Archive for the 'Outdoors & Adventure' Category
S’more for your money with El Capitan Canyon deal
July 3, 2009 12:38pm
Start practicing your campfire songs and lacing up those hiking boots. But forget about hunting for that missing tent pole. Thanks to luxury-camping locale El Capitan Canyon, 20 miles north of Santa Barbara, the real outdoors, dirt and all, can be enjoyed by even the slickest city folk among you. And the following unique package now being offered adds some fun, and a little value, to the equation.
Deal: The “Family Picnic Package” includes: two nights of accommodations, a gift bag (which includes a S’mores Kit for four), a picnic blanket, trail-mix snacks and four lunch vouchers redeemable for a to-go picnic lunch or lunch at the Canyon Deli Garden Patio or the Back Market Lawn.
If you stay in a safari tent, the package price is $365 (pre-tax). Read the rest of this entry »
Mexico: Swim with whale sharks in the Yucatan
June 28, 2009 10:33am
Whale sharks, the largest of the ocean’s fish, are spending time in the warm waters off the Yucatan Peninsula during these summer days. Can you blame them? Probably not. Wanna join them?
These flat-headed, gargantuan creatures (up to 40 feet long, according to National Geographic) snack on plankton and small fish — and not humans — so swimming with them, though they move around open-mouthed, may not be as preposterous as you might think.
With Rosewood Mayakobá, on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, you can embark on a half-day guided tour by private yacht to seek out whale sharks. Once they’ve been found, you get to swim and snorkel with the fish. Read the rest of this entry »
All Intrepid Travel trips on sale 15-60% off on June 30
June 27, 2009 10:05am
Are you tired of seeing travel deals for Vegas hotels, cheap flights or even Luxe hotel stays that you’ll never take? If we haven’t been adventurous enough for you - we’re trying to make up for it now. Intrepid Travel has a one-day sale next week that’s worthy of your weekend hammock daydreaming time. On Tuesday, June 30, for nine hours only—Intrepid Travel will put all their trips on sale. Savings start at 15% off but go all the way up to 60% off.
Sandal helps stamp out over-pronation (and looks great)
June 21, 2009 12:49pm
For summertime travel — not to mention wading across streams and scrambling over boulders — I’m a big fan of Chaco sandals from a feisty Colorado company run by Mark Paigen, a former whitewater-rafting guide.
Amphibious, durable and bearing the seal of the American Podiatric Medical Assn., Chaco’s BioCentric footbed, with its sculpted heel cup and arch support, was designed to combat muscular stress caused when the feet roll too far inward (known as over-pronation). As a result, the sandal can be worn comfortably all day while tramping across the old stones of the Roman Forum or over slickrock in southern Utah.
Lake-view zip-line tours debut in Big Bear
June 19, 2009 2:22pm
If you’ve been wishing for a zip-lining opportunity closer to home than, say, San Diego or Hawaii, you’re in luck: You can now brush elbows with the treetops in Big Bear.
Flying Bear Zip Lines, which opened to the public June 13, runs five zip-lines that will get you zooming through and above Big Bear’s natural offerings, crossing through forest and over canyons.
On the guided tours, participants get to experience “zipping toward the lake, 90 feet in the air,” said Terilynn Bondeson of Flying Bear Zip Lines, which is a division of Lodestone Adventures. You can see Big Bear Lake from all of the zip-line routes though four out of five, she said, offer really great lake views.
Participants have a choice of one of two tours: the “Black Bear” tour involves three zip-trips and runs 1.5 to two hours for $65 per person, and the “Grizzly Bear” option consists of five zip-trips and goes 2.5 to three hours for $85 per person. Read the rest of this entry »
Submit idea for a chance to join an Alaskan eco-adventure
June 19, 2009 9:02am
Got a thirst for adventure and motivation to help the ocean environment? Coastal CODE (Clean Oceans Depend on Everyone), a nonprofit founded by Alaskan Brewing Co., is soliciting applications for a short gig that could get you exploring the Alaskan outdoors this fall.
