Category Archives: Travel

Newly Renovated Resorts: Desert Hot Springs’ “Two Bunch Palms” – Carbon Neutral Rejuvenation

From a Design Milk online article:

Two Bunch Palms Mineral WatersTwo Bunch Palms mineral springs flow up from Miracle Hill, a 600 year old source bubbling from under the surface and flowing hot directly into the resort’s pool. Ecological considerations also extend to the hotel using its very own solar field array, earning Two Bunch Palms the status of being the first carbon-neutral resort in America.

Studio MAI, the firm responsible for designing the popular Venice restaurant mainstay, Gjelina, remained cognizant and careful to retain the resort’s storied “quirkiness and authenticity” while adding enough colors, textures, and modern motifs in acknowledgement of the new generation descending into the region drawn by the desert’s charms. The resulting makeover feels fresh without cloyingly contemporary, retaining a textural charm that has mostly abandoned nearby Palm Springs.

To read more click the following link: https://design-milk.com/mineral-springs-modernity-bubbles-anew-at-the-two-bunch-palms/

Top RV Campsites: North Rim Campground In Grand Canyon National Park

From a Fodor’s online article:

Grand_Canyon_North_Rim_Campground_Registration_Office_0097One of America’s most iconic national parks, it’s no surprise to learn that the Grand Canyon is often crowded. Most visitors, though, stick to the park’s South Rim, leaving the less populated North Rim open to campers in search of wildlife and a little tranquility. The North Rim Campground is a whopping 8,200 feet in elevation bordering the Transept Canyon, an offshoot of the main canyon, of which some sites have fantastic views. The 90-site campground, open May through October (reservations only), is located a mile south of the Grand Canyon Lodge and visitor center.

North Rim Campground Grand Canyon National Park

To read more click on the following link: https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/arizona/grand-canyon-national-park

Top Travel Experiences: Remote Lakeside Camping In The Adirondack Park Reached By Floatplanes

From a New York Times article by Zach Montague:

The Adirondack Park In Upstate New York MapAway from Lake Placid, Lake George and other more crowded regional hubs, are several smaller hamlets that provide access to a handful of exceptionally remote lakeside campgrounds reachable only by pontooned floatplanes. With round-trip charters typically priced at $150 or less per person, some of the most secluded frontiers of the Adirondack Park are accessible even to travelers on a limited budget. Over the years, this little-utilized route into sequestered backwoods sites has become a prized secret among my close friends and family, and since my maiden trip with my father six years ago, I have been back every year with a rotating cast of companions.

An Adirondack Wilderness All Your Own New York Times July 2019
A floatplane arrives at the isolated Pine Lake camping site in the Adirondacks. Credit Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

To read more click on following link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/travel/an-adirondack-wilderness-all-your-own.html

Top Hikes In West Virginia: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Has 20 Miles Of Scenic Trails

From a NPS.gov online article:

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Hiking trailsHarpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) is considered one of the best walking parks in America. The views are sublime, the history compelling, the restored town a work of historical art. The variety of trails coupled with nationally significant history and the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Potomac and Shenandoah river valleys adds up to a unique hiking experience. Harpers Ferry NHP encompasses almost 4,000 acres in West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, and several units of the national park system intersect here. As the mid-point of the 2,178-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT), Harpers Ferry is home to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the headquarters for the AT. Visitors can also walk along the 184.5-mile-long towpath of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park by crossing the footbridge over the Potomac River. The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail overlays the C&O Canal and continues north all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

https://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/hikes.htm

Top Travel Experiences: The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad In Colorado Passes Thru Spectacular Scenery

From an Atlas Obscura online article:

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train SceneryAs it leaves Durango, the train’s multiple-chime steam whistle can be heard reverberating throughout the town and along the Animas Valley. As it proceeds north, the train winds alongside the Animas River as it traverses the verdant green pastures of the Animas Valley and then crosses through the spectacular and breathtaking San Juan National Forest. The remote and treacherous route through the mountains includes a dramatic and stomach-churning stretch along the edge of a narrow shelf carved into the sheer granite cliffs 400 feet above the river. 

As one of the United States’s most scenic historic railroads, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG), with its jet-black steam-powered locomotives and 1880s-era coaches, travels along the same tracks that miners, frontiersmen, and cowboys journeyed nearly 140 years ago.

