<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Claire Festel</title>
	<atom:link href="http://clairefestel.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://clairefestel.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:04:11 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	
		<item>
		<title>Health Update and Surgery Follow-up: April 2013</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/health-update-and-surgical-follow-up-april-2013/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/health-update-and-surgical-follow-up-april-2013/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:15:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2823</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It has been a busy time since my last post, a time of change and healing. In March I travelled to my hometown on the Gape to visit with Mom and family. Somehow that visit was an overall health turning point, even though it included two snowstorms and a gastrointestinal flu. There is nothing more [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/health-update-and-surgical-follow-up-april-2013/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hiking Again!!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hiking-again/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hiking-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:20:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2808</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our destination: Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park, just 20 minutes south of Penticton. The provincial park is a world-class rockclimbing destination. The north access area contains three parallel canyons renown for recreational climbing. Sheer rock walls made of coarse-grained gneiss tower up to 30 meters above the rocky canyon floors. We passed more than 20 climbers [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hiking-again/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>GOOD News!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/good-news/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/good-news/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:23:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2784</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since my colon cancer surgery on January 31, 2013, I have been going through a hard time. There was this inexplicable bump above the surgery incision. It hurt and the swelling went down so slowly; it’s still not completely back to normal. I had a terrible cold for two solid weeks, maybe longer. Emotionally, I was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/good-news/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>23</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Surgery: Excellent; Anesthetic: Not so Good!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/surgery-excellent-anesthetic-not-so-good/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/surgery-excellent-anesthetic-not-so-good/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:23:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2768</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here I am – post colon cancer surgery (January 31), and mending well. Don’t read the rest if you’re squeamish! To remove a cancerous growth from my colon, I had to have surgery. I was admitted to Penticton Regional Hospital at 6:30 am and went into surgery around 8:00. Ed was told the procedure would [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/surgery-excellent-anesthetic-not-so-good/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Reflecting – A Trip in the Offing!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reflecting-a-trip-in-the-offing/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reflecting-a-trip-in-the-offing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 01:55:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2692</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Reflections &#8211; 2012 was a tough year for Ed and I as we dealt with getting through the ordeal of my having cancer. It was a year of survival &#8211; it’s like a dream now: double mastectomy in January 2012 and the all clear for breast cancer in February. Diagnosis of multiple myeloma a week [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reflecting-a-trip-in-the-offing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tora Coastal Walk</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tora-coastal-walk/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tora-coastal-walk/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 01:54:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2696</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is my final New Zealand post covering the Tora Coastal Walk (TCW) in the Wairarapa region. It’s a remote, a three-day hike through private hill country coastal farms, river valleys, native bush and along ridge-tops, meandering creeks and spectacular Tora coastline. The TCW provides excellent food, comfortable clean beds in interesting accommodations, walking with [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tora-coastal-walk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Magical Moata and Masterton Air Show</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/magical-moata-and-masterton-air-show/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/magical-moata-and-masterton-air-show/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Jan 2013 04:45:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2668</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We came to Masterton a day earlier than we’d planned, booking an extra night at the Moata B&#38;B. Our hosts Ross and Ngaire own the beautiful heritage house and maintain the five-acre property with a garden and 12 head of cattle. But the most time consuming and demanding aspect of their enterprise if Tana the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/magical-moata-and-masterton-air-show/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tongariro Alpine Crossing</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tongariro-alpine-crossing/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tongariro-alpine-crossing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Jan 2013 04:24:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2644</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rotoria is the town known for geothermal activity: bubbling mud pools, thermal pools, geysers.  We stopped there for lunch and a tour of the Waimangu Volcanic Valley Geothermal Centre. It is owned and managed by Moari and is a centre where Moari come to learn the traditional ways of carving and weaving. It was an [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tongariro-alpine-crossing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Legendary Kiwi Hospitality</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/legendary-kiwi-hospitality/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/legendary-kiwi-hospitality/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2642</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Flying was only part of what makes this trip to New Zealand so special. At Great Barrier Island, a lady at our Backpacker lodge took us along with her for a swim. She went to a sheltered cove known only to locals. Two little girls were swinging on a rope from the limb of a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/legendary-kiwi-hospitality/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Kiwi Aviation Adventure</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/kiwi-aviation-adventure/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/kiwi-aviation-adventure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Flying the North Island coast of New Zealand is awesome! Ed wanted to fly while in NZ and to do that he needed to obtain a validation of his Canadian private pilots license. He prepared all the paperwork before we travelled here and then only had to do his Biannual Flying Review. He flew with [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/kiwi-aviation-adventure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tauranga Feasts and Friends</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tarangua-feasts-and-friends/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tarangua-feasts-and-friends/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:29:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2591</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When we arrived in NZ, we made Tauranga our base because our friend Don from Summerland, Okanagan is also making it his base for four months. His daughter Donna and her family (Andrew and Morgen) live in nearby Okomoroa – or they have for almost twenty years. But they’re in the process of moving to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/tarangua-feasts-and-friends/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The World Comes to Me</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-world-comes-to-me/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-world-comes-to-me/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2013 03:53:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2572</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[January 14, 2013 Hobbiton Before we came to New Zealand, my only MUST DO was to visit Hobbiton, the film set created by movie Director Peter Jackson to create the place where hobbits live. Their country is known as The Shire and the village of the hobbit heroes made renown through The Hobbit and Lord [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-world-comes-to-me/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>From Winter to Summer!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/from-winter-to-summer/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/from-winter-to-summer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:46:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2557</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[January 10, 2013 Tauranga, New Zealand Oh, how wonderful it is to be in New Zealand!  Our winter in Penticton was very overcast and gray – I really missed the sunshine. The temperature was moderate, the lowest we experienced until our departure on Janaury 6, 2013 was -8C. The snow level was also moderate but [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/from-winter-to-summer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Misty Morning Walk</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/misty-morning-walk/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/misty-morning-walk/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2012 00:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2544</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The fog comes on cat feet&#8230;&#8230; Yukon reading her morning &#8216;news.&#8217; Quiet beauty Yukon blends in with the winter colours]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/misty-morning-walk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sunny Morning Walk with Yukon</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/sunny-morning-walk-with-yukon/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/sunny-morning-walk-with-yukon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2012 00:25:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2524</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/sunny-morning-walk-with-yukon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Whitehorse –  Catching up and Moving Forward</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/whitehorse-catching-up-and-moving-forward/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/whitehorse-catching-up-and-moving-forward/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:50:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2506</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This November, I spent five glorious days in Whitehorse attending Yukon Heritage Resource Board meetings and visiting with friends. The trip was another test of my post-cancer physical and emotional stamina, which I welcomed. I gained much from the experience including renewed self-confidence, deepened friendships, and insights into how letting go does not necessarily mean [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/whitehorse-catching-up-and-moving-forward/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Just Keep Practicing</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/just-keep-practicing/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/just-keep-practicing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:05:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2478</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks prior to my stem cell transplant treatment in July 2012, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s first book, Full Catastrophe Living, came into my hands. I still can’t remember how or when, but there it was and I started reading. Soon, I was following his eight-week program of mindfulness-based yoga, breathing, meditating and walking. These practices [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/just-keep-practicing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Penticton Flying Club Honours Remembrance Day</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/penticton-flying-club-honours-remembrance-day/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/penticton-flying-club-honours-remembrance-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:50:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2445</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; The Penticton Flying Club participates in the annual ceremonies for Remembrance Day in three communities: Penticton, Summerland and Peachland. This year, seven volunteer pilots took to the skies to do official fly-over’s of those communities at pre-arranged times. Penticton authorities requested the fly-over exactly at 10:30. Three planes, a Kitfox, a Maranda and a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/penticton-flying-club-honours-remembrance-day/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sharing Milestones</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/sharing-milestones/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/sharing-milestones/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:34:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2361</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s always great to get together with friends to do things, but that kind of activity has been mostly out of my reach for the past year – until recently!  It was with great pleasure and anticipation that I accepted an invitation to participate in a surprise milestone birthday party for my writing pal and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/sharing-milestones/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Supporting Dona</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/supporting-dona/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/supporting-dona/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Oct 2012 02:46:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s fall in the Okanagan with beautiful colours, snow on the distant mountains, and windy, crisp days. It is a quiet time but also a time of reconnecting and hunkering down for winter. On Sunday, October 21, I participated in a fundraiser for a writer friend from Kelowna who was diagnosed with cancer last June.  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/supporting-dona/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Results</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/results/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/results/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Oct 2012 02:25:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2279</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally – finally – finally – not only are the results of the electrophoresis blood test (the specialized blood test that measures my multiple myeloma cancer marker) complete, but they have been sent to my oncologist and family doctor, AND I have spoken with my family doctor to have the results explained to me. Basically, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/results/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>22</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mind, Body and Soul</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/mind-body-and-soul/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/mind-body-and-soul/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:16:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2247</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For the past year, since I first learned I had cancer, Ed and I have planned our lives around medical appointments and treatments, or around waiting for them. I had a single focus and goal: to survive.  I had amazing support from the nurses and doctors and counsellors and my husband and family and friends [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/mind-body-and-soul/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Feelin’ R-R-R-Restless</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/feelin-r-r-r-restless/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/feelin-r-r-r-restless/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:23:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[During a follow-up appointment with my plastic surgeon last winter, I explained to him that my scar tissue area was itching. He told me, “Itchiness is a sign of healing. Massage the area, but don’t scratch.” So I don’t have to ask anyone about this restless feeling – it’s a sign I’m healing, and the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/feelin-r-r-r-restless/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Awakenings</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/awakenings/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/awakenings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:57:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2199</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We’re back with our dog Yukon at our home up the mountain and we&#8217;re lovin’ it. I am beginning to truly unwind and to let go of the fear, tension, anxiety, pain and uncertainty that took up residence inside me since February, when I learned I had a second (incurable but treatable) cancer, multiple myeloma. