I am fortunate enough to have an uncle who has a passion for aviation. Why does this make me lucky? Well, my uncle's passion initially panned out as an aviation store. However, his passion grew enough that he decided to become a pilot, not of airplanes, but of hot air balloons! I have been fortunate enough to take flight twice in his hot air balloons, once six years ago and the second time was this past week.
Riding in a hot air balloon is a truly awe-inspiring experience. There's something wonderful about those few moments when the balloon drifts silently
Out on the Water in London
by Louise July 26th, 2012 | Outdoors, UK
Let's imagine that you're in London, that you're willing to spend some time not completely obsessed about the fact that the Olympics are in town, and that you have a hankering for some water sports. Luckily, you won't have to travel too far some pretty interesting choices:
- Brockwell Lido. The first time I heard the term "lido" was while watching Wall-E. In Wall-E, the "lido deck" refers to the outdoor pool and surrounding facilities. In the U.K., a lido is a public outdoor swimming pool. There were once dozens of lidos scattered around London, but now only a few remain, one
The Long Trail
by Bea June 13th, 2012 | Outdoors, USA
If I could pick any name out there for the oldest long distance hiking trail in the United States, I think that I would come up with something more creative than "The Long Trail". However, it stands by its name as the oldest long distance trail, so at least the name is very applicable. It was actually the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail, can you believe that? If you complete the Long Trail, you will also do 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
The Long Trail follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains in Vermont. It starts/ends at the
The Long Trail follows the main ridge of the Green Mountains in Vermont. It starts/ends at the
Volcanoes of Mexico
by Louise May 30th, 2012 | Destination Highlight, Mexico, Outdoors
The three peaks one needs to see in Mexico are the three that are easiest to spot: Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl, and Iztaccíhuatl. These are the three tallest peaks of Mexico, which also happen to be volcanoes.
Pico de Orizaba is the biggest of the bunch. It is one of only three volcanoes that still have glaciers. It has nine glaciers: Gran Glaciar Norte (the largest glacier in Mexico), Lengua del Chichimeco, Jamapa, Toro, Glaciar de la Barba, Noroccidental, Occidental, Suroccidental, and Oriental. The route that most hikers take to scale Pico de Orizaba begins from the base camp Piedra Grande Hut
Pico de Orizaba is the biggest of the bunch. It is one of only three volcanoes that still have glaciers. It has nine glaciers: Gran Glaciar Norte (the largest glacier in Mexico), Lengua del Chichimeco, Jamapa, Toro, Glaciar de la Barba, Noroccidental, Occidental, Suroccidental, and Oriental. The route that most hikers take to scale Pico de Orizaba begins from the base camp Piedra Grande Hut
Mexico’s Cenotes
by Louise April 30th, 2012 | Mexico, Outdoors
The Yucatan Peninsula is really a huge, porous limestone shelf. Its northern half has not a single above-ground river. However, there are rivers that run beneath the ground. When the limestone bedrock collapses above an underground source of water, it forms a cenote. You can think of a cenote as a special type of sinkhole that is characteristic of Mexico and Central America. Except, when I say sinkhole, I want you to get rid of all of the negative connotations that might be associated with that term, because the cenotes of Mexico are true beauties of nature. There are
