Shane Keller's Photo & Travel Adventures

Sushi North rolls onto the streets of Yellowknife

Shane — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:19:17 +0000

If you have not noticed yet – Sushi North has rolled out its sushi express window onto the streets of Yellowknife. You can now order your favourite set of Japanese sushi rolls without having to enter the restaurant. Just stroll on down to 50th avenue between 49th and 50th streets in downtown Yellowknife.

NWT Mining Heritage Museum in Yellowknife

Shane — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:32:40 +0000

The NWT Mining Heritage Society has an outdoor mining museum setup east of downtown Yellowknife along the Ingraham Trail. It only takes a few minutes to drive out to and it has some interesting mining artifacts to explore. The museum has been expanding and the society hopes to add more artifacts and build a tourist destination out of the Giant Mine A-shaft and a tourist centre. Here are just some of the mining artifacts I found at the mining museum.

Exploring Coombs, Vancouver Island, BC

Shane — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:01:26 +0000

This summer we had the chance to visit the Coombs Old Country Market in Coombs, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. If you have not been to Coombs you may have heard of it as the place that has the goats live on the roof. My only advice about the goats on the roof is do not eat or drink below where the roof ends. We have seen goat urine drip down into someones food while they ate and it drips down in various places. Anyway, not very many exterior photos but have a look at the inside of the Coombs market below. Please leave a comment!

Here is the small stip mall behind the Coombs Market that has various other vendors selling their wares.

That Creepy House in Yellowknife

Shane — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:31:49 +0000

Is it creepy or mysterious? If you are looking to add a little strange and creepy into your day then look no further than the Yellowknife house shown below. There is something creepy about this house (located next to the Boston Pizza) on 48th Street in Yellowknife. If you have walked, rode or even drove slow down that street then you know the house I am talking about. It has those strange symbols above the door and a distinctly Blair Witch Project (see the movie) sort of feel to it. It makes you wonder if someone or something is living there… and if so, what the heck are they doing there anyway. Conversely, this could be the home of a millionaire who hordes his/her money and lives obsessively frugal. OR, the resident (if there is one) gets pleasure from being the creepy house in Yellowknife. Maybe there is a secret portal to a large cache of gold (and the resident wants to remain incognito). Heck, anything is possible. If you get the chance drive by and see it for yourself. PLEASE feel free to LEAVE A COMMENT with your thoughts about this creepy and mysterious house in Yellowknife.

Folk on the Rocks 2009

Shane — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:12:16 +0000

Sun, Sand, Music, Beer, Families, Ice Cream, Dancing, Swimming were all part of a hot and sunny weekend in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. This July 17 to 19 weekend the annual Folk on the Rocks Festival came and went. There were some great musical acts and good times all around. I wish it would not end because I know a certain someone (me) that could use a few more days of fun in the sun. Have a look at the photos below and feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the post.

Sizzling in the Valley of Fire

Shane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:52:50 +0000

Have you ever wanted to visit Mars or some other strange and wonderful planet? Well that is apparently where I ended up on this +45 degree celcius day. This valley was loaded with gigantic, martian red, orange and white rocks as far as you could see. I would not be surprised if many space movies were filmed here. Please note that the objects are a lot larger than they appear. CLICK ON THE “Read more: Sizzling in the Valley of Fire” to see all the pictures.

It is hard to tell from this photo but that is actually 4 miles of valley behind me.

A Wedding Party in the Valley of Fire (3 other limos and a hummer limo were out of picture).

Shooting Things Up at the Gun Store!

Shane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:56:37 +0000

Anything is possible in Las Vegas – including shooting machine guns. I had heard of the Gun Store from some guys who went to it as part of their stag party. But I never expected it would feel so good to hoist several different machine guns and shoot the heck out of various targets. What a jolt! What a bang! Look how happy I am!

The Happi Inn for Happi Times?

Shane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:47:33 +0000

Located at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip is the Happi Inn. What could that possibly mean?

Another Photo of the Luxor Hotel and Casino

Shane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:44:45 +0000

Here is another view of the Luxor Hotel and Casino… the place I stayed while in Las Vegas.

