Hotel Spotlight: Saguaro Lake Ranch, Arizona
STILL LIFE: Saguaro Lake Ranch and Bulldog Cliffs, Arizona (Alistair Wearmouth)
Saguaro Lake Ranch sits in a tranquil spot just beneath the dam that holds back ten-mile-long Saguaro Lake in central Arizona. Downstream, the Salt River twists beneath the striking Bulldog Cliffs and Goldfield Mountains before flexing some mild Class I muscles on its passage toward the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area. This guest ranch has been run by the same family, the Durands, for four generations, and it shows in the hospitality and homey touches in evidence throughout the riverside property. Guests sleep in simple but comfortable "ranchettes," first built to house the workers who constructed Saguaro Lake's Stewart Mountain Dam between 1928-30. These days, however, you can also count on free property-wide WiFi, hooked up by the current owner's grandkids (but happily no phones or televisions in the rooms). Daytime activities include hiking and horseback riding along the desert trails of Tonto National Forest, kayaking and tubing on the Salt River, or special programs such as art weekends and family reunions. Meals are shared buffet-style in a communal dining room, where you'll feast on homemade treats such as BBQ chicken, biscuits, and fresh-baked cookies. It doesn't get much more relaxing than this.
Saguaro Lake Ranch is located 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix, about an hour by car. Bed and breakfast rates start at $130 for two; the ranch's American Plan includes three meals, plus lodging, and starts at $150 per person, assuming double occupancy. Activities such as trail rides or kayak rentals cost extra. Visit www.saguarolakeranch.com for full details.
 |
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
Sweden's ICEHOTEL Celebrates 20 Years
COOL PAD: Exterior walls of the ICEHOTEL, Sweden (Håkan Hjort)
Thirty-nine carefully selected artists have gathered in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, a small village north of the Arctic Circle to begin construction on this winter's version of the ICEHOTEL. In preparation for the hotel's 20th anniversary, two of these artists, Americans Andre Landeros Michel and Dennis Rolland, will have two and a half weeks to transform their winning "Gotham on Ice" design into an ICEHOTEL suite. Like the rest of the hotel, the room will be constructed solely of snis (snow and ice) and their particular room will reflect inspiration from New York City's skyline, the music of Cole Porter, and memories of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The hotel is under construction during November and December and will open for overnight guests in January. The hotel can remain open to visitors through mid-April before the summer sun begins to melt the world's first and largest hotel made of ice. Accommodations vary at the ICEHOTEL, including 62 guest rooms, one deluxe suite, three group rooms, nine snow rooms, 29 ice rooms, and 20 art suites. A night in a deluxe suite will run you around $1,000 per night. Beyond the hotel's chilly walls, visitors can stay entertained with activities including dog- and reindeer-sledding, snowshoeing, moose tours on horseback, ice driving, and dining under a grandiose starlit display put on by the Northern Lights.
|
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
November 18, 2009
Notes from the Field: Winter Adventures in Yellowstone National Park
Gray wolf on the prowl in Yellowstone National Park (Corel)
It's no secret that winter in Yellowstone National Park is a magical season; think silent, snow-filled meadows and slopes, packs of wolves hustling across the valley floor, plus an absolute dearth of tourists. No, the secret here lies in the fact that many visitors—in winter or summer—fail to spend enough time here to appreciate the full diversity of the country's oldest park. Which is where the Yellowstone Association Institute (YAI), and more specifically its annual Field Seminar programs, comes in.
This non-profit offers a number of well-regarded winter programs, including an overnight "Wilderness First Aid" session ($230) and a two-night "Yellowstone's Winter Serengeti" seminar ($300) that tracks resident wildlife including bison, wolves, foxes, bighorn sheep, and river otters. Participants will spend their nights out in the field in YAI's Lamar Buffalo Field Campus in shared, rustic cabins, dining on self-provided food prepared in a communal kitchen. Spots are still available for these and other 2009-10 winter programs. Other YAI options include Lodging & Learning programs in partnership with parks concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts, as well as one-day private tours that can be organized for families and other small groups.