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/awakenings/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>16</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Last Days of My Stem Cell Transplant Treatments</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-last-days-of-my-stem-cell-transplant-treatments/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-last-days-of-my-stem-cell-transplant-treatments/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Aug 2012 23:21:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2187</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My visits to the bone marrow clinic came to an end on August 10 and my last procedure was scheduled for August 15 so Ed and I decided to head out of the city for a few days. We enjoyed an idyllic three days on Mayne Island. Early Sunday morning, we took off from Richmond [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-last-days-of-my-stem-cell-transplant-treatments/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>19</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Turned the Corner!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/turned-the-corner/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/turned-the-corner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:55:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2185</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ed and I are very relieved that our stem cell transplant experience is almost over and we have only one more hurdle to cross before we go home. We went to my last appointment at the bone marrow clinic yesterday. Yesterday was also my first day taking no oral medications and my last day on [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/turned-the-corner/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recuperation</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/recuperation/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/recuperation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:16:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2176</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ed and I have been in Vancouver three weeks as of Sunday, August 5 and it feels like a century! Yes, it feels like time has stepped outside of itself and taken us with it….but this is also a phase that will pass. The average amount of time a stem cell transplant patient stays in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/recuperation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Post Transplant Update &#8211; Day 14</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/post-transplant-update-day-14/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/post-transplant-update-day-14/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:12:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2173</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well &#8211; I made it through!!!! It&#8217;s still too soon for me to feel relief and I&#8217;m too weak to celebrate but I know I&#8217;m on to recovery now. Yesterday was the day my bone marrow woke up and kicked in. It was just so wonderfully fantastic to feel my body coming alive &#8211; I&#8217;ll [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/post-transplant-update-day-14/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Stem Cell Transplant – Day 5</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/stem-cell-transplant-day-5/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/stem-cell-transplant-day-5/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:57:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2152</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The stem cell harvest went according to plan; Ed and I left Vancouver for Penticton on July 11 and expected to remain there until the scheduled stem cell transplant on August 9.  However that was not meant to be….. The very next day, on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 in the morning, the day after [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/stem-cell-transplant-day-5/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Next Phase: Step 1 -Stem Cell Harvest</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/next-phase-step-1-stem-cell-harvest/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/next-phase-step-1-stem-cell-harvest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:40:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2135</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My multiple myeloma cancer treatments are now in the next phase: the chemo is finished and I am undergoing an autologous stem cell transplant, which means my own stem cells are used for the procedure. The transplant is actually a two-step procedure: Step 1 involves a week long process culminating in the stem cell harvest, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/next-phase-step-1-stem-cell-harvest/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>26</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Home Health Retreat</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/home-medicine-health-retreat/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/home-medicine-health-retreat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:03:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2100</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The last few months I’ve been on an inward journey – my life had been turned upside down in February with the diagnosis of a second separate cancer, multiple myeloma. The oncologist phoned this diagnosis in to me about ten days after she’d given me the all clear on breast cancer. Within a week, I [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/home-medicine-health-retreat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>2012 Easter – Reminiscing, Renewal and Revitalization</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/2012-easter-reminiscing-renewal-and-revitalization/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/2012-easter-reminiscing-renewal-and-revitalization/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:31:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2080</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Where to start? Easter weekend, 2011….Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Reminiscing about my Godson Theo’s welcoming ceremony, an Easter egg hunt and visits with family. Afterwards, Ed and I flew on to pick up our ‘new’ Cessna 172 outside Hamilton Ontario and fly it back across the country to our ‘new’ home outside Penticton BC. It was during [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/2012-easter-reminiscing-renewal-and-revitalization/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Millie Jones (McMurphy) – Born to Teach by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/profiles-and-people/millie-jones-mcmurphy-born-to-teach/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/profiles-and-people/millie-jones-mcmurphy-born-to-teach/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:14:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2070</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Born August 11, 1932 Born in Whitehorse; Grew up in Carcross, Yukon  When I was a kid, winter was a lot about survival. We snared rabbits and had to pack water and chop wood. But we had a lot of fun too. We had so much freedom, being outside playing, skiing and sliding. Every weekend [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/profiles-and-people/millie-jones-mcmurphy-born-to-teach/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Victoria (Vicki) Yehl – Arctic Girl at Heart by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/profiles-and-people/victoria-vicki-yehl-arctic-girl-at-heart-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/profiles-and-people/victoria-vicki-yehl-arctic-girl-at-heart-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:49:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2063</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Two events steered Vicki Yehl towards her life-long career in and commitment to geology. When she was nine or ten years old, she says, a crazy uncle gave her a tent. “As soon as I received it, I camped out in the back yard almost every summer. In Grade 11, I had the good fortune [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/profiles-and-people/victoria-vicki-yehl-arctic-girl-at-heart-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pearl Keenan – One Foot in Each World by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/pearl-keenan-one-foot-in-each-world-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/pearl-keenan-one-foot-in-each-world-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:43:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2053</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pearl Keenan (Geddes) Tlingit name: T’aakhu Tla, which means Mother of the Taku River Born October 10, 1920, Twenty-four miles up the Nisutlin River, Yukon The different things I did in my life – it amazes me that I did those things. It’s due to the people who pick you up because they believe in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/pearl-keenan-one-foot-in-each-world-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Scarlett Hall – It Just Magically Comes Together by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/scarlett-hall-it-just-magically-comes-together-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/scarlett-hall-it-just-magically-comes-together-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:17:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2049</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Eagle, Alaska checkpoint of the 1000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is housed in the historic one-room schoolhouse. It’s a bustling place during the Yukon Quest sled dog race. Scarlett Hall has been Eagle checkpoint manager for “longer than I can remember – probably six or seven years.” She does it because she [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/scarlett-hall-it-just-magically-comes-together-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dennis Fentie, Yukon’s Pathfinder by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/dennis-fentie-yukons-pathfinder-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/dennis-fentie-yukons-pathfinder-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:36:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2046</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This past May (2011), when Dennis Fentie retired after fifteen years in politics, he was Yukon’s longest-serving premier. At the time, he was also the longest-serving premier in Canada.  Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way! This maxim – burnt letters on a small wood sign – hung on then-premier Dennis Fentie’s office door [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/dennis-fentie-yukons-pathfinder-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Heidi Festel-Frei, &#8220;High Heel Shoes&#8221; by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/heidi-festel-frei-high-heel-shoes-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/heidi-festel-frei-high-heel-shoes-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:21:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2035</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Presented to Heidi Festel on her 90th Birthday: February 19, 2009 at the Frohegg Restaurant in Bern, Switzerland Tonight, as we celebrate Heidi Festel’s 90th birthday, her son &#8211; my husband Ed &#8211; and I, have two gifts to present to her. Heidi calls me her daughter-in-love, instead of daughter-in-law, as most people say. I think [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/heidi-festel-frei-high-heel-shoes-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Goody (Gudrun) Sparling – Good to be Home by Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/goody-gudrun-sparling-good-to-be-home-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/goody-gudrun-sparling-good-to-be-home-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:05:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2029</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I’ve always been in close touch, never away for very long from the Yukon. – Goody Born February 10, 1926 in Whitehorse, Yukon &#160; Goody leans on her aluminum cane and looks through the picture window of her third-floor condo in Whitehorse. She gestures toward the Yukon Legislative Building on the opposite side of Second [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/goody-gudrun-sparling-good-to-be-home-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Alex Van Bibber – An Old Hand at New Frontiers By Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/alex-van-bibber-an-old-hand-at-new-frontiers-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/alex-van-bibber-an-old-hand-at-new-frontiers-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:54:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2024</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Veteran trapper, guide, and outdoor educator Alex Van Bibber is a living Yukon legend. At 93 years of age, the experienced woodsman still takes time to show younger trappers how to survive in the wilderness. Alex Van Bibber stands in front of 15 would-be trappers enrolled in the Yukon trappers’ education course. He’s wearing a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/alex-van-bibber-an-old-hand-at-new-frontiers-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Betty Taylor &#8211; Grace Among Us By Claire Festel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/grace-among-us-by-claire-festel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/grace-among-us-by-claire-festel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:07:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2019</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Betty Taylor has a reputation for providing a warm hearth and a helpful hand to those in need. Betty Taylor sits in her daughter’s Whitehorse home, where she lives, and fumbles with a remote control, quieting the noise of an afternoon newscast. The frail 93-year-old turns to me and looks confused when I remind her [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/grace-among-us-by-claire-festel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Straight Ahead, a Profile of Stan Bridcut &#8211; Yukon Bush Pilot</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/straight-ahead-a-profile-of-stan-bridcut-was-first-published-in-yukon-north-of-ordinary-fall-2008-volume-2-issue-3/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/straight-ahead-a-profile-of-stan-bridcut-was-first-published-in-yukon-north-of-ordinary-fall-2008-volume-2-issue-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:11:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Profiles and People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2012</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Stanley Bridcut - Straight Ahead By Claire Festel At 1545 on May 24, 2008, the north’s signature bush plane flew low over the Watson Lake airport and dipped side to side in the bush pilot’s salute. A few minutes later Frank Close addressed the more than 200 people gathered to celebrate Stanley Bridcut’s life, a Yukon [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/straight-ahead-a-profile-of-stan-bridcut-was-first-published-in-yukon-north-of-ordinary-fall-2008-volume-2-issue-3/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Last-Minute Booking &#8211; Hawaii for Christmas!