Summer is here in full swing and there is no activity that will bring the family together like camping. Getting in the outdoors and connecting with nature will provide both you and your family with an experience that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. That being said, hitting the great outdoors isn’t just as easy as packing up the camping equipment and heading into the woods. No, you need the right destination in order to get the most … [Read more...]
Bold Colors are Gearing Up on Virginia’s Creeper Trail
A helicopter pilot by trade, my favorite way to take in the fall foliage for years has been to cruise around on a sunny day at about five hundred feet when colors are at their peak. It was my favorite - until I rode a bicycle down Virginia’s Creeper Trail in autumn. Sure, the more vertically challenged can still get great expansive views by driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway or Skyline Drive. Still, there is just something about being in the … [Read more...]
28th Annual Sedona Arts Festival
Held against the backdrop of Sedona's breathtaking red rock vistas, the Sedona Arts Festival will present its 28th annual fine art festival on Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. Attracting artists from across the country, this renowned festival will showcase a diverse line up of over 100 juried artists as well as live music, food and art fun for the kids. The Sedona Arts Festival is held on the campus of Sedona Red Rock High School, … [Read more...]
How to Prepare and Pack Like a Pro for a Trip
After 20+ years of traveling, a question I am asked every now and then is, "I will be traveling to (fill in the destination here) - how should I pack?" And the answer that I always reply with is, "pack light"! I'm less concerned with how long you are going for and where you are going - as I have lightweight options that will work for general travel to most destinations on the planet regardless of whether your trip is a week or 2 months. One … [Read more...]
CACVB Announces the ‘Capture Charlottesville and Albemarle’ Photography Contest
Deadline to Submit Photos is September 16, 2016 Charlottesville - The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau announced today a lucrative summer photography contest designed to identify the most captivating pictures of both Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The ‘Capture Charlottesville and Albemarle’ Photography Contest asks visitors and local photographers to share their most captivating snapshots of the area and compete … [Read more...]
Here Be Dragons: The “Sacred Terror” of the Alps of Switzerland
"Placed on this planet since yesterday, and only for a day, we can only hope to glimpse the knowledge that we will probably never attain." -Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, 1796 Dateline: Mount Pilates, Switzerland I've penned a few books that have been placed in the category of "wilderness travel." But perhaps the first to stock this shelf was the eighteenth-century mountaineer Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who wrote in his opus, Voyages … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh: Land of Celebrities
I am a self-acknowledged history nerd with a film degree. I had no idea that Pittsburgh had an abundance of sites covering my two big interests - colonial and current celebrities. Mostly I am interested in the places celebrities were - so that I can stand in, sit on, or touch the same spot. I imagine I am forging a connection that transcends space and time, that the celebrity's genius energy can infiltrate my own and affect it in a positive … [Read more...]
Land Rover Launches Competition: Win Trip to Space
Four aspiring adventurers will win a trip to space with launch of Land Rover’s ‘Galactic Discovery’ competition Adventurers Sir Richard Branson, Bear Grylls, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Virginia McKenna help launch Land Rover’s trip of a lifetime to celebrate debut of New Discovery Sport New compact SUV is premiered through online video, filmed at Spaceport America, the home of Virgin Galactic Global competition expected to … [Read more...]
2013 Travel Writing Contest Winners & Honorable Mentions
Of all the past travel writing contests, this was the most difficult year to narrow down the entries to the top three winners. We initially selected 11 from over 100 entries. One entry stood out from the others and was the unanimous choice for our top spot. After discussion among the three judges - the three top entries are: Bring Adventure Back to Europe, by Richard Bangs Without An Address, You Can’t Go Home, … [Read more...]
Virginia is for Foodies
Even if you arrive in Virginia knowing not a soul, don’t be surprised if you leave feeling as if you’ve broken bread and shared drink with good folk who are now friends. That’s the way Virginia strikes me. I come here to eat, drink and contemplate its natural beauty, but am most deeply affected by its people. It’s a truly welcoming place, even to a Northern stranger like me. I recently road- tripped my way through the Commonwealth in search … [Read more...]