Category Archives: Leisure

Boomers Hobbies: 75-Year Old Dave Hinz Of Michigan Spent Ten Years Building His 1936 A.J. Speciale

From a Wall Street Journal article by A.J. Baime:

Dave Hinz 1936 A.J. Speciale Interior Photo by Erin Kirkland for the Wall Street JournalI built a frame out of ash wood. Then I hand-formed and welded body panels onto the frame. I re-engineered the brakes, the steering and the clutch system to fit properly, and I hand-formed the grille out of aluminum. The seats I built out of plywood, foam and vinyl that looks like leather. When I started, I had no idea how to do any of this.

Dave Hinz, 75, a retired former software company co-owner from Harbor Springs, Mich., on what he calls his homemade 1936 A.J. Speciale, as told to A.J. Baime.

After I retired in 2005, I found a photo of a beautiful Bugatti online. I made the mistake of telling my friends that I was going to build a car just like it. I had no experience in metal forming. I knew nothing about car mechanics. But I had made this statement, and I was the butt of so many jokes, I had to try.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/its-not-an-alfa-romeo-or-a-jaguarits-a-tribute-to-both-11566914306

New Books On Hiking: “50 Hikes In Eastern Massachusetts” Lists Boston & Cape Trails

From a BarnesandNoble.com listing:

50 beautiful trails around Boston and the Cape

In this first-edition guide, Madeline Bilis shares her years of outdoors experience in the Boston area, providing 50 hikes for people of all skill and experience levels. While the Berkshires tend to get all recognition when it comes to hiking in Massachusetts, the eastern part of the state is packed with treasures for lovers of the outdoors.

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary 50 Hikes in Eastern Massachusetts book

From the rocky ledges of the Blue Hills Reservation to the sandy stretches of the Cape Cod National Seashore, incredible trails and vistas abound in this varied region. In addition to stunning natural views, you’ll delight in discovering dozens of small towns, cultural attractions, and historical sites during your adventures around Boston and the Cape.

Hikes include:

Noanet Woodlands

Myles Standish State Forest

Great Island Trail

Middlesex Fells Reservation

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/50-hikes-in-eastern-massachusetts-madeline-bilis/1130420101?ean=9781682683521#/

Top RV Campgrounds: Silver Falls State Park In Oregon Is “A Standout Scenic Treasure”

From the Oregon State Parks website:

Silver Falls State Park RV CampingPeople call it the “crown jewel” of the Oregon State Parks system, and once you visit, you know why. Silver Falls State Park is the kind of standout scenic treasure that puts Oregon firmly onto the national—and international—stage. Its beauty, boundless recreational opportunities and historic presence keep it there.

Waterfalls:  Where else can you walk behind a waterfall? Check out the famous South Falls and see what a 177-foot curtain of water looks like from behind. It’s part of the Trail of Ten Falls, a spectacular, nationally recognized hiking trail that weaves through a dense forested landscape. The trail passes a series of breathtaking waterfalls along a rocky canyon, and descends to a winding creek at the forest floor. This 7.2 mile loop is considered to be a moderate hike, with an overall elevation change of 800 feet.  Several connecting trails with separate access points make shorter routes. For everyone’s safety— absolutely no pets allowed on the Canyon Trail.  Pets on leash are allowed on all other trails.

Silver Falls State Park RV Camping map

Boots, bikes, paws, hooves: The park offers more than 35 miles of backcountry trails for mountain biking, hiking or horseback riding (see guided ride info below).  Bears and cougars live in the more remote park areas.

To read more click on the following link: https://oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/silver-falls-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=OR&parkId=402235

Top RV Travel Spots: Halcyon Hot Springs In British Columbia On The Shores Of Arrow Lakes

From a Canada.com online article:

Halcyon Hot Springs on lakeIf you’re looking for the ultimate road-trip tour of hot springs in BC, take the route between Nelson and Revelstoke. Hugging the shores of the Arrow Lakes (which are actually a widening of the Kootenay River), it seems like there’s a hot spring around every corner.

Halcyon Hot Springs, just north of Nakusp, is one of the best. These man-made pools have epic views of the lakes and the Monashee Mountains, as well as a range of accommodation options. Adult dips start at $17, which includes towel rental.

To read more click on the following link: https://beta.canada.com/travel/visit-6-of-the-best-hot-springs-in-british-columbia/wcm/5ae00b7a-b260-4f1b-873b-3707d669c22c/amp/

Top RV Campsites: Jumbo Rocks Campground At Joshua Tree National Park Features Oversized Volcanic Boulders

From Fodor’s online:

Jumbo Rocks CampgroundThe accurately named Jumbo Rocks Campground is woven among the stacked and strewn oversized volcanic boulders unique to Joshua Tree National Park. Several hiking trails begin at Jumbo Rocks, a 126-campsite facility with vault toilets. During Joshua Tree’s peak season, October through May, hikers and rock-scramblers who reserve the campground well in advance are rewarded with views of the boulders whose colors shift throughout the day, from the morning sunrise to the fire’s glow. In the hot, dry summers, Jumbo Rocks is first-come, first-served.

