Back to Nature in the USVI

I didn't go to the USVI for a duty-free Rolex or a time-share. I went for the nature! (and some bonding time with my 17 year old son... more on that later)

Snorkeling on St Johns was the most pristine I've enjoyed in years. The coral is (mostly) untouched, and the visibility is terrific! We swam with Angels whose lovely dark gray or turquoise pancake-shaped bodies paddled gracefully between the rocks -- Damsels with their petite royal blue bodies dotted in florescent specs -- skinny Trumpet fish swimming on their noses - Parrot fish in their rainbow suits, munching on coral so loudly you hear them beneath the water (and thanks to our knowledgable guide, I finally learned what those red and gray ones are...the females!)

There were schools of tiny fish so numerous they made you actually dizzy to swim through them (you know, the ones that swim-as-one but scatter and swirl when you swim into them?) and giant 5' tarpon lurking nearby waiting to take them for a snack!

We even had the luck to see the perfect specimen of a spotted Eagle Ray just before we climbed back into the boat.

We were out on the Pepper, a lil 21' locally build sloop with a thick, wooden mast and a big empty cockpit sort of like the catboats back on the Jersey coast.

But you don't need a boat. Many snorkel spots are an easy drive and hike, and a favorite- where you'll find loads of starfish! - is Watermelon Cay at the end of Leinster Bay.

Another? Chocolate Hole Bay, where harmless nurse sharks are the big attraction.

And over on St Thomas, just a 15 minutes sail (on Heavenly Days catamaran)

takes you offshore to Buck Island's Turtle Cove for... yes... turtles! They thrive in the sea grass.

Here they are on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYj73-0i2zQ

Land-based nature lovers, check out this hiking trail!

It's called the Johnny Horn, and while it's only 1.8 miles long and only to elevation of 400', it makes for a challenging morning! Running from Leinster Bay on the northshore, over the forest ridge to Coral Bay, it goes past ruins of guardhouses, built in the 1840s to catch escaping slaves (the BVI, just across the short but treacherous channel, promised freedom to enslaved people), along beaches (like Watermelon Cay, above, and its starfish), through a forest thick with ferns and birds, and down to Coral Bay where you can refuel at either the Donkey Diner ("kickass food"... their slogan, not mine) or the famous Skinny Legs tiki bar.

There are also easier trails to explore the Annaberg Sugar Plantation or the enticingly remote Salt Pond beach.

You can even get lodging in nature on St Johns! We stayed at Maho Bay camps -a clutch of 20-or-so tent cabins, wedged onto this rainforest-y cliff, where a series of boardwalks connects your cabin to the bathhouse (yes, your tent cabin comes with a bed with fresh linens, some cooking facilities, and your own private deck! but you have to share a bathhouse),

to the activities desk (where you can sign up for sails or guided hikes),

and to the dining pavilion which is impressively perched up on the ridge-- so your hike to dinner is rewarded with a killer sunset view!

Maho Bay surprised me with a glass-blowing studio where you can watch the experts and even make a "flower" yourself! There's also a yoga studio (4am, 8am, 4pm) which my 17-year-old did not enjoy, and a camp store whose BenNJerry's he did enjoy.

It took me a couple of days to get into the pace of this outdoor island life- days filled with outdoor activities, quiet time around 5 to read, write and enjoy twilight as it settles in....
Dinner around 6:30 or 7, early enough to feel awake and conversational...
A walk back to your tent in that complete blackout, void of all sight but alive with chirpers (remember your flashlight)....
And still alert enough to sit and read for almost 2 hours in that complete
silence that only wilderness can bring to you.

It quieted my mind in the most beautiful way.

The pace of outdoor island life, I learned from this giant iguana who lived in the branches
outside my tent. He's about as big around as a large PVC drainpipe, not
counting those olive green spikes that run down his back (he's so puffy he
looks like he's been WAY overinflated!)
I don't have any idea where he hides from the tropical rainstorms, but at all other
times, he hangs out in the open, weighing down the jungle branches as he
surveys the boats and sea, hour after hour after hour.

