Calling all tortoise lovers, especially those of you who love mega-sized tortoises in the 100 year-old range! In our September newsletter, we describe our recent trip to the Galapagos, where we encounter many of these big boys. We also divulge our favorite all-inclusive resorts in America, including another summer outing to Vermont’s Basin Harbor Club; a new B&B in Provincetown, Salt House Inn, ideally suited for a quick getaway in September and October; and the outfitter, Tropic, that we used for our Ecuador trip to the Galapagos and the Amazon and who we highly recommend.
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Doug Mayer, founder of Run the Alps, one of the premier running outfitters in the world, sent me his list of 2019 trips this week. These sell out quickly, with many returning guests, so if there’s a trip you like, don’t wait too long to book. In Chamonix, France, even the Mayor is an ultrarunner. The famed alpine town at the base of Mont Blanc is also the world epicenter of trail running. Join Run the Alps for a week of running here (June 24-31), which includes a stop at breathtaking Courmayeur, Italy, and the chance to take part in the Cross du Mont Blanc, one of the oldest trail races in the Alps. Their itinerary running the iconic Berner Oberland route still has openings July 21-27. In Zermatt and Grindelwald, Run the Alps has revised their itineraries to fit a variety of trail running abilities. They’ve also secured entries into the Eiger and Ultraks trail race series, with races including distances of 10, 30, 50 and 101 km, if you’d like to take part in an Alps trail race. Who wouldn’t want to run with the Matterhorn as your backdrop? 
For Lisa’s birthday, we headed up the road to spend the day and night in Salem. We saw the 
We went to the big Africa Showcase in Boston several weeks ago, where reps from many of the sub-Saharan African countries and many lodge owners do their version of speed pitches for some 6 hours. Loved meeting people from Uganda, Zambia, and Namibia, all high on my wish list. But I absolutely adored the presentation on the