American Travel Tips

Cape Cod in Spring

Just got back from a delightful trip to Cape Cod.  The crowds are still gone but the warm weather is arriving.  The businesses are opening up and there is excitement in the air of the coming summer! 

Activities in Portland

A couple great garden experiences are the Japanese Garden (6 acres and beautiful) and International Rose Test Garden (less varied but still well worth a visit).  Waterfront Park along the Willamette River is a great place to walk or go bike-riding.  If you like boating, the Portland Spirit River Cruise is an engaging way to spend a couple hours.  If it's raining, the Art Museum (www.portlandartmuseum.org) is reasonably impressive. 

Vacationing in Portland

If you're going to visit Portland, one nice option is staying along the river waterfront there.  Another option is avoiding downtown and staying to the east by the airport.  These places are less costly than downtown, but tend to be only the typical chains.  Another option to consider is Vancouver, WA, which is actually not far from Portland, just across the Columbia River.  A helpful site if you're going to be staying awhile is Portland Extended Stay which provides recommendations on reasonably priced extended stay hotels in the Portland area.  

Some tips for skiing Aspen/Snowmass

Snowmass lacks much steep terrain, but makes up for it with lots of mogul runs.  The old village is much bigger than the lower village.  The Silvertree Inn is on the upper village and near the slopes...a great spot.  There aren't many vacation condos in walking distance to either mall.  The Viceroy is new and gorgeous and a great choice for drinks.  Aspen town is more built up and spread out...it doesn't have a quaint feel as there are few car-free streets.  Little Nell hotel is slopeside and great.  Aspen Highlands Mountain is great for a day but too little for more than that.  Plenty of tough terrain.  They have a parking facility with an escalator to the main area which makes it very easy as a car resort. 

Visiting Steamboat

While this winter hasn't been great for snow, I just got back and have two great tips for going there.  Check out the snowmobile tours offered in the area.  Fun and a great way to see the forests and fields in the area.  Also, if you're skiing, plan to have lunch at Hazie's Restaurant.  It has a fantastic view of the valley to the west. 

Today's thought is hiking in San Diego, which I recently did. Nice this time of year. A few sites I found helpful included:

sandiegohikers.com - lots of suggestions including their top 10