Canoe and fish as the salmon run

By Maggie Barnett, Times Staff Writer
12:00 AM PDT, June 11, 2006

CANOE down the Big Salmon River in Canada's Yukon Territory on a trip that's designed to make the adventure accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.

The 15-day journey, which begins Aug. 10, will be guided by naturalist Jim Fitzpatrick.

Participants will learn canoeing skills during the first three days of the trip as they wind their way from Quiet Lake, the largest of three lakes that form the headwaters of the Big Salmon River, through the mountains and into the Yukon Valley.

"We've timed this trip to coincide with the salmon migration," said Greg Lais of Wilderness Inquiry.

"They swim 1,500 miles from the Bering Sea to Quiet Lake to spawn. It's amazing to see. They look like hundreds of orange torpedoes."

Participants may see other wildlife, including moose and bears, and will fish for lake trout, Arctic grayling and Chinook salmon.

Wilderness Inquiry is a nonprofit group that integrates its trips to include older and younger people, people with disabilities, and novice and experienced backcountry travelers.

Cost: $1,875 per person, including canoes, meals, camping equipment, support staff and guides and adaptive equipment for those with disabilities.

Transportation to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, is not included.

Contact: Wilderness Inquiry, Minneapolis; (612) 676-9400, (612) 676-9475 (TDD), http://www.wildernessinquiry.com .

COLORADO

Cliff dwellings of the Pueblo

STUDY the archeology of the ancient Pueblo (Anasazi) people of the Mesa Verde region on a tour that begins Aug. 24.

The three-night trip will be led by Richard Stucky, curator of evolution and paleoecology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

He will be accompanied by scholars from the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, who will lead tours of the center's laboratory and conduct field trips.

Participants will travel to ancient sites including the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park and observe artifacts of the culture that thrived between 1000 BC and AD 1300.

Cost: $845 per person, double occupancy ($275 single surcharge), which includes lodging, meals, transportation during the tour, lectures and discussions.

Transportation from Los Angeles to Cortez, Colo., is not included.

Contact: Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez, Colo.; (800) 422-8975, Ext. 146, http://www.crowcanyon.org , http://www.dmns.org/travel .

ARGENTINA

Art escape in Buenos Aires

EXPLORE the art and culture of Argentina on a six-night tour to Buenos Aires.

The Sept. 30 trip, which coincides with the city's annual Art Week celebration, will include special art receptions and meetings with artists in their studios.

Participants will also be on hand for the city's annual Museums Night.

The group will tour Buenos Aires' unique neighborhoods, study the city's architecture and travel to gaucho country, where they will spend a night in a 1700s countryside mansion.

The trip will be led by Mary Drobny, an art professor at Long Beach City College. An orientation will be offered before the trip.

Cost: $2,395 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX, accommodations, transfers, some meals, sightseeing and bilingual guides.

Contact: Feliz Travel, Los Angeles; (323) 644-0550, http://www.Feliz-travel.com <252>**

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