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Yellowstone in Winter, at a Discount

America’s natural wonders were chosen to be national parks to preserve their indigenous state. Yet, if you venture to places like Yellowstone in the summer, “forever wild” seems more like “forever congested.” Come winter, these same parks are virtually uninhabited, almost returning to their original state. Who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to cross-country ski or snowshoe with more bison and elk than homo sapiens? Now Yellowstone National Park Lodges has made it even more attractive, reducing their price at the lodge to $109 per person for a two-night stay. Rates include two breakfasts, a one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited ice skating and skate rentals, in-park transportation, and guided tours. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel makes a great base to look for wolves in Lamar Valley or explore the wondrous travertine terraces just outside the front door of the lodging. Call 866-439-7375 and ask for the "Frosty Fun at Mammoth" package. The rates on the website were incorrect when I last checked.
 

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Former A&K Global Managing Director Launches Red Savannah

While we’re on the subject of Abercrombie & Kent, former A&K global managing director, George Morgan-Grenville, has just launched his own luxury travel company, Red Savannah. You can already download a brochure from their website which will be fully functional by the first of the year. Morgan-Grenville is focusing on his three areas of expertise—safaris in Botswana and Tanzania, villa rentals in Italy, France, and Spain, and ski chalet rentals in Switzerland. There will be also guided trips to other exotic regions of the world like Burma and Sri Lanka. They aim to provide an upscale, comfortable experience no matter what the region of the world, like Sindabezi Island (pictured), a camp situated on a private isle near the Victoria Falls. There are only five open-thatched cottages, all with views across the Zambezi river.

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Nairobi’s Giraffe Manor Expands

Yes, the chance to kiss a giraffe as he sticks his head through the window of the estate should not be overlooked. Take it from someone who has done this personally, a giraffe’s tongue is almost as long as his neck. No, the reason we like to book Giraffe Manor in Nairobi for our clients before or after a safari is its great location in the city, close to Karen Blixen’s former home and near the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. Unfortunately, the 10-room boutique property is often sold out. Thankfully, they just added two superior double rooms. Called Edd and Selma, they’re named after two of the Manor’s beloved giraffes. Go have a look and a lick! 

 
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Hiking the Acadia Mountain Trail, Acadia National Park

With the highest mountains on the Atlantic coast north of Brazil, slicing fjords, deserted offshore islands, and 41 miles of rugged shoreline, it’s easy to understand why Acadia is the sole national park in the northeast. Take the hour-long hike to the short peak of Acadia Mountain, and you’ll be peering down at the lobster boats anchored in Southwest Harbor, captivated by the meeting of mountains and sea. Unlike the iconic national parks of the West, with their lofty five-digit peaks, everything in Acadia is on a human scale, creating the ideal family-friendly retreat. After the hike, treat yourselves to strawberry lemonade and piping hot popovers, fresh out of the oven, at the Jordan Pond Gatehouse. 

 
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A Great Time to Be in Boston!

Call it justice for a city still healing from the loathsome murder and mayhem committed on one of our celebrated days of the year, the annual running of the Boston Marathon. Or simply pay heed to the remarkable job Red Sox GM Ben Cherington did by dumping the salaries of big name ballplayers like Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez and picking up the unheralded Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, and a journeyman 38-year old pitcher named Koji Uehara. After last year’s laughable season, where we ended up in last place, all we wanted was a chance to have fun at the old ballpark again. But when you’re led by a man named Big Papi, the Babe Ruth of our time, anything is possible. As a travel writer, I’m constantly on the road. Fortunately, I had no trips booked these past two weeks so I could enjoy every game of the World Series with my family. This weekend, there’s no place I’d rather be than home watching the duck boats drive by in a well-deserved parade. 

 
Enjoy the weekend and stay active!
 
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A Mountain Doesn’t Discriminate

Vancouver’s Sarah Doherty, 50, has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, skied competitively, and lit the Olympic torch. All with one leg! At the age of 13, while biking around her neighborhood in eastern Massachusetts, a drunk driver hit her, crushing her right leg. The accident might have altered her life, but it didn’t change her desire to keep active. In fact, she has devoted herself to getting people back on the trail, working as an occupational therapist. Her most recent contribution is SideStix, a shock-absorbent crutch that can withstand any rock-littered, root studded trail. Let’s just call it the mountain bike version of a crutch. Where there’s a will there’s a way, and with Sarah Doherty, there’s a strong desire to picnic on summits.
 

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Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston with the Histrionic Academy

May is my favorite month to be in Boston, which is why I just returned from Miami and I’m leaving for Bermuda, DC, and Watch Hill, Rhode Island in the next couple weeks. Go figure? I love the tulips in bloom at the Public Garden and the small of budding flowers and trees after a fresh rain. Several weeks back, my wife’s cousin and her family were in town and we took them on the Freedom Trail, the three-mile walking route that guides you to the most famous historic sites in the city. Toss your map in the garbage and simply follow the red line that takes you the Granary Burying Ground, the final resting spot for Paul Revere, before venturing to Paul Revere’s house in the North End.

This time, however, we booked a tour with the Histrionic Academy and followed a local historian in colonial garb as he taught me a thing or two about a trail I’ve written about ad nauseum. For example, the little hill I always pass in the Boston Common once was home to a large elm tree that was a popular venue for public hangings in mid-17th century. At the Granary, we stopped to salute the great garrison of the colonial era, James Otis, who coined the now famous phrase, “Taxation without Representation is Tyranny.” A brilliant orator, we learned from our guide that he fought passionately against the “writs of assistance,” which allowed the British to enter any colonist’s home without reason. I love learning something new about your hometown, even when you think you know it all.
 

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