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There are trips, and then there are journeys.

A trip can be fun, educational and rewarding. But a true journey, born of a dream to see and explore places that have only ever existed in our imaginations, can speak to our souls, changing the way we view the world and ourselves. And journeys are what have inspired singer, songwriter and adventurer Ian Tamblyn and his frequent travel partner, photographer and author Mike Beedell, this year's Royal Canadian Geographical Society's spring lecturers.

Beedell has spent the past 30 years exploring Canada, capturing his experiences in award-winning photos and a book of images celebrating Canada, The Magnetic North. Juno Award-winning Tamblyn, on the other hand, has been composing and performing folk music for decades. The two Chelsea, Que., residents have been travelling together for 12 years and convey their ideas and stories about their adventures in their own unique ways. "We are on a quest for evocative images that express a sense of place and spirit in celebrating our country," says Beedell. "Through artistic mediums, Ian and I complement each other."

Tamblyn says no matter where he goes, he tries to listen to the spirit of his surroundings. He recalls one voyage to the Arctic when, after a long, arduous expedition by plane, car and Zodiac, he and his companions arrived at a glacier. Someone suggested shutting off the boat’s engine so that they could fully take in their surroundings.

"We just sat there listening to the dripping and cracking and groaning of that glacier," Tamblyn says. "And I knew right away that it was going to be a fantastic journey."

Beedell and Tamblyn's presentation, which will include songs, stories and photography, is titled "Dreams and Journeys: An environmental odyssey," and it will focus on the diversity of the environments they have encountered while exploring the coastlines of Canada. In the end, they hope their travels will encourage audiences to dream of journeys of their own.

The pair will appear for four evenings in Ottawa and Toronto. For specific dates and locations, click here.

- Jan Dutkiewicz

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DESPITE DALE GREGORY'S many contributions to the improvement of geographic education — including helping found the Canadian Council for Geographic Education (CCGE) and leading countless teacher workshops and field trips — he was flabbergasted when he learned he had won this year's CCGE Geographic Literacy Award.

A retired geography, social studies and physical education teacher from Port Coquitlam, B.C., Gregory was also recognized for his work with a CCGE 10th Anniversary Award last year ("The inside story," CG Sept/Oct 2004) because of his staunch support of geographic education. "For people to understand what is happening in our global climate and environment," he says, "they must have an understanding of the basic concepts of geography."

The Grosvenor Canadian Geography Education Fund donates the $5,000 (U.S.) prize, which is split between the recipient and an educational institution of his or her choice. Half of Gregory's prize money will go to CCGE's British Columbia and Yukon chapter, which he chairs, to further boost geographic education.

- Erica Simmonds

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Photo: Students on Ice

Kelsi Prince traded the harried life of a Canadian teenager in December for the serenity of Antarctica.

The 15-year-old high school student from Port Hope, Ont., won Canadian Geographic's Polar Bound Contest, which sent her on a two-week educational trip to the Antarctic over Christmas.

She was particularly struck by a cruise around Paradise Bay: the sun was reflecting off icebergs, seals were singing in unison, and penguins were bobbing in the ocean around her. When you are removed from the distractions of everyday life, says Prince, "you really get a sense of the peacefulness and serenity of nature."

Her winning contest entry highlighted a general lack of environmental awareness and a disconnection from nature. "Our society is so consumerdriven and media-saturated," says Prince, "to have two weeks without that teaches you what your needs and wants are."

Prince doesn't want climate change to destroy the beauty of the Antarctic, and she aims to do her part to help ensure that doesn't happen. She'll begin by making changes to her own life, such as composting, and encouraging her friends and family to do the same.

- E.S.

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Slated to launch April 5, the first phase of the bilingual Canadian Atlas Online (www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas) aims to be one of the easiest-to-use and most comprehensive Canadian atlases in cyberspace.

The thematic components of the book, ranging from weather extremes (left) to communication and transportation networks, will come alive on the web, with slide shows, games and quizzes. Visitors will also be able to pan and zoom into maps with an interactive tool (above) that quickly renders regional details, while a search engine and alphabetical place-name listing will help viewers pinpoint any location in the country.

"We're taking the atlas content and wiring it with state-of-the-art technology," says Gilles Gagnier, Canadian Geographic's new media manager. "Adapted for the Internet, it will give users the unlimited ability to learn more about their country."

The online atlas's Learning Centre, created with the help of the Canadian Council for Geographic Education, will allow teachers to download themed lesson plans for their respective provinces, grade levels or curricula.

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