All Aboard!

To read more click on following link: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d5355b27d3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-d5355b27d3-63029309&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_07_25_2019)&mc_cid=d5355b27d3&mc_eid=9baf474570

Top New Travel Videos: “Acadia National Park” Directed By Rudy Wilms

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Rudy Wilms

Acadia National Park Directed by Rudy Wilms 2019

“Such a wonderful National Park Acadia is we might have not had any leaves on the trees yet but even the bare landscapes were gorgeous.Acadia is very versatile with its rocky coast, the mountain lakes and forest such a nice variety of beautiful landscapes.”

Acadia National Park Directed by Rudy Wilms 2019

Website: http://www.rudywilms.com

Acadia National Park Directed by Rudy Wilms 2019

Top Hikes In California: Bothe-Napa Valley State Park Offers Redwoods & Views From Coyote Peak

From a Curbed.com online article:

Bothe-Napa Valley State Park CampingRising on the west side of Napa Valley, the Mayacamas Mountains are best known for producing costly cabernets for wineries like Mayacamas and Mount Veeder. But they’re gorgeous, too, as this sprawling state park proves. For a beautiful, medium-challenging hike, follow the Redwood, Ritchey Canyon, South Fork and Coyote Peak trails on a 5-mile loop that leads through coast redwoods and up Coyote Peak to Instagram-worthy views. Then sit and snack on the sandwiches you got at Sunshine Foods in nearby St. Helena.

State Park website: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=477

To read more click on following link: https://sf.curbed.com/2019/7/24/20700994/best-hiking-trails-napa-wine-country-day-trips

Future Trends In Travel: Blacksford Rents “Fully Outfitted”, Luxury Camper Vans In Montana And Utah

From a Curbed.com online article:

Blacksford Camper Van Rentals In BozemanBlacksford specializes in rentals exclusively from Winnebago, only renting out the Winnebago Revel and the Winnebago View. The Revel is a go-anywhere adventure van that sleeps two, built on the 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis and with plenty of off-road capabilities to get you where you want to be. The View is a more luxurious RV for couples and families, with more space due to its Class C size.

All of Blacksford’s rentals are one year or less old with fever than 50,000 miles, ensuring that you’ll be vacationing in an almost brand-new model.

https://www.blacksford.com/

To read more click on following link: https://www.curbed.com/2019/7/23/20686870/winnebago-rv-rental-camper-van-for-rent-blacksford

Top RV Campsites: Zion National Park’s Watchman Campground Offers Shuttles, Year-Round Sites

From Fodors.com article:

Watchman Campground ZionThe Watchman Campground at Zion National Park fills up months in advance, and for good reason: This massive 176-site campground located a 1/4 mile from the south entrance and visitor center sits in the shadow of the iconic Zion rock formation. Despite its size, there’s enough space between campsites, spread out among six loops, to preserve your camping experience. For something more private try one of the 18 walk-in sites at the campground. In addition to firepits and clean bathrooms with flush toilets, some of the sites have shade trees to relax under after a long, hot day of traversing the The Narrows.

Watchman-CG-Map-reduced_ADA-2-19-page-001

New Camping Websites: “Tentrr.com” Provides Fully Equipped Campsites On Private Land Locations

From a Travel and Leisure online article:

Tentrr.com Camping SitesTentrr is a new site that’s hoping to take the unknown factor out of glamping while providing campers with exclusive access to locations across the U.S. — many of which are totally remote. Tentrr partners with private landowners to install a fully equipped campsite on their property. Every Tentrr Signature Campsite has a sturdy canvas tent on an elevated platform, bed, wood stove, Adirondack chairs, fire pit, grill, picnic table, sun shower, and camp toilet.

Glamping has filled a void for adventurous travelers who don’t want to brave the wild in a nylon tent, but still want to experience nature away from RVs and packed campgrounds. But as with most new things, the quality and experience of glamping can vary, with guests often unsure of what to expect.

To read more click on following link: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/tentrr-glamping?cid=407867&did=407867-20190722&mid=22947635458&utm_campaign=just-in_newsletter&utm_content=072219&utm_medium=email&utm_source=travelandleisure.com