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/last-minute-booking-hawaii-for-christmas/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/last-minute-booking-hawaii-for-christmas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:20:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=2001</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Maui &#8211; Kihei and Hana December 19-28, 2011 Here we sit under the shade of palm trees as the trade winds softly blow past from the northeast and the sun shines brilliant and harsh overhead. We made a last-minute booking to spend ten days in Kikei with our friend Beat. I’ll let the photos speak [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/last-minute-booking-hawaii-for-christmas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tour de Mont Blanc: Daily Log Days 9 &#8211; 10</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-%e2%80%93-days-9-and-10/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-%e2%80%93-days-9-and-10/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:58:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1799</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[9. September 2011 &#8211; Day 9 Tour de Mont Blanc: Depart 09.00, 400 m Ascent, 1020 m Descent Arrive 16.15 La Peule 2071 &#8211; Ferret 1705 m &#8211; La Fouly 1610 m (0.40 h) &#8211; Praz de Fort 1151 (2 h) &#8211; Issert 1055 (0.30 h, Buvette) &#8211; Overnight Hotel du Glaciers, Champex-au-Lac 1456 m [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-%e2%80%93-days-9-and-10/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tour de Mont Blanc: Daily Log Days 7 &#8211; 8</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-7-and-8/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-7-and-8/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:49:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1795</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[7. September 2011 &#8211; Day 7 Tour de Mont Blanc: Depart 10.00, 1350 m Ascent, 930 m Descent Arrive Ed and Claire at 15.40/Rest of Group at 17.10 Courmayeur 1223 m  - Rifugio Bertone 1970 m (1.45 h) &#8211; Le Pré 2125 m &#8211; Ed and I via the lower route to Lavachey 1642 (2.30 [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-7-and-8/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tour de Mont Blanc: Daily Log Days 5 &#8211; 6</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-5-and-6/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-5-and-6/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:39:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1789</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[5. September 2011 &#8211; Day 5 Tour de Mont Blanc: Depart 09.20, 1310 m Ascent, 926 m Descent Arrive 16.45 Les Contamines 1180 m &#8211; Notre Dame de la Gorge 1210 m (bus) &#8211; Nant-Borrant 1460 m (0.40 h) &#8211; La Balme 1706 m (0.50 h)  &#8211; Col du Bonhomme 2329 m (2.40 h) &#8211; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-5-and-6/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tour de Mont Blanc: Daily Log Days 3 &#8211; 4</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-%e2%80%93-daily-log-days-3-and-4/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-%e2%80%93-daily-log-days-3-and-4/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:20:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1785</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[3. September 2011 &#8211; Day 3 Tour de Mont Blanc:  Depart 09.00, 820 m Ascent, 1720 m Descent Arrive 17.00 La Flégère 1877 m &#8211; Charlanan 1812 m (1 h) &#8211; Planpraz 2060 m (0.55 h) &#8211; Col de Brevent 2368 (0.50 h) &#8211; Highest Platform Col de Brevent 2525 (0.45 h) &#8211; Cabane Bel [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-%e2%80%93-daily-log-days-3-and-4/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tour de Mont Blanc: Daily Log Days 1 &#8211; 2</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-1-2/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-1-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:14:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1779</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; 1. September 2011 &#8211; Day 1 Tour du Mont Blanc: Depart 09.00, 930 m Ascent, 1100 m Descent Arrive 15.00 La Forclaz 1526 m – La Peuty (Trient) 1326 m (1.05 h) – Herbagères 2033 m (2 h) – Col de Balme 2191 m (0.30h) – Le Tour 1453 m (1.20) – Overnight in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-daily-log-days-1-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tour de Mont Blanc: Reflections</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-reflections/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-reflections/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:42:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1761</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many days – adding up to two months -­ have passed since Ed and I returned to Canada after our hike around Mont Blanc, the highest mountain range in Europe. When I think about our hike, I feel gratitude to our Swiss &#8216;hosts&#8217; Karl and Anna, who worked many hours to put together a versatile [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/tour-de-mont-blanc-reflections/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Travel Day to Tour de Mont Blanc: Bern to Col de la Forclaz</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/preparation-day-tour-de-mont-blanc-bern-to-col-de-la-forclaz/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/preparation-day-tour-de-mont-blanc-bern-to-col-de-la-forclaz/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:37:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1714</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[31. August  2011 – Bern to Forclaz We woke before our alarm rang at 7:00. The day was bright and sunny – perfect for travelling to Col de la Forclaz, the starting point of our Tour de Mont Blanc. We took the bus to Kari and Anne’s and had coffee with Anne, Maggie and Ron. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/preparation-day-tour-de-mont-blanc-bern-to-col-de-la-forclaz/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Auf wiedersehen</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/auf-wiedersehen/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/auf-wiedersehen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:17:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1691</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 31, 2011 &#8211; Bern Now, my dear friends, I will write again in awhile – after we come back from our Tour de Mont Blanc. It is after midnight and we leave at 8:00 in the morning. We expect decent weather for the first few days – and then – who knows? Regardless, we [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/auf-wiedersehen/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Schwarzenberg in the Diemtigtal</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/schwarzenberg-in-the-dientigtal/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/schwarzenberg-in-the-dientigtal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:05:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1685</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 30, 2011 – Bern We went with Ralph, his partner Monica and her daughter Yasmin to a rustic farmhouse in Schwarzenberg for a dinner. We ate at a farmhouse-restaurant in a beautiful alpine setting. As we ate, the farmers milked the cows; we enjoyed a plate of cheeses and meats as an apero; all [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/schwarzenberg-in-the-dientigtal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pilgrimage to Lenk</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/pilgrimage-to-lenk/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/pilgrimage-to-lenk/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:59:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1675</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 29, 2011 – Bern Ed and I travelled by train with Maggie and Ron to Lenk today. This was our very personal mission to say our final farewells to Ed’s mother Heidy. Lenk was her favourite place in the whole world. She had hiked and skied these mountains for many of her 91 years. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/pilgrimage-to-lenk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Reminiscing and Anticipating</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reminiscing-and-anticipating/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reminiscing-and-anticipating/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:48:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1670</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 28 – Bern Christoph invited the Thomsen River crew with spouses for a barbeque at his place. Ron and Maggie are staying with Karl and Anne; they visited the hilltop city of Gruyere, which was built in medieval times and still functions today as a modern town set in medieval houses. In the afternoon [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reminiscing-and-anticipating/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mont Vully, Aventicum/Avenches</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/mont-vully-aventicum-avenches/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/mont-vully-aventicum-avenches/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:40:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1663</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have ridden a motorbike – as a passenger – twice in my life and only with Christoph. Today I had my second ride and it was fantastic. We had an amazing day; rain on the previous night had cleared the sky and the views to the Bernese Alps were stunning. Chrisoph drove us to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/mont-vully-aventicum-avenches/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bern Saturday Market</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/bern-saturday-market/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/bern-saturday-market/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:27:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1650</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 27 – Bern &#160; The photos will do the talking here. Bern is a city of many traditions and I get to partake in them every time I visit. I feel like a local when I go to the Marzili to swim in the outdoor pool, followed by a float down the Aare River. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/bern-saturday-market/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Zum Blauen Engel &#8211; At The Blue Angel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/zum-blauen-engel-at-the-blue-angel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/zum-blauen-engel-at-the-blue-angel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:26:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1625</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 24 - Oberbözberg to Bern ­ Today we walked through the forest to the highest point in Oberbözberg’s region. &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; &#160; Thomas invited us for lunch at the Blue Angel Restaurant. We sat at a table in the shade of the hay barn, right next to the calf [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/zum-blauen-engel-at-the-blue-angel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blitzen und Wasser &#8211; Lightning and Water</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/blizen-und-wasser-lightening-and-water/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/blizen-und-wasser-lightening-and-water/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:33:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1618</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oberbözberg –  August 23, 2011 This evening after a long casual dinner eaten in the ‘summer garden,’ or patio, we sat outside for hours. We sat quietly talking and noticing the clouds building to a huge storm to the south. Just after the sun set, the storm broke. As the evening turned to night, thunder and lightening [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/blizen-und-wasser-lightening-and-water/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Under the Linden Trees</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/under-the-linden-trees/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/under-the-linden-trees/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:13:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1594</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oberbözberg – August 23, 2011 Visiting with Werner and Ursula in Oberbözberg in the Jura Mountains. Today we went for a hike and were treated to a surprise! We left the house at 10:10 and boarded the 10:15 bus at an official bus stop next to a farmer’s field &#8211; only in Switzerland! Fifteen minutes [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/under-the-linden-trees/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hiking Heaven</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hiking-heaven/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hiking-heaven/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1578</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 10, 2011 – Penticton Last weekend I did two fantastic hikes. On Saturday Ed and I hiked up Mount Baldy just above Oliver with the Penticton Outdoors Club. Check out the purple-blue of the sky and mountains &#8211; that&#8217;s the Okanangan blue! Afterwards we stopped in to buy fresh fruit from Matheson Creek farm [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hiking-heaven/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 10 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure – Our Southern Home</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-10-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-our-southern-home/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-10-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-our-southern-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:46:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1538</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 9, 2011 – Whitehorse to Penticton Depart Whitehorse 9:38-Arrive Dease Lake 11:33; Depart Dease Lake 12:17-Arrive Smithers 14:23; Depart Smithers 15:11-Arrive Penticton 18:52 Flight time: 8.2 Hours; Distance 1040 Miles We did not get an early start – more of a leisurely beginning with a high-powered, super-fast-talking breakfast with Torsten. We had a lot [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-10-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-our-southern-home/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Days 8 &amp; 9 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure  – Our Northern Home</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-8-and-9-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-our-northern-home/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-8-and-9-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-our-northern-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:37:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1531</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 7-8, 2011 – Whitehorse These two days sped by quickly but in another way time stood still. I often get that sense of timelessness in the North where Nature prevails. Our apartment is located next to one of two main arteries into downtown Whitehorse, Robert Service Way. It’s still called ‘The South Access” by [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-8-and-9-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-our-northern-home/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 7 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure  – A Perfect Bush Flying Day</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-7-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-a-perfect-bush-flying-day/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-7-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-a-perfect-bush-flying-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:21:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1518</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 6, 2011 -Yellowknife to Whitehorse Depart Yellowknife 8:21-Arrive Fort Simpson 10:08; Depart Fort Simpson 10:52-Arrive Watson Lake 13:06; Depart Watson Lake 13:01-Arrive Whitehorse 15:06 Total distance: 767 miles; Total flight time: 6.6 hours Flying does not get much better than this! We left Yellowknife under clear blue skies and we had fair sailing to Fort [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-7-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-a-perfect-bush-flying-day/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 6 Blog 1 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure  – The Final Banquet</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-6-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-the-final-banquet/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-6-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-the-final-banquet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:01:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1498</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 5, 2011 – Yellowknife &#160; The final banquet was a lot of fun. While Brian took up people in the Air Cam, Kyle gave a few short tours of the town in the Bell 206 helicopter. I was lucky enough to go up and view the city and the lakes bathed in the brilliant, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-6-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-the-final-banquet/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 6 Blog 1 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure  – Flying North; Dodging Bears; Reconnecting</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-6-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-flying-north-dodging-bears-reconnecting/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-6-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-flying-north-dodging-bears-reconnecting/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1492</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 5, 2011 Yellowknife Depart Yellowknife 10:03-Arrive Gameti 11:16; Depart Gameti 12:52-Arrive Yellowknife 14:09 Distance 203 miles Flight time 1.3 + 1.4 hours Today, Ed, Steve and Larry headed out flying with two of Steve’s friends, Blake and Robert. The three planes, our Cessna 177 Cardinal, Steve&#8217;s Cessna 182 and Blake’s Cessna 205 flew togther towards [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-6-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-flying-north-dodging-bears-reconnecting/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 5 Blog 3 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure – Fishing!!