Close to Zion National Park and several state parks and surrounded by mesmerizing red rock formations, St. George, Utah is a fantastic destination to enjoy the beauty America’s Southwest. Less than a two hours’ drive northwest of Las Vegas, you’ll quickly fall in love with the sweeping vistas, sandy dunes and tall slot canyons that dominate the landscape. While there are dozens of fabulous hikes to explore in this area, narrowing down the … [Read more...]
Cultivate L.A. 2014, Beverly Hills
Cultivate LA is an annual event organized by United Friends of the Children and has become a major fundraiser for Los Angeles area foster kids. This organization helps provide housing and educational opportunities for these kids. This year Cultivate L.A. was held in the Holmby Hills at the opulent Pritzker Estate, one of the largest homes in Los Angeles. This mega mansion is owned by an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune and encompasses some … [Read more...]
The Stranger Side of Travel
See dem hills? I live in dem hills… The man pointing at the blue-green hills in question was talking to my mother. He looked like Billy Ray Cyrus -- if Mr. Cyrus had less teeth and a meth-addiction. We were in rural Australia, and this young man with an uncanny resemblance to a junkie version of the popular country singer was doing his best to woo my mother. My teenage sister and I were highly amused. Over a decade later, we still … [Read more...]
Ruby Canyon: An Isolated Jewel of the West
The one and only time I passed through Ruby Canyon was on my way west aboard Amtrak's California Zephyr. It was on my trip to start a new life in California in May 2013. Located on the Colorado River on the Colorado-Utah border, the only access to the canyon, other than the passing through on the Union Pacific Railroad lines that Amtrak uses for the Zephyr, is the river(i.e.rafting). It is a marvelous site to behold. The canyon is roughly … [Read more...]
Emily Kaufman, The Travel Mom
I first met Emily at a travel meetup in Los Angeles several years ago - I was impressed by how easily public speaking comes to her and also by the fact that she has been doing something she loves for so long (she started her website way back in 1996). She continues to be the go to person for travel tips as well as a valuable resource for family related travel questions. She is much sought after as a travel expert -regularly making appearances … [Read more...]
Accidentally falling in love with the California Zephyr
I haven’t always been enamored with trains. In my past travels, I had been on several rails both in the United States on the east coast and also through small parts of Europe. Those times however, I was too young and naive to appreciate the significance and beauty of a well-placed rail. Now, more than three months into my newly nomadic lifestyle and about 10 years since my last rail adventure overseas, trains have become a larger and more … [Read more...]
Sport Chalet to Collect Coats for Clothes4Souls
Customers are invited to donate their gently worn winter coats and in return Sport Chalet will give them a special offer on any new winter coat Nashville, TN - November 16, 2010 - Coming alongside their nationwide drives to collect shoes, Soles4Souls announced in early 2010 the launch of their new charitable division Clothes4Souls. Due to the success of the recent Sport Chalet shoe drives the two companies are partnering again to launch a new … [Read more...]
Classic Motorsport Routes
Classic Motorsport Routes by Richard Meaden Coffee table book, 224 pages of race routes and color photos. This book predominately covers famous historical racing routes in Europe but towards the end of the book you find routes in the mid and western USA. A must have for any racing car enthusiast - work these routes into a vacation! Very nice write-up on Pike's Peak and the fast courses of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA. … [Read more...]
Between a Rock & a Hard Place
Between a Rock & a Hard Place by Aron Ralston Aron has always loved the outdoors and climbing mountains. This is the incredible story of one man being in the wrong place at the wrong time and his ensuing entrapment in a remote canyon in Utah. He eventually arrives at the final decision he has to make in order to "free" himself. This is a gripping story that develops as the trapped man comes to terms with his situation and his ultimate … [Read more...]
A Story of Travel and of a Girl
This is a story of a travel and of a girl; of long ago memories. So long ago that I cannot even remember the girl's real name, nor many of the places; only that it inspired love. What better trip is there than that? It started as a mini-trip to San Francisco with a college roommate. He and I were to travel on a budget of zero dollars, excluding a full tank of gas. We wanted to see Haight-Ashbury, the hippy scene of '67. After collecting glass … [Read more...]