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Wowsers Wednesday: Copper Harbor Mountain Biking

October 22nd, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Travel | Wowsers Wednesday - (0 Comments)

How’s your balance?

If you’re not sure, let’s get you up to Copper Harbor, Michigan to find out.  These trails are considered to be some of the best and in some areas you get amazing views above Lake Superior.  Go at the end of the Summer for the Bell’s Beer Copper Harbor Trails Festival.

For those who are just tagging along with a mountain biker, go for the views, shopping, birding, and/or cemetaries.  There are several of them, with headstones all the way back to the early 1800s.  Of course there is plenty of hiking and even a few beaches.

If mountain biking is your thing, or you want it to be, I recommend you visit http://universalklister.blogspot.com/.

 

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Wowsers Wednesday: Hood River Oregon

October 15th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Wowsers Wednesday - (0 Comments)

Photo by Pierce Martin from Flickr

Hood River, located between the cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge, has a lot to offer an adventurer.  An hour east of Portland, Hood River attracts windsurfers and kiteboarders because of the strong winds, as well as mountain bikers and (as you can see) whitewater paddlers.

I think you can also see it’s not for beginners.  If you are a beginner you can start about 15 minutes away in Stevenson, where the water is calmer and there are lessons available.

If you just want to watch, there is a waterfront park where you can chill out and see a sky filled with kites.

You don’t have to be into adventure sports to appreciate this beautiful area.  The sights alone will leave you in awe.  For example:

Photo by Zach Dischner from Flickr

I’m ready, are you?

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Wowsers Wednesday: The Wave

October 8th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Wowsers Wednesday - (0 Comments)

Nope.  We’re not talking about surfing.  We are talking about The Wave in Coyote Buttes, on the Utah/Arizona border.  This video has French captions but you won’t need the words…

It’s not easy to get a permit to see The Wave, especially in the peak months of April, May, September, and October.  They only issue permits to 10 out of the 150 applicants per day.  Even in other months is a 50-50 shot.

The good news is…you don’t need a passport!

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5 Movies That Will Make You Want To Travel

October 3rd, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in 5 things | Travel - (0 Comments)

I like a pretty movie.  Sometimes I can get past a silly plot or bad acting as long as the scenery is good.  If the plot, acting, and scenery are good I am in heaven.  Here are some movies that transport me when I can’t jump on a plane and go.

  • The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – I didn’t really want to watch this movie.  I had nothing else to watch and I do love Kristen Wiig, so I figured I would give it a go.  I am so happy I did.  It was totally charming and the scenery is to die for.  I also enjoy hearing Scandinavian languages so there was that.  I also like accordian music.  That has nothing to do with this movie but I thought you should know so you can decide whether I am qualified to recommend movies.
  • Amelie – This is my favorite movie of all time.  I want to be her.  I want to live in Paris, skip stones on the canal, dig my hands into bags of grain, do good deeds…if you haven’t seen it you don’t know what I am talking about and you really need to get on that.  It definitely makes me long for a France trip.
  • Under the Tuscan Sun – Okay, okay.  I admit this one is a guilty pleasure, but it makes me happy.  It’s light and fun and oh so pretty.  How I ache for Italy when I watch it.
  • Top of the Lake –  This one is actually a mini-series but I couldn’t leave it out.  Not only is it a top notch mystery, but the New Zealand landscape is AMAZING.  If you haven’t seen this one I recommend you put on your comfy pants, get your snack situation in order, and prepare to hunker down for a few hours.  After that you can call me so we can plan your trip to NZ.
  • Into the Wild –  This movie will make you want to scrap it all and hit the road.  He does what a tiny part of all of us wants to do and the movie is visually stunning.  In theory, I would love to do a mega-tour of Alaska and the Yukon, but I don’t think I have what it takes.  Do you?

 

What movies inspire you to travel?

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Wowsers Wednesday: Camping Anyone?

October 1st, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Wowsers Wednesday - (0 Comments)

Oops!  I mean to say… CLIFF camping anyone?

 

Also known as vertical camping, high mountain camping, or (imagine this) extreme camping.  I don’t even know what to say.  Or rather, the thoughts that are going through my head are just not family-friendly.

Those”tents” are called portaledges.  They look comfy, don’t they?

 

Let’s take this a step further.  When camping in the woods, one of the inconveniences is where to…go…potty?  The articles I read mentioned something about bagging it but I had to turn away.  I also read that some things a camper might do in their portaledge include playing cards,  reading a book, making some coffee, and even adult activities.

