Hey, Good Looking! in North America

Hey, Good Looking! in North America - This most majestic brown bear is caught in a reflective moment in the spectacular Misty Fjords National Monument of South-East Alaska.

Photo of the Week - Tombstone in Tombstone (Arizona, USA)

Photo of the Week - Tombstone in Tombstone (Arizona, USA) - Tombstone lies within the south-west of the us not faraway from the Mexican border. With solely a population of 1500 individuals, it still dines out on its most famous incident with the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Indeed, you'll be photographed with the most characters from this gunfight (for a fee of course!). Though much more sedate, its main street still has several reminders of these times with its dusty streets and sprawling saloons.

Nearby may be a rugged however moving cemetery with hand-painted grave markers with some nice remarks as well as those photographed on top of. Life was less sure in those times as is described by the pithy poem concerning poor George Johnson who was wrongly hanged.

The Fall Kaleidoscope (New England, USA) 

The Fall Kaleidoscope (New England, USA)   - Through autumn or fall, the forests of America's New England and elements of Canada are cloaked during a blazing palette of reds, oranges, yellows, golds and mauves. Through Vermont, this kaleidoscope of color is highlighted within the inexperienced Mountain National Forest that runs sort of a rugged backbone through the centre of the state, whereas in New Hampshire, the White Mountains and also the Kancamagus Highway are the highlights.

Called leaf-peeping regionally, the annual fall foliage is nearly an obsession with some folks. The newspapers publish a daily map to assist pinpoint the optimal locations for the colourful colors. Travellers in cafes, maps sprawled across tiny tables, speak surreptitiously of methods to weave down sneaky backroads to urge a stronger read. no matter your methodology, make sure you get out and walk or ride among the slender lanes and streets of the little townships and rural areas of recent England. The forest areas are threaded with a range of relaxing walking ways and trails.

The vivid white paintwork and timeless beauty of the high-steepled churches, elegant government buildings and old homely inns in the small towns of Vermont and New Hampshire make a wonderful backdrop for the riotous rich colours of the maples, spruces, oaks and beech trees.

And if all this colour builds an appetite, Ben & Jerry's rich premium ice cream in northern Vermont is among the finest I have ever eaten. What could be finer than gazing over the majesty of the autumn colouring feasting on a waffle cone filled with pecan butter cup and karamel sutra ice cream.

guest post by Vera Marie Badertscher
photography by Leigh Spigelman

You can see it from deep within, or drive along the edge. From the approach through Beautiful Valley to the edge of the Canyon of Death (Canyon del Muerte), a drive along the north and south rims of Canyon de Chelly (prounounced de-shay) stores up images to last a lifetime. In my humble opinion, it is the most beautiful drive in Arizona, along the edge of the most beautiful canyon in Arizona.

Unlike grander canyons, de Chelly has an endearing human scale. Drive across the flat, sandy level space of the plateau called Defiance and look down into green pastures and a cottonwood-lined stream and you feel like an intergalactic traveler who has just discovered life in a hostile universe.


Chase the sunset along the edge of the canyon and watch tall spires sketched in shadows separate from the canyon walls and fade into a solid black mass. Stop along the way to see the ancient vertical trail that people living in the canyon still use-nimble as the goats they lead. Look across at White House Ruins (top photo), testimony to ancient occupation. If you are truly blessed, as you gaze down at the rural scene of life in the canyon, you'll see horses running free, splashing through the stream, whirling like spirits blessing the day.

Most people who visit Canyon de Chelly ride trucks through the bottom of the canyon,splashing through the stream, craning their necks up at the curved red walls. Because the canyon is on the Navajo Reservation and people live in the canyon, you cannot just wander in on your own. You can climb aboard the old troop trucks at the historic Thunderbird Lodge near the campgrounds in the Canyon itself. Or you can go to the Park visitor center and hire a Navajo driver to take your own vehicle into the canyon. The Navajo guides will tell you tales--some true--like the one about the mesa where people starved rather than give in to Kit Carson who had been sent to relocate them. They will tell bad jokes, like the one about the tall formation leaning into the chasm. "Martini rock" the guide will say, "One drop will kill you."

This ride into the canyon ranks as a trip of a lifetime, but while you're there, don't forget the rim drive. Unfortunately, many people miss that alternative view. From the information center along the north rim in the early morning, and along the south rim to Spider Woman Rock at sunset, a canyon rim tour turns the canyon inside out.


