This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Nature Conservancy. All opinions are 100% mine. One of the things I love about travel (and I bet you do, too), is experiencing the local wildlife. There’s nothing quite like seeing a whale breaching or dolphins frolicking…
In far northeastern France, flanked by the Vosges mountains to the west and the Rhine river in the east, you will find a land of vineyards, castles, and medieval villages. A land that, aside from the larger cities of Colmar, Strasbourg, and Mulhouse, appears unchanged by time – Alsace. Wine,…
I first learned of aromatic white wine varietals like Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling, while studying for my WSET 2 certification. Prior to my studies I had no idea that a white wine could be so full of flavor and yet, dry. Or, that a wine could…
Looking for Hitchcock I found Ansel Adams. Alfred Hitchcock immortalized the town of Bodega and nearby Bodega Bay, in Northern California, in his 1963 thriller, The Birds. There are multiple locations that film buffs can easily recognize, especially the Potter Schoolhouse, the location for an especially terrifying scene in…
I left Holbrook, Arizona early in the morning, happy for the heavy clouds which provided relief from the summer heat. I was bound for Dallas via Santa Fe, and had nothing else in mind except arriving as early as possible to squeeze the most out of my two day…
Voted the number one vineyard in the USA by Travel and Leisure Magazine, Vincent Arroyo Winery in Calistoga, California offers something for almost everyone. You don’t have to be a wine enthusiast to enjoy a visit. Though you should visit for the high quality wine, Vincent Arroyo Winery has become known…
If you’ve fantasized about visiting California’s beautiful Napa and Sonoma wine country but still have not fulfilled that dream, well, now is the perfect time. I’ve recently relocated to the wine country, living in Sonoma and working in Napa Valley. The northern California wildfires did indeed impact the wine country,…
Hot, tired and in dire need of a bathroom, I had been circling the Calistoga train depot in hopes of finding some relief. A tiny building located behind the depot that I had never noticed before beckoned. I wandered inside and immediately forgot about the bathroom. A vintage…
Million dollar homes line the priceless real estate and private beaches of Malibu, California. Most of us can only dream of such affluence and gawk from afar. Malibu is nothing if not the essence of the California dream. If you, like me, are not one of the privileged few…
People travel for many reasons – business, pleasure, and education are just a few. Whatever the purpose, most travelers are watching their budgets. Travel can be an expensive proposition. As a frequent traveler, the topic people most often want to discuss with me is where and how do I find…
Love travel and the anticipation of adventure but not the inherent stress? There are so many things that can go awry –from making sure you have all your documents to standing in long lines at the airport after you’ve dodged your way through freeway traffic, travel tress starts before you’ve…