Wind and Wine: family lore in Hood River!

Here's another great family vacation idea: HOOD RIVER!  offered by Melanie at Tough Love Travel!    Email her today, to get your OWN family out, making memories!

They call it the "Walk of Shame".

Hood River, on the Columbia River's horizontal border between Oregon and Washington, is famous for it's beginner-friendly windsurfing area called The Hook, Those who have learned at Hood River have, sooner or later, been initiated into the Walk of Shame.

The Columbia's relentless eastward breeze at Hood River gives a newbie a steady firm push as he practices his turns, tacking downward, but if he can't yet manuveaur his board upwind,  he eventually has to get off, and walk it:  the Walk of Shame.

At some point (usually day 2 of windsurf camp), he'll master the upwind skill, but until then, the layout of the Columbia river here by Hood River is a perfect training ground.   The Hook --  this arm of shoreline that sticks out into the Hood River current -- resembles a biker's arm, signaling a left turn.  In its enclosure is a large body of river where, on a board, you still enjoy the wind to surf, but you're contained by the Hook so you don't get swept downriver from Hood River to Idaho!

As a mother of 4 sons who had the lack-of-impulsiveness common to teenage boys and were just learning to windsurf, I was very grateful for the Hook!

Here are a couple of shots from surfcamp at Hood River...



In the evening, we sat on the banks by Hood River and watched a wind-surfing competition.  I was amazed at their 30-40mph speeds, and even more by their absolute control, executing airborne stunts and cutting frighteningly close to one another as they challenged each other and the wind.
Later, we wandered up the steep gorge-side streets of Hood River and found healthfood cafes, outdoor gear shops, and a few tattoo parlors.   Hood River is a true windsurfer's mecca!


After a couple days of windsurfing, my sons were sufficiently adept that I could leave them in the hands of their Big Winds instructor, and head across the bridge to Columbia River's  wine country!

Only 60 minutes from Portland, this area is known as "a world of wine in 40 miles".

From Hood River, you can make wine country a simple daytrip,
but there're more than 30 vineyards!  So this area, that's on the same general latitude as European's storied wine countries and which benefits from the volcanic soil of our Northwest' Ring of Fire, can also be a multi-day trip from Hood River.

You can take a river cruise on the UnCruise Line, a small ship that plies the gorge with stops at vineyards, onboard wine seminars, food-wine pairings, and guest speakers.

Or you can embark on your own roadtrip from Hood River.  One great place to start is Cathedral Ridge Winery, in easy reach of Hood River and named Oregon's 2007 Winery of the Year!

In the shadow of snowy Mount Hood!

Message from Melanie, owner of Tough Love Travel...

Summer is not endless!   What do you have planned for yourself, and your family, this summer?  

I am here to help!  Want a 20-minute phone call to talk about the possibilities?  It's free!   Grab one right here!

Family lore from the Salmon River!

Melanie at Tough Love Travel raised her 4 sons, partly in their home in NJ and partly in her Ford van as they road-tripped all over the US!   She's an expert on routes, national parks, and cool events (like this IK Slamon River trip!)

Grab a free appointment today to talk about YOUR next family adventure!

This cherished nugget of Borchert family lore centers around the winding rapids of Idaho's Salmon River, a giant raft named "The Pig", wild wildfire-fighting helicopters,  and a doting funny guide named Chewey ---  making this 5-day kayak trip the highlight of summer '03! 

Let me tell you about it....

That August, I loaded my 4 sons, ages 8-13, into my Ford van and headed west.  After a backpack out in the Tetons and another national park "stamp" at Craters of the Moon, we  pulled into the Stagecoach Inn, by the Salmon River, in Idaho.   Chewey was waiting for us. 

Chewey would be our guide on the Salmon River for the next 5 days.   He outfitted us in IKs, or inflatable kayaks, and strapped all of our camping gear to "The Pig", a giant raft that would run at the tail of our little flotilla.   Tom, my youngest, too little for his own IK, floated the Salmon River on "The Pig" too, perched atop three huge coolers. 

Helmets, paddles, lifevests... fully organized, we pushed off from the banks of Corn Creek, and into the wilderness of the Salmon River made famous by Louis and Clark. 

On a early, quiet stretch of the Salmon River, kind Chewey studied Tom bumping along on "The Pig".   Tom's disconsolate face looked longingly at his brothers as they splashed about, competing for "Gondola Man" (read as:  stand in kayak, hold paddle crosswise and try to joust the other off their IK) 

Chewey couldn't stand Tom's sad face.

He hauled an extra IK off "The PIg", and tethered a now-beaming Tom to float behind his own kayak.  

But Tom -- as the youngest of 4 brothers -- had always had to keep up which had given him some extraordinary survival skills.  He was no stranger to watersports, and soon he was paddling solo down the Salmon River.   First through the flats, then through a tiny rapid, and then a rougher one, Tom tailed Chewey with intent concentration, and pride! 