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-3-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-fishing/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-3-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-fishing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1470</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 4, 2011 Steve, Larry and I booked a fishing charter with Joe Bailey and his fishing guide Ken of North Star Adventures and we had quite a wonderful afternoon.Here is the description of his business, from Joe&#8217;s website: North Star Adventures is principally owned by Joe Bailey. Daughter Melissa manages the business and son John manages the logistical requirements [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-3-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-%e2%80%93-fishing/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 5 Blog 2 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure: The Air Cam</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-2-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-theaircam/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-2-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-theaircam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:26:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1467</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 4, 2011 – Yellowknife When I went flying in the Air Cam it was like riding a motorcycle in the sky &#8211; with less hazards!! It&#8217;s one of the most fun things I&#8217;ve ever done in my LIFE! Click on the link below to see a movie of the Air Cam taking off. P1000754 [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-2-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-theaircam/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 5 Blog 1 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure Adlair Aviation</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-adlair-aviation/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-adlair-aviation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:47:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1450</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 4 2011 A number of participants in the Meet the Buffalo event flew out of Yellowknife to Fort Simpson this morning but we decided not to. We did go out to the airport, but it was to fuel up our Cardinal and to meet the General Manager of Adlair Aviation, Paul Laserich. He’s the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-5-blog-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure-adlair-aviation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 4 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure: DC3 Charter Flight to Hay River</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/an-interview-with-kyle-mostowy-meet-the-buffalo-event-organizer/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/an-interview-with-kyle-mostowy-meet-the-buffalo-event-organizer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:40:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 3, 2011 – An Interview with Kyle Mostowy, Meet the Buffalo event organizer, outside the Hay River Museum CF: Why did you organize this event? KM: Because last year, a number of us went to Whitehorse on an organized flying event and we formed a kind of loose alliance and kept in touch. About five [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/an-interview-with-kyle-mostowy-meet-the-buffalo-event-organizer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 3 – Yellowknife Activities Begin!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/1400/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/1400/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:20:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1400</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Day 3 Yellowknife Activities Begin! &#160; &#160; &#160; Landside &#8211; The organizer, Kyle, was hurrying around helping people get straightend away. He had landed in his Bell 206 helicopter not long before us; almost all twenty pilots had had to content with bad weather holding them up en route. We had fared comparatively well on [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/1400/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 3  Daily Log Buffalo Adventure: Fort Simpson to Yellowknife</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/1398/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/1398/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:19:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1398</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 2, 2011 Depart Fort Simpson 10:19 Arrive Yellowknife 12:30 Distance 262 miles Flight time 2.2 We woke up to beautiful clear blue skies and no wind; it’s another day in this northern paradise. Jacques and Laverna set us up in a double room suite in their basement. It had everything: beds, sheets, towels. Jacques [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/1398/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 2 Legs 2 and 3 – Buffalo Air Adventure</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-2-legs-2-and-3%e2%80%93-our-most-excellent-aviation-adventure/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-2-legs-2-and-3%e2%80%93-our-most-excellent-aviation-adventure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:41:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1382</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dawson Creek to Fort Simpson Leg 2: Depart Dawson Creek 14:43 Arrive Fort Nelson 16:49 Flight time 2.1; Leg 3: Depart Fort Nelson 19:05 Arrive Fort Simpson 19:59 local time Flight time: 1.9 Distance 235 + 214 Total distance 449 miles A lunch stop in Dawson Creek turned into two hours of debating which route [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-2-legs-2-and-3%e2%80%93-our-most-excellent-aviation-adventure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 2, Leg 1:  Daily Log Buffalo Adventure</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-1-leg-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-1-leg-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:26:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[August 1, 2011 - Quesnel to Dawson Creek Depart Quesnel 10:10  Arrive Dawson Creek 12:25 Distance: 247 miles Flight time: 2.3 hours We set our alarms for an early start – 6:30 and planned to have a cab take us to the airport at 7:00. However, that’s not what happened! We looked out our hotel window at [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/day-1-leg-1-daily-log-buffalo-adventure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Day 1 &#8211; Heading North!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/heading-north/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/heading-north/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:31:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[July 31, 2011 &#8211; Quesnel, BC Day 1 Daily Log Buffalo Adventure Depart Penticton 10:15 Arrive Quesnel 12:30 Distance: 2.4 hours flying time 277 miles Aircraft: 1972 Cessna Cardinal, Call sign CF-EIJ. Yellow on white original paint job. Owners Ed and Claire Festel, Pilot Ed Festel. 1958 Cessna 182A, Call sign C-FDOT. Blue and silver [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/heading-north/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Air Sports Adventures’ Meet the Buffalo Adventure Flight</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/air-sports-adventures%e2%80%99-meet-the-buffalo-adventure-flight/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/air-sports-adventures%e2%80%99-meet-the-buffalo-adventure-flight/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:19:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1329</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[July 31, 2011 &#8211; Penticton Getting Ready All right, on short notice, not everyone would be as excited as Ed and I are about the opportunity to fly our plane from Penticton BC to Yellowknife NWT. Most people would need a longer time to plan for it. But we decided within one week to go [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/air-sports-adventures%e2%80%99-meet-the-buffalo-adventure-flight/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Summer – Slow and Easy</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/summer-%e2%80%93-slow-and-easy/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/summer-%e2%80%93-slow-and-easy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:12:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1327</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[July 22 – 30, 2011 “Up the Mountain” Penticton One day sitting on the back porch sipping my morning latte, I realized with some surprise that I was exhausted – a deep bone-weary exhaustion that only time and rest can heal. There was only one thing for it: I decided to slow down. The next [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/summer-%e2%80%93-slow-and-easy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Okanagan Sunset</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/okanagan-sunset/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/okanagan-sunset/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:52:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1321</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[July 18, 2011 &#8211; Penticton What more to say?]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/okanagan-sunset/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Living History</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/living-history/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/living-history/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:28:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1306</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[July 12, 2011 &#8211; Fort Selkirk Designation It turned out Ed and I did not fly our Cessna Cardinal to the Yukon in mid-July. There was a worrisome electrical issue and the parts he ordered to correct it did not arrive on time. So I flew with WestJet and Air North to Whitehorse alone. It [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/living-history/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Family Photos</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-photos/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-photos/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1292</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[July 10, 2011 – En route Penticton to Whitehorse Sitting in YVR (Vancouver) airport with a few hours between flights gives me time to look over a few photos from June that I never got around to loading on my blog. Here are the photos, courtesy of Deb Ryan, Marketing Manager and all-round totally committed second-in-command [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-photos/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recovery Accomplished – Now It&#8217;s on to Our Next Adventure</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/recovery-accomplished-%e2%80%93-now-its-on-to-our-next-adventure/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/recovery-accomplished-%e2%80%93-now-its-on-to-our-next-adventure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2011 03:37:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1270</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Penticton &#8211; July 7, 2011 &#160; There is no need to talk more about the end of June – it was all about completing the renos and getting back to normal: unpacking boxes, hanging photos back on the walls, vacuuming dust. The thing is – it was WORTH IT! Our house looks like new and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/recovery-accomplished-%e2%80%93-now-its-on-to-our-next-adventure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>June Update – What Happened???</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/june-update-%e2%80%93-what-happened/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/june-update-%e2%80%93-what-happened/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:09:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1254</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Penticton &#8211; July 7, 2011 The final week of June was as opposite from the rest of the month as is imaginable. Well – yes, it can always be worse, but honestly, it was BAD. It was a time of upset and upheaval since the end of our ferry ride on June 15 until the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/june-update-%e2%80%93-what-happened/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Rosemaling and Fish</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/rosemalin-and-fish/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/rosemalin-and-fish/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:04:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1230</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 10, 2011 &#8211; Petersburg &#8211; An Alaskan Town with Norwegian Roots Now we are in Petersburg, Alaska. The big cruise ships can&#8217;t come to Petersburg because of the narrow, shallow Wrangell Narrows. But it is one of the most naturally picturesque towns in Alaska; they take a lot of pride in their town. Petersburg [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/rosemalin-and-fish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Heading South &#8211; On the Water!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/heading-south-on-the-water/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/heading-south-on-the-water/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:05:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1207</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 10, 2011 Aboard the Matanuska Ferry I am still basking in the exhilaration of the past week &#8212; and letting the feelings of accomplishment, fulfillment and confidence sink deep within. Stella and Ellen left yesterday, Wednesday morning; we drove to Skagway at noon today &#8211; Thursday – and boarded the Matanuska, an Alaska Marine [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/heading-south-on-the-water/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Connecting with Family</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-with-family/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-with-family/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:07:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1188</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 8, 2011 – Skagway, Alaska What a glorious day! Ed, Stella, Ellen and I along with our dog Yukon headed down to Skagway for the day. The day before, Stella mentioned that our Aunt Geraldine and Uncle Alex from Halifax, Nova Scotia were coming on an Alaskan cruise sometime in June. She wondered aloud [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-with-family/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Connecting to the Wild</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-to-the-wild/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-to-the-wild/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:35:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1180</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 6, 2011 – Sunday: Haines Junction Hike We thought we’d take a rest today but when we woke up, the weather was great and we made a snap decision to go hiking in Haines Junction. What a great idea. I phoned my best Yukon friend Liz and she said, “Sure, I’d love to go.” [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-to-the-wild/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Walking for Charity</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/walking-for-charity/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/walking-for-charity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jun 2011 22:50:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1176</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 5, 2011 – Whitehorse: Air North, Yukon&#8217;s Airline Runway Family Fun Run Before the book signing, my family and I – and Val and her family – signed up to participate in Air North, Yukon&#8217;s Airline Runway Family Fun Run &#38; Pancake Breakfast. We walked; they ran. That day my extended family was present: [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/walking-for-charity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Writer&#8217;s Dream Come True</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-writers-dream-come-true/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-writers-dream-come-true/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:27:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1145</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 4, 2011 &#8211; Whitehorse: Mac&#8217;s Fireweed Bookstore The book signing was everything an author could ask for: people lined up with multiple copies of the book when we opened and a steady stream of people all afternoon. I am so happy Val and I did the signing together. Kip Veale, a highly respected Yukon [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-writers-dream-come-true/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Gala Event!!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-gala-event/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-gala-event/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1128</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[June 2, 2011 &#8211; Whitehorse: Yukon Arts Gallery &#160; The art exhibit opening of Yukon Women, 50 Over 50 and the book launch of Remarkable Yukon Women is an evening I will forever hold in my heart &#8211; it was beautiful. Val Hodgson dipped her hand into the wicker basket held by her husband Dan [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-gala-event/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Birthday Gifts Galore &#8212; Signing 700 Pre-ordered Books!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/birthday-gifts-galore-signing-700-pre-ordered-books/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/birthday-gifts-galore-signing-700-pre-ordered-books/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:43:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1107</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What a great way to spend my birthday afternoon – signing about half of the pre-ordered copies of Remarkable Yukon Women. It’s a dream for my first-published book: to have a cramped hand from book signing…and I did! Val met me at Taylor House and we went to work. Susan Stanley, CBC radio reporter, dropped [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/birthday-gifts-galore-signing-700-pre-ordered-books/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Catching Up!