To be considered, you must wow the organizers with your answer to this question: “What is your dream project to maintain a healthier coastline?” Your succinct response — limited to 140 characters — can be entered on the organization’s website, on its Facebook page or via Twitter.
Among finalists asked to submit an application, four people will be picked to join the weeklong Alaskan adventure, departing Sept. 14, 2009, and hosted by Alaskan Brewing Co., Alaska Airlines and Wend magazine. During the trip, participants will learn all about the negative impacts of marine debris on the ocean environment. In addition to leading a beach clean-up in Alaska during the trip, winners will gain knowledge that will help them enact change along their local coasts. Read the rest of this entry »
Omni San Diego: $149 stay, plus see Padres play
June 18, 2009 12:20pm
Here’s some incentive to support our L.A. Dodgers on the road: They take on the San Diego Padres on Sept. 29 and 30, and with a stay at Omni San Diego — which is connected to Petco Park by a sky bridge — you can attend a game for free.
The Dodgers don’t do it for you? Check out the Padres’ schedule (below) to find a match worth your while, starting tonight with the Padres versus the Seattle Mariners.
Deal: Under a current promotion, pay a discounted $149, pretax, for a night’s stay on one of 15 select Padres game nights this summer (including the above-mentioned Dodgers dates), and the hotel will kick in two complimentary tickets to see the game. Use promotion code “FREEBASEBALL” when calling or reserving online.
Being upper-reserved tickets ($30 total value), the seats are nothing to brag about. But if the game you’re headed to isn’t sold out, you can upgrade your seats to “best available” for $15 each on game day at Petco Park’s will call. Following are the Padres games included in this promotion: Read the rest of this entry »
Calling all sun seekers - a luxe summer spa getaway at Borrego Ranch Resort
June 16, 2009 10:02am
It’s not ridiculous to mention a luxe spa getaway in the middle of the desert and in the dead of summer because there are extreme sun seekers out there. I know a few of them who love the high temperatures. Raise your hands, you know who you are. And if your hand is up, you won’t want to miss this gem of a deal to pamper yourself in the Anza-Borrego desert. The Borrego Ranch Resort, which completed a $50 million renovation last November, is offering a two-day spa deal through September that is perfect for those who want to see the transformation from the historic La Casa del Zorro Desert Resort.
Deal: The Summer Spa Serenity Package includes two nights’ accommodations, two 50-minute spa treatments, a bottle of sparking wine and $100 resort credit starting at $520, pre-tax. A similar package is listed at $590 pre-tax during March when tourists come out to see the wildflowers.
That’s not the only deal available. Check out the specials page for its golf package and the $179 room rate good any time this summer through September.
An American’s wild train ride through Australia’s outback
June 8, 2009 10:47am
“I wanted an adventure, and I got one,” said American teenager Chad Vance to his recording digital camera, as he clung to the exterior of a train charging through the Australian outback.
The 19-year-old’s story goes like this: A passenger on the Ghan, which connects Adelaide to Darwin, the Alaskan student was bound for Alice Springs, but he disembarked the train for a break during its temporary stop at Port Augusta. As reported in the Irish Times:
“Stretching his legs, Mr. Vance returned to see the train leaving. Except for $10 and his digital camera, all his luggage, including his passport, was on board.”
“He chased after the train until it stopped to change drivers. He squeezed onto an external stairwell and huddled there, wearing only a T-shirt and jeans, as the temperature sank below freezing.” Read the rest of this entry »
Free entry to national parks on three weekends
June 2, 2009 2:29pm
You’ll get free entry to Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and 144 other national parks on three weekends this summer: June 20-21, July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16. At Yosemite, for instance, that can save you $20 per car, or $10 per person if you arrive by foot, bicycle or motorcycle.
The offer was announced today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who cited “these tough economic times.”
Besides free entry, some concessionaires will give away $5 vouchers and free tours, boat rides, shopping bags and other extras. But don’t expect to camp for free; the regular fees apply there.