See a photo gallery of the wolves of Yellowstone National Park, first reintroduced back into the park in 1995.
|
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
November 06, 2009
Nau Lets You Test Apparel Before You Pay Full Price
We're huge fans of Nau, the apparel company who dared to break the mold by creating high-performance apparel from recycled materials, which boast all the expected backcountry and travel-friendly tech features without the hardcore, logo-centric look that often plagues other outdoor gear companies. They've already successfully initiated a donation program (wherein 2 percent of all purchases go to one of five social/environmental organizations), and recently they've stumbled on another innovation.
Dubbed the Changing Room, the customer can choose from a selection of Nau's line, pay only half price, and receive the product to try on and test over a 30-day period. Fall in love with what you've bought, and you pay the remainder of the price. Decide you can live without it? Send it back and receive a refund on the first payment. They even offer free UPS shipping—both ways.
It's one of the more innovative approaches we've seen in getting people in touch with some of the best products on the market, so give it a go. Our picks from what's currently in the Changing Room? For men, the three-layer Assylum Jacket ($450 regular price), perfect for any and all winter sports and après action. For the ladies? The water- and wind-resistant Shroud of Purin Hoody ($290 regular price), a great all-poly soft shell with hardcore performance and the right measure of aesthetic savvy.
|
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
November 05, 2009
Notes from the Field: Top Trips from Around the World
This month we're debuting Notes from the Field, a new column profiling the world's best adventures and outfitted tours. Sometimes we just need a little inspiration—not to mention, professional expertise—to get us on the road, so we've pinged our extensive network of operators, outfitters, guides, and writers out in the field to get their take on the best new trips, experiences, and up-and-coming destinations. First up, a video profile of a new 2010 bicycling itinerary along Croatia's Dalmatian Coast from DuVine Adventures. DuVine was recently nominated by National Geographic Adventure as one of the Best Outfitters on Earth for 2009.
Got an amazing trip you want to share? Contact us via the Email Us link above!
|
Comments (2) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
October 30, 2009
Adventures of a Lifetime: Sky2Sea International
We're excited to welcome Sky2Sea International (S2Si) as the newest provider on GORPtravel.com, an Away.com sister site that provides comprehensive listings for the world's best active vacations and adventure-travel trips. With over two decades of bespoke expedition-planning experience, S2Si runs wilderness trips through landscapes as diverse as the pristine rainforest in Guyana to an amazing one-week multisport expedition through Chilean Patagonia. Check out the video below for a glimpse of what to expect! This film shows the first 24-hour crossing of Patagonia by river, which was completed by a team of paddlers including S2Si guide Jon Clark.
Visit GORPtravel.com to discover thousands more adventures of a lifetime, from rafting the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River to hut-to-hut trekking in the Alps.
|
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
October 28, 2009
Getting Out There With Afar Magazine
Traveling home from a conference in Québec last week, I picked up a copy of the premier edition of Afar, the newest travel magazine to grace an already crowded category on airport newsstands. An hour later after a thoroughly absorbing in-flight read, I can report that I was impressed. The magazine is "for readers who are curious about everything the planet and its people have to offer," according to founder and editorial director Greg Sullivan. In this day and age, when magazines seek to impress with the most luxurious travel experiences imaginable or cater to a budget-minded, close-to-home crowd, Afar bites off the essence of experiential travel with an honest, open, and upbeat appraisal of the world we explore. A bimonthly publication to start, each issue of Afar will be organized under the typical See, Connect, and Go sections; its first edition profiled everything from Japan's costume-play fetish to a local's guide to East London to the world's best treetop lodging. As someone who reads a pile of travel magazines each month for work, I'm happy to say that this is one travel magazine that will open your eyes, mind, and heart—not just your wallet!
|
Comments (1) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
October 15, 2009
Sites We Like: EveryTrail.com
Mt Tamalpais at EveryTrail: Share and Plan your Trips
While researching the latest on Google Maps' rollout of its StreetView functionality to a limited number of hiking and biking trails this summer, I stumbled across a cool website called EveryTrail. This comprehensive hiking, trekking, and biking resource allows you to view tens of thousands of user-submitted trail guides that plot point-to-point information on an interactive map, along with user photos and other related information about the trail. Need details about climbing Yellowstone's popular Mount Washburn? Click here. Dreaming of ticking the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail off your list? Click here. Membership is free, plus you can export raw data into GPX or KML format for use in mobile maps or in Google Earth. Features in the pipeline will also include iPhone and GPS device downloads, making it even easier to hit the trail!
