Beat the November Blues

October 28, 2009

The Vancouver forecast is suggesting two weeks of rain with the sun perhaps peeking out on only one of those days. I must stop looking at the weather channel as I just get depressed. However, it ‘s the perfect time of year to start planning your winter adventure, a spring break or even a summer vacation.

I am constantly amazed by people who have no idea what to do for a getaway,  perhaps because they’ve been on one too many prepackaged affairs where they end up bored by the third day.

So here are some ideas to beat the November Blues.

Cold weather trips

  • Plan a ski trip to a locale where the sun shines more often than not. Places to consider are resorts in the British Columbia interior, Colorado, Idaho and Utah. Try Alta, Utah for amazing powder and Steamboat, Colorado for a friendly atmosphere. Silver Star Resort in the Okanagan offers some of the best early cross country skiing.
whistler 2010 007 Beat the November Blues

British Columbia skiing

  • Look for deals and head to Europe for a mix of skiing and culture. Enjoy the 2 hour slopeside lunches with a bottle of wine and hire the cute ski guide to take you off the beaten path.
  • Sign up for the Canadian Ski Marathon, held in Quebec, in the second week of February. It is North America’s longest and oldest ski tour. It is a 2 day, 160 kilometer event where everyone’s a winner!
  • Ski the Birkebeiner in Wisconsin over the last weekend in February. It is a 50 km course and the biggest ski race in the US.
  • Head to Ottawa, Ontario and skate on the Rideau Canal the world’s longest skating rink. It has a cleared length of 4.8 miles. And it’s a UNESCO world heritage site.

Warm weather trips

  • Travel to Palm Springs but without the golf clubs. Enjoy the daily sunshine as you hike on one of the 140 trails in the area. You can hire Phillip, the author of the book, to take you off the beaten track.
IMG 2273 Beat the November Blues

Hiking outside of Palm Springs

  • If it’s cold in North America then it’s time to visit South America. Try a backpacking trip in Patagonia, tour Argentina where great values are to be had or head to Brazil and the beaches. Airfares are high to get there but the rest of your expenses will be low
  • Head to New Zealand for biking and hiking tours. Throw in some wine, great beaches, sunshine and some of the friendliest people on the planet for an unforgettable experience.
  • Asia offers value. Think about a trip to one of the following countries.
  1. Lombok, Indonesia with superb beaches and the possibility of a 2 day trek to the volcano, Gunung Rinjani
  2. Kuantan, Malayasia, 30 minutes by air from Kuala Lumpur where you’ll find both developed and undeveloped beaches
  3. Palawan, Phillipines for super clear waters and unspoiled corals
  4. Hua Hin, Thailand for beaches and golf though it is still a traditional fishing port
  • Sea kayak in the Sea of Cortez in the Baja region of Mexico. A week of exercise, sun, beach and great sea and bird life should put a smile on your face. Try Baja Kayak Adventures for a reasonably priced trip.

Old pictures Gustave scanned 025 Beat the November Blues


Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Miscellaneous travel tips, Skiing/snowboarding/snowshoeing | Leave a Comment 

The World’s Best Rated Islands

October 27, 2009

National Geographic rated 111 of the world’s islands a few years ago based on sustainability and risk for tourism overkill. Issues such as cruise ship crowds overwhelming an island resulted in lower scores. Closer to home, comments were made about the loss of traditional families because of house prices as seen on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. The editors were quick to point out that the islands are a work in progress and many are taking significant steps to counteract detrimental ecological and cultural practices.

Listed are some of the world’s best islands followed by some of the most stressed islands.

Top 10 Scores (some were in a tie position)- considered to be in excellent shape for the longterm

  • Faroe Islands (in Denmark) – remote and a cool climate so no wonder!

3003746246 86bea7b1ea The Worlds Best Rated Islands

  • Azores, Portugal – ecosystem is in great shape
  • Lofoten, Norway – close to the Arctic; excellent museums & art galleries; kayakers paradise

3919604635 49d7b39305 The Worlds Best Rated Islands

  • Shetland Islands, Scotland – great planning controls towards North Sea oil development
  • Chiloé, Chile – gateway to fjord country
  • Isle of Skye, Scotland – wild landscapes and a Gaelic language resurgence
  • Kangaroo Island, Australia-tourism goes hand in hand with high environmental quality

2325809782 966c614c36 The Worlds Best Rated Islands

  • Mackinac Island, Michigan – no cars, no high rises
  • Iceland – dramatic landscapes and unique culture
  • Molokai, Hawaii – minimal beachfront development

4501395519 4020d91cc7 The Worlds Best Rated Islands

  • Aran Islands, Ireland – stong cultural heritage
  • Texel, Netherlands – destination for vacation loving cyclists
  • Dominica, Caribbean – rugged , green and friendly
  • Grenadines, Caribbean – unspoiled beauty with great yachting
  • Tasmania, Australia – some logging concerns but the nicest beaches I have ever seen plus great walks
  • Bora-Bora, French Polynesia – natural and cultural beauty

112236668 81f11e9d45 The Worlds Best Rated Islands

  • Fraser Island, Australia – a world heritage site though does have busloads of tourists
  • Bornholm, Denmark – think homey, not spectacular
  • Hydra, Greece – no cars and beautiful local architecture
  • Falkland Islands, UK – slight problem with 1982 landmines & hiking!!
  • Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia – vibrant Celtic & Acadian heritage
Cape Breton 2010 061 The Worlds Best Rated Islands

Vistas on the west side of Cape Breton Highlands National Park

  • Corsica, France – great mix of beach and mountains except in August

and here are some of the islands in trouble

  • St. Thomas- US Virgin Islands – 4 out of 5 visitors are cruise ship passengers; the main city is described as one big jewellery store
  • Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain – raver nightlife out of control but locals are working hard to regain control; some charm in places
  • Providenciales, Turks & Caicos – strips of megahotels with busy beaches
  • Jamaica, Caribbean – crime, poverty, tourist ghettos and dying reefs
  • Hilton Head, South Carolina – souless suburbia
  • Phuket, Thailand – ugly buildings, pollution and sex tourism
  • Key West, Florida – overdeveloped and overun by those cruise ship passengers again though some enclaves of culture exist
  • Oahu, Hawaii – environmental stresses; lack of interaction with locals
  • Cozumel, Mexico – diving is still great but up to 10 cruise ships at a time
  • St. Martin, Caribbean – high rise and strip development plus traffic
  • Roatán Bay Islands, Honduras – invaded by cruise ship crowds and uncontrolled development

Leigh McAdam

www.hikebiketravel.com

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Miscellaneous travel tips | 1 Comment 

Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma

October 23, 2009

Our recently completed bike and wine tour of Napa and Sonoma was a great success, in no small part because of what fun we had at the wineries. The number of wineries in the Napa and Sonoma regions is a tad overwhelming and judging by what we heard there will be alot of grapes left unpicked since wine sales are way down. In the Napa Valley alone there are approximately 400 wineries!! and there are over 250 in the Sonoma region. 

IMG 1439 Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma

Welcome to Napa Valley

The Napa wineries in particular, are on a scale I haven’t witnessed before, especially when you consider the numbers of them that have huge buildings, tasting rooms, picnic areas, gift shops and in some cases, art galleries.  The Sonoma wineries are generally smaller in size and are often family owned. In both cases it’s very easy to bike from winery to winery.

IMG 1545 Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma

Sonoma wine party

Here is my list of the Napa and Sonoma winereies that I think are worth visiting (in no particular order), ones I wish I’d had time for and ones that I would pass on next time round. 

Worth a Visit 

Del Dotto – for their barrel tasting **reserve ahead** $40 pp 

Cakebread – reserve ahead- $10 pp for amazing wines - excellent value! 

123485512 a38e23a2e7 Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma  

Rombauer – also has nice views (which means a stiff climb to get there!) and related to ‘Joy of Cooking’ fame author where you can pick up autographed books; also recommended by locals 

Castello di Amoroso – if you’ve never seen a castle before 

IMG 1506 Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma

Castello di Amoroso - a castle in the Napa Valley

Ferrari Carano – to see the gardens. Do the reserve tasting. 

Sbragia Family – friendly, picturesque, great wines and a nice picnic patio 

Gary Farrell - extremely strenuous climb to the winery BUT great fun and truly delicious wines- $10-$15 pp 

Wish I’d Been 

Robert Mondavi – because he was one of the originals and the tour is supposed to be excellent 

Far Niente – supposed to be extraordinary wines and gardens though $50pp and definately requires a booking 

Grgich Hills – now that I know more about the wine maker 

Opus One – just to see the winery which is architecturally very interesting 

IMG 1445 Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma

Opus One Winery in Napa Valley

Cliffe Lede – of Cliff bar fame- would like to see what they do with wine since I’ve existed on their Cliff bars on many of my adventures 

Sonoma Cutrer – since I’ve been drinking and enjoying their wine for years 

Wish I hadn’t bothered 

Beaulieu Vineyards(BV) They were friendly enough but the regular wine tasting was overpriced especially the whites at $10 pp. Perhaps the reserve tasting would have been worthwhile but compared to other wineries the value wasn’t there 

Clos Pegase – interesting spot, love the wines but felt depressed by the spot as it had the signs of being unkempt and staff seemed unhappy. Loved the sculpture though.

IMG 1521 Bike, Drink & Eat in Napa & Sonoma

Sculpture at Clos Pegase Winery

Visiting wineries by bike is actually a great way to do it with the only downside being that you can’t carry much with you. You burn off the calories that you’ve drunk, it’s much easier for bikes to zip across the busy Highway 29 that passes through Napa Valley and even better is the fact that you are deemed more approachable and you end up having great conversations  with a huge cross section of people. That happened at almost every winery! 

I don’t usually like to revisit a spot but there are more back roads to explore and so many more wineries to visit, that this is one trip I would happily make again. Doing it self-supported also costs less than half of what tour companies charge. 

I highly recommend this trip from April to October if you are doing it as a bike tour but obviously with a car, wine tasting can be a year round activity. However, it does rain A LOT from November to January. 

And if you are somewhat interested check out these Napa Valley wine facts. 

Leigh McAdam 

hikebiketravel.com

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Biking, Restaurants and Food, Wine Tours and Tips | 2 Comments 

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