Living it Up in Death Valley

“I’m allowed to eat dirt?” my son asks, an incredulous look on his face. I nod and explain that the white ground we’re standing on is not dirt but, rather, salt, and the friendly park ranger said a wee taste was fine. With that my son pops a pinch in his mouth and the rest … Continue reading →

Big Love in Death Valley

There will come a moment on your getaway in Death Valley National Park–while hiking between walls of polished marble or standing on a blinding-white salt flat or floating in a spring-fed pool under an ink-black skies awash with stars–when you realize you are falling in love. Because despite its morbid name, arid landscapes, and well … Continue reading →

Pender Island Surprises

There is a disco on Pender Island. At least I think that’s what islander Curtis Redel just told me. “Heart Trail is a great morning walk,” says Redel when I ask about hiking on the island. “And if you keep following it, you’ll reach the disco.” I imagine flashing lights, disco balls and Donna Summer … Continue reading →

10 Ways Canada’s Yukon Territory is Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

The call of the wild emanates from just about everywhere in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Some locations are expected (evergreen forests, rugged mountain peaks, remote lakes) while others might surprise (a former brothel-now-bar, a wild-west-esque can-can show, a divey saloon). Looming large over this vast frontier north of the 60th parallel and east of Alaska are … Continue reading →

Happy in Halifax: That’s an order

Halifax has long known how to have a good time. In 1606, explorer Samuel de Champlain kicked off centuries of Nova Scotia merrymaking when he established L’Ordre de Bon Temps, the Order of the Good Time, to raise the spirits of his men wintering 200 km north of Halifax. The Order is still in existence … Continue reading →

Colonnade Hotel for baseball fans in Boston

On game days, bell staff sport Red Sox caps at this friendly 285-room hotel located a 15-minute walk from Fenway Park and adjacent to some of Boston’s best shopping. Stylish guest rooms feature earth-tone furnishings, floor-to-ceiling windows and, beside every bathtub, a souvenir rubber ducky. Take in a ball game or entertaining ballpark tour, or … Continue reading →

Into the snow in Quebec’s Chic-Chocs

Staring down the powdery, steep slope dotted with snow-laden trees, I am far from lift lines, far from home and far–way far–out of my comfort zone. My ski guide Mia, one of a handful of bilingual staff at the remote Auberge de Montagne des Chic-Chocs on the Gaspe Peninsula in eastern Quebec, gives me an … Continue reading →

Welcome to the Rock: Newfoundland

“We didn’t do anything special,” says retired police constable Oswald “Oz” Fudge when describing this community’s efforts to welcome the 38 commercial aircraft carrying nearly 7,000 passengers and crew that were ordered to land in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Theatregoers seeing “Come From Away,” the hit musical based on those … Continue reading →

Road-Tripping on Vancouver Island

There is air, there is fresh air, and then there’s the brisk, briny, oxygen-thick air that rides in on wild ocean waves. That’s the air you’ll breathe as you explore the Pacific Marine Circle Route on southern Vancouver Island. This 255-kilometre-long drive begins in Victoria, hugs the rugged western coastline to fisher-and hiker-friendly Port Renfrew, … Continue reading →

A Guide to Cape Breton Island

Take a drive on the wild side with a visit to Cape Breton Island on the northern tip of Nova Scotia. With its soaring cliffs, bountiful seas and a heady mix of Gaelic, Acadian and Mi’kmaq cultures, this vast land delivers a Maritimes experience like no other. Visitors can hike, paddle or immerse themselves in … Continue reading →