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It was one incredible week! Plummers Arctic Fishing Lodge tucked in the northeast part of Great Bear Lake, in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Almost nine (9) years have passed, yet I can transport myself back with all the sights, sounds and feelings as if it were yesterday. My recollection of that Plummers experience is as vivid as the hundreds of photographs and video footage captured during this dream working vacation. The hospitality, the gourmet meals and the unending attention to detail exhibited by Chummy Plummer and his staff at the Great Bear Lake Lodge provided the rooted harmony that balanced the sometimes overwhelming awe of nature that constantly and completely surrounded us. Mother Nature reigns supreme in this Arctic wilderness. People are insignificant participants in the daily cycle of life in this true north.

This 'up close and personal' touch with nature makes Plummers Great Bear Lake a must-go-to Nature Vacation destination. A rustic destination that has now been discovered for its not just for anglers amenities. Ideal for capturing first-rate photographs. And perfect enough for President George Bush, Senior, along with a few of his closest Canadian friends, to visit every summer.

Visiting remote Canada, north of the Arctic Circle, in late August was one of those 'planets-all-lining-up' opportunities. Accompanied by my business associate John, our week long adventure leaves memories as crisp as the early northern morning air. And what better way to start our morning than hearing a Plummer's staffer call out Coffee gentlemen. A carafe of steaming coffee placed outside of our door accompanied our 6 am wake-up call each day. That first coffee of the day set the pace for the short walk to the lodge dining building and for a 'whatever your heart desires' breakfast.

Just flying to The Great Bear Lodge is something in itself. We flew out of Winnipeg, Manitoba on a Boeing 737 Jet, first landing at the Great Slave Lake Lodge on a gravel runway and then on to the Great Bear Lake Lodge, once again landing on a gravel runway! The jet had special flanges behind the front wheel to prevent stones from being ejected into the jet engines. It is something else to look out the airplane window to the rear of the plane as it lifts off and seeing a cloud of dust coming off the runway. Once airborne, it sure looked like some good ol' boys were rippin' up a gravel road below us!

The fishing on this Lake is nothing short of THE BEST. Great Bear Lake is the eighth-largest lake in the world and fourth largest in North America. Awesome! Incredible! Some o f the world's largest lake trout have been reeled in on Great Bear Lake - 72 lbs . Seventy-two pounds makes this fish over 140 years old! It's sport fishing only at Plummers. All catch and release. Plummers practices strict conservation rules, so there will be plenty of fish to catch for centuries to come.

For every two anglers there is a guide assigned for the week. He or she takes care of operating the boat (18 foot aluminum), determining the best location to fish each day, preparing the fresh fish lunches on one of the hundreds of islands (now there's a culinary treat!) and any fishing tips/tricks. John and I were not preoccupied with fishing and so we turned our attention to aggravating our guide, a young University of Manitoba student named Kelly. And we drove him to the limit; asking him all sorts of stupid questions. We did have some coaching from a few of the Plummer's staff on the top 'best stupid questions' to ask, so we mixed them in with our earnest questions:

So how many pounds of potatoes do they go through in a season at this lodge? (Stupid)
How many trout do you figure are in Great Bear? (Stupid)
How big is this lake anyway? (Earnest)
How much Red River Cereal do they go through in a season? (Stupid)
Who is that lady that drops the coffee carafe at our door each morning? (Stupid)
How many gulls do you think are on this lake? (Stupid) Gulls, nature's garbage disposal crew, always showed up when the guide was finished cleaning the trout for lunch.
How cold is this water? (Earnest ) If you are wondering, 42- 45 degrees Fahrenheit is the correct answer.

John and I arrived at Plummers with only our clothing and camera equipment. No need to bring any fishing gear of your own. Plummers equipped us with all the rod, reel and tackle gear we needed. They did a great job because, as novice anglers, John and I caught over 40 fish between us! An activity that we never tired of was enjoying the afternoon Northern Sun and scouting out the many islands that dotted 'The Bear'. Much to our guide Kelly's chagrin, we really weren't there for the fishin' we were the sightseer type of tourist that comes to Plummers. The solitude afforded us with the gentle rhythm of the trolling boat and the anticipation of when we would see the next eagle, or caribou or musk-ox on 'The Bear' shores was just the ticket to help two hardworking executives from the big city of Ottawa, Ontario to unwind.

We became known to other guests at the lodge as the two 'anglers' to stay away from! Perfect! Come to think of it, we always had fishing places completely to ourselves. Bob Izumi was filming a show for his Real Fishing TV series at the same time as our visit. Even he didn't seem the least bit interested at my elation that I had snagged what our guide said was the smallest trout he'd ever seen less than 1 pound 'soaking wet'! Kelly said the lure weighed more than my prize catch! Now there is fishing talent I don't often forget to boast about! John was on the opposite end of the scale from me as far as being a sports fisherman. He did capture, and I mean capture, a trout that was the size of a dog a 34 plus pounds! Wow! Ya gotta see the pictures!

