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Put Yonder on Your Smart Phone

Employed as a travel and outdoors writer these past 23 years, my main goal has always been to direct people to locales that have inspired me. That’s why I love the new technology, because it makes it even easier to find gems in the rough. Take the app, Yonder, designed by a Vermont-based company, Green Mountain Digital, which just received a fresh influx of cash from Monster Worldwide. The photo/video sharing app helps you to locate nearby natural wonders. So if I’m hanging out in Burlington for the day and want to work off that growler of Switchback Ale, I can find a nearby hike to a waterfall or sea kayak to a lonely Lake Champlain isle, all recommended by locals who know the region well. What Yelp did for food, Yonder will do for nature. 

 

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My Top 5 Adventures in 2009, Biking the Shores of Keuka Lake

Known for its award-winning Rieslings, the Finger Lakes deserve its reputation as one of the best spots in America to go wine tasting. Yet, its resplendent beauty also lends itself well to adventure. At the southern end of Seneca Lake, we hiked alongside a handful of waterfalls in the famous gorge of Watkins Glen. The next morning, my wife and I kayaked through a cattail-laden marsh and saw countless herons, turtles, and a beaver. Talk about adventure—a 40-pound carp jumped out of the marsh and slammed against my arm as I shrieked. But my favorite part of the weeklong trip was a quiet bike ride along a peninsula that juts into Keuka Lake. Start your ride from Keuka College and follow East and West Bluff Roads as they pass the small waterfront cottages with cute names like Hide N’ Seek. There’s one killer hill on the 20-mile ride that takes you atop a bluff, before cruising downhill back to the college. Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with a lobster roll and glass of semi-dry Riesling at Heron Hill’s outdoor café. We were fortunate to book the next two nights at the Black Sheep Inn in Hammondsport, on the northern tip of Keuka Lake. Owners Debbie Meritsky and Marc Rotman spent over 6 years refurbishing the rare octagonal-shaped house, which celebrated its 150th birthday in 2009. See my review of the wines at Everett Potter’s Travel Report.

 

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Best Road Trips for Fall Foliage

Of America’s four seasons, fall might have the most star power. There are 24-hour toll-free hotlines to keep you informed of nature’s progress, and even webcams pointed at maples and aspens to report daily changes in leaf color. Then there are the traffic jams—fall-crazed paparazzi pouring out of cities like New York and Boston to snap forest-themed Instagrams. You don’t have to spend hours behind the wheel, though, to enjoy the season’s kaleidoscopic splendor. Avoid the crowds by sticking to one of my slower, off-the-grid routes, just posted on the Executive Travel website. Better yet, leave your ride behind and walk to a scenic vista or hidden waterfall, where autumn’s vivid colors reflect off the water. Enjoy! 

 
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Wrong Way Penguin Starting to Eat Salmon

I love the story out of New Zealand three weeks ago that an Emperor penguin took a wrong turn while swimming in Antarctica and ended up 2,000 miles to the north, on the shores outside of Wellington. It was the first time in 44 years that an Emperor penguin has been sighted in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the young lad, who Kiwis are calling “Happy Feet,” started to eat sand, mistaking it for ice. He has since had four surgeries at the Wellington Zoo to remove all twigs and sand and is now on a fresh diet of salmon. The zoo hopes to keep him for another month, so he can regain his strength before hopefully making the long trek back home.
 

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Warsaw Rebuilds And Reclaims Its Former Glory

“Before World War II, Warsaw was more beautiful than Prague, than Budapest,” said Joanna Maria Olejek, a translator living in the heart of the city. But then, of course, the Nazis came in and destroyed 85 percent of the city, pinpointing the most important cultural attractions. Stalin swiftly followed Hitler to clean up the mess and give the city a nice communist sheen. Look at the expanse of multistoried apartments, sprinkled with high-rise hotels, and you yearn for a more compelling skyline.

 
Seeing the city with my brother, Jim, last April after he had screened his latest movie at a film festival, I quickly learned the vitality of this city is best found at street level. Classy restaurants and bars beckon the growing number of international visitors who come to the city to make a buck. Property development looms everywhere, as evidenced by the number of cranes perching above high-rise condos and office buildings, some designed by world-class architects like Norman Foster and Daniel Libeskind. Best of all, Poland still uses the local currency, the zloty, and won’t change over to the euro anytime soon. So Warsaw remains far more affordable for Americans than Paris and other cities in the Eurozone.
 
To read my latest story for Global Traveler, please click here. 
 
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5 Adventures on a Shoestring, Sea Kayaking Baja’s Sea of Cortez

Warm water, uninhabited islands, sheltered coves, and abundant marine life including dolphins and blue whales, are the reasons why Baja’s Sea of Cortez is one of the premier kayaking grounds. Mexican Ana Lopez and her Canadian husband Peter Marcus started Gabriola Cycle & Kayak over two decades ago before selling their kayaking venture to their experienced guides. Expect the same level of comfort and expertise. Their 4-day winter trips bring you from Loreto to the Sea of Cortez, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that protects the feeding grounds of the Blue Whale. You’ll paddle approximately four hours each day and spend the rest of your time snorkeling, fishing, and lounging on deserted beaches. Trips cost $675 Canadian or $485 US, including kayak rentals, guide, and meals. No paddling experience necessary. 

 
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Tauck Tours Announces Partnership with Ken Burns

Ken Burns, the documentarian known for his PBS series on the “Civil War,” “Baseball,” and “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” has just teamed up with Tauck World Discovery to create tours based on his documentaries. Burns will also create a series of short films to help supplement the itineraries, which are located throughout the US. Tauck, who has been bringing guests to the National Parks since 1926 and currently has 12 parks on its itinerary, seems like a perfect fit for Burns’ wealth of history. Stuck on a bus between sites, you might as well learn everything you need to know about the creation of Yellowstone National Park before you arrive. The first tour starts in 2011.
 

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