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Ipswich is the Perfect Overnight from Boston

With one of the finest stretches of coastline in New England, Crane Beach, and an iconic fried clam joint called The Clam Box, Ipswich makes a great overnight from Boston. It’s less than an hour’s drive and you can stay on the Crane Estate and walk the beach before breakfast, when they’ll be nobody there except you. See the story I wrote on Ipswich in yesterday’s Boston Globe. 
 
I have my family coming in for a cousin’s wedding and then I’m off to Detroit next week. I’ll be back June 4th with my five favorite small outfitters I’ve had the pleasure of traveling with. In the meantime, keep active!
 
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Rangeley, Maine Hosts Moose Calling Championship

For many people, their image of Maine resembles a Winslow Homer canvas—the battering surf of the North Atlantic thrust against a boulder-strewn coastline, spewing foam high into the air. Yet, this massive state is more than mere ocean. The interior is one of the most undeveloped regions in the country, a blanket of forest filled with mile-high mountains traversed by the Appalachian Trail, colossal lakes, sinuous rivers such as the Kennebago and Penobscot, and too many ponds to count. The small village of Rangeley, hub to the Rangeley Lakes Region, is considered by many Mainers as the gateway to this vast tract of land. This is especially true if you drive out of town and spot moose searching for food at dawn or dusk. A personal favorite is Route 16, north of Rangeley to Stratton, where moose seem as prevalent as squirrels in suburbia.  

 
So it should come as no surprise that Rangeley will host the World Invitational Moose Calling Championship the weekend of June 22-24. The competitors will be judged in four categories: Cow Call, Bull Call, Other Attraction Techniques (props allowed) and Presentation/Sportsmanship. The first place winner will receive $1000. Restaurants and bars will be joining in the festivities with moose-themed specials like chocolate mousse, ‘moose’ whoopie pies, moose jewelry, and moose shots. Sounds like a good time for all, including the moose. 
 
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Rafting the Classic North American Rivers—Alaska’s Alsek and Tatshenshini Rivers

Two arms of the same river, the headwaters of the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers are in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. They converge shortly before entering Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. Both are stunningly beautiful runs through a United Nations World Heritage Site. The highest coastal mountains in the world and towering glaciers slide down to the river’s edge. The Alsek and its Class IV and V waters are for adrenalin junkies, while the Tat is a wee bit mellower ride. Consider the Tat to be North America’s version of the Zambezi, where hippos and crocs are replaced by grizzlies, moose, and bald eagles flying overhead. If I only had time for one of these classic whitewater runs I’ve discussed this week, I’d choose the Tat. 
 
I’m off to Nantucket to do a biking story for The Boston Globe. I’ll be back again on Wednesday. Have a great weekend and keep active!
 
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Rafting the Classic North American Rivers—Quebec’s Magpie

A mere 375 miles northeast of Montreal lies an immense wilderness in eastern Quebec that modernity has forgotten. Here, the Magpie River snakes through virgin forests of pine, hurtling down Class IV rapids in granite notches, before emptying into the St. Lawrence River. You’ll swim in glacial-carved lakes and dry off on rocks that only moose and bear have sunbathed on. Earth River Expeditions was the first outfitter to tackle the river and features an 8-day ride on the Magpie in August. 
 
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Rafting the Classic North American Rivers—BC’s Chilko River

One of the most exciting whitewater rafting runs in North America is a weeklong jaunt down the Chilko River in southwestern British Columbia. Take an hour seaplane flight from Vancouver to 4,000-foot high Chilko Lake. Then let the rollercoaster ride begin. You’ll cruise 130 miles, dropping 3,000 feet through a tumultuous blur of lava gorges and narrow chutes. Looming overhead are sloping carpets of forest and jagged peaks. And, on those rare moments when you slow down, you might find yourself staring at an eagle or grizzly. BC also stands for serious Bear Country, home to 12,000-plus grizzlies.

 
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Rafting the Classic North American Rivers—The Colorado River Through the Grand Canyon

Most folks make the mistake of driving to Grand Canyon, take a peek down at the mile-deep canyon and then leave. To truly appreciate the Grand Canyon, you need to spend some time at the bottom of that hole, rafting on the Colorado River. Whitewater enthusiasts take two weeks off to do the entire canyon run via paddles. If you don’t have that luxury of time, grab one of the six or seven-day motored trips that speed up when the river gets too mellow. That doesn’t happen often because this portion of the Colorado is an adrenalin-pumping Class IV run with some Class V rapids thrown in for good measure. Realize that the water on the river in the Grand Canyon is dam released and ice cold. To get excited for the journey, read The Exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons by John Wesley Powell. 