Vera Marie Badertscher writes travel articles and blogs about books, movies and travel at A Traveler's Library. A long-time Arizona resident, she actually prefers the human-scale of Canyon de Chelly over that other famous Arizona attraction, The Grand Canyon.

Leigh Spigelman is a photographer experienced in travel, nature, wildlife photography and architecture imaging. He is based in the Southwest United States and travels extensively in his digital pursuits. See his photography website at http://www.imaging123.com and check out Leigh’s blog.

Chinle Vacations

guest post by Elegant Resorts

Banff, in the beautiful Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada is one of the worlds best places for luxury ski holidays. It has a long snow ski season and some of the world's coldest and driest snow. This makes Banff a reliable place for a ski holiday in a magical place that is one of the largest ski areas in Canada. There are glaciers, high mountain peaks, and valleys where you will spot a variety of wildlife.

When looking for luxury skiing in Banff the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel has such grandeur that it is known as "The Castle in the Rockies". The luxury and individualized service enhances its majestic beauty and comfort. Modeled after a Scottish Baronial castle, it has reigned supreme among hotels for over a century.

The fifth floor was renovated and turned into a Gold Floor with elegance, tasteful and comfortable furnishings, and gorgeous mountain views. The Presidential Suite is in the top tower and is reached by a private glass elevator. Unusual features include a baby grand piano, a spiral staircase, a crystal chandelier, wrap-around windows for a spectacular view and a canopy bed decorated with original European tapestries.

You can be pampered at the world-famous 36,000 square foot Willow Stream Spa where the mineral waters are regarded as sacred and therapeutic whilst the Alpine air is supposed to have healing powers. The three waterfall pools are also a sight to behold and there is also the luxury of whirlpools, saunas, private steam rooms, and excellent massages and facials.

Among the twelve restaurants are the five diamond Banffshire Club which offers a truly elegant dining experience with fresh innovative cuisine. Afternoon tea can be soothing as you sit and view the Bow Valley.

This is also a perfect location for a fairy tale romantic wedding. There are different sizes and styles of rooms to choose from including meeting rooms to ballrooms or even the use of the Bow Valley Terrace. The menu choices go from simple cocktails to an elaborate banquet so that you can plan your wedding according to your available budget.

There are three world-class ski areas (Lake Louise, Norquay, and Sunshine Village) covering 7,700 acres that can be easily reached by resort shuttles. There are runs from nursery slopes all the way to double-black diamond ones. At all times you can enjoy the magnificent mountain views and the feelings of a spiritual experience.

You can also go on sleigh rides, a gondola ride, go tobogganing, ice skating, dog sledding, snowboarding, golfing, or take a horse and carriage tour. There is great shopping in the area and within walking distance as well as over 100 restaurants with a selection of international cuisine including Mediterranean, Mexican with a Wild West theme, Italian, Korean, and even an Old Spaghetti Factory, ribs, burgers, and good steaks. There is an active night life with live music and dancing which includes an Irish pub with a variety of beers.

You can also enjoy the Banff Centre for Performing Arts, many offerings of Indian art and souvenirs, hot springs pools, museums, and galleries. Snowboard or ski lessons are offered, especially for beginners.

Photo Credits: Foyer, Meal

In a small rural village in north Vermont, stacks of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes await Halloween enthusiasts to carve their lanterns. Celebrated the night before All Saints or All Hallows Day, the name derives from hallow evening, shortened to halloween. Every year, this primarily American tradition sneaks further into Australia with shops adorned with witches, ghosts, bats and skeletons while children in the suburbs run around the houses trick or treating.

The tiny population (around 500) of the desolate township of Churchill share a love-hate relationship with polar bears. Accessible only via a three-hour air flight or overnight rail journey, this northerly outpost is enthused by the dollars associated with the wildlife-loving visitors (almost everyone who visits Churchill comes to see the polar bears) but not necessarily by the bears themselves. Signs near the edge of town with stylised pictures of polar bears warn visitors to not walk beyond the centre of town.



Churchill carefully police for rogue bears that wander into the township scouring streets and bins for a few morsels of food unwilling to wait the last few weeks for the freeze. These are darted and carted off to the “polar bear prison”, a large hangar-like corrugated iron compound. The bears are kept until the bay freezes when they are transferred via helicopter far out to the ice fields. Sadly, those impounded for the third time are euthanised in the interests of the population’s safety.

Churchill has all the feel of a remote town. The main street is wide and featureless with houses insulated against the savage winter cold and the summer mosquito plagues. The odd brave sole quickly bustles from the comfort of one building to another, snuggling their face into the cuddly warmth of their jacket. Though the thermometer shows -15°C, the biting wind chills it to -40°C. The best cold weather gear seems defenceless against such Arctic conditions.