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/catching-up/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/catching-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:21:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1104</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So much time has passed since I arrived in Whitehorse on May 25th &#8212; and it was so chock full of living that I don’t know where to begin – so I will simply make small titles of the events that resonate, write about them and post photos. Enjoy! &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/catching-up/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Ellen Davignon 2</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ellen-davignon-2/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ellen-davignon-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:52:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1099</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ellen Davignon 2]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ellen-davignon-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/EllenDavignon-LifeontheAlaskaHihgway.mp3" length="1332159" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Ellen Davignon 1</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ellen-davignon-1/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ellen-davignon-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1097</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ellen Davignon 1]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ellen-davignon-1/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/EllenDavignon-Boilingthestove.mp3" length="832302" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Carol Pettigrew</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-carol-pettigrew/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-carol-pettigrew/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:50:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1093</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Carol Pettigrew]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-carol-pettigrew/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/CarolPettigrew-Can_tGoBackforaDrinkofWater.mp3" length="974554" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Penny Kosmenko</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-penny-kosmenko/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-penny-kosmenko/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:20:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1065</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Penny Kosmenko]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-penny-kosmenko/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/PennyKosmenko-ForgottoGoHome.mp3" length="390535" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Tea Party</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-tea-party/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-tea-party/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:19:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1073</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tea Party]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-tea-party/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/TeaParty-short.mp3" length="408976" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Sarah Lennie</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-sarah-lennie/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-sarah-lennie/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:19:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1071</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sarah Lennie]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-sarah-lennie/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/SarahLennie-TraditionalLife.mp3" length="1793832" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Phyllis Simpson 2</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-phyllis-simpson-2/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-phyllis-simpson-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:18:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1069</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Phyllis Simpson 2]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-phyllis-simpson-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/PhyllisSimpson-YukonKid.mp3" length="1439032" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Phyllis Simpson 1</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-phyllis-simpson-1/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-phyllis-simpson-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:18:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1067</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Phyllis Simpson 1]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-phyllis-simpson-1/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/PhyllisSimpson-LifeontheRiver.mp3" length="1074882" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Pearl Keenan</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-pearl-keenan/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-pearl-keenan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:18:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1063</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pearl Keenan]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-pearl-keenan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/PearlKeenan-ItHasn_tBeenonMyOwn.mp3" length="2003534" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Nora Merkel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-nora-merkel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-nora-merkel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:17:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1061</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Nora Merkel]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-nora-merkel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/NoraMerkel-MyOldestSisterNora.mp3" length="1322948" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; May Blysak</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-may-blysak/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-may-blysak/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:17:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1059</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May Blysak]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-may-blysak/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/MayBlysak-_TheWorstandtheBest.mp3" length="796006" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Karen Lang</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-karen-lang/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-karen-lang/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:16:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1057</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Karen Lang]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-karen-lang/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/KarenLang-AllintheSameBoat.mp3" length="472173" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Judy Miller</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-judy-miller/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-judy-miller/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:14:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1053</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Judy Miller]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-judy-miller/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/JudyMiller-KeepWantingtoGoBack.mp3" length="455043" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Jenny Skelton</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-jenny-skelton/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-jenny-skelton/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:14:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1051</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Jenny Skelton]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-jenny-skelton/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/JennySkelton-ObviouslyNeeded.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women &#8211; Ione Christensen</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ione-christensen/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ione-christensen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 23:07:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1043</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ione Christensen]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/podcast/remarkable-yukon-women-ione-christensen/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.clairefestel.com/audio/IoneChristensen-GrowingupinFortSelkirk.mp3" length="689182" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Remarkable Yukon Women- the book –  and Yukon Women, 50 Over 50 – the art exhibit.</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/remarkable-yukon-women-the-book-and-yukon-women-50-over-50-%e2%80%93-the-art-exhibit/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/remarkable-yukon-women-the-book-and-yukon-women-50-over-50-%e2%80%93-the-art-exhibit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 21:53:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=980</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 25, 2011 En route – Edmonton to Whitehorse  16:00 I&#8217;m on the go again. Heading back to Whitehorse today to be well prepared, well rested and fully present for the one of the biggest events of my life. Yes, the project Val and I have been working on for three years is now reaching [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/remarkable-yukon-women-the-book-and-yukon-women-50-over-50-%e2%80%93-the-art-exhibit/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Leaving Ed Behind in the Dust</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/leaving-ed-behind-in-the-dust/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/leaving-ed-behind-in-the-dust/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 21:47:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=970</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 25, 2011 Edmonton Airport 15:00 Early this year, Ed and I decided to undertake a renovation – a simple one – to increase the size of our en suite bathroom to add a shower. It involved moving a wall to make the bathroom bigger to accommodate the shower. All good – simple. Then, we [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/leaving-ed-behind-in-the-dust/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Two Homes</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/two-homes/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/two-homes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 May 2011 17:19:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=949</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 15, 2011 &#8211; 3PM aboard a flight between Whitehorse and Vancouver After only five days in Whitehorse, I have to go back to BC. What a strange sensation &#8211; I feel lonesome for the Yukon but look forward to arriving ‘up the mountain’ outside Penticton. The Yukon’s morning light on the mountains, the lingering [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/two-homes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>49 Days Survival Miracles</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/49-days-survival-miracles/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/49-days-survival-miracles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 May 2011 15:30:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=947</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 10, 2011 &#8211; 8:30 Gate 36, Vancouver Airport enroute to Whitehorse from Penticton Sitting in Vancouver airport listening to media coverage of Rita Chretian’s miraculous 49-day survival in the Nevada wilderness reminds me of the Al Oster song “49 Days.” That song is about another miraculous survival story – 1963, Yukon – Ralph Flores [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/49-days-survival-miracles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>We Made It &#8211; Finally!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/we-made-it-finally/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/we-made-it-finally/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 May 2011 05:29:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=904</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 6, 2011 – Posted from PENTICTON – 21:00 Daily Log: Depart Cranbrook 12:40 Arrive Penticton 14:52 Distance: 264 miles/425 Km As we started up the Cardinal for our second attempt to complete the last leg of our Canada-wide journey, I was really uncertain of our success.  A shower had finished just minutes before we [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/we-made-it-finally/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Waiting for Better Weather &#8211; Again!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/waiting-for-better-weather-again/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/waiting-for-better-weather-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 May 2011 00:27:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=895</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 6, 2011 &#8211; Posted from Cranbrook: 11:00 Ed and I were up bright and early to head home to Penticton &#8211; our LAST LEG!!! We arranged for a cab at 6:15, headed out to the airport, called in for the weather report (not great but probably passable), filed a flight plan, stored the tie-downs, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/waiting-for-better-weather-again/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>More Wind as We Head West</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/more-wind-as-we-head-west/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/more-wind-as-we-head-west/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2011 22:15:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=877</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 5, 2011 Posted Cranbrook BC &#8211; evening Daily Log: Depart Weyburn 07:32 Arrive Lethbridge 11:00. Distance 400 miles/660 Km 3.7 hours Depart Lethbridge 12:12 Arrive Cranbrook 13:42. Distance 150 miles/250 Km 1.5 hours Total Distance 550 miles/910 Km This morning Ed and I had a wager – would Tom Kerr, the everything man at [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/more-wind-as-we-head-west/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Floods and Headwinds</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/flooding-and-headwinds/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/flooding-and-headwinds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2011 02:57:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=857</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 4, 2011 Daily Log Posted from Weyburn SK &#8211; evening Depart Dryden 8:52 Arrive Killarney MB 11:46 (2.9 hrs) Depart Killarney 12:48 Arrive Weyburn, SK 15:12 (2.4 hrs) Distance: 325 stat miles/523 km + 260 miles/418 km Total 941 Km We spent a longer time flying today than yesterday but how much more distance [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/flooding-and-headwinds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pilots Note &#8211; Exceptional Service!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/pilots-note-exceptional-service/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/pilots-note-exceptional-service/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=855</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Posted May 4, 2011 from Dryden Ontario The service by the FBO at Dryden Ontario was excellent. COPA members receive a fuel discount and we were offered a courtesy vehicle to use overnight – no questions asked, no formalities, just good old honest trust. &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/pilots-note-exceptional-service/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Westward Ho!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/westward-ho/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/westward-ho/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 May 2011 01:12:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 3, 2011 Posted from Dryden, ON &#8211; Evening Daily Log: Depart Timmins 10:24 &#8211; Arrive Marathon 12:00 (1 hr 36) Depart Marathon 1:30 Arrive Dryden: 15:54 (2 hours 24) Distance: 530 stat miles; 850 Km Our westward trip has begun in earnest now – all our visits with friends or family are complete – [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/westward-ho/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Timmins &#8211; Shania Twain Country</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/timmins-shania-twain-country/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/timmins-shania-twain-country/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 May 2011 04:16:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[May 1, 2011 Posted from Timmins ON &#8211; Morning of May 2 Daily Log: Sudbury to Timmins, Ontario Distance: 147 stat miles 235 Km.             Time:  Dep 11:14 Arr 12:20 A good day for flying. The weather was not sunny as forecast, but the cloud cover was higher than predicted. Overall, we had a good [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/timmins-shania-twain-country/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sunny Sudbury!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/sunny-sudbury/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/sunny-sudbury/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 May 2011 02:42:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=814</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 30, 2011 Today was a scheduled day off &#8211; or rather, another planned family day! What a total relief and pleasure to have a day of brilliant sunshine.  The warmth of the sun was so very, very welcome after all the overcast skies and windy days. We are staying with my brother Dwyer and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/sunny-sudbury/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>We’re OFF – Eventually!