Jumbo Rocks Campground RV

For more information click on following link: https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/jumbo-rocks-campground.htm

Top Hikes In Oregon: The 7-Mile Loop Trail To Ramona Falls Features Stunning Views Of Mount Hood

From a Willamette Week online article:

Ramona Falls Trail View of Mount HoodIt’s not quite Multnomah Falls in terms of Disneyland wow factor, but it’s up there. Bear in mind that some things are justifiably popular—and Ramona Falls is just such a place. It is one of those natural wonders that must be seen in person. Photos, good as they may be, do the sprawling cascade little justice. Accordingly, the approximately 7-mile loop hike that visits it is a rite of passage for any and all Oregon hikers—including dirt-caked and determined adventurers trudging their way along the Pacific Crest Trail, which joins a portion of this route.

Ramona Falls Oregon Hiking Map

You’ll have to ford the Sandy River or cross on downed logs (a bridge was washed out several years ago), so exercise caution. But the view of Mount Hood from that vantage point is a stunner, so that’s a plus. In addition, the walk beside Ramona Creek looks and feels more like a forested fantasyland than a hiking trail—and if ever there was a place to enjoy a picnic, it is in the large, shaded amphitheater surrounding the cooling mist of the falls.

Top New Travel Videos: “Back To Iceland” Directed By Erwin Olmos (2019)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Erwin Olmos

Back To Iceland Travel Film Directed by Erwin Olmos 2019

Music : Everdream by Epic Soul Factory, Cesc Vilà & Fran Soto  and Witness by Oliver Michael

After been traveling these last months, I have finally started editing my footages and here is the first video. It is about my trip to that beautiful land called Iceland with Paz, Andy and Hector Jesus.Great memories, beautiful views and my first time camping.

Back To Iceland Travel Film Directed by Erwin Olmos 2019

Luxury Trailers: The 2020 Living Vehicle Is A Refined Net-Zero Mobile Space

From an online 2020 Living Vehicle news release:

2020 Living Vehicle InteriorThe difference is simple. There is nothing else like Living Vehicle. Every inch is designed and built without compromise. Our mission is to create a Net-Zero vehicle capable of supporting the best possible human life. No energy in, no waste out. We are guided by this vision and grow closer to this goal every single day. 

Living Vehicle Layout

2020 Living Vehicle Interior Kitchen DeckGoing far beyond industry standards, 2020 introduces a Living Vehicle with unprecedented capabilities. We’ve partnered with the most advanced and innovative products from the military, disaster relief and marine sectors and now have several patents pending. From being able to power the AC with solar to technologies that create life sustaining resources, the 2020 model is a true functional work of art. 

Guided by the design virtues of quality, functionality and beauty, our goal is to create a travel and living experience that is uniquely yours, in the most advanced, luxurious and capable vehicle on earth.

Brochure: https://www.paperturn-view.com/living-vehicle/2020-brochure?pid=NTM53129&v=8

Website: https://www.livingvehicle.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=1st-order-yours#Story

Living Vehicle Legend

Boomers Bicycles: The 1970’s California Beach Cruisers Created Today’s Fat-Tired Vacation Rides

From a CityLab.com online article:

Fat Tire Biking in Virginia BeachMcNeely trademarked the term “California Beach Cruiser” in 1976, when he was 21 years old. He started selling the bikes at his store, with the tagline “comfort, durability, and nostalgia.” They caught on. After the Los Angeles Times wrote a syndicated story about McNeely’s new entrepreneurial niche in biking, McNeely started getting bags of mail from potential buyers. “We couldn’t build enough of them each night to supply the next day’s demand. There’s no way I was going to be able to sell the bikes across the country.”

If you hit the beach this summer, you’ll see them. Fat tires. Wide handlebars. Candy-colored retro-looking frames.

That particular kind of bicycle is known as a “beach cruiser.” While it looks like a nostalgic holdover from the Eisenhower era, the bikes that ramble along boardwalks of America’s beach towns were born in mid-1970s. And, as Marketplace chronicled a few years back, they found their way to the beach thanks to the efforts of one man.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/08/beach-cruiser-bike-paths-california-bicycle-history-schwinn/596113/

Top Driving Roads Videos: “Gotthard – The Mountain Is Calling” Directed By Stefan Bogner (2019)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Stefan Bogner

Gotthard - The Mountain Is Calling Short Film Directed by Stefan Bogner 2019

Produced by: Curves “Soulful Driving”

Gotthard - The Mountain Is Calling Short Film Directed by Stefan Bogner 2019

The pass road over the Gotthard can only be described as breathtaking. The route from the canton of Uri to Ticino leads through the wild Schöllenen Gorge with its fabled Devil’s Bridge up to the top of the pass at 2,107 metres above sea level and over the cobblestoned Tremola Road with its 24 spine-tingling switchbacks down into Ticino.

Gotthard - The Mountain Is Calling Short Film Directed by Stefan Bogner 2019

Website: http://www.curves-magazin.com/