Apart from the extraordinary polar bears, there is little else to encourage visiting this remote town. A small single room Eskimo museum contains some excellent historic handicrafts, a nearby property offers husky rides on wheeled sleds to keep their dogs physically fit and an old fort reminds of past times when the French and English scuffled for this historic fur trading area.

The short stumpy spruce trees are a sight, much shorter than normal from the harsh permafrost conditions and suffering from a strange condition called snow pruning, where the tree only grows branches on the side protected from the strong prevailing winds. Like a demented forestry experiment, it is somewhat disconcerting seeing clumps of trees bare on one side but with branches on the other.

Leaving the toasty warmth of the lounge’s roaring fire and braving the biting evening cold (not to mention the fear of bears wandering the dingy streets) may offer the lights of the aurora borealis. Around midnight one evening during my stay, wishing to find an area free from lights but not wanting to wander far from the safety of the central town, the clear night sky lit weakly to dancing green bands of light from this strange celestial phenomenon. Full on, the aurora must provide a stunning lightshow.

Churchill is a long pilgrimage to the northern wilds of Canada but well worthwhile to bear witness to one of nature’s great travel wonders as giant polar bears hover on the shores of Hudson Bay awaiting the onset of winter and a chance to hunt seals. It is a rewarding and uplifting experience to stand within a few feet of one of the planet’s great creatures, enjoying the antics of the cubs or staring into the eyes of a fully-grown adult, all from the safety of an oversized buggy.

Other Canada Posts
Polar Bear Splendour (Churchill)
The Twenty Dollar View (Lake Louise)
The Spiritual Medicine Lake
Johnston Canyon

Even in the relative safety of a large vehicle, a polar bear is a chilling, awe-inspiring animal. When only a pane of reinforced glass separates you from the world’s largest land-based carnivore, a strange mix of fear and excitement sets in.

Every year around mid-October, migrating polar bears congregate in their hundreds for a handful of weeks in the northerly Canadian town of Churchill, awaiting Hudson Bay to freeze over. Purpose built tundra buggies, a kind of bus perched on a high-clearance, all-terrain truck chassis, ferry snap-happy tourists out onto the shores of the bay to witness these endangered arctic giants.

Some bears sniff around the buggy hoping for a tasty treat while others content themselves sleeping lazily on the crusty snow-laden ground. The occasional athletic bear leaps onto its hind legs, lifting itself to window level, the scratching on the metallic sides echoing uneasily through the buggy.


Mothers shepherd their cubs cautiously while younger adults stage mock fights, these solitary animals bought so close together waiting for the biting northerly cold to freeze the bay. The young cubs are a scream, their boundless energy and uncertain footing on the icy ground creating plenty of entertainment to those on the buggy. Once the bay is frozen, the polar bears can leave the shores and hunt for their favoured ring seals, the rich fresh meat rebuilding their fat reserves lost over the summer months.

Shallow lakes have already frozen, a mothers showing her cubs technique for walking on thin ice, cautiously spreading her weight over a wide area by widely stretching her legs in an exaggerated sliding walk like an oversized spider climbing a window. The bumbling cubs eagerly stroll behind like cotton balls blowing in the wind seemingly oblivious to the threats of the barely formed ice layer and paying scant attention to their mother’s lessons.

There are good chances that you’ll spot other creatures that inhabit this desolate, chilly environment. With all dressed in a standard uniform of white to camouflage into the surroundings, arctic foxes compete with arctic owls and flocks of ptarmigan exploring the desert-like tundra for food.

Read more about Churchill and the polar bears.

Photo Source: Tundra Buggy

Guest post by Elegant Resorts

Barbados (known as "the pearl of the Caribbean") is a rather small pear-shaped island which is 20 miles of soft coral. This ancient and enormous coral reef was formed approximately one million years ago and is permeated by water, which resulted in spectacular underground caverns. Its glorious beaches can be enjoyed with 340 days of sunshine a year. With abundant water sports including water skiing, sailing, fishing, windsurfing, scuba diving, and snorkeling, Barbados makes the perfect getaway when searching for luxury holidays.

Two of the premier resorts for your stay are Cobblers Cove and Sandy Lane.