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/we%e2%80%99re-off-%e2%80%93-eventually/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/we%e2%80%99re-off-%e2%80%93-eventually/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:53:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=802</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 29, 2011 &#8211; Grimsby to Sudbury Evening time in Sudbury We drove out to Grimsby airpark. The man who built it, Ralph Meyer, was there. He had already picked up the sign that had blown down in yesterday’s windstorm and he was checking out the field. The airpark has three long hangars with seven [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/we%e2%80%99re-off-%e2%80%93-eventually/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Warm Hostess – Cool Weather</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/warm-hostess-%e2%80%93-cool-weather/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/warm-hostess-%e2%80%93-cool-weather/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:32:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=794</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 29, 2011 &#8211; morning Our B&#38;B hostess Mica was watching the Royal Wedding when I joined her in the family living room at 6 am, just as Kate reached Will at the alter. We had a wonderful time watching the ceremony and comparing Diana and Kate&#8217;s dresses and style and admiring how handsome Will [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/warm-hostess-%e2%80%93-cool-weather/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Preparing for Take-off while waiting out a massive storm</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/preparing-for-take-off-while-waiting-out-a-massive-storm/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/preparing-for-take-off-while-waiting-out-a-massive-storm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:09:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=776</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Stoney Creek, Ontario – April 28, 2011: night What a day! We drove out to Grimsby airpark where our plane is safely stored in a hangar. We&#8217;ll christen her Juliette after the last letter in her call sign, or registrtion CF–EIJ (Echo India Juliet in alphabet call signs) after our inaugural flight. We organized tools and equipment, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/preparing-for-take-off-while-waiting-out-a-massive-storm/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hanging Out in Hamilton</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/hanging-out-in-hamilton/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/hanging-out-in-hamilton/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:10:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=765</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 28 &#8211; daytime Here we are hanging out at the Hamilton Public Library. When we heard the storm pounding rain into our hotel window this morning, we just turned over in bed and slept longer. Later, we turned on the television, which we rarely do, to get caught up on the weather &#8212; and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/hanging-out-in-hamilton/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hairy Weather in Hamilton</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/hairy-weather-in-hamilton/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/hairy-weather-in-hamilton/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:26:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=762</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 28, 2011 Hamilton – morning We are experiencing fierce winds: 80 gusting to 90 km and lashing rain. We are not going anywhere anytime soon. But, we’re packing our gear and getting prepared for that wind to drop, the sky to clear and to be OFF!!! Will write more later toady when I have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/hairy-weather-in-hamilton/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Aborted Landing – Rerouted to Toronto</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/aborted-landing-%e2%80%93-rerouted-to-toronto/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/aborted-landing-%e2%80%93-rerouted-to-toronto/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:16:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=748</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hamilton, Ontario &#8211; April 26, 2011 Yup, we&#8217;re on an adventure alright! We’ve had the first change in our plans:  our plane was just about to touch down (it felt that way), when suddenly the pilot gave pull power on the controls and the plane ascended steeply. Fifteen minutes later, the pilot announced we are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/aborted-landing-%e2%80%93-rerouted-to-toronto/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Let the Adventure Begin!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/let-the-adventure-begin/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/let-the-adventure-begin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:03:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=744</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[40,000 Feet, Over Western Ontario &#8211; 2:30 p.m., April 26, 2011 Ed and I are en route from Saskatoon to Grimsby, Ontario, just outside of Hamilton, to pick up our Cessna 177B Cardinal. Ed’s private pilot license allows him to fly VFR or visual flight rules only. The Cardinal, our small four-seater plane has a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/let-the-adventure-begin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Theo’s Welcoming Ceremony</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/theo%e2%80%99s-welcoming-ceremony/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/theo%e2%80%99s-welcoming-ceremony/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:49:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=733</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Saskatoon &#8211; April 25, 2011 Theo was so precious during his Welcoming Ceremony. Beth’s brother David is the Minister of Grosvenor United Church and together with Peter and Beth, he had designed a unique welcoming ceremony. &#160; &#160; In keeping with Beth and Peter’s beliefs, this ceremony celebrated Theo’s birth and was designed to initiate [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/theo%e2%80%99s-welcoming-ceremony/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Family and All the Fixins’</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-and-all-the-fixins%e2%80%99/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-and-all-the-fixins%e2%80%99/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:50:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=698</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Saskatoon &#8211; April 24, 2011 What a fabulous Easter holiday we enjoyed, renewing extended family ties through Jane’s family (Fulton) and meeting new extended family through Beth’s (Peter) family. And of course, we made acquaintance with the children: nephews Theo (2) and Tim (32), Tim’s children Kayden and Charlotte and Beth’s niece Hanna and nephew [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-and-all-the-fixins%e2%80%99/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Male Bonding and Female Quality Time</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/male-bonding-female-quality-time/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/male-bonding-female-quality-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2011 05:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=684</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Varsity and Saskatoon April 23, 2011 Today my Edi and Fulton drove to a farm half an hour southwest of Saskatoon near Varsity so that Ed could view a 1968 Cessna 172 for the Penticton Flying Club. There is nothing like seeing the potential purchase in person to get a feel for the condition of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/male-bonding-female-quality-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Multiple Generations Meet</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/multiple-generations-meet/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/multiple-generations-meet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:24:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=678</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 23, 2011 &#8220;Poppa&#8221; Fulton, with granddaughter Charlotte, Melanie (mom) and Tim (dad) Saskatoon &#8211; 9:30 pm We arrived at Saskatoon airport yesterday at 4 p.m. We had arranged with my brother Fulton to meet us but when we walked through the arrivals section, there was no sign of him. Ed went to pick up [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/multiple-generations-meet/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Family Visit and Flying Venture</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-visit-and-flying-venture/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-visit-and-flying-venture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:31:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=671</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 20, 2011 Penticton, BC On Good Friday we head off to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to share Easter with family and to celebrate my latest’s Godson’s ‘Welcoming Ceremony,’ which is like a christening ­– but not. Theo is my third Godson and I am so honored to play a role in his life. He actually lives [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/family-visit-and-flying-venture/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Low-key Birthday – Sort Of</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-low-key-birthday-%e2%80%93-sort-of/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-low-key-birthday-%e2%80%93-sort-of/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=657</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[April 17, 2011 Ed and I came back from Vancouver today, on his SIXTIETH birthday. We got up late and I forgot to wish him happy birthday until we had been out of bed for half an hour. Our itinerary was to drive back to the Okanagan – no rush – but to get an [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-low-key-birthday-%e2%80%93-sort-of/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Yukoner Night</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-yukoner-night/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-yukoner-night/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:06:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=649</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Saturday April 16, Ed and I went to the 83rd annual Vancouver Yukoners’ Association banquet at the Richmond River Rock Casino Resort. The association hosts it and the guest speaker is the Commissioner of the Yukon. This was newly appointed Commissioner Doug Phillips’ first “Outside” engagement. We were next-door neighbours to Doug and his [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-yukoner-night/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Long, Slow Spring</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-long-slow-spring/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-long-slow-spring/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:44:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=637</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Beginning of April, 2011 The deer are behaving normally and are still browsing in our front yard. But I feel so sorry for the early birds – this robin and his mate sat on our deck one morning and I wished I could bring them into our warm house. &#160; On April 9 and 10 [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-long-slow-spring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Closing the Circle – Back on the Mountain</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/closing-the-circle-%e2%80%93-back-on-the-mountain/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/closing-the-circle-%e2%80%93-back-on-the-mountain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:03:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=622</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 30, 2011 Up early and on the road after a terrible night’s sleep. I was wound up, butt-weary and ready to get back to the mountain. The weather improved as we drove north. We waited 40 minutes to get through the Canadian border, and kept an easy pace past Osoyoos, Oliver and into Penticton. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/closing-the-circle-%e2%80%93-back-on-the-mountain/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Spruce Goose &#8211; Colossal!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-spruce-goose-colossal/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-spruce-goose-colossal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:48:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=616</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 30, 2011 Daily Log: Newport, Oregon to Wenatchee, Washington Left Newport at 8:15 Arrived Wenatchee 19:00 Distance: 664 Km Another wet day! We packed up and got on the road early, then stopped for a latte in a small coastal town and chatted with a local. He says 2011 is the worst winter and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-spruce-goose-colossal/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Day to Relax</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/a-day-to-relax/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/a-day-to-relax/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:56:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 28, 2011 Daily Log: Beach and Harbour Walks; Great Food We stayed at the Hallmark Hotel in our room overlooking the ocean a second night and – luxury of luxuries, a full day. After a sunrise walk along the beach with Yukon, I worked on final details for the book in the morning. Later, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/a-day-to-relax/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Among the Gentle Giants</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/among-the-gentle-giants/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/among-the-gentle-giants/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:39:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=594</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 27, 2011 &#160; Daily Log: Trinidad, Ca to Newport, Oregon. Distance 430 Km We have arrived on the Oregon Coast and it is wild and beautiful. We drove in to Newport last night and have a room with patio doors leading out to a grassy lawn and down a long set of wood stairs [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/among-the-gentle-giants/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>California Dreamin’ on Such a Rainy Day</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/california-dreamin%e2%80%99-on-such-a-rainy-day/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/california-dreamin%e2%80%99-on-such-a-rainy-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:45:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=570</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Written March 26 at 9:45 p.m. March 25-26, 2011 Daily Log: Indio to Trinidad, California. Distance: Day 1 to Lompoc 480 km; Day 2 to Sebastopol 590 km; Day 3 to Trinidad 460 km Yes, we’ve been driving a lot. &#160; Day 1 – This day taken up with getting past Los Angeles. It was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/california-dreamin%e2%80%99-on-such-a-rainy-day/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Old Friends in New Places</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/old-friends-in-new-places/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/old-friends-in-new-places/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:38:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=550</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 22-24, 2011 Log: Drive Payson, Arizona to Indio, California 555 km; Day in Indio What a great drive out of Payson – we crossed through high mountain valleys, over passes and took in views of the Saguaro Forests, the Four Peaks with the highest at 7,657 feet and Mount Ord at 7,128 feet.  