The Fountains at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino

Shane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:00:53 +0000

Watching the Fountains at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino was quite possible one of the best experiences of visiting Las Vegas. I was literrally mesmerized by the explosive water jets that were choreographed with some of the most well known songs in North America. Some of the featured music includes: CON TE PARTIRÕ, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, SIMPLE GIFTS, VIVA LAS VEGAS, RONDINE AL NIDO, HEY, BIG SPENDER, STAR SPANGLED BANNER, LUCK BE A LADY TONIGHT, etc – sung and/or produced by artists such as Sarah Brightman, Elvis Presley, Luciano Pavaratti, Frank Sinatra, Faith Hill, Celine Dion and more.

I visited the fountains each night between 11 pm and 12 am. However, this evening I sat at the middle of the fountains from 8 pm to 12 am to watch a fountain show start every 15 minutes. I could not leave! Here are just a few of the many photos I took of this event.

Getting “Girls Direct” to your Hotel Room?

Shane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:40:11 +0000

Upon my first walk along the Las Vegas Strip I noticed a clicking sound from the edges of the moving crowds. Looking over I noticed lines of short hispanic people (mostly illegal immigrants) handing out business cards with phone numbers. They would make the clicking sounds with the cards and then try and hand them to you. Some people would take the cards and then throw them to the ground immediately. Some were collectiong them like baseball cards. Looking down, the sidewalk was littered with these cards that featured pictures of naked women, a sexy sales ploy and a phone number. Essentially, these cards are advertising that you could have a stripper in your hotel room in as little as 10 minutes. According to the people I spoke with at the hotel these ‘strippers’ were actually prostitutes. In Las Vegas, prosititution is illegal so ’they’ get around this law by advertising these girls as ‘strippers’. Here are some pictures of the people handing out the cards that I took early on in the evening. As it gets later more and more of these card givers appear and the sidewalks get covered in a thick layer of discarded girlie cards.

The Coca Cola Store in Las Vegas

Shane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:36:21 +0000

Looking for everything and anything COCA COLA? Have a hungering for the most popular soda-licous drink on the planet? Well I think I found it along the Las Vegas Strip. Although, I have been banned from bringing soft drinks into my home I could not stop from visiting the Coca Cola store in Las Vegas. It actually felt like a big sin to immerse myself in the glorification of Coca Cola but secretly I liked it. And, I admit, I still like the occassional sip of the yummy sweet cola sauce especially when mixed with rum. Anyway, if you are interested in seeing how you can join a major corporate brand celebrate itself than there is no other place than the Coca Cola store in Las Vegas. My pictures only show parts of the store but you can see that the product selection is extremely Coca Cola centric.

People Walking the Las Vegas Strip after 7 PM

Shane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:00:13 +0000

Here are some random photos of people walking along the sidewalk of the Las Vegas Strip. It was actually not very busy during supper hours (5-7 PM) in Las Vegas

Exploring the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino

Shane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:49:57 +0000

Having walked through the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino daily I decided to take a closer look at its offerings. Without even going 30 metres I could see a lion habitat, shopping, a massive casino floor, a sports wall, more shopping, snack bars, drink bars, lounges, poker tables, Club 54 and even more shopping.

THIS WAS a glass roof. The Lioness was sleeping on it.

MORE The Buffet at Luxor!

Shane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:12:17 +0000

Finding a place to dine in Las Vegas is the easiest thing to do while cruising the strip. However, with so much choice it was hard for me to decide what I wanted to eat. Somehow I discovered that the best way to eat in Las Vegas was to choose one of the buffet restaurants which literrally have everything you could ask for. And luckily I did not have to look far. While cruising the casino at the Luxor I came upon ’More’ the Buffet. The food selection was fantastic. And best of all… it was all you can eat for $21. My first heaping meal included: pizza, sweet n’ sour rice, watermelon, fried vegetables, chicken chow mein, mac and cheese, humous, french fries, pasta salad, penne, cheese cake, pudding, and a rum and coke.