The highlight of my summer was definitely our incredible two week canoe trip down the Teslin and Yukon Rivers.  Unlike last year’s trip, this time Chelsea and I had some company – both our dads (Doug and Jim) came along for the ride, and Chelsea’s brother Shawn & his friend Sarah joined us for the second half.  As much as we enjoy each other’s company, it was a nice change to have some other people around to mix things up (and allow more options for the evening card games!).  One of the best parts for me was being able to share such an awesome trip with my dad, who’s the main reason I’m into all this outdoorsy nature stuff to begin with.  Thanks everyone for helping pack the trip with so many unforgettable moments!  =)

Since it’s taken me such a long time to put together this post (I’ve been busy, get off my back!), I’ll skip the nitty gritty details and stick to some of the more memorable moments.  If you’re interested in the practical details on the trip, I stuck those at the end.  So, with no further doo-doo, I present to you "Stories from the River".  Enjoy!
~ Mandrew

Who needs bear spray when you’ve got Mandrew Musk™?
One morning before we’d all gotten up, Doug was lying awake in his tent when he heard something moving around beside him.  He peeked out and saw a black bear sniffing about.  Not wanting to alarm anyone (or the bear) he quietly watched as it made its way around our camp and over to our tent.  Just as it reached us I happened to rip out a nice loud fart, startling the bear and causing it to flee for its life.  Yup, I've got skills.

The bus to San Gil was pretty terrible; seats were uncomfortable and didn’t lean back very far, it was a bit too cold (air conditioning!!), the seat belts didn’t work and the road was insane.  For eight hours, overnight.  I looked out the window at one point a few hours in and found myself looking down a steep mountainside and endless switch back roads going down.  We were just getting tossed around all night, but I did manage to get a little sleep somehow.  We got into San Gill pretty early and found a place to stay at Hostel El Dorado after turning down the first two.  Favio, the twenty-something owner, told us about what there is to do in the area (anything you can think of, pretty much) and got us settled in.  

The second Colombia game (against the Ivory Coast) was on that day so we went out to a store down the street near the main square to buy some Colombia jerseys, and joined the hundred and something other people from the area to watch the game on the big screen in the main square.  It was very fun, and loud!  

I'd like to present our latest video, a photo-based guide sharing some advice on how to best appreciate nature.  I had a lot of fun putting this one together, looking over our vast and ever-growing collection of photos from our adventures in the wild.  Hope you all enjoy!  - Mandrew

"Six days, 228 miles, a close grizzly encounter, way too much sun, an incredible thunderstorm, and a constant feeling of awe - this was a trip we'll both remember for a lifetime."

We have finished another CHAM Studios Original Film.  I have been so excited to finish this one!  This past summer before leaving on our trip I talked Oma into teaching me her secret apple strudel recipe.  It was a lot of work and well worth it!  I have since made it twice and have improved each time.  When I am home I would like to make one for Oma using some tropical ingredients, which is what I've had to do here due to a lack of many of the ingredients in the recipe.  Turns out it works well with almost any fruit (well maybe not banana, yuck).

THANK YOU OMA!!!!

Love,
Chelsea

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Hola, 
Just a very quick note that we have made a couple of updates to our website including a new "Cool Things" tab where we are keeping track of some COOL THINGS!  

On the Video section we've uploaded a couple new films that we made, described below, and you can check out the other pages when you like.

That is all!
-Chelsea

COSTA RICA WITH MARCOS
Marcos Garcia, a local Costa Rican farmer and entrepreneur that we met in Mastatal, Costa Rica, was gracious to show us some of the most beautiful things about Costa Rica.  On a quick afternoon hike and while hanging out on his farm, Siempre Verde, we saw countless birds, lizards and insects.  This video is a summary of what we saw in a very short amount of time!

YOGI'S MURAL
Andrew and Chelsea paint a wall mural at Yogi's Hostel in Moyogalpa, Isle de Ometepe, Nicaragua