disney World, we’re currently outside the center of mass tourism and not perceived of as a destination.  We have a great product, but people have a misperception of what we offer,” said Weeks. “After 18 years of being in operation, it’s time we close the attraction and move forward toward creating the vision for what I know Fantasy of Flight can become,” Weeks told employees today.

Fantasy of Flight will close the daily attraction and focus on its successful events business. It will also turn the facility into what it was originally designed for, which is a restoration and maintenance facility that will be needed to build future attraction elements.  For those who wish to enjoy the historical aspects of aircraft, plans are to open an aspect of the collection in a reduced capacity and admission price later this year.

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Half Dome Cables Day Use Permits Available for Reservation Starting March 1 2014

Permits Required Seven Days Per Week to Hike Half Dome Cables 

Half Dome cables day use permits for the 2014 hiking season will be available for reservation starting tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, through Monday, March 31, 2014. Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week and reservations will be distributed via a lottery system. Successful parties will be notified in mid-April. A maximum of 300 hikers will be allowed on the Half Dome cables per day.

Reservations for the permits can be made online at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

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Another Spectacular time-lapse video of Yosemite by Project Yosemite

A 200+ mile backpacking experience through Yosemite National Park captured by Colin Delehanty and Sheldon Neill. This project was filmed over the course of 10 months. We spent a combined 45 days in the park capturing the images in this video.

To view the entire story, please visit projectyose.com or facebook.com/projectyose

Special thanks to borrowlenses.comdynamicperception.com and mountainhardwear.com for their support.

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Fourth and final Sherlock Holmes book published on this day in 1915

On this day in 1915, the fourth (and final) Sherlock Holmes book The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle was first published as a novel.  The story was first published as a serial in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915.  Legend has it that the story is based on the “real-life exploits of the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland.”  One of the unique things about this novel is that – like Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel, a Study in Scarlet – there is quite a bit of “omniscient narration;” exposition that recalls story events that are unknown to Holmes or Watson.

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Trail Life USA and Tread Lightly! announce outdoor preservation partnership

Trail Life USA (TLUSA) takes another major step in building its outdoor adventure program by announcing a partnership with Tread Lightly!.  Together, Tread Lightly! and TLUSA will promote outdoor education, awareness, and habitat restoration projects that will preserve wilderness lands and teach environmentally friendly practices for all outdoor activities.

“Our partnership will teach outdoor stewardship and provide lasting benefits to our communities,” said Mark Hancock, Chief Operating Officer of TLUSA. “‘To be a good steward of creation’ is a key tenet of our Trailman Oath.”

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