And that was that!  No more "Pig" for Tom.   He joined our ranks! 

As the sun drifted low by the hilltops,  we pulled ashore to camp on the banks of the Salmon River. 

"The Pig" had arrived an hour earlier, and to our great delight,  a mess tent was emitting delicious aromas, our sleeping tarps were erected in a neat row by the water's edge,  and a privy was discreetly set out around the corner.  A kayak paddle would serve as the privy door, Chewey explained.  When you went to the "john", take the paddle.   When you were done, replace the paddle so others would know the bathroom was unoccuppied.   And what a view this bathroom had!!!  Perched on a small bluff over the Salmon River, 15' above the rapids, with the mustardy walls of the canyon falling away from view.... it even had GQ magazines and real TP! 

All that was needed for our complete Salmon River comfort was a lounge!   Before we knew it,  our IKs were turned on their sides in a U-shape configuration, tiki torches sent ablaze, and a bag of wine opened.   It was 5:00 on the Salmon River! 

That night, we enjoyed a fine feast of BBQ chicken, corn, and fresh fruit -- and by the time the strawberry compote came off the campstove, a blanket of stars came out above.   Completely disconnected from civilization, I looked around our "lounge" at the circle of content faces, illuminated orange by the torchlight.   It was bedtime of day 1 on the Salmon River. 

Day 2 started early, a sunrise on the Salmon River viewed from our berths which were -- of course -- nestled inside the cushy IKs!
Our morning was a jovial paddle, bounding through sections of rocking rapids, and snacktime on thin crescents of beach.
That summer had been usually dry in the Salmon River area and by end of morning, a thin wisp of smoke started to trickle across the blazing blue Idaho sky.  We started to see a random flame, or two, dotting the hillside above us.

Then in early afternoon, a strange thumping sound snuck into our quiet Salmon River wilderness.  Louder and LOUDER, a red helicopter with open doors finally burst over the canyon lip above us.  Then another.   As we rounded the river's bend, an almost war-like scene appeared.   Firefighters were jumping out of hovering copters at many spots in the hills.  Orange blazes, small from our distance down in the Salmon River, dotted the hillsides.  The wind blew men and copters and smoke eastward, creating a anxious, getting-out-of-control scene.  From some copters were suspended giant water pouches. 

And sure enough,  one copter lowered itself expertly between the narrow canyon walls, to dip its pouch into the Salmon River, right in our direction!    As it came closer to us, we maneuvered our kayaks to cower in a small eddy, but despite the protection of a row of boulders, we were rocked about as the copter blades thrashed the air and the otherwise silent green surface of the river was whipped into foam. 

Firefighting became the fascination of this day, and the next! 

On day 4, a quick but violent thunderstorm appeared!   As bruised clouds marched in, we hurriedly found a beach and, pulling our IKs ashore off the Salmon River,  ran to the safety of the cliff walls.  "Grab the bag" someone frantically called!    That would be the bag of wine, of course.    Thunderstorms were just an excuse for snacktime on the Salmon River, apparently! 

As our 5 days closed, we became quite at home with the scenic privy and the day's routine.   Chewey was now part of our family, and Tom, with his large brown 8-year-old eyes tearing up, could barely say goodbye. 

Today, those orange IKs, the firefighting scenes, and those star-studded beach campsites of the Salmon River remain part of our family lore. 

Tom and his brothers are all grown up now, but the Salmon River still awaits YOUR family!  

Sawtooth Adventures is the outfitter to contact for the Salmon River!   And remember to ask for Chewey.  I wonder if he knows how we still miss him? 

Yearning to take make your own family memories this summer?  

Give me a call at Tough Love Travel:   I CAN HELP!

(609) 923-0304

5 Secrets for an unforgettable Graduation Trip!

Melanie Tucker, owner of Tough Love Travel, has launched 4 of her own sons, and also helped dozens of families, just like yours, get the family out on simply unforgettable graduation trips.  She can help you, too!  Call her today:  (609) 923-0304!

If you want to grab one last memory before he leaves,
or gather 3 generations of your family for a celebratory trip,
or just have an unforgettable adventure that'll be a touchstone for your both as you move forward,

then here are 5 Secrets to making it GREAT!

SECRET 1:   Embrace lifelong learning. 

If your kid's a history buff, take her to Greece or out along the Oregon Trail.
If you've got a French student, take him to Paris or down to Morocco.

I remember a trip with my son Doug to Belize several years ago.  He was already in college in CA, and I wanted to meet in the middle.  My friends jokingly reminded me that Kansas was the middle, not Belize.  Still, we joined up at a treehouse in the western jungle and, one special day, hired a guide to cross the border into Guatemala to visit the famous Mayan ruin, Tikal.

