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Waltham Named One of the Top Food Towns in the Country

We head over to nearby Waltham all the time for the authentic Mexican fare at Amuleto, the best pastrami in town at Moody’s Provisions, and to dine at the award-winning Italian restaurant, La Campania. So it came as no surprise that Waltham made the cut in RewardExpert’s ranking of 2017’s Best American Foodie Towns. RewardExpert analyzed 100 cities and towns with populations less than 100,000 and evaluated them on nine key metrics. I also like their other picks such as Portland, Maine, Traverse City, Michigan, and Healdsburg, California. Have a look. 

 

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Spend New Year’s Eve at a Maine Hut

Make this New Year’s Eve memorable by snowshoeing or cross-country skiing to one of the four huts in the Maine Huts & Trails system, indulging in a four-course meal, and then waking up the next morning to a spectacular vista of mountains and lakes. Not a bad way to start 2015. Choose the Flagstaff Hut and you’ll be rewarded with views of Flagstaff Lake and the Bigelow range. Stratton Brook Hut offers stunning alpine views of Sugarloaf Mountain and is a great spot to catch the Sugarloaf fireworks at 9pm. Dinner consists of soup, salad, main course, dessert, and a variety of sides prepared by each hut staff with locally sourced organic ingredients. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. The package rate of $108/adult, $54/youth (17 and under) for MH&T members, and $120/adult, $60/youth for non-members include one night of lodging in a heated bunkroom, four-course dinner with a champagne toast, a full hot breakfast and a packed trail lunch. Sounds like a deal to me. 

 
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10 Best Family Ski Resorts

A family ski trip offers the rare opportunity to spend quality time with every member of your family, including your significant other. In the morning, kids can improve their skills at ski schools, while you hit the slopes with your number one squeeze. In the afternoon, children can show off their new tricks while you ski together as a family. The best ski areas have gentle slopes for little skiers, first rate instructors to enhance skills of children ages 3 and up (in group or private lessons), childcare services for kids younger than 3, and more than enough activity to keep the kids busy when they need a break from the mountain. If you’re thinking of hitting the slopes this winter with the family, check out my list of favorite North American ski areas, found at Family Vacation Critic. 
 
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Paul Cyr’s Latest Coffee Table Book Now Available

I met Paul Cyr while on assignment from The Boston Globe in Presque Isle, Maine, in search of the elusive Northern Lights. Cyr’s colorfully charged photos of the Northern Lights have gone viral. His shots of Maine wildlife, including moose, bear, and this snowy owl are quite spectacular as well. In typical Maine fashion, he humbly insists he’s an amateur photographer. Yeah, and Jimi Hendrix is an amateur guitarist. Check out his magnificent work in his latest book, Northern Maine with Paul Cyr, perfect for a Holiday gift. 

 
(Photo by Paul Cyr)
 
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Put Yonder on Your Smart Phone

Employed as a travel and outdoors writer these past 23 years, my main goal has always been to direct people to locales that have inspired me. That’s why I love the new technology, because it makes it even easier to find gems in the rough. Take the app, Yonder, designed by a Vermont-based company, Green Mountain Digital, which just received a fresh influx of cash from Monster Worldwide. The photo/video sharing app helps you to locate nearby natural wonders. So if I’m hanging out in Burlington for the day and want to work off that growler of Switchback Ale, I can find a nearby hike to a waterfall or sea kayak to a lonely Lake Champlain isle, all recommended by locals who know the region well. What Yelp did for food, Yonder will do for nature. 

 
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Not a Good Time to Be a Rhino in South Africa

South Africa officials said 333 rhinos were poached in 2010, nearly three times as many that were lost in 2009. Another five rhinos were killed in the first several weeks of 2011. The increased demand for the rhino horn as a cure for impotence in Asian countries or as a ceremonial dagger in Middle Eastern countries has fueled the latest killings. In neighboring Zimbabwe, another seven rhinos have been murdered in the past month. This is not some random shooting by locals. Zimbabwean park rangers said the poaching is so sophisticated now that the villains are using helicopters and light aircraft to land, get their treasured horn, and fly away. They are well organized and funded by big money syndicates. Equipped with night vision goggles and a slew of artillery, this new breed of poacher will be hard to stop. Expect the 21,000 rhinos in South Africa, the most of any country, to dwindle quickly if the government can’t provide the resources to do battle with these criminals.
 

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See You in 2010!

One of my favorite inns in New England, the Wildflower Inn, is perched atop glorious Darling Hill Road in Lyndonville, Vermont, with expansive views of meadows, mountains, and rivers. I’ve brought the children here a handful of times and we’ve always had an unforgettable stay as we sled, downhill and cross-country skied, took horse-drawn sleigh rides, and pet the sheep, cows, and resident donkeys in the big barn. Now the inn is doing their best to get families outdoors by hosting a season long contest called Project Snowman 2010. Simply build a snowman and send the photo to the inn and you could win a 7-night stay, dining, skiing at nearby Burke Mountain, and more prizes. Owners Jim and Mary O’Reilly hope to get shots of 10,000 snow or sandmen sent from across America.

I’m taking a 2-week hiatus to enjoy time with my family and ski Stowe this upcoming week. Wishing you a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2010!
 

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