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April Newsletter Now Available at ActiveTravels.com

Besides being on call when mishaps happen and earning the chance to win free hotel stays, another integral part of an ActiveTravels membership is our monthly newsletter. These stories are not the usual travel fluff you see in magazines. They’re first-hand insightful commentary curated from over 20 years of being a travel writer. Or a topical news peg like an intriguing new resort that comes across our desk. Since we started ActiveTravels, we have been churning out these monthly newsletters hoping to inspire your travels. One of our long-term goals was to categorize each of our headings, so you can have this library of information at your fingertips. We’re happy to report that it’s now available on our website. Simply type in your password and you’ll find more than 15 Quick Escapes, ideal for a weekend getaway. Or check out our main feature, “News from the Road,” which tackles one region at a time, like the Greek Isles, Kenya, French Polynesia, or the Canadian Rockies. 

 
Hopefully, we inspired you to travel this month with our feature story in the April issue on Bermuda, hotels we recommend in Prague, a Quick Escape to Portsmouth, and a new website that allows you to reserve flights for extended periods of time without full payment. 
 
Happy Travels!
 
Steve and Lisa 
 

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A Well Deserved Best Chef in the Southwest Nod to Steve McHugh

In May 2014, my sister and I walked into a new restaurant in San Antonio called Cured and were blown away by dish after dish. Everything presented that meal was masterful from the selection of innovative charcuterie to the symphony of favors found in that ridiculously good pig’s head dish. “Crawfish Love Letter” was a tribute to the decade Cured’s chef Steve McHugh spent in New Orleans as chef de cuisine to John Besh. Even the mundane burger, a patty made with bacon and topped with smoked onion and homemade American cheese was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. All delivered in a classic 1904 space in the burgeoning Pearl District (see my story on this emerging foodie neighborhood in The Washington Post). So I was delighted to read last week that McHugh is getting the acclaim he deserves, chosen as one of the semi-finalists by the James Beard Foundation as one of the Best Chefs in the Southwest. He’s the only nominee from San Antonio, which I find hard to believe, because it’s one of my favorite places to dine in America. Do yourself a favor this spring and book a room in the new Hotel Emma, housed in a former 19th-century brewery, and simply walk to dinner every night in the Pearl District to one of the 15 restaurants. You’ll thank me. 

 
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Adventures in Oregon, Rafting the Deschutes River

Phil Black was a competitive fly-fisherman, flying all across the globe to compete in fishing contests. Then he took one taste of the Deschutes, hooking the unique rainbow trout called the “redsides” and the gluttony of steelheads, and he never left central Oregon. Now Black spends his day guiding adrenalin junkies down the Deschutes whitewater with Imperial River Company. My brother Jim and I had the pleasure of his company one morning last week as we cruised a 13-mile stretch of the Class II-IV rapids. The setting was serene, with the river hemmed in by the rolling desert hills. Ospreys and great blue herons flew overhead while anglers in waders threw out their flies at water’s edge. The morning was a blur as we paddled through rapids with names like Devil’s Hole and Rodeo. At Boxcar, Phil couldn’t avoid a large hole and both Jim and I were tossed from the raft for a nice refreshing dip in the river. We popped up quickly thanks to our life jackets and Phil pulled us back in the raft. I often write that it’s the spontaneous mishaps in travel that create the most poignant memories. Getting propelled from a raft with your brother is one of those experiences I won’t soon forget. 
 
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See the Stars at Natural Bridges National Monument

If you want to extend the longest day of the year into night, consider heading to Natural Bridges National Monument in southeast Utah. People who venture here can’t wait for the sun to finally set. Designated the world’s first International Dark Sky Park, the night skies above the park are considered the darkest in the country due to lack of light pollution. Under the guidance of an astronomy ranger, you’ll see a gazillion stars light up the Milky Way and find constellations you never knew existed. The bright night sky shines an ethereal light on the canyon walls and rock bridges to create a magical lunar-like landscape. The perfect way to start the summer! 

 

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