I think he's got a good life!

If I lived like this all the time, i think I'd be so much more peaceful. And surely get a lot
more books inside me! I wonder, though, if my 17-year-old would like to share that with me? Maybe until the BnJ's ran out!

ROADTRIP! Livin' on Lobster in New England!

You've landed in the (unofficial) Lobster capital of the US: Acadia National Park on Mt Desert Island!

This coastline has a rich history of native residents, explorers, and vacationers, and believe it or not, Lobster was not always a treasured delicacy! But the land WAS treasured, first protected in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson, and later changed, in 1929, to Acadia.

To see what all the fuss is about, follow our route through this northernmost park, and sample Acadia's scenic playground alongside its crustacean concoctions! Go on a Lobster-Only Diet!

Start Day 1, catching the sunrise up on Cadillac Mountain, then head straight to Jeannie's Breakfast House -- in the park's main town, Bar Harbor -- for a Lobster Omelette (raved about on TripAdvisor's Bar Harbor breakfasts!) served alongside her legendary fresh berry pancakes.

Then, with bike and daypack, scoot to the bus stop in Mt Desert Street's main square. You can latch your wheels to the front rack of the Island Explorer (it's free!) and shuttle down to Seal Harbor, a perfect starting point for your ride home along Acadia's famous carriage roads.

The unique and treasured legacy of the Rockefeller family, these car-free roads are fun for a short leg or for a whole day. They feature 17 stone-faced bridges spanning streams, waterfalls, cliffs, and roads, and the design of each bridge, such as Cobblestone Bridge, is unique.

Check out the below map:

See Jordan's Pond House?

It's the perfect spot to take a bike break, for lobster stew, lobster salad, or lobster claws on a bed of lettuce!

After lobster lunch, it'll be a slow going, so take your time getting back to town, and plan a quiet afternoon at the Mt Desert Oceanarium, a Lobster Museum with Hatchery lab and Marsh tours:

http://www.theoceanarium.com/

On the way back into town, stop at 35 West street, Stewman's Lobster Pound. Choose a snack to go.... some crab and lobster cakes or one of the pound's famous lobster rolls.

Picnic in pack, head on over to the causeway to walk or bike over the only-at-low-tide land bridge to Bar Island which you'll find just north of the big pier on West Street.

Make sure you check the tides:

www.maineboats.com/tide-charts/downeast

Wonder how to read the tides? Next week, for example.... Friday June11th... low tide is is at 4:30 pm. High tide is at 10:42 so that means that you should be off Bar Island, and back in town, by around 7pm. Make sense?

On Bar Island, you can hike up to the little summit, or beach comb along the tidal beaches, but either way, you'll work up an appetite, so when the tide rises, head inland to the Cafe This Way for your evening's lobster!

Cafe This Way describes itself as "artfully prepared meals served in a setting as comfortable as your living room and as relaxed as your front porch".

In fact, you can savor your meal on THEIR front porch -- check it out:

Start the evening with lobster spring rolls, then dine on Lobster and spinach over penne (a nice twist on the ubiquitous Lobster Alfredo)

Day 2 should begin over on Cottage Street, on the front porch of Two Cats!

Enjoy your morning Lobster alongside Fair Trade coffee, fruit smoothies, legendary pumpkin-chip muffins, and seafood crepes seasoned with herbs from the cafe's garden. There's also a fine Lobster Benedict!

You'll want some exercise to work off this decadence, so choose from the park's more than 120 miles of trails with cool names like Precipice, Beehive, and Perpendicular-- names that have become vacation lore for scores of families who make Maine their annual summer retreat.

Or explore the lively waters, looking for porpoises and bald eagles, with Acadia Outfitters (also on Cottage St). Don't worry if you're a novice.... the guides are great, and offer you double kayaks and a range of itineraries to fit your skill and energy with your route.

