Soap with Soul: Dr. Bronner`S turnS 60

Contents Iss u e 5 . 2
Heartland Healing
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PAGE 8
PAGE 18
PAGE 26
on the cover:
Soap with soul: Dr. Bronner’s Turns 60
Can Dr. bronner’s magic soap save spaceship earth?
Page 8
Message on a Bottle: The soap is pure and so is the message
by Michael Braunstein
Sacred destinations: Sailing the caribbean
Page 18
Pirates haunt the waters of the British Virgin Islands
by Brad Olsen
Restoring Nebraska’s Tree canopy
Page 25
Art Direction Team: Carlos A. Cabrera
Eric Stoakes
Distribution:The Reader
Heartland Healing Magazine is published bimonthly by Heartland Healing in partnership
with the Reader newspaper.
from the publishers. Content in this magazine may not necessarily reflect the views,
opinions or beliefs of any or every person
involved with this publication or reflect
said viewpoints of any advertiser herein.
Page 26
ONGOING FEAT U RES
notes on nutrition: Healthier tailgaiting is easy Page 14
omaha yoga notes: Meditation is more than doing nothing
Page 26
last picture show: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Page 30
Brad Olsen
be reproduced upon receiving permission
Michael Pollan’s latest is cream of the crop
by Michael Braunstein
Michael Braunstein
Contributing Editor: Editorial content in this magazine may
Powerful forces have left our trees battered. How we can help
by Summer Miller
book Review: In defense of food Producer/Editor: by Karisa Randall, RD, LMNT with Theresa Murphy
All contents are © 2008 Heartland Healing
Magazine, all rights reserved.
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and healthful lifestyle choices for the community and the planet.
We attempt to provide a voice for the forwardthinking segment of the Heartland given to
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Please support the advertisers who help make
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Heartland Healing Magazine 7
sacred destination: Pirates, Ho!
sailing the British Virgin Islands
by Brad Olsen
S
econd to none, the British Virgin Islands
in the eastern Caribbean Sea are a sailor’s paradise! Enthusiasts from around
the world arrive in the BVIs to hoist their
sails in the consistently steady trade winds.
You can rent your own boat, or you can hire a
crew to perform all the sailing duties — even
cook your meals. And having your own boat
is worth it. Some of
the best BVI beaches, dive sites, and
Caribbean bars
are only accessible by boat!
Knowledge
of boating is
required for a
private or “bareboat” charter.
A basic understanding
of
raising the main
sail, motoring
with the engine,
avoiding hazards, and dropping
anchor
or pulling up a
buoy is required.
Each afternoon it
will be necessary
to catch a floating
“can” with a rope
that needs to be
tied off on the bow of
the ship. There is usually a nominal fee for
using a can, but it is safer that dropping an
anchor in the shifting bottom. By booking
a charter boat vacation the scene outside
your porthole will change as you move to a
different location every day. Your floating
hotel room offers the closest possible interaction with nature. Virtually every anchorage
Heartland Healing Magazine 18
has abundant seabirds flying above, colorful
flora onshore, or great snorkeling right off
the boat.
Cast off!
We started our tour on Tortola, Spanish for
“Turtle Dove.” This lush mountainous island is
right in the center of the 60-island archipelago.
The main harbors for chartering a boat in the
BVIs are Road Town and Sopers Hole, both on
Tortola. The largest port in the BVI and the center of commerce is Road Town. The only reason
the city has grown to its present proportions is
because of the protection provided by the 15th
century Fort Burt.
Originally built by the Dutch, it was taken
over by the English in 1666. Constructed on a
hill with commanding views overlooking the
harbor to defend Road Town, the fort was rebuilt
by the English in 1776, and named after William
Burt, Governor of the Leeward Islands. Open
daily from dawn to dusk, the foundations and
magazine of this historic ruin remain. Today
the stylish Fort Burt Hotel is
built on top of the site and
incorporates elements of
the old fort.
As the vibrant hub
of the financial and government sectors, Road
Town is known in the
Caribbean as “The Small
Town with a Big Heart.”
In addition to serving
as Road Town’s main
shopping district, colonial Main Street contains several historical
landmarks including
the Post Office built
in the mid-1800s, St.
Phillips Anglican Church
constructed in 1840, and
the Virgin Islands’ Folk
Museum. The capital
Road Town provides the
y
es r
main port of entry for the
t
ur ho
growing yacht and cruise
co aut
of
ship tourism industry. Let’s
hoist sail and leave Road Town for
another port on Tortola: Soper Hole.