Cobblers Cove is an elegant English Country House style in a secluded setting and with a relaxing atmosphere. It is located on one of the best beaches in Barbados, where you can swim with the sea turtles and enjoy an abundance of other activities. Their gourmet restaurant offers breakfast, dinner, afternoon tea, cocktails and a culinary demonstration by Chef Porteus along with a complimentary wine tasting.

Sandy Lane is a luxury 112-room resort set in an ancient mahogany grove overlooking the Caribbean Sea on Barbados' West Coast. The classic elegance was enhanced by a multi-million-dollar expansion and overhaul, and you may well encounter celebrities and royalty. Your transfer to and from the airport is in a chauffeured luxury car. Three golf courses with 45 holes, one of which was designed by Tom Fazio, appeal to the golfer, who can also enjoy the 55,000-square-foot Clubhouse with its pro shop, elegant restaurant, and panoramic views. The Galleria at Sandy Lane features diamonds, distinctive jewelry, and limited edition timepieces.

When you are ready to explore the island, there are many unique attractions to put on your schedule.

The culture is shaped by an English influence and is evident in the Anglican stone churches and the cricket games still played on the village greens.

The Animal Flower Cave is in the parish of St. Lucy, the most northerly point of Barbados. The name comes from the sea anemones that inhabit the pools in the cave. You can even swim in some of the deeper pools. Openings in the cave offer spectacular views. Also visit the Flower Forest with its flowers of brilliant colours.

The Andromeda Botanical Gardens in St. Joseph has six acres of orchids, ferns, hibiscus, begonias, palms, cacti, and more. A stream bisects the land and forms waterfalls and pools. These exotic gardens were started in 1954 by a local horticulturist, Iris Bannochie, who bequeathed the land to the Barbados National Trust.

Harrison's Cave in Bridgetown is a huge underground cavern with stalactites and stalagmites, deep emerald pools, and waterfalls that you can enjoy in an electrically operated tram.

The Barbados Museum in Garrison is housed in what was the British Military Prison, which had its upper section built in 1817 and lower section in 1853. There are artifacts of the Amerindians (the Caribbean islands' early inhabitants), "Yesterday's Children" (a gallery giving an educational travel back into history), rare historical maps of the island, furnishings of an 18th century plantation house, a natural history display, and a reference library.

The Heritage Park and Rum Factory, with free admission, is the first rum distillery inaugurated in 1996 situated on a former sugar and molasses plantation dating back 350 years. Produced there is ESA Field, a white rum much preferred by connoisseurs.

St. Nicholas Abbey is a plantation great house built about 1650 and furnished with antiques. It is surrounded by sugar cane fields. It never functioned as an abbey but was named so by one owner. It is one of three authentic Jacobean houses in the Western Hemisphere and is characterized by its curved gables. Each year more than 200 acres are still being cultivated, and an on-site sugar refinery has been reconstructed.

In the parish of Christ Church is the Graeme Hall Swamp, the largest expanse of inland water on Barbados. Visitors can stay dry and walk on a boardwalk to view the red and white mangrove trees , more than 40 species of birds as well as green monkeys and unusual plants.

Christ Church also has duty-free shops, especially in the Bridgetown area surrounding the cruise ship terminal. Local handcrafts include black coral jewelry, straw bags, clay pottery, wall hangings, and more.

Whether it is a relaxing time on the beach, water sports or a variety of attractions, as a holiday location, Barbados is the pearl of the Caribbean.

Source: Photos 2,3,4

Each month a group of travel bloggers (including Lifecruiser and Travel Expert(a)) conduct a virtual cocktail party where writers highlight a notable drink from their travels or experiences. With a recent visit to scenic Lake Louise deep in the Rockies, this month's drinks takes us to chilly Canada.

The Bloody Caesar is a Canadian adaption to the internationally renown Bloody Mary. It is made by adding a measure of vodka to a salt-rimmed glass. Add a few drops of worcestershire sauce and tabasco, a little lime juice and a shake of pepper. Top with Clamato, a tinned mixture of tomato juice and clam broth that I have only seen for sale in North America.

Bloody Caesars are tasty, slightly spicy, refreshing drinks that I' ve only ever seen served in Canada. I've only tasted a few and they were a real favourite.

So a hearty cheers for this seafood flavoured cocktail at this month's party.

Other Drinks of the Month
Pisco Sour
Singapore Sling
Chimay Beer
Becherovka

With familiar glittering scenes that grace Canadian brochures, the travel wonder of Lake Louise is sublime beauty on a large scale. Though tremendously popular in the warmer months overwhelming the tiny village, the three main natural sights of Lake Louise should be on any Rockies agenda.

