After visiting the original Ballarat in Australia about 90 minutes outside of Melbourne earlier this year, I got the urge to visit it's tiny relative in the Mojave Desert, California. I drove across what looked like a salt plane - some rare recent rain had muddied the road and left my windshield covered in white droplets. I pulled into the old town, originally founded in 1897, it's boom was a few short years before the nearby mine shut down in … [Read more...]
Catching Fish and Memories at Waterfall Resort, Alaska
On an unusually clear day in Southeast Alaska, I find myself peering out the window of a float plane several thousand feet above a swath of wilderness alternating between dense forest and sparkling dark blue lakes. Our pilot was in shorts and a t shirt displaying a prominent skull decked out in a red bandanna framed by the 'cross hairs' of a propeller. I was with a group of journalists on a plane operated by Pirate Airworks. Our departure city … [Read more...]
Visiting Ketchikan, Alaska
For a tiny town, Ketchikan is full of big experiences. Self titled as one of the rain capitals of the country, they average some 13 feet of rain a year, otherwise known as liquid sunshine! One can normally expect to get wet regardless of the time of year visiting. However, remarkably during our two days in town, we had bright blue sunny skies the entire time. When we told people who had been here before and showed them photographs to prove … [Read more...]
Exploring One of my Favorite Domestic Cities
Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own and were not directed by Capital One. To learn more about the Capital One Venture Card, visit: https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/venture I boarded the plane in Las Vegas to New Orleans after just about breaking even on a quick play of several slot machines in the airport (a unique airport feature!). I knew this wasn't a typical flight when I saw all the Silver and … [Read more...]
And the Winner is… New Orleans!
Thank you Capital One for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own and were not directed by Capital One. To learn more about the Capital One Venture Card, visit: https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/venture I was standing in front of camera in HotelTonight's headquarters in San Francisco as part of some work I was doing to help promote a partnership recently announced between Capital One and HotelTonight. I had just spun a wheel which … [Read more...]
Great American Road Trips: The Olympic Peninsula Loop
Introduction Quite simply, Highway 101 that circles the Olympic Peninsula has it all. The approximately 330-mile-long loop offers a bucket-list of natural wonders that have to be seen to be believed. Pristine lakes, waterfalls, striking shorelines, expansive mountain top vistas and even rainforests are all accessible along this stretch of road. Starting Point No matter what interests you most, almost any point along the loop is a good … [Read more...]
Handcrafted San Francisco Experience + Giveaway, Stearns & Foster + Jetsetter
It had been a few years since I had spent any time in San Francisco; during my prior visits it always seemed like the city was blanked in fog - not so this trip. Apparently some of the best months to visit San Francisco are in September and October, when the fog often stays at bay and and visitor's are greeted by beautiful sunshine. This was a handcrafted trip arranged by Stearns & Foster to experience some memorable moments in San Francisco … [Read more...]
Wine Tasting with NatureBox in the Napa Valley
Arguably the Napa Valley is the most well-known wine region in the entire country. I am fortunate to spend significant time in the area. In my "other" life I am a wine writer focusing on the Napa Valley. I'm working on a project in which I am trying to visit, taste with and write about nearly all wineries and commercial producers in the Napa Valley. This project has also opened up some additional wine writing gigs, recently for the Four Seasons … [Read more...]
Saskatchewan, Moldovan Wine Cave & a Saskatoon Restaurant: How do they all Connect?
As we descended onto the twinkling lights of Saskatoon below we flew next to a significant lightning storm. Jagged bolts of lightning lit up massive thunderheads for a moment - alternating between bright white and pink light. This lightning is the cause of hundreds of fires that are burning out of control in the northern part of the province having displaced some 13,000 people. The economy seems to be doing well here according to my driver … [Read more...]
El Salvador Wedding and Lago De Coatepeque
I am sitting on the edge of Lago De Coatepeque in El Salvador on an early morning - wakened early by the suns first rays hitting my face from my cozy spot on the floor, wedged between two sofas. Last night I vaguely remembered stumbling in around 2am. Lacking in the sleep department and heavy in the alcohol recovery, I feel surprisingly well for just a few hours of sleep. Last night was a blur, it was my cousin's wedding and it was epic. The … [Read more...]
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