 
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Rafting the Classic North American Rivers—The Middle Fork of the Salmon River

May is the start of the whitewater rafting season in North America, and since I’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries lately about the best multi-day rafting trips on the continent, I’m going to review the classics this week. First up, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. 

 
One of the original rivers in the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and a centerpiece of Idaho’s 2.2 million acre River of No Return Wilderness, the Salmon River deserves its reputation as one of the premier whitewater runs in North America. Especially the Middle Fork which boasts more than a hundred rapids in as many miles. What this means is a rip-roaring ride through narrow canyon walls, with glimpses of bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain elk on the shores and eagles and ospreys flying overhead. Once you reach land, you can hike up side canyons, soak in natural hot springs, fish to your heart’s content, or use the time to gather your thoughts.
 
Outfitters have gone overboard in the past five years attracting clientele to the Middle Fork, featuring wine dinners with a Sonoma County sommelier or learning about travel writing with two pros in the business, Tim Cahill or Michael Shapiro. One outfitter hired a clown to entertain the kids at night. So whatever your interest, there’s a specialty tour for you. 
 
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A Highly Recommended Private Guide In Barcelona

When I mentioned to a friend that my husband and I were going to Barcelona, she recommended a private guide company, Hi This Is Barcelona. I could tell right away from their personalized email reply to my inquiry that this was a classy boutique organization. My husband and I took two of their ½-day tours. Seeing Barcelona through their guide was like shopping for a novel at an independent bookstore versus going to a chain store. Our guide had so much knowledge and passion about his adopted city and he was genuinely committed to sharing as much as possible. 
 
He met us at our hotel the first morning and gave us an overview of the Gothic area, geographically, culturally and historically. That introduction, which he elaborated on during our walk, gave us a full perspective on what we’d be seeing. During the tour, we had time to hear stories and anecdotes that weren’t in any of the guidebooks or websites we’d checked out before our trip. 
 
My husband wanted to photograph the city from various perspectives. During the Modernist tour, our guide brought us to rooftop locations with aerial views, and we always got there at prime time for best lighting conditions. He navigated us to the least crowded areas with the most interesting mix of architectural styles and shared insight about the lives of the architects, their relationships which each other and what was going on around them that was influential at the time.
 
After our tours, our guide recommended restaurants, specific shops, and day trips outside the city that catered to our interests. Compared to the places our hotel concierge suggested, our guide’s picks were places where we felt like insiders instead of tourists. We chose Barcelona as a destination because we needed to feed our souls with culture, history and great food and Hi This Is Barcelona made it all happen for us in a uniquely relaxing and stimulating way. I highly recommend it!
 
Posted by Guest Blogger, Robin Regensburg, co-founder of RainCastle Communications, a web design and marketing firm in Boston
 
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Free National Park App

This one comes from my wife, Lisa Leavitt, from her Tuesday Travel Tidbits column. If you’re not receiving the Tuesday Travel Tidbits or our monthly newsletters, send us your email and we’ll put you on the list. Until May 12, Chimani, a Yarmouth, Maine based company, will be offering free apps for Apple and Android users, who want guidance in the National Parks. Usually $4.99 to $9.99, the apps provide trail maps, ranger-led events, biking guides, and even the ever-important directions to find the restrooms in the parks! We have been very busy booking many of our clients on trips to the National Parks this summer, so this will come in handy. Some of the parks that Chimani covers are: Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion National Parks. 

 
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Win A Two Night Stay and Other Gifts from Burke, Vermont

Speaking to a small group of his constituents in Lyndonville, Vermont, in 1949, Senator George Aiken noted that “this is such beautiful country up here. It ought to be called the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.” The locals took the wise Senator’s advice. The Northeast Kingdom now consists of Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties, a large tract of land wedged between the Quebec and New Hampshire borders. In a state known for its rural setting (only Wyoming and Alaska contain fewer people), this is Vermont putting on its finest pastoral dress, with a few holes here and there. Wave after wave of unspoiled hillside form a vast sea of green and small villages and farms spread out in the distance under a few soaring summits. Here, inconspicuous inns and dairy cows have replaced the slick resorts and Morgan horses found in the southern part of the state, and the white steeples are chipped, not freshly painted. 

 
Indeed, it is the most authentic area in Vermont, a region that doesn’t put on any airs about attracting tourists. Well, maybe just a little. Burke, Vermont, in the Northeast Kingdom is offering a two-night giveaway for people who visit their Facebook Page and write what they like about the area. Here are some suggestions: biking on the best mountain biking network in New England, the Kingdom Trails. Staying at a beloved family-friendly B&B, the Wildflower Inn. Climbing Mount Pisgah above the glacially carved Lake Willoughby below. Dining on the fresh produce and innovative entrees at the River Garden Café. Give it a shot!