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R&R in the Adirondacks

Even during my honeymoon 20 years ago, I was writing notes, researching for travel stories. Since the tape in my trusty microcassette recorder melted during an assignment backpacking through the Mojave Desert over a decade ago, I’ve always carried notebooks around during my travels. But there’s one trip each year that I don’t bring any notebooks or pens and can truly relax on vacation. That’s my annual jaunt to Bolton Landing on Lake George to see my family over Labor Day Weekend. We each grab a room at the Bonnie View, with exceptional views of the mountains on the opposite shores. Then I head down to the Adirondack chairs on the dock and chill with a copy of my boyhood paper, the Schenectady Gazette, in hand. I’ve written numerous stories on the Adirondacks, but not lately, resulting in much needed down time. 
 
Have a great Labor Day Weekend! I’ll be back next week with my favorite Vermont picks in autumn. 
 

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Go Straight to the Source in Vietnam

One of the reasons I started ActiveTravels was for people across the globe to tell me about their favorite spots to enjoy the outdoors. It’s simply impossible for one travel writer to know all the active hotspots around the world. I also wanted local outfitters who specialize in one region of the world to check in and tell me what they’re doing. A decade ago, I wrote an article for Budget Travel magazine telling reader to go straight to the source. Instead of spending gobs of money to hire an American outfitter to take you to Vietnam, where they simply hire local guides to show you around, go straight to those guides! No one knows their country better than locals and their trips are usually far cheaper. Thankfully, indigenous outfitters are starting to find me and I’m happy to plug them. Just last week, I received an email from Dung Van Nguyen from Green Trail Tours, an outfitter based in Hanoi who has spent the past nine years bringing people around Vietnam. They have trips for bikers, kayakers, trekkers, rafters, you name it, practically any activity you want to do in the country. The cost is as low as $990 US dollars for a 9-day guided bike tour, including lodging and meals.
 

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Memorable Spring Bike Rides, The Westport Ramble, Massachusetts

South of New Bedford lies countryside so fertile, you’ll feel like you’re in Vermont.  Stretching from Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to Little Compton, Rhode Island, the area is known as the Heritage Farm Coast. It has the sunniest and most temperate climate in New England and thus the longest growing season. Vast dairy farms, cornfields, even vineyards, border the Westport River as it washes into the Atlantic. Add the dunes of Horseneck Beach and you have the perfect country and coast ride, especially in the spring before the beach traffic starts to arrive. 

 
Turn left out of the Westport Middle School parking lot onto Old Country Road to start this 21-mile loop (give yourself at least two hours). A right turn onto Pine Hill Road heads downhill, but the route is relatively flat for most of the ride. Within a mile, you’re lost in acres of farmland. Historic Cape Cod shingled houses and barns are bordered by old stone walls. Continue on lightly traveled Old Pine Road to see cornfields edging towards the horizon. A mile later, turn right onto Hix Bridge Road and then left a half-mile beyond that onto Horseneck Road. The Westport River appears on your right, a strip of dark blue snaking through the green pasture. 
 
Around the halfway mark, the ocean starts to appear on your left and the area becomes more developed.  A good choice for lunch is the Bayside, known for their cod wraps and lobster rolls. Veer right on East Beach Road for expansive views of the ocean. Another right onto Route 88 leads to the sweeping beach and dunes of Horseneck Beach State Reservation. After crossing a small bridge which rewards you with views of the harbor and its numerous fishing boats, turn right onto Drift Road. This leads to Old County Road, where you turn left to return to your car. 
 
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The Return of the Snowy Owl

I leave you this week with the latest photo from the talented Paul Cyr. I met Cyr while on assignment from The Boston Globe in Presque Isle, Maine, in search of the elusive Northern Lights. Cyr’s colorfully charged photos of the Northern Lights have gone viral. His shots of Maine wildlife, including moose, bear, and this snowy owl are quite spectacular as well. Next week, I’ll be back with my list of the Top 5 Destinations You Should Visit in 2015. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend, keep active, and find yourself a snowy owl. 

 
(Photo by Paul Cyr)
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The Maasai Open Their Own Resort

The Maasai are best known for their mud huts. So it might come as a surprise that these tall warriors of southern Kenya have recently entered the hotel business. They have formed a joint partnership with a private safari company, Nairobi-based Art of Adventures, to open Shompole Game Reserve. Shompole is nestled on 35,000 acres of conservation land near the Nguruman Escarpment in southeastern Kenya. The resort only has six mega-sized guest rooms, which comes with private plunge pool and a sprawling lounge area. The main activity at Shompole is game drives, where guests travel through the bush in open-air Land Rovers accompanied by a Maasai tracker. The more adventurous can also go on game walks, sunset trips to Lake Natron to see the flamingos, or evening picnics in the bush.
 

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Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of The Brothers Grimm by Driving the German Fairy Tale Route

Throughout Germany this summer, the country will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the first publication by The Brothers Grimm. There will be concerts, festivals, and readings happening in more than 50 towns and cities, but the best way to truly appreciate the legend of the Brothers Grimm is to drive the Fairy Tale Route. Starting in Hanau, 13 miles east of Frankfurt, you drive 370 miles, ending in Bremen. Spend a week to see the historic town of Steinau, where Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm grew up, and now home to the Museum of the Brothers Grimm. Take a stroll in the deep forest of the Schwalm Region, the setting for Little Red Riding Hood’s misadventure with that big bad wolf. From one of the towers at the medieval castle of Trendelburg, Rapunzel let down her long blonde hair. Even more impressive is the 650-year old Castle Sababurg, where Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years before that fateful kiss from the prince. In Hamlin, you can visit the Rat Catcher’s House, the same rat catcher in the Pied Piper who lured away all those gullible young children. Then there’s the city of Bremen, home to those shrewd Bremen town musicians, animals who outsmarted the thieves. Be sure to have a copy of the Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales while driving in the car. 
 
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Couple Paddles the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and Hikes the Appalachian Trail…in the Same Sum

In August, I had an assignment to write about an inn-to-inn bike trip in Vermont. After biking up and down short steep hills for a good 40 miles, I arrived at the first inn exhausted but proud of my accomplishment. That was until the owner of the B&B told me that she had another biker who just came through last week, one who was biking the entire country from Seattle to Boston! That’s what I thought about when I first read about Catherine and Ryan Thompson, from Old Forge, New York. On April 15th, they began paddling the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail and arrived at the northern terminus of Fort Kent on May 10th. An incredible feat for most humans, but that was just the beginning for the Thompsons. After completing their paddle, they walked 100 miles to Baxter State Park and started the Appalachian Trail. They completed the 2,179-mile trail last Thursday! As they said in their final blog entry, “We made quite a scene at the summit. Poles were flying in the air, as well as Toofpick’s pack. It came down with a thud – a satisfying thud that signaled our end. It was a burst of celebration, and then suddenly we were standing there in silence. We were there…” Congratulations! You deserve a Couples Massage!
 

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