Find a quick bowl of Lobster chowder or chili (no kidding!) and some Lobster fritters.

There are lots of lunch places in town -- one of the biggest tourist traditions is the Thirsty Whale, right off the main harbor. Order a cocktail there and get a red rubber lobster garnish!

In the afternoon:

Take a horse-n-buggy ride or a narrated boat tour to explore the woods and waterways.

or

Join a ranger program! A full listing is in the Beaver Log, the NP's newspaper. Here is a link to last summer's issue: http://www.nps.gov/acad/parknews/upload/JulAug09BLog.pdf

And tonight, head to Beal's Lobster Pier on Southwest Harbor.

You can watch the sun go down as the kitchen cooks you up some Lobster Thermidor.

On your last day in Acadia, take a daytour out to Little Cranbury Island. It's a sleepy island of rosebushes and grasses, historic wooden houses, and a dockside cafe with ice cold drinks and front row seats for all the harbor buzz!

And the Ultimate? Celebrate your 72-hour Lobster-Only Diet with an authentic Downeast Lobster Bake!

Most communities have some version or another of the Maine lobster bake. In the deep South it is the crab, crawfish or shrimp boil and in the Midwest the fish fry. The traditional lobster bake is the most involved of the three, because it requires building a fire pit. There are great outfits who cook up your crustacean (grilled or boiled) with seaweed fresh from the ocean... corn on the cob, boiled potatoes, and sometimes clams and mussels.

The options go on and on... Lobster stuffed Manicotti....... Lobster Ravioli...

You probably need more than 72 hours!

ROADTRIP! Driving the deserts of the American Southwest!

As schools close and summer days get long, our over-scheduled souls yearn for freedom and adventure! Look no further than the open roads through our country's mountains and deserts, farms and seashores!

In the next few weeks, I will inspire you! I'm going to spotlight 4 different itineraries, in various regions of our country. So, trade your island brochures for National Park guides, get an oil change in your car, and pack up your hiking boots, because the American landscape awaits!

Itinerary #1: The Desert of the American Southwest!

Start in Las Vegas!

Known for its cheap flights (strategically low to attract gamblers), this city gives you the pick of themed hotels for any budget! Try Circus Circus (rock bottom rates right on the strip), or the MGM Grand (for a GRAND river pool), or the opulent Venetian (complete with gondolas on a private canal)!

You can catch the newest Cirque show, a gravity-defying spectacle called KA:

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ka/default.aspx

or see the classic musical, Lion King

or just walk the strip and watch the moving stage of pirate battles and dancing fountains.

Ever seen the fountain "ballet" at the Bellagio?

http://www.bellagio.com/amenities/fountains-of-bellagio.aspx

Then load up your rental car and hit the desert highway!

Loop north though Utah's canyon country!

You'll hit Zion's slot canyons first (always take a guide... those flash floods warnings are no joke!), and then Bryce's orange rock pillars, called Hoodoos Country!

You can't go wrong with either a morning hike or an afternoon balloon ride!

When my kids were young, we used to call those buttes "Birthday Cake Mountains" since they looked like a layered cake!

Stay and Play on Lake Powell!

Hire a houseboat for a few days, and kick back on the emerald green waters of this magnificent canyon! We fished by day and stoked bonfires by night, jet-skiied to the Rainbow Bridge (longest rock span on earth)

,

and hiked to the top of buttes.

We spent afternoons, dropping the hook in private coves to fire up our BBQ and open our waterslide right off the back of the boat!

And when night came, we dined on the water in the seclusion of our anchorage, watching the sun set over the empty canyonland - then we drug mattresses to our boat's top deck to cuddle together under a powdered-sugar sky full of stars!

You'll have to force yourself away from the treasures of Lake Powell, but more excitement awaits, only a few hours south at the Grand Canyon!