Soper’s Hole
Our floating parking lot is shared with dozens
of other single-hull sailboats, catamarans, and
motorboats. The port is Soper’s Hole on the
West End of Tortola, the second most popular
harbor for sailors. This charming colonial town
september/october 2008
is the oldest settlement in the British Virgin
Islands, founded by pirates who found refuge in
the deep harbor while keeping their tall masts
hidden behind the steep surrounding hills. After
the British cleared out all the riff-raff, they
civilized the settlement and constructed their
characteristic buildings.
of his surroundings and carelessly bumps into
a dangerous animal. But don’t let the remote
chance of an injury prevent you from snorkeling
in the BVIs. For the most part the Caribbean Sea
is gentle and welcoming to divers. Besides, some
of the most picturesque beaches can only be
accessed by swimming to their shores.
Jost Van Dyke: What’s pain without
a painkiller?
Less than an hour’s sail from Tortola is Jost Van
Dyke, named after a famous Dutch mariner.
This island has been a sailor’s Mecca for years.
The ever-popular White Bay is always bobbing
with sailboats and yachters coming ashore to
the charming West Indian beach bars. Many
of your neighboring boats in White Bay will be
self-proclaimed faux pirate ships. While there is
little pillaging, flogging or plundering going on
anymore, the legend of the marauding “Pirates
of the Caribbean” lives on.
Mountainous and sparsely populated, Jost
Van Dyke was a favored hideaway for pirates.
Today, this island paradise is just a short ferry
ride from Tortola’s West End. Most boaters
anchor off the largest pristine white beach,
appropriately name White Bay. Once ashore,
walk up the beach to Ivan’s Local Flavour Stress
Free Bar and order a Painkiller. Originally concocted in a beach bar on White Bay, the tropical drink called the Painkiller is very popular
in all the Virgin Islands. Half Caribbean rum,
half pineapple-orange and coconut juice, Ivan
himself mixes Painkillers at the coral-encrusted
bar. Once you have a drink in hand, relax in a
hammock and enjoy one of the finest views from
any ticky-tacky shack in the world.
Jost Van Dyke is not only a favorite watering
hole, but a place for underwater marine enthusiasts as well. Jost Van Dyke offers several diverse
snorkeling sites, including Sandy and Green
Cays, two small little spits of land just off the east
coast. Both islands are picture-postcard images
of an idyllic desert isle.
Marvel at swimming in a huge school and
not feeling any contact from the fish. But the
open ocean is not completely docile. Contact
with coral, jellyfish, urchins, or stingrays can
be harmful to humans. Shark attacks, however,
are very uncommon in the Caribbean. The most
common injury comes when a diver is not aware
Anegada (da-vida?)
The word Anegada literally means “drowned
island” and aptly named because it is the only
all-coral atoll in the BVIs; so low to the surface
it breaks the water at a highest elevation of 28
feet. That is a mere nine meters above seal level.
Known for its endless white sandy beaches,
Anegada is an outdoor lover’s delight.
Deepwater coral reefs surround Anegada. It
is a challenge to sail over the open seas and
navigate your boat through the narrow channel
at Setting Point. Accessible also by way of a small
airport, this little gem continues to be a quiet
and beautiful getaway spot. There is only one
sailboat anchorage, one village, and only one
pier to tie off your dinghy. Look over the side
of the dock at all the cages of captured Anegada
lobsters — you may be feasting on one later for
dinner.
Setting Point is the main harbor where both
ferries and yachts arrive in a quiet cove lined
with seafood restaurants all featuring the succulent Anegada lobster. Surrounded on one side
by the infamous Horseshoe Reef, a watery graveyard for many an unsuspecting wind-tossed
ship, it is known to have over 300 wrecks in its
waters, some of whose artifacts can be seen in
a local nautical museum. Bone fishing, catching
lobsters, snorkeling and wreck diving are popular underwater activities on Anegada.
Columbus slept here
Approaching Virgin Gorda, a Spanish term
for “Fat Virgin,” by boat, you can observe the
tall northwestern ridge area, which comprises
Gorda Peak National Park. The island was christened by Christopher Columbus on his second
voyage to the Caribbean. From this vantage
point it is easy to envision the “plump damsel”
reclining on her back. The northern tip of the
island is known as “the North Sound” and it
is accessible only by boat. This area is flanked
The Baths at Virgin Gorda
continued on page 20 y
september/october 2008
Heartland Healing Magazine 19
The author at The Baths
continued from page 19 y
by the smaller islands: Mosquito, Prickly Pear,
Eustatia, Necker, and tiny Saba Rock. The North
Sound area is popular with water sports enthusiasts. Ferries from Gun Creek run to all the major
resorts. It also boasts some of the islands’ finest
resorts and restaurants.
And bathed here, too
The nickname of the BVIs on all auto license
plates is “Nature’s Little Secrets.” It is true one
need not travel far to discover yet another little
secret in this bountiful natural paradise. The Fat
Virgin offers the world famous Baths, an unusual formation of house-size boulders that frame
Heartland Healing Magazine 20
protected bays and caves, perfect for swimming,
snorkeling, climbing and exploring. The Baths
is an area on the southern tip with unusually
large stones forming spectacular sea pools and
grottoes. Sailors can swim ashore, or take their
dinghy to a tie-off buoy for their adventure in
the Baths.