The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/old-friends-in-new-places/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Day to Regroup</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/a-day-to-regroup/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/a-day-to-regroup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:09:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=538</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Daily Log: Payson, Arizona 9:00 p.m. Morning &#8212; here I sit in a Laundromat in Payson with Ed. Today is a day to rest, get caught up and regroup for our return journey…we go to visit our friends Barry and Maggie tomorrow in Indio, California. They were neighbours out at Marsh Lake; they owned [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/a-day-to-regroup/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>From Writing Workshop to Road Trip</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/from-writing-workshop-to-road-trip/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/from-writing-workshop-to-road-trip/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:01:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=536</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 20, 2011 Daily Log: Taos, New Mexico to Payson, Arizona Distance: 760 km &#160; Payson, AZ. 9:55 am Yesterday was a transition day and a long travel day – combined; I was exhausted by the time we made it to Payson. The Natalie Goldberg workshop finished at noon on Saturday, the 19th. Ed arrived [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/from-writing-workshop-to-road-trip/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Taos &#8211; Artists&#8217; Abode</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/taos-artists-abode/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/taos-artists-abode/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Mar 2011 22:56:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=522</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Daily Log: Santa Fe to Taos, New Mexico Distance: 120 Km Taos, New Mexico 16:00 Here I sit on a wooden swing at the Mable Dodge Luhan House – one day before the Natalie Goldberg writing workshop begins. Ed and Yukon have gone on their way; they have no set plan but will rove through [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/taos-artists-abode/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Earthquake, Tsunami and Politics</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/earthquake-tsunami-and-politics/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/earthquake-tsunami-and-politics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:31:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=517</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sante Fe, New Mexico, March 11, 2001 &#8211; 21:00 Daily Log: Albuquerque to Santa Fe Distance: 120 Km Sitting in our hotel room tonight wondering how the day passed. At breakfast, we saw a TV and were shocked to see the news. Today was the first time we watched TV for more than an hour [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/earthquake-tsunami-and-politics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Petrified Forest and Painted Desert</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/petrified-forest-and-painted-desert/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/petrified-forest-and-painted-desert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:04:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=502</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Albuquerque, New Mexico 8:30 am March 11 March 10, 2011  - Daily Log: Oak Creek Village, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico Distance: 635 Km March 9 was a Remarkable Yukon Women day. I worked on compiling content for the front and back of the book and sending it off to the publisher all day except for [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/petrified-forest-and-painted-desert/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Azure Skies and Red Spires</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/azure-skis-and-red-spires/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/azure-skis-and-red-spires/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:57:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=487</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oak Creek Village, Verde Valley, Sedona, Arizona March 8, 2011 Daily Log: Depart Red Agave Resort, hike around the base of Cathedral Rock. Distance: 21-23 kilometres. Left 10:00 Returned 3:40 What a marvelous day we had! We woke up to a brilliant panorama of red spires against clear blue skies. The temperature was just above [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/azure-skis-and-red-spires/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Red Hills of Sedona</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-red-hills-of-sedona/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-red-hills-of-sedona/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:48:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=485</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 7, 2011 Oak Creek Village – 20:30 Daily Log: Tusayan to Sedona Distance: We decided over breakfast to spend a number of days in one place – so we chose Sedona. I am so happy we did. We are booked into a cabin in Oak Creek Village, about 7 miles outside of Sedona. We [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-red-hills-of-sedona/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Windy Rim of the Grand Canyon</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-windy-plateaus-of-the-grand-canyon/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-windy-plateaus-of-the-grand-canyon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:40:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=470</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 6, 2011 Tusayan – 20:30 Daily Log: Bruce Canyon, Utah to Grand Canyon and Tusayan, Arizona We moseyed out of bed this morning, ate a leisurely breakfast at Ruby’s, and drove out of Utah and in to Arizona. We dropped in elevation down into the valleys and the temperatures rose. When we ate lunch [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/the-windy-plateaus-of-the-grand-canyon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Shades of Red and Ocher</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/shares-of-red-and-ocher/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/shares-of-red-and-ocher/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:55:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=459</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 5, 2011 Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Daily Log: Salt Lake City to Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon, Utah Distance: 585 Km. The Native legend about Bryce Canyon is that this was a land full of people, not human people, but animal people like foxes, wolves, ravens, lizards, and others who were bad for some [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/shares-of-red-and-ocher/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>War Planes and Chamber Music</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/war-planes-and-chamber-music/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/war-planes-and-chamber-music/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2011 05:34:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=447</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 4, 2011 Salt Lake City, Utah 21:30 Daily Log: Ogden to Salt Lake City, Utah Distance: 70 km &#160; Drove to Hills Aerospace Museum. It’s a huge air force museum with many, many military planes both outdoors and inside hangers.  I wrote while Ed went around taking photos and reading more aviation history. Arrived [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/war-planes-and-chamber-music/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>In the Land of the Latter Day Saints</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/in-the-land-of-the-latter-day-saints/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/in-the-land-of-the-latter-day-saints/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:15:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=436</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[La Grande, Oregon, through Idaho to Ogden, Utah Distance: 770 Km Left La Grande at 8:00 and drove through rough country – the route of the Oregon Trail. I read the interpretative panels at Burnt River rest stop: Excitement filled the air May 22, 1843 as nearly 1,000 Americans left Missouri towards new lives in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/in-the-land-of-the-latter-day-saints/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>On the Oregon Trail</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/on-the-oregon-trail/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/on-the-oregon-trail/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:40:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=426</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[March 2, 2011 Le Grande, Oregon 21:00 Our first day of travel on our U.S. road trip. Awoke to fresh snow on the mountain and weather forecasts for more of the same all down the Okanagan Valley. But, not nearly as bad as the B.C. cast where a major storm blew out power for thousands [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/on-the-oregon-trail/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The In-between-trips Time</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-in-between-trips-time/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-in-between-trips-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:44:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=421</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 27, 2010 Evening &#8211; Sitting Next to the Fireplace Today has been a very welcome, uneventful day. It’s an in-between-trips time: I arrived back home on February 21st and we leave again on March 2nd. Our upcoming trip is a long-anticipated road trip to the southern U.S.  Ed and I plan for this trip [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-in-between-trips-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Fitting End to My Northern Adventure</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-fitting-end-to-my-northern-adventure/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-fitting-end-to-my-northern-adventure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:07:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=398</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 26, 2011 Penticton After Dinner On Monday, February 21, 2011, I flew out of Whitehorse on Air North, arriving safely in Vancouver at 20:15. I retrieved my luggage, checked in to Air Canada, and went through security. I walked over to gates 30 to 35, all in one open area, where BC regional flights [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-fitting-end-to-my-northern-adventure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Long Cold Road Home</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-long-cold-road-home/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-long-cold-road-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:11:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=388</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 17, 2011 Whitehorse – 14:00 PST We rolled in to Whitehorse just after 01:00 this morning. My personal adventure continuing right to the end, until Ed opened the door to our apartment in Whitehorse. I had arranged for a taxi before I went to bed at 2 a.m. in Fairbanks but at 7:00 a.m., [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-long-cold-road-home/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Dash to the Finish</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-dash-to-home/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-dash-to-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:59:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=383</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 16, 2011 Tok, Alaska – 13:00 AST. En route to Whitehorse by Alaska Direct Bus Line. Five passengers to from Fairbanks to Tok. One guy got dropped off at a driveway two miles out of town. There are two of us bound for Whitehorse, a Yukon student at University of Fairbanks studying music, and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-dash-to-home/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Eagle Summit and MIle 101 Checkpoint</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/376/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/376/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:18:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=376</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 15, 2011 Mile 101 just beyond Eagle Summit, the highest checkpoint in the Yukon Quest sled dog race, sits in a saddle. The 30-mile drive from Central to Mile 101 is spectacular. We came up out of a Circle mining district where Birch Creek meanders and climbed steadily up into the mountain pass. We [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/376/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Central Checkpoint</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/central-checkpoint/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/central-checkpoint/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:20:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=374</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hi everyone, I have been posting the stories or race updates that I&#8217;ve written because that is all I have time for. There has been very little sleep for race organizers in the last few days &#8211; the weather has played havoc, or as Dan Kaduce said, &#8220;It turned the Yukon Quest on it&#8217;s ear [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/central-checkpoint/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Survival Situation</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/survival-situation/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/survival-situation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:12:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 14, 2011 &#8220;One minute you&#8217;re running a race and the next, you&#8217;re in a survival situation &#8211; that&#8217;s the Yukon Quest.&#8221; Sebastian Schnuelle What started out as one of the smoothest Yukon Quest races in its 28th year history has been turned on its ear for the second time this year. The trail from [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/survival-situation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Circle – Day 10 Begins</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/circle-%e2%80%93-day-10-begins/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/circle-%e2%80%93-day-10-begins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=363</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What started out as one of the smoothest Yukon Quest races in its 28th year history has been turned on its ear for the second time this year. The trail from Circle to Central is known for tough conditions: overflow and the coldest region on the 1,000-mile route. Hugh Neff lost a lot of his [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/circle-%e2%80%93-day-10-begins/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>I&#8217;m Still Alive!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/im-still-alvie/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/im-still-alvie/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:43:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hi everyone &#8211; just a quick note to let you know that it has been very,very busy for the last 12 hours. I actually took time to sleep last night because I knew it would be this way. I&#8217;ve been deployed to the front runners and let me tell you, it is a different pace. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/im-still-alvie/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Eagle, Alaska</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/eagle-alaska/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/eagle-alaska/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:35:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=344</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thursday, 4:47 p.m. Eagle, Alaska Flew over from Dawson City to Eagle in a Cessna 175 with pilot Chad Rowe and Patty an Assistant Vet. The flight was 40 minutes and the sky had high overcast. We flew at about 4000-4500 ft. The sun broke through here and there, lightening up the snow-covered peaks. It [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/eagle-alaska/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Adventure Deepens &#8211; Flying to Eagle</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-adventure-deepens-flying-to-eagle/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-adventure-deepens-flying-to-eagle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:34:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=330</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thursday, 9:32 a.m. Dawson City Yesterday was a spin – no time to write my blog &#8212; we had mid-pack and late-running mushers arriving in Dawson City checkpoint adding to the bustle of the rest day for the front runners. Dawson City during the Yukon Quest is one of my favourite places to be. The [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/the-adventure-deepens-flying-to-eagle/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Selkirk First Nation Feast and Racers!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/selkirk-first-nation-feast-and-racers/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/selkirk-first-nation-feast-and-racers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:08:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=326</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dawson City – 10:00 &#8211; 11:00 p.m. Wendy and I arrived about a half hour ago, just in time to time to see 3rd place musher come into Dawson checkpoint – Ken Anderson (20:30). Hugh Neff was first at 15:35 this afternoon followed by Hans Gatt at 18:35. But that is only the last few [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/selkirk-first-nation-feast-and-racers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Quiet Night on the Race Front</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-quiet-night-on-the-race-front/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-quiet-night-on-the-race-front/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:15:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=320</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Approximately 10:00 p.m. Pelly Crossing Checkpoint This was a GOOD day because I had a shower! I, along with the other communications team members sleep at the checkpoints (a community centre last night in Carmacks), but Hans the Race Marshall, a very kind Swiss-Canadian, had a room in Pelly Crossing. Wendy and I arrived in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-quiet-night-on-the-race-front/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Day of Movement</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-day-of-movement/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-day-of-movement/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Feb 2011 04:25:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=311</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A day of movement – the teams arrived in Breaburn from 10 p.m. throughout the night, with the Yukon Quest 300 teams arriving from 3:00 a.m. onwards. We slept in the Yukon Expedition from 2-6 a.m. and then stayed at Braeburn until 3 p.m. The checkpoint was super busy. The 1000-mile mushers had a mandatory [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-day-of-movement/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Braeburn Checkpoint</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/braeburn-checkpoint/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/braeburn-checkpoint/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:26:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=309</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just after midnight at Braeburn Checkpoint. We drove in about two hours ago and as we neared Braeburn, the temperature dropped to -27 C.  