Stash your rental car in Williams and board the Grand Canyon Railway! You'll hear history and enjoy refreshments as you chug through the northern Arizona countryside, but be careful to steer clear of the gun-slingin' cowboys -- sometimes they get into shoot-outs, right on the platform!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPC8RSvKKu0&feature=related

If you plan carefully, you can snag a cabin, right on the rim.

"It's much more than basic... we were delighted", a client told me this past Spring.

And another guest said, "All I need is my percolator and the sunrise!"

You might enjoy the IMAX theatre show: The Grand Canyon Movie (buy your tickets online at http://www.explorethecanyon.com/)

And be sure you take some time to hike, not just along the rim, but also BELOW it, to feel the magic in this geological wonder! It's 270 miles long and over 1 miles deep!

If you're real Native American buffs, detour east to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay) where a canyon jeep tour with a Navajo guide will uncover petroglyphs and cave dwellings!

If you're a outdoor enthusiast, try a wilderness rafting trip on the Salt!

You'll ride wild rapids through the Sonora desert, tackle a multiday trip from Inn to Inn, or go all the way in a Wilderness River Expedition!

Take a day in civilization as you head back west through Sedona!

Gel at a vineyard, gear up on a mountain bike, go Zen at a spa, or just enjoy a dine-around in the downtown area. Watch up for those killer burritos!

No visit to Arizona would be complete without some hot spring-ing! There are many hot spring resorts, but the real finds are the ones you hike to, like this one, one a few minutes drive, but then a few hours hike, from Hoover Dam:

The rules? Hike together and in daylight. Take lunch and plenty of water. Expect nudity. And NEVER put your hand up on a ledge or under a rock.... this is scorpion country!

Cappadocia's Cave Country of Central Turkey

Everyone's heard of Istanbul, but the wonders of Cappadocia, only 1-hour flight east, are often unknown. Well.. no more! Read on to learn a bit about this intriguing area of limestone formations, castles and cave dwellers, and even hikes!

You can fly from Istanbul to Cappadocia, into 1 of 2 airport towns: Kayseri (pr Kay-cer-ay) or Nevsehir (pr Nev-se-hir), and your first sights will likely be the iconic limestone natural pillars called Fairy Chimneys (above). It's hard to imagine the scale, but many of these are as high as 40 meters! The tuff from volcanic eruptions from 3+million years ago, and the later erosion, created these minaret-type spires, as well as the soft rock cliffs that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches and monasteries

Cappadocia is referenced in literature as far back as the Bible, and, in fact, its caves served as remote refuges where Christians hid out from Roman prosecutors.

One such area is the Koreme, a 1st-century community, now UNESCO World Heritage site, that you can tour,

Largely a monastic space, there are dozens of chapels, with detailed frescoes

and also rock houses, like this one with a dining table carved right into the cave's stone:

Another hiding space were the Underground Cities, which number as many as 300, only 10% of which are explored and open. It's jaw-dropping to walk from the empty, rolling grasslands - often marked only by a well opening -- down into these unbelievable warrens, which sometimes go to as deep as 7 stories!

They include kitchens with tandori ovens carved right into the floor, chapels, storage, air shafts, wells, and massive stone "doors" to keep out invaders. Here are some shots of the Derinkuyu site:

Here is the wine-making facility:

and here is one of the many tombs used for temporary burials when they were under seige:

At the highest point of Cappadocia is the Uchisar Castle, which is really more of a fortress. In the picture, below, Uchisar Castle is the columnar shape rising out of the village.

Most of the rooms of the castle are closed for safety reasons but that's not the point, anyway! The big deal is to hike to the top (watch your step! most organized tour groups do not allow their participants to take the hike) for incredible panoramic views!

It's surrounded by a city, where you can grab lunch or even stay overnight. There's a famous cave hotel here called the CCR, but an even better inspiration is the boutique Museum Hotel:

You can also tour a winery,, shop for one of their famous handmade dolls:

or tour a potter:

Or take a hike!

For a full slideshow, check this out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/toughlovetravel/CappadociaCaveCountryOfCentralTurkey#