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Hiking in the Alps from Leysin to Berneuse

Come winter, Montreux serves as a base for skiers who want the cosmopolitan feel of a city after spending a day on the slopes. It’s only an hour train ride to the exclusive resort town of Gstaad, 90 minutes to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. If you want to stay closer to town, you can simply hop on a train to Aigle and then take the mountain train up to Leysin, a great family ski area. Yesterday we did exactly that to hike up to the top of the ski area and lunch at the revolving restaurant, Le Kuklos. The Swiss trains that climb slowly up the steep mountainside are an engineering marvel, rewarding us with great views of the green valley below. 

 
Our hike started in Leysin, where we spotted a class of young schoolchildren rock climbing. Obviously, a love of outdoor recreation in the mountains starts at an early age in Switzerland. We were at an altitude of 4,429 feet surrounded by the mighty peaks of the Swiss and French Alps, but unfortunately socked in by thick clouds. Our first stop was a cheesemaker, L’Alpage Temeley, who was creating rounds of Gruyere and Tomme Vaudoise cheese in massive 900 liter vats. Soon we were climbing up a series of switchbacks, smelling the sweet pine and hearing church bells and the occasion cow bells from the valley below. Every now and then the layers of clouds would disrobe and we were treated to a mind-boggling view of the Dents du Midi, a dome of serrated ridges that top out over 10,000 feet. The summit of mighty Mont Blanc, standing to the left of the Dents du Midi at 15,781 feet, pierced a dense cloud. 
 
Two hours and 2300 feet later, we were dining at Le Kuklos, staring at the nearby twin peaks of the Tour d’Ai (look like arrowheads) as the restaurant moved around in a circle. We dined on venison and cheese rösti, not my typical lunch food, washed down with a delightful dry white wine from nearby Aigle, Merveilles des Roches. Thankfully, we only had to take the gondola ride back to town because after the heavy food, I was ready for a nap! 
 
I want to thank Gayle Conran, François Michel, and everyone else at the Région du Léman (Lake Geneva Region) Tourism Office who came up with authentic travel suggestions and helped make this a very special week! I’ll be back home on Monday with my favorite food finds in the Lake Geneva Region. Ciao for now and merci beaucoup for checking in!
 

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Seasonal Offerings from CLIF Bars

Travel as much as I do and it’s always wise to have several Clif Bars in your backpack. I munch on them as a snack during outdoor adventures or as a meal when I take flights that don’t serve food. Last week, out on my last bike ride of the fall foliage season here in New England, I went to my local supermarket and was happy to find Clif Bars that fit the season, Spice Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, and Iced Gingerbread. Yes, just like my favorite brewers concoct an Oktoberfest or pumpkin ale this time of year, Clif Bars is putting out some intriguing offerings that fit the season. I loved the Spiced Pumpkin Pie, perfect for an autumn outing. My son, Jake, wouldn’t share the Pecan Pie bar. All he said was that “it was sweet and crunchy and that they should sell it year round.” 

 
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September is the Best Month to Paddle the Allagash or Penobscot Rivers in Maine

Mid-September is my favorite time of year to paddle the legendary Allagash or Penobscot Rivers in Maine’s North Woods. Mosquitoes and congestion on the rivers are gone, replaced by early foliage colors and moose standing in the shallow waters. The first week of the Maine moose hunt takes place September 23-30 in 2012. So it’s best to get here before that time, unless you like to see your moose dead, on the back of a trailer bed. Go with a reputable registered Maine guide like Mahoosuc Guide Service, who know these waterways like the back of their hand. My story on canoeing the West Branch of the Penobscot River with Mashoosuc co-owner, Kevin Slater, can be seen in the pages of Sierra Magazine. 
 
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What’s New In the World of Travel in 2016

We receive, on average, 500-plus press releases a day telling us about all the new hotel openings, adventures, tours, cruise ships, art exhibitions, and much, much more in the world of travel. That’s in addition to all the travel publications that arrive via snail mail. Believe it or not, we actually skim every one of those emails and magazines to see if anything excites us. If it meets our discerning eye, we pass it on to you. Every January, we highlight what’s new in the world of the travel in our newsletter. Obviously, this is the tip of the iceberg. Simply tell us where you’re headed and we’ll give you the scoop on what’s new. One slight addendum. We received word that the Ritz Paris had a fire in the building this week. This will no doubt push the reopening back once again. 

 
I’m off to Ithaca, New York, back on Monday. Have a great weekend and keep active!
 
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ActiveTravels Ranks No. 278 of World’s Top Travel Blogs 2018

Found out this week that ActiveTravels made the list of top travel blogs in the world, according to Gary Arndt’s Everything Everywhere. The extensive list was based on SEO metrics, but it’s obviously skewered toward his liking since Everything Everywhere is ranked number 4. Regardless, I appreciate the effort Gary took to finally have a list of travel bloggers all over the world. He mistakenly notes that I started blogging 19 years ago. I actually purchased the ActiveTravels URL 19 years ago but didn’t start blogging until 2009. It’s nice to be recognized for my work on the blog. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to check in now and then to find out what’s new in the world of travel. Keep it up so I can crack the Top 100 listing by 2020! 

 
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Backroads Announces New Slate of Trips in 2018

This is the time of year that I usually receive press releases from tour operators announcing new trips in 2018. Since I just returned from an outstanding Backroads trip to Switzerland, that one caught my eye. They are introducing 38 new trips in 2018, expanding greatly into South America and introducing more ocean cruise trips after the great success they had with Iceland this summer. The multi-adventure family trip to Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park sounds intriguing to me. My good friend, Eric Lucas, who writes regularly about Alaskan travel, has told me this is one of his favorite parts of the state—spectacularly beautiful with far less people than Denali. Biking around Cuba sounds like a great way to see the island. There’s also a new trip to northern Iceland that focuses on the Northern Lights. If interested in any of these trips, let ActiveTravels know and we’ll look into availability. 
 
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Learn to Sail This Winter off Captiva Island

South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida, (right next door to the better known Sanibel Island) will once again be offering three and five-day Learn to Sail packages for those looking to earn sailing certification while on vacation. Overseen by the renowned Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School, the courses can be taken in a fast-paced three-day curriculum with full eight-hour days or a more relaxed five-day schedule in half-day sessions. We prefer the latter, so you have time to bike through the alligators at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, look for seashells on the spanking white Gulf Coast beaches, and search for manatees in the waters. Rates for the three-day Learn to Sail package start at $1,350 per person including the sailing certification course, resort accommodations, textbooks, Colgate Day Sailing certification, diploma and logbook, based on double occupancy. Courses are open to all skill levels, minimum age seven with adult.

 

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