Category: Adventure Travel

Apr

12

Tidepooling

Posted by Darya Mead

Local Bay Area residents or visitors from out of town will love taking the family tide pooling at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve on a sunny day down the coast from San Francisco near Montara in San Mateo County. It is about a half hour drive from the city just a few miles north of Half Moon Bay. It can be crowded but the excitement in finding star fish, or sea stars as my five-year-old says they are now called, is immense.

Bring your water sandals and be prepared for some slippery rocks. Check the tides so you can be sure to have the best conditions for viewing. Harbor seals bask in the sun out on the rocks and kids and adults alike enjoy an up close and personal look at the sea life. You can see barnacles, sea stars, limpets, crabs, anemones, sponges and nudibranchs in the area sometimes called the Splash Zone. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Budget Travel, California, Family Travel, Feature, Hike/Backpack, Tide Pools, United States

Feb

8

Skiing with Kids

Posted by Darya Mead

As rain pours down, I know the dry creeks and reservoirs, thirsty plants and animals are all happy, as are the avid skiers in Northern California. The slopes may be less crowded this year, but for many, even if the economy is taking a beating, the call of the snow is just too powerful.

I have skied downhill many times and do love the thrill, but have come to appreciate cross country skiing greatly, particularly since having kids. When they were young I pulled both my boys in sleds, wrapping them in blankets, like little Russian Princes, with snacks and toys in the sled. They both took naps while I, in a complete sweat, trudged through the glorious snow; I absolutely loved that feeling.

Now they are a bit older and are interested in skiing on their own. Recently, I read an online missive in one of my mom’s groups. The message linked to an article by Gigi Stahl about skiing with your preschooler or kindergartener and I thought it was quite helpful and funny. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, California, Cross Country Skiing, Family Travel, Lake Tahoe, Northern California, Skiing, Snowboarding, Winter Fun

Feb

4

Palmyra Atoll

Posted by Darya Mead

As one of his last official acts in office, President Bush declared three new national marine monuments last month, expanding the area under strict protection in the Pacific Ocean. One of these sites is Palmyra Atoll, a pristine Line Island in the South Pacific. This remote destination features classic coral reefs, mostly untouched by humans, that can provide scientists with baseline data on what a healthy reef ecosystem should look like.

Palmyra was first claimed by the Hawaiian Kingdom and later annexed by the US in 1898. Statehood for the Aloha state in 1959 did not include Palmyra, and today it is primarily privately owned by the Nature Conservancy, with the rest owned by the US government and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Continue reading »

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Feature, Travel, Travel Tips

Jan

30

Rainforest Renewal

Posted by Darya Mead

Trekking through the Brazilian Amazon Rain Forest, so much was made clear to me about the importance of these ecosystems: the interconnectedness of plants and animals, the habitat and the horror of the destruction of our planet.

Like many, I have tried to eat less meat, support legitimate ventures that protect the jungle environment and visit various rainforests to enjoy and learn more about them. Whether soaring above the canopy on a zip line, boating down the Amazon or hiking to an idyllic tropical waterfall in Fiji, rainforests are hot travel destinations. I nearly coughed up my granola this morning as I read a front page story in The New York Times entitled: New Jungles Prompt a Debate on Saving the Primeval Rainforests.

The key word is “debate” and controversy there will be about this article, I am sure, but it was a fascinating read. The premise of the article is that as fast as original rainforests are being decimated by farming, logging and industry (about 38 million acres a year), replacement forests are growing at a much faster rate. Continue reading »

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Birdwatching, Brazil, Caribbean, Eco Friendly Travel, South Pacific

Jan

27

The Finest Walk in the World

Posted by Larry Habegger

Who wouldn’t want to hike a trail with such a reputation? Where might this place be? Favorite hikes of mine include Nepal’s Mt. Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar trek via Namche Bazaar; the network of trails around Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen Valley and Grindelwald; backpacking trails in California’s Marble Mountain Wilderness, the Sierra Nevada, and Yosemite.

Others might choose the Inca Trail in Peru; the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain; pub-to-pub walking in the Cotswolds of England; the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

I’ve been tempted by the Overland Track in Tasmania. But Robert D. Hershey Jr. extols the virtues of the Milford Track in New Zealand in a recent story in The New York Times. As far back as 1908 this 33.5-mile trail was called the finest walk in the world and many hikers feel it’s true today.

After reading Hershey’s story I’m ready to start planning a trip south. How about you?