As we walked onto the Tikal site, Doug suddenly stopped in his tracks.  "I KNOW this place!", he exclaimed.  Somewhere in 5 years of Spanish class, he had been shown slides and, today,  all that knowledge came to life!

SECRET 2:  Live their dream. 

When I was 17, I had no idea what I wanted to become.  But I know that some graduates do.

So, if your kid already has a passion, devote a day on your graduation trip to embrace that dream...
One of my clients had an 18 year old who dreamed of becoming a screenwriter.  So I planned them a private lunch in Hollywood with a director/actor.  The daughter sat for 2 hours and picked his brain:  What does a day at work look like?  How can she break into the industry?  Whom should she meet?

For an aspiring doctor, I researched a day in an AIDS clinic,
and this past Spring, I set up a playdate for 2 young American brothers with a family in Rome.  Since the children spoke no common language, we called the event "Lost in Translation".

Many things are possible.   Let your imagination go wild.


SECRET 3:   Go off-the-beaten-path. 

Ritz Carltons are lovely but they look pretty much the same, from Shanghai to London.

On the other hand, if you stay in a cave hotel or treehouse, can you imagine the memory?

If you go for a special dinner into the home of a Cesarine in an Italian home, do you think you'll soon forget it?

Or what about spending all day in Grizzly country together?

This is the stuff that family lore is made of!


SECRET 4:   Pluck something off the Wish List. 

Has your graduate always wanted to learn to surf?
Or sleep in a castle?

Does he love to cook and dream of dicing onions with a celebrity chef?
Or maybe she wants to ride an elephant?

Making one wish come true can make for a truly great vacation memory.



SECRET 5:   It's cool to have rules for your graduation trip. 

Don't let preconceived notions of typical graduation trips get in your way.

Only have 4 days?   Fine!
Need to adhere to a certain budget?  Cool!
Want Grandma to join you but she's got mobility issues?  No problem!

Each of these issues is easy to overcome with proper consideration.

At Tough Love Travel, I have the privilege of designing these special trips!  I'd love to help you with yours!   Grab a free phone call to talk about YOUR graduation dream

This blog is dedicated to 2 recent graduates in my life:  Rob Borchert, from UArts in Philadelphia PA, and Ben McCrickard, from Southlake Christian Academy in Huntersville NC!

Meet the Sea Turtles, nesting, on Isabela

At Tough Love Travel, I've spent time, exploring the far-flung coves and waters of the Galapagos, and I'm ready to share my expertise with you! 

Sign up for a complimentary phone call NOW! 

"Panga landing.  0-7-hundred."

Sounds like a military plan but, no, it was our naturalist' agenda to take us on a sea turtle mission to Urbina Bay the next morning.  Pangas are inflatable zodiac rafts that ferry people and supplies from anchored ships to the landing site.  And in the morning, our aim was the black sand beach on the remote western coast of Isabela Island, to search for sea turtle nests for which this bay is so famous.

Sure enough, at 7am,  as we motored off the sailboat, toward the beach, we spotted deep tread tracks running out of the surf and up the black sand.   ATVs?  Not here, deep in the protected national park!

No, these were the flipper marks of the sea turtle females who had crawled ashore, the night before, to dig a hole and lay 50-100 eggs.  She'll do this 3-9 times during the warm months of the sea turtle mating season.

The sea turtle eggs have many predators, from island rats and sand worms that attack the nest, to gulls and crabs who'll hunt the new hatchlings as they scurry to the water for their baptismal swim.

Isabela is a very large, seahorse-shaped island.  Because it's circumference is so long, it's impossible to see the large majority of the island, even if you stay in the main town.  So, a sleepaboard boat experience, like on our Cachalote, is priceless!

It enabled us to get to Elizabeth Bay, where we poled our pangas silently through the mangroves,



spotting golden rays and more sea turtles,  distinctive herons and the odd Galapagos penguin!








There's also a broad lava flow on Punta Morena where virtually the only greenery comes from candelabra cacti which jut out of the rough ground,

and the only visible life comes from small clear inland ponds into which blowfish and white tip sharks wander through underground lava tubes from the sea.

white tip reef shark in lava-tube pool
at Punta Morena

This geologist from our boat waxes beautifully about the poi poi lava:

And further north is Tagus Cove.  Here, tall cliffs prevent sea turtles from coming ashore to nest, but we hiked to Darwin Lake,  photographed Darwin Volcano, and, alongside some steep cliffs, swam for more than 30 minutes accompanied by a rambuctious sea lion!  Did you know that sea lions have fingernails, just like us?

Want to explore YOUR Galapagos trip?  Let's talk today!  

CALL (609) 923-0304!

Marine iguana on Isla Fernandina: an orgy or a mess?