I went camera crazy here! Images of fishing in the 9 p.m. dusk light, casting right off the lodge's shore. Wolves near the camp, caribou that hadn't been seen this far south of the Arctic Circle so late in the summer season! The ultimate trip within the trip was our fly-out to the Tree River Camp, Nunavut. This camp consisted of eight (8) tarpaulin-roofed, stilted bunk houses and a cook house in the middle of 'no where north'. Flat tundra and low bush were contrasted by mountainous visas that could only be described as a black grand canyon, moon-like terrain. We were on the Canadian Shield. Tree River itself is edged with hardened mud river banks where arctic squirrel-gopher-like creatures known as 'sik-sik' were housed in borrows within the river banks. The camp cook, Carol, and her helper, Mary, treated us to a incredible dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. To top off this sumptuous meal we had ice cream and cake for dessert. Did I say we were in a remote camp on the Arctic Ocean? Sure felt like the Ritz!

We unsuccessfully tried our hand at Arctic Char fishing. Enough of that story! With our guide Kelly we continued with our boating down the Tree River river to touch upon the shores of the Arctic Ocean. We stood next to an authentic inukshuk, saw weather bleached caribou bones, ate some not-so-sweet blueberries and walked the bluff at the mouth of Tree River. We scanned the Arctic ocean waters and could see a sliver of land on the horizon. Victoria Island maybe?

A desolate yet primitive beautiful land in August, we imagined how harsh the winter climate must be to those living here in Canada's north. No time for those chilly thoughts now! The late August sun was warm; perfect for standing near the cliff shore while watching seals play in the mouth of Tree River below us. At that moment we felt as though we were a small speck in the northern universe. I'm certain it was the solid black rock of the Canadian Shield beneath our feet that kept us from being swallowed up by this Arctic Vortex. Everywhere I turned there was a photo to be taken. My Canon EOS A4 'photo-exercised' through 20 rolls of film that trip. I scanned these pictures and share some of the best ones with the world. Go to Flickr.com and search on plummers arctic fishing.

Returning to our base camp at Great Bear, we fished a couple of more days and then continued this incredible nature trip with one more memorable experience: we jumped into the frigid Arctic Circle waters of Great Bear Lake. Good news! We did receive a special Plummer's tee-shirt for our stupidity to brave this dunking. Printed on the tee-shirt is I was Stupid enough to Swim in the Arctic Circle. Yes, in our finest dress of long red underwear we jumped off the wharf at the Plummers Lodge into the 43 degree Fahrenheit water! For the record, at that temperature everything shrinks! To this day, my tee-shirt is proudly displayed in our family room.

Plummer's Arctic Fishing is one of those destinations you should put on your must do list. GREAT FISHING OUR CLAIM, MOTHER NATURE OUR FRAME. What a perfect way to experience the beauty of Canada's north. Take your whole family on a trip of their lifetime!

Carl Chesal's years of experience in Business and Channel Development, Training, Internet Marketing and Photography is highlighted at the Bizfare Enterprise website - . Carl with wife, Janet, also operate a number of e-commerce web-sites:
MyLeatherExpressions.com,
CoolComfortWear.com,
PewterExpressions.com,
HomeAndBodyHowTo.com,
ExqusiteJewelryDesigns.com

Herbs have been used traditionally as medicines for hundreds of years. Modern medicine is descended form of old-world herbal healing practices that have been fine tuned and brought to a science. Many of the medicines we still use today are derived directly from plants, but their active ingredients are purified and their medicinal effects magnified.

Though many common healing herbs have been forgotten for their medical value due to rise of modern medicine, many people are becoming aware of the dangers and side effects of some powerful over the counter medications (whether they are synthetic or naturally derived) and are looking for a holistic alternative.

Effective healing herbs do exist as an alternative; you just need to know where to get the correct herbs and how to use them.

How to Get Herbs

You can grow many of them yourself, or you can pick them up at local herbal health food stores or even on the Internet. If you are buying them, you will find them available in several common forms. These include ground powder to make tea, tinctures, or oil extracts or capsules. It is always important to verify the integrity of healing herbs before you buy them, to ensure safety and effectiveness. You should always make sure that the herbal health food store you are buying from is a respected source that would grow and process its herbs correctly before selling to the consumer. Contact the store if you are a first time buyer and ask for their information about how they handle their herbs etc. Stores that wont disclose this kind of information should be avoided.

What To Do With Herbs

Many healing herbs already exist in the marketplace today, often incorporated into other products. Companies have realized the fact that healing herbs are becoming very popular, so for example, herbs like aloe vera are often being added to face creams and even suntan lotions.