Once ashore, follow the signs for the caves
tour. There will be some crawling and some challenging steps, so this tour is geared for the more
athletically-inclined. The trail is fairly obvious,
but there are occasional detours. Most are dead
ends, which send the visitor back to where they
started to look for the trail anew. The labyrinth
of trails in the Baths leads the visitor in and out
of boulder caves, through shimmering water
passages, and above the rock boulder garden
with great views of the bay where the boats
are anchored. A few more turns and the visitor
arrives at the spectacular Devil’s Bay. A favorite
location of snorkelers and sailors alike, it is now
incorporated as a National Park, along with two
exquisite white sand beaches, Devil’s Bay and
Spring Bay spanning either side of the boulders
with a trail connecting both.
Surrender the Booty on Norman and Salt Island
Traveling across Sir Francis Drake Channel just
west of St. John, you reach some of the BVI’s
smaller islands. Starting with Norman Island
september/october 2008
early warning systems, a hurricane could arrive
and following the chain up to Virgin Gorda are
Peter, Salt, Cooper and Ginger islands. A sailors’
unexpectedly in a single day. Salt Island with its
jingle for remembering the order from west
steep hills and contrasting low-lying salt ponds
to east goes: “Norman and Peter give Salt to
is virtually uninhabited. Once home to a small
Cooper and Ginger.”
settlement of BV Islanders who sifted through
The most notorious pirate of
the Caribbean was Sir Francis
Drake, a privateer who repeatedly plundered the Spanish
armada, much to the Empire’s
chagrin. To the British though,
he was a hero, knighted by the
Queen in 1580 after he returned
from circumnavigating the globe
carrying unimagined fortunes.
Perhaps the most famous
pirate tale ever told was hatched
in the BVIs. First published as a
book in 1883, Treasure Island
is an adventure novel by Scottish
author Robert Louis Stevenson,
narrating a tale of “buccaneers
and buried gold.” The classic
pirate tale was made famous by
its geological formations known
as “The Caves.”
Norman Island, the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s
classic Treasure Island, is an
uninhabited island with beautiful secure anchorages and halfsubmerged caves. It was in these
sea caves that Stevenson imagined the pirates stashed their
booty. A highly photographed
snorkeling site, schools of colorful fish literally swim right
along with you while exploring
the three caves which feature
interesting coral and mineral
formations. But legends were
never known to detour modernday treasure seekers. Indeed, the
high seas still supports its fair
share of “pirate” ships looking Placid pools between granite boulders
for booty!
Salt Island
In the hurricane prone region of the Caribbean,
it is only a matter of time before a ferocious
storm strikes. In the millennia before radar and
september/october 2008
its salt ponds to extract the chunky sea salt, it is
now more famous for the wreck of the Rhone,
a 19th century British mail steamer, which lies
sunken off its southwestern shore and is offi-
cially a marine park attracting divers from all
over the world.
Every day several dozen divers have a look
at the wreck of the RMS Rhone, which went to
the bottom in 1867 with 125 of her company.
One of the most photographed underwater sites in the world, the Rhone
hosts an abundance of vibrantly colored fish and coral, interacting with
the wreck. The bow of the ill-fated
ship is in shallow water just below
the surface near the jagged rocks of
Salt Island. What remains of the RMS
Rhone is considered the best wreck
dive in all of the eastern Caribbean.
Getting to the British Virgin Islands
Although only a stone’s throw away from
the United States Virgin Islands (USVIs),
the British Virgin Islands (BVIs) are a sovereign state as a territory Great Britain and
a valid passport is required for entry. No
advance visa is necessary, all are stamped
free upon entry, but there is an airport
departure tax. Most visitors arrive by air.
The main airport is on Beef Island, connected to Tortola by a short bridge. Road
Town on Tortola is the largest city and
capital of the BVIs.
The currency in the BVIs is the United
States dollar. Nearly everything needs to
be imported here, so prices are higher than
the mainland. Although English is the official and spoken language, sometimes the
Caribbean accent is rather thick and can be
hard to understand. But as one of the most
affluent countries in the Caribbean region
the BVI people are very friendly and eager
to show off their proud culture.
Brad Olsen, © 2008, written exclusively for Heartland
Healing. In January, 2009 Brad
will be traveling to Vietnam
for the ASEAN Tourism Forum
in Hanoi. He will be taking an
adventure travel trip following
the forum and writing an article showcasing this hidden jewel of Southeast
Asia. Look for his report exclusively
here in Heartland Healing.
Heartland Healing Magazine 21
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