Wondering what islands to plan into your Galapagos itinerary? I can give you "the scoop"!  For starters, here's Fernandina, a remote isla on the wild western slope of Isabela.    Grab an free appointment to hear more!

The mess of marine iguana looked like an orgy to me...

Basking on the sharp black lava, his tail flopped over her back, her leg over his foot, his face resting on his nose.

Piles of these black dinosaur-plated lizards are slathered over the rocks.  Measuring almost 5' nose to tail tip, the marine iguana uses his solar-paneled back to soak up the heat.    When his body feels adequately toasty, he turns "off" his solar heater by turning around, to face the sun.

They're stoic, even when my foot stomped on the lava only inches from their fleshy well-camouflaged black hides.


When hungry, the marine iguana clambers into the surf, launching his solid body through the waves with limbs drawn back streamlined against his torso, and a flat, perfectly-evolved tail making an ideal paddle to propel him through the water, alligator-style.

The marine iguana dives underwater for as long as 28 minutes at a time, to dine on algae.  Fully vegetarian, the marine iguana is neither a threat to, nor threatened by, you.  With a snorkel and mask, you can actually float alongside him, listening to the "crunch-- crunch -- --crunch" as he scrapes his dinner off the rocks!

Then chilled from the 80* water, sated on algae, and wary of threatening sharks, the marine iguana returns to the beach where the sun's heat serves to digest the meal inside his stomach.

Early on that Monday morning, the Cachalote had motored towards Isla Fernandina.  Not long ago,  this remote and pristine isla full of marine iguana was out of bounds for visitors, but recently, to our great  fortune, it's been reopened exclusively for small vessels (like our Cachalote).
A wisp of cloud wrapped across the base of this large, leafy, cone-shaped island, but we headed to a bare beach on the northern tip where the persian blue waves slapped against the black lava barranco, colors accentuated by patches of bright white sand and puffs of white sea foam!    The orgies of marine iguana blended perfectly into the black landscape.

As we took in the wild scene, a very pregnant sea lion waddled up onto the sand, looking very clumsy and heavy.  Even her eyes sagged with fatigue.  Having 4 offspring of my own, I could empathize!

A tiny python, no bigger around than a pencil, curled up on the hot sand, and, closeby,  a full minke whale skeleton -- spinal discs intact! - lay, bleached blinding white by 6 years in the equatorial sun.

Bright orange Sally Lightfoot crabs skittered over the black rocks,  a juvenile sea lion lolled lazily at the water's edge, and a flightless cormorant sat nervously on a bulging nest, directly on the ground.
None of these animals seemed perturbed by the excessive "mess" of  marine iguanas who lounged, sunned, and padded around the Point.


So,  a cloud of gnats?   A trip of goats?   A den of snakes?  A clan of hyenas?

It was a mess of marine iguana who starred as the main attraction on northern Fernandina.  But to us, they looked a lot like an orgy!

Let me make your Galapagos dream come true!

Call me today to get started!  609-923-0304!

Birds of the Galapagos, nesting on North Seymour

Wondering what islands to pick for your precious Galapagos time? 

I've been there and can help!  Grab a free 20-minute get-acquainted session by CLICKING HERE!

If you love birds, check out the island of North Seymour!
On the rocky island just north of Baltra (where the main airport is located) you can hike down a trail, literally surrounded by mating, nesting, and parenting birds of the Galapagos.

The frigate birds nest on bare tree limbs, their babies born about 4" high and pure white!

This is one bird of the Galapagos that'll parent their babies for almost 3 years (the longest parental care period of any bird, anywhere, actually!) during which the juveniles will molt from white to tan, gray to eventually black at adulthood.

The adult male frigate birds of the Galapagos have small pouches which dangle at their chins, and they inflate these ruby-red sacks to giant 2' balloons to attract the females.  The red balloons, strikingly decorated with black dots, combine with a loud flapping ritual for mating,  and when many of these frigates get excited at the same time, it can be a cacophony of honks and bats and energy.    Here's what one guy looks like (to the left).


My favorite bird of the Galapagos?  The blue-footed boobies!

They do their dance, hopping one aqua webbed foot to the other.

Then, in less time than it takes your video camera to turn, they get turned on and consummate their a 4-second mating ritual.    Done.   Babies in 2 months.

Inside a small fork of a prickly pear cactus branch, this iconic bird of the Galapagos, the finch,  builds a ball-shaped nest the size of a small papaya.  The finch carefully weaves grasses and tiny branches into a type of cocoon into which she'll lay about 5 egges, protected high in their cactus from the small but egg-loving snakes which thrive on North Seymour.


There are also diving pelicans and gulls.

Stay tuned for Fernandina Island next!   (think marine iguana orgies,  minke whale sculls, and pregnant sea lions!)

CLICK HERE NOW to grab a free call 

and ask all your Galapagos questions!