2 Comments | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Asia, Australia, California, Camping, England, Europe, Feature, France, Hike/Backpack, Nepal, New Zealand, Northern California, Peru, South America, Spain, Switzerland, Tasmania, United Kingdom, United States

Jan

20

Seascape Resort

Posted by Darya Mead

You have to rally when it is a good friend’s 40th birthday. I almost didn’t. I was feeling overwhelmed with work and family obligations, but I knew it would do me good to get away.

My friend’s birthday fell on Inauguration Day so she really wanted to celebrate this year for many reasons. The weather was so glorious and we were headed to this resort called Seascape in Aptos, California. Just a few minutes south of Santa Cruz, this lovely spot is a great respite from the frantic city life I call my existence.

Five moms were headed to this condo to celebrate our good friend’s momentous birthday. The trip started out like some AbFab meets Sex in the City moment with three of us in a Volvo in heels, driving down Highway 1 at 10 p.m. It was pitch black and we were jabbering away about the economy when I thought I heard a plane crashing (the USAIR flight crash landing on the Hudson River fresh in my mind). Turns out, the front tire blew. It was terrifying…. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Books, California, Cruises, Family Travel, Feature, Northern California, Santa Cruz, South America, Spa/ Resort, United States, Yoga

Jan

4

Hot Spots for 2009?

Posted by Larry Habegger

Where will we travel this year? What are the “hot” places? Naturally this depends more on you than on anyone or anything else. The media can tell you what they think are the emerging spots for exciting travel but it all comes down to what you like and what you want to do.

That’s the whole idea behind Triporati, helping you discover places based on what interests you. But it’s still fun to see what others think are the best places for the coming year, even if it’s only to decide where not to go.

Lara Dunston, Triporati’s Persian Gulf and Eastern Europe expert, has been culling media lists of top travel destinations for her “Cool Travel Guide” blog. Check it out and see who recommends Algeria, Beirut, Cartagena, Istanbul, Oman, Tallinn, Tel Aviv, and Vilnius. Then see what Lara recommends.

Personally, I like Mürren, Switzerland for winter sports and Bohol, Philippines for a tropical adventure.

2 Comments | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Feature, Travel

Dec

15

The Deaths of Two Amazing Travelers

Posted by Larry Habegger

Many of us like to believe that we’re remarkable travelers, having visited dozens if not hundreds of countries and connected with people in many cultures, but a news story in today’s San Francisco Chronicle about the death in Venezuela of a husband-and-wife team of travelers brought home what one meaning of the phrase “world traveler” is: one who never stops traveling.

How many of us will continue fearlessly roaming the globe into our 90s? That’s right, our 90s? The odds are that few of us will even reach our 90s but the amazing Hugh and Elsie Chang of Walnut Creek, California did just that, and perhaps they would have continued into their 100s if their lives had not been cut short in a boating accident on the way to see Sapo Falls the day before heading to Angel Falls.

Hugh Chang was 92 and Elsie was 90. We should all be so lucky to live the way they lived, to see what they saw, and to keep going until only an accident can stop us.

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Venezuela

Dec

11

Adventure Travel in Jordan

Posted by Larry Habegger

Usually what comes to mind when one thinks of traveling to Jordan is the ancient red-rock city of Petra or the modern metropolis of Amman sprawling over its seven hills. Not many people think of national parks, wildlife, eco-travel, or extreme sports, but Jordan has a lot to offer the adventurous traveler.

You can rappel down the waterfalls of Wadi Mujib, explore the desert and Bedouin camps of Wadi Rum, search for the Syrian wolf and horned ibex in the Dana Nature Reserve, and paraglide in the Mujib Gorge, among other adventures.

Jordan came to environmental conservation early for countries in the Middle East, establishing the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in 1966, and creating the Dana Nature Reserve in 1989. Associated Press reporter Dale Gavlak wrote about many possibilities for adventure in his Dec. 10 AP story.

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Africa & Middle East, Desert Travel, Eco Friendly Travel, Feature, Jordan, Travel

Dec

9

The Back of Beyond in Suriname

Posted by Larry Habegger

There are lots of places on the planet that qualify as the back of beyond, but the tropical South American nation of Suriname can certainly lay claim to the title, as Andy Isaacson reveals in his Dec. 7 story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Once upon a time, long before Costa Rica became a prime eco-tourism destination for North American travelers, Suriname was a haven for birdwatchers, but political troubles in the 1980s shut down the country’s small tourism industry. Just when the country was about to sell off big chunks of forestland to timber interests, Conservation International stepped in and helped convince the government to stake its future on conservation and eco-tourism development rather than strip out its natural resources. Continue reading »

1 Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Birdwatching, Eco Friendly Travel, South America, Suriname, Travel

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