With the grandiose Lake Louise Château perches on its shoreline, the emerald Lake Louise offers perfect reflections of the giant amphitheatre of surrounding mountains and tumbling Victoria Glacier. With a path that circumnavigates the lake, this deep brooding lake rarely reaches more than a few degrees above freezing point.

Even more scenically stunning is nearby Moraine Lake (top photo). The rich turquoise blue of the shimmering waters, caused by rock particles ground into dust over the years by glaciers and washed into the lake, reflect a grand range of ten jagged snow-capped peaks (all over 3000 metres). Trails run around the edge of the lake and through forests of pine trees but the best view is just left of the car park. Some seek the solitude of colourful canoes to help soak the immense beauty of this wonderful landscape while others just sit on the shoreline in silent admiration. Arrays of wildflowers add colour to the lush grassy fields.

The outlook has been nicknamed The Twenty Dollar View in a claim that greatly undervalues its beauty. A green and white picture that does the scene little justice graced the back of the Canadian twenty dollar bill for many years.

To get some appreciation of the entire Rockies vista around Lake Louise, a chairlift climbs Mount Whitehorn to a height of around 2000 metres. Lake Louise and its oversized hotel hide in one corner of this superb panorama enjoyable from various vantage points including the sun-soaked deck of a small café and display area. Various paths and trails crisscross this winter ski area offering views across the conifer-covered valley and to the splendid mountains, including Mt Quadra whose four peaks have the rough appearance of teeth jutting from a jaw.

Occasional bears are reported around the Lake Louise area, as are chipmunks, squirrels and boisterous birds.

If you are flying to Canada and the spectacular Rockies, include Lake Louise on your itinerary. However you choose to explore the travel wonder of Lake Louise, it is a place to take time to soak and admire the stunning panoramic alpine views and the vivid blue glacial lakes, and to walk and commune with nature on a grand scale.

If looks could kill! Scratch, a solo black bear and long time visitor to Anan Creek Wildlife Reserve, and sporting a savage scar across his nose, stands in the cascading falls for over half an hour, plunging his head into the frigid water and coming up empty.

Elegant Mom, strolls down to the river for the second time, enthusiastic youngsters waddling behind and leans into the water from the bank, plucking a writhing salmon from the creek in seconds. A few drops of water drip from her neck, a spray of water from the struggling salmon. She strolls off to a quiet spot under the tree to continue the family picnic. The cubs follow in anticipation with even more spring in their step as they assuredly traverse the slippery rocks.

Nearby, four black bears, stand in a protective rock cave, out of the main current of the waterfall. This is the prime fishing spot and these giant bears have mortgaged these locations for years. Their swelling bellies almost rub they are so near each other, but apart from a bit of light-fingered thieving from each other, most get on with the job of gorging on the salmon.

Keen-eyes bald eagles and gulls await any leftover salmon. After all, bears are not the tidiest of eaters and the better fishermen among them satisfy themselves with just the eggs and part of the salmon head. The flesh is ignored, and makes for a welcome meal for the waiting birds. It is ironic, as the prime fillets of salmon is something we would gladly pay generously for in fish shops, yet at peak fishing time, the bears happily discard this in favour of the most protein-rich portions.

The action is manic. Over 25 black bears are stationed at their favourite locations near and in the cascades, fishing their primary summer meal. Some are extraordinarily efficient catching salmon at will – others take a fair bit more work. Young bear cubs watch intently, soaking in the lessons from their mother. After all, they will have to fend for themselves in a summer or two (and bears that can’t fish in this area won’t survive the winter).

Suddenly there is a disturbance. A single imposing brown bear strolls towards the main fishing grounds, the black bears clearing the path as if royalty is in attendance. These are traditional enemies and it is only at such prime feeding locations as Anan Creek that they will venture so close. Most black bears wander into the relative safety of the surrounding forest while one quickly shoots up a large tree. The ever-protective mothers ensure that their cubs are safe with the instinctive cubs treasuring protective cover from their parent.

But this brown isn’t chasing black bears. She is a champion fisher and in just a few minutes catches and gulps down the egg sac from three pink salmon. An eagle eagerly lines up for the remains from an overhanging branch but lacks the courage to interrupt this marauding diner. A brown bear family restfully watches on from a nearby log, unimpressed by all the activity.

Soon enough the big brown bear has had enough and wanders on. The black bears start sheepishly returning to their favorite spots and resume their feeding. And the normal mayhem of feeding returns to Anan Creek.

Wrangell Vacations