It’s one place that lives up to its reputation  – as a cold weather sink and as provider of the biggest cinnamon buns ever. One of the last operating original lodges [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/braeburn-checkpoint/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>They&#8217;re Off!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/theyre-off/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/theyre-off/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:39:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=300</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After days of too-warm temperatures, today dawned perfect for the dogs: Minus 20 degrees Celsius, clear skies, no wind. The start was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. But Peter Kamper, the videographer and I met at 9:00 a.m. and went over to the staging area. He vidoed me interviewing Hugh Neff, Ken Anderson, Jodi Bailey and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/theyre-off/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Bustling &#8220;Down&#8221; Day</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/287/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/287/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Feb 2011 06:16:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=287</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[February 4, 2011 A housekeeping note – there was a glitch on the comments section of my blog, but it has bee been fixed. You can now leave comments: oh-oh! &#8212;&#8212;&#8212;- Today was a bit of a ‘down day’ for Questies: the mushers doing final preparations, finishing the dog vet checks, repacking their gear, re-checking [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/287/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Start Banquet</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/start-banquet/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/start-banquet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:46:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=279</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Yukon Quest start banquet always begins with a welcome and an opening prayer by the Kwanlin Dun and Ta’an First Nations.  Everyone in the room stands when an elder or councilor says the opening prayer. It’s moving because it’s always immediate and specific to the race. When Jerome Stueart sings the national Canadian and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/start-banquet/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pre-race Preparation</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/pre-race-preparation/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/pre-race-preparation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 06:38:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=270</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initiation day, or is it immersion day? Either way, for me, the Yukon Quest is in full swing. The Outside the Cube communications team consists of Dee and Pixie following the front-runners; Wendy and me at the mid-to-back of the race; videographers Peter and Sui; and photographers Harry out on the trail and Rick and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/pre-race-preparation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>&#8230;.And So It Begins</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/and-so-it-begins/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/and-so-it-begins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:57:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=236</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Left Penticton at 6:00 – my wonderful Ed woke up at 4:45 to drive me to the airport. Slept on the plane to Vancouver; had a three-hour stopover in YVR and an old friend shouted at me from the White Spot restaurant. She was just on her way back to the Yukon from two months [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/and-so-it-begins/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Connecting Wood and Travel</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-wood-and-travel/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-wood-and-travel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:55:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=234</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My Dad always wanted to travel but with a large family to bring up, he did not venture far during his working years. The year he retired, he was looking forward to going across Canada, but he died in an accident. That was many years ago, but we miss him still. Pops was a great [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/connecting-wood-and-travel/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Two More Sleeps!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/two-more-sleeps/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/two-more-sleeps/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:40:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Winter arrived in Penticton on the north wind last night; it is colder today than it has been for all of January. It brought our first double-digit temperatures (negative that is) since before Christmas. We have been spoiled; I figure the North is just sending me a reminder of what to expect when I arrive [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/two-more-sleeps/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>All my bags are packed, I&#8217;m ready to go&#8230;&#8230;.</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/all-my-bags-are-packed-im-ready-to-go/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/all-my-bags-are-packed-im-ready-to-go/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:51:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=192</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I did it! All my gear is packed and I’m ready to go! Went for my second-ever pedicure today; I busted a toenail kayaking in Gaspe Bay in July 2010, when we were at the family reunion in Douglastown. The purple blood blister and most of the old toenail sluffed off in early January 2011, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/all-my-bags-are-packed-im-ready-to-go/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Reminiscing – My Early Years in the Yukon</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reminiscing-%e2%80%93-my-early-years-in-the-yukon/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reminiscing-%e2%80%93-my-early-years-in-the-yukon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 07:13:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=213</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[– In 1979, I moved to rural Yukon &#8211; Keno City, a small town at the end of the road 11 kilometers past Elsa, the mining town and economic engine for the area. Elsa no longer exists as a town and Keno City now has a population of 25. When I arrived, Keno had 100 [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/reminiscing-%e2%80%93-my-early-years-in-the-yukon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Five More Sleeps!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/five-more-sleeps/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/five-more-sleeps/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:31:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=157</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, only five more sleeps until I arrive in Whitehorse and begin my ‘job’ as Yukon Quest writer. Tomorrow, I pack. I need to see how much of what I have out on the spare bed I need and then, how much will fit into my designated luggage; I know I’ll have to cull clothing. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/five-more-sleeps/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Focus on the Arts</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-focus-on-the-arts/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-focus-on-the-arts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:24:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=150</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tonight &#8211; I have exciting news to share about a most interesting and fulfilling project that I have been involved with for the last three years with Val Hodgson. We have been collaborating on developing an art exhibit called Yukon Women, 50 Over 50 and a book, titled Remarkable Yukon Women. We found out last [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-focus-on-the-arts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Writing Equipment</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/writing-equipment/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/writing-equipment/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:09:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=138</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today, a list of writing equipment I’ll take to do my job on the Yukon Quest trail: • 11” MacAir Called Apple to ask about the lowest operating temperature for the Air. They told me optimal range is 5 degrees to 35 degrees – plus, that is. I laughed. When I explained the Yukon-Alaska conditions, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/writing-equipment/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Getting the Job &#8211; Quest Writer</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-the-job-quest-writer/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-the-job-quest-writer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:11:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=131</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today &#8211; the story how I got to be a 2011 Yukon Quest Writer The AD: Outside the Cube handles the media relations, web stories, writing, social media and media management for the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. We have a passion for the event and are looking for two dedicated, passionate perhaps a [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-the-job-quest-writer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Getting ready</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-ready-2/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-ready-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 22 Jan 2011 06:24:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=127</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, I have started to put aside the items I’ll need for the Yukon Quest trail. The pictures show my ‘start.’ I have gear like you wouldn’t believe. My real winter gear is in Whitehorse – Sorel boots, Helly Hansen coveralls, heavy parka, sealskin boots, and lighter Norwegian felt boots. Up north, I also have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-ready-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Study in Contrasts</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-study-in-contrasts/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-study-in-contrasts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:17:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What a gorgeous day in the Okanagan Valley – sunny, no wind, just above freezing! We went for a 1.5 hour walk on the Kettle Valley Trail, winding our way past the vineyards where it is time to prune back the new growth on the vines. Wendy called from the Yukon Quest writing team; the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/a-study-in-contrasts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Getting Ready!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-ready/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-ready/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:32:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=119</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What a time for focus: on getting gear together for the Yukon Quest, reading up on the 27 musher competitors in the race, and completing my manuscript for our upcoming book, Remarkable Yukon Women. All 50 women in Remarkable Yukon Women have signed off on their profiles; all 50 profiles are complete and all but [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/getting-ready/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>2011 Yukon Quest Writer!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/2011-yukon-quest-writer/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/2011-yukon-quest-writer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:52:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=83</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I was in Whitehorse last week, Outside the Cube sent out a message: &#8220;Looking for almost volunteers to join our Writers team for the 2011 Yukon Quest sled dog race.&#8221; It&#8217;s one of the most gruelling races in the world: teams of 14 dogs with one musher, 1000 miles, 4 mountain ranges, 16 checkpoints. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/2011-yukon-quest-writer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Good Vibrations</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/good-vibrations/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/good-vibrations/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:48:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=81</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Went to see a little old man, probably French originally, who lives in India and looks like a tiny thin guru in the truest sense. He played the Tibetan bowls. Besides being on a spiritual quest, he&#8217;s a sound healer and bowl seller. He lamented that he cannot find quality bowls like he used to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/good-vibrations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hello world!</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hello-world/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hello-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:31:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My first blog &#8211; yes,  this blog is my next step in establishing a writing framework. You can expect to hear about my family and travels. The attached photo shows me at my Mom&#8217;s kitchen table in Douglastown, Quebec.  I grew up in a large Roman Catholic family. I was in the middle of the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/writing/hello-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Trekking in Bhutan</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/trekking-in-bhutan/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/trekking-in-bhutan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:01:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1727</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Trekking in Bhutan Copyright:  Claire Festel E-mail: clairefestel@me.com Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dagon, is an exclusive, mysterious, and strikingly beautiful place to trek. Its ancient Buddhist culture and breathtaking scenery, from snow-capped Himalayas to temperate terraced rice paddies, make it a natural tourist attraction. Closed to the outside world for centuries, villagers live centuries-old [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/trekking-in-bhutan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spring Flying</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/spring-flying/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/spring-flying/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:04:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1732</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Spring Flying in the Yukon  &#8211; Claire Festel April 2009 Tuesday morning, April 7, Ed stood peering out the bay window of our Marsh Lake home, “No wind and there’s good visibility with high clouds even though the weather report says it’s supposed to snow.” He’s been waiting for good weather to deliver a load [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/spring-flying/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Herschel Island</title>
		<link>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/herschel-island/</link>
		<comments>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/herschel-island/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:04:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aviation Adventures]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clairefestel.com/?p=1729</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our Cessna Arctic Adventure &#8211; Claire Festel August 2007 On August 9, 2007, I flew from Whitehorse via Air North to Dawson City on business. The next day my husband, Ed, flew up in our Cessna 170. Our time was limited, but nonetheless, we decided to take advantage of a stable weather window and do [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clairefestel.com/travel/aviation-adventures/herschel-island/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