Sage is another of the healing herbs. It is an important herb in alternative medicine due to the wide range of illnesses it has been used to treat. Sage can be burned and used in aromatherapy to assist with breathing, because it helps to clear mucous out of the airways. It can also be used in tea form to reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract ie. swelling or redness in the gums or throat, as well us upset stomach and diarrhea. Sage can also lower blood sugar and provide relief for pregnant women who are producing too much milk.

Garlic is a common herb that is used to help ailments of the heart. It can help to lower high blood pressure, reduce blood cholesterol, and reduce blood clotting. It also has antioxidant properties which work against free radicals to lower the risk of cancer. It has also been used to treat lung infection, colds and the flu.

Parsley is another one of the healing herbs. It is known to help with the prevention of bladder infections and other digestive tract problems, such as nausea and gas. You can also apply it to insect bites, cuts, and dry or chapped skin to prevent infection.

Chamomile is a healing herb that offers a gentle calming effect. It is a common tea additive for relaxation, but it is also thought to assist digestion.

Raspberry leaves are another of the healing herbs often found in teas. Like chamomile, it provides help with relaxation and digestion. It has also been used to treat eye, mouth and throat soreness or redness and it is also thought to help prevent miscarriage and to help with symptoms of PMS.

This is a list of only some of the most common healing herbs. Different tried and true herbal remedies come from all over the world. Discovering useful herbal remedies and how to use them safely and effectively can be very beneficial to your long-term health. Though serious conditions should always be brought to a doctor, many illnesses can be treated with simple home remedies quickly and easily.

Steve Smith is a writer at IQonHealth.com who provides in-depth information about how to live a healthier lifestyle. Go to IQonHealth.Com to read about more safe and powerful ways to take care of yourself and your family with alternative health medicine. Go to the IQonHealth.com Main Page to read other informative health related articles.

In Polynesian times of the early 1600s, men, women and children would surf the Hawaiian waves together in harmony. Although there were males who were dominant in the sport, many women were also prominent. The Hawaiians looked at the sport in an egalitarian fashion, with equal opportunity for excellence and skill.

By the time the Europeans settled in Hawaii in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the historians Ben Finney and James Houston have accounted that "a large percentage of wahines (women) of early Hawaii were skillful surfers, and sometimes champions. Early engravings of the sport are full of half-dressed island girls perched on surfboards at the top of a curling wave." These early women surfers were also, no doubt, enticed by the intimacy allowed males and females who rode the same waves together. There were also love and courtship competitions carried out by both sexes while surfing the waves.

The first famous surfer was known as Mamala, a demi-god of Polynesian times. She has a mythology associated with her name and was an extraordinary surfer, earning her accolades from the other chiefs and chieftesses. Princess Kaneamunas surfboard, dated to the mid-1600s, was discovered in 1905 in her burial cave.

Kaahumanu was a late 18th century canoe leaper. This feat involved jumping from a canoe into the breaker with a surfboard and riding the wave all the way to the shore. She was very adept at this style of riding but later came to dissuade others from surfing after she converted to Christianity and toured with the Calvinists.

During the hiatus of surfing in the very late 1800s, after the onslaught of Calvinist Puritanism, there were very few surfers riding the waves. One woman, Princess Ka'iulaini, is reported to be the last of the old school at Waikiki", according to surfrider Knute Cottrell. As surfings renaissance began again in the early 20th Century, surf clubs cropped up and were formally organized, The Hui Nalu (surf club) being one of them. Two women surfers are on record as being official members of the club, Mildred ladybird Turner, and Josephine Jo Pratt. The famous surfer and ladykiller, Duke Kahanamoku, is documented to be the first surfer to ride tandem on a surfboard. Of course, bringing Leslie Lemon with him to accomplish this was a fun and sexy way to make history. Duke later spread surfing to Australia where he repeated his trick in 1914 with the 15-year-old ocean girl Isabel Letham, who was later admitted to the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame for encouraging generations of Australian women to engage in the sport of surfing.

Women often began their own careers of surfing from tandem rides, owing it to the fact that their boyfriends were out there in the surf and they wanted to get in on the action. Many of these spunky females would then train and become as good as the men. Mary ann Hawkins is perhaps the most famous female surfer of the early 20th century. She won a myriad of awards for competitive swimming and surfing all throughout the 30s. By the 1970s, she became a stunt double in Hollywood films and later relocated to Hawaii where she opened up a swimming school for babies.

She was an all around waterperson, big wave rider and oceanograher Ricky Grigg, noted, and I think it gave them [the women surfers who followed] a sense of depth. They had to be more than surfers. They had to be good bodysurfers and swimmers and just totally comfortable in the ocean.

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