Love to hike? Then you'll love the revamped Trail Finder tool on Away.com's sister site, GORP.com. Browse thousands of hiking trails around North America, plus easily edit and add details through its new user wiki.
|
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
October 09, 2009
National Parks Photo Contest: And the Winner Is...
Mesquite Flats, Death Valley National Park (Erik Dresser)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Erik Dresser's photograph of the Mesquite Flat sand dunes in Death Valley National Park (pictured above) has been selected as the winner in our National Parks Photo Contest. Taken on a late September afternoon, here's how Erik got the shot:
"My girlfriend and I were in Las Vegas for a mini vacation (and to get engaged) last month and on our last day, we decided to take a day trip to Death Valley, which is about a two-hour drive away. I had seen photos of the dunes and knew that they would be at their most photogenic in the late afternoon, so I planned our trip so that we would reach them at around 6 p.m. It was very hot and windy that day so I went to a spot where the blowing wind would be back-lit by the sun. Despite shooting into the sun, the dunes still have a golden glow due the sunlight reflecting off the sand. This shot is at 200mm. I got some good close-up shots at 400mm, but I chose this one because it includes the ridgeline in the background to provide some scale to the scene."
Technical specifications:
Camera - Canon 1D Mark III
Lens - EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
Exposure - 200mm, 1/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
We were thrilled to receive over 200 entries for the contest, showcasing an amazing array of landscapes in 66 different parks and public lands across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the national parks claiming the highest representation of entries were Yellowstone National Park (31 entries), Glacier National Park (17 entries), Grand Canyon National Park (17 entries), Grand Teton National Park (15 entries), and Yosemite National Park (12 entries). Browse all of the entries here. Continue reading below the jump to view our five runners-up.
Thank you again, everyone, for taking part, plus a big thanks to Karine Aigner for joining us this week to judge our finalists. Karine is a senior photo editor with National Geographic Kids magazine. Here are her thoughts on the winning entry:
"For me, the winning image stood out because it was a different way capturing the Death Valley dunes, which are so often seen front-lit. After several rounds of judging we kept coming back to this image. It captures the the natural world's powerful, yet subtle beauty as well as spirit, and has wonderful layers of various textures from front to back—making the simple composition work. The back-lit sand creates a mood of anticipation. In all, the image beautifully captures a small moment, those that we often miss in our haste to take in and see as much as possible."
Continue reading "National Parks Photo Contest: And the Winner Is..." »
|
Comments (1) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
Mountain Hardwear's New Battery-Heated Jacket
Endlessly reliable gear and apparel manufacturer Mountain Hardwear has partnered with Ardica Moshi Power System to introduce the first jacket to offer electrically-powered heating on demand that's also prewired to power and recharge all variety of handheld electronics, from GPS devices, cell and smart phones, mp3 players, and digital cameras.
Available as of October 8, the jacket comes in men's and women's models (Refugium and Radiance, respectively) and retails for $240. The design includes a bevy of MH-approved tech features like a quilted body with ultra-thin insulation, fleece-lined hand pockets, laminated cuff tabs with Velcro closure, and a micro-chamois-lined chin guard in a refreshingly fashion-forward design. Moshi's standalone power system sells for $145, along with a $50 tech connector kit.
Depending on your tolerance for cold and your love of pocket electronics, this new product will either be the holy grail of snow-sports apparel or... just odd. But I suspect backcountry skiers and 'boarders, heli-skiers, and Gen Next resort-goers will eagerly embrace this latest advance.
Check back soon—we'll test it and give our input.
What do you think? Too much? Not enough?
|
Comments (0) | | | Email this post | | | TrackBack (0) | | | Permalink |