Obviously this isn’t for everyone.  Even if you love the idea, there are many skills necessary to negotiate this safely.  There is nothing that could make me want to do it, but I imagine the views are spectacular.

I’m all packed! What am I forgetting?

September 29th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Travel - (0 Comments)

 

Photo by Andrew Stawarz from Flickr

 

So you have crammed all of your stuff into your suitcase and you’re ready to go, right?  Wrong.  We often forget all about preparing our home for our absence.  Here is a simple checklist for just that purpose:

  • Secure windows, doors, garages, sheds.
  • Close all curtains and blinds
  • Consider using a timer to turn lights on and off, giving the impression someone is there
  • Water plants in home and yard
  • Unplug microwave, toaster, coffee maker, etc
  • Mow yard and set up service if needed
  • Throw out foods that will go bad before your return
  • Empty trash and put out for pickup (ask a neighbor to put your bin away after pickup)
  • Adjust thermostat
  • Consider turning off hot water heater

Personally, I like to clean the house spotless before I leave.  There is nothing worse than coming home to a bunch of chores.

Do you have any tips to share?

 

Test Post

September 29th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Travel - (0 Comments)

If you happen to see this, I am just doing a test post because I have moved the blog to a new domain.  See you soon!

Hello world!

September 27th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Wowsers Wednesday: Extreme Hiking in China

September 24th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Wowsers Wednesday - (0 Comments)

Whaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!

Welcome to Hua Shan.  Lovingly known as “the most dangerous hiking path in the world”, Hua was the location of several influential Taoist monasteries, and was known as a center for the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. It is also one of the five holy Taoist mountains of China.

You can read and see more here.

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Guest Review: Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar

July 10th, 2014 | Posted by korrinej in Reviews - (0 Comments)
Dang!  I know it’s been awhile, and I’m even cheating by having a guest review, but I am getting back into the swing of things and I didn’t want you to miss this one.  I am in Florida but I have clients all over North America and Amy Horton is one of my west coast clients. She was looking for a short girls getaway that would be a good value.  After discussing some options and settling on a tropical beach destination, Cabo seemed like the best choice.  I love her review on the resort, because I think it would help any of my clients either add it to the list or rule it out right away.  Enjoy!

Photo by Dawn Pennington from Flickr

Korrine,
I don’t even know where to start!!!  This place was so amazing in so many ways.  You should feel great about recommending this spot, especially for the following:
  • All inclusive package – WOW!  Don’t even go without it.  The restaurants here are on the pricey side if you are paying out of pocket and we found the package to be well more then worth it.  Average cost of meal for 2 was around $65 (with booze of course!).  Drinks at bar $10-$12 for cocktails.  As you can see, at $150/night, we more then made out!
  • Not all restaurants are included in the package – there are two different resorts here: a hotel and a vacation/time share.  We were at the hotel and all of their restaurants were included.  This gives you 3-4 options, all of which were delicious.  Tomatoes, the breakfast/lunch/dinner spot is a buffet and the food was really good.  There is also a sushi bar, which was fabulous and the dinner spot Del Cortez is AMAZING.   I would recommend that spot to guests, even not staying on the property.  Crashing waves, 5 star dining.  There were people there that were staying at other hotels.  Also, all pool bars included, and there is one at every pool – there are like 8 pools.
  • Not by town, but we didn’t care!!!  If you just want a relaxing getaway and not bother with the tourists, this is the spot for you.  If you do want to go to town, there is a shuttle which is $10 round trip, or a cab is $20 each way.  We went one day, realized we were wasting time and never left the Sheraton again.
  • Rooms were great – large, cool, ocean view.  All good.
  • Service was amazing!!!  Very friendly, catered to every need.
  • Did a spa service at the Cactus Spa – a little pricey, but we were saving so much on the food and drinks we didn’t care.  90 minute massage was heaven and the menu of options is detailed.  Nice facilities – could spend all day here!
  • Wedding was happening on Saturday – this would be a great place to get married if you even have people looking for that.  The views were stunning.
  • One down side (not for us, but maybe for some) is that the beach front is not swimmable.  It is BEAUTIFUL because of all of the crashing waves, but dangerous to get in due to the currents.  You can walk down the beach to the Hilton and go in if you are looking for that.  We just like looking at ocean, not actually swimming, so we were good.
  • Some of the reviews said the time share people were annoying, but we did not get asked by a single person about it.  I think if you were staying on the Vacation side and not the Hotel side, you may run into this, but we were never bothered.
Hope this helps and you find it useful.  I can’t say enough good things about this spot and would go back again.  Just fantastic!

Photo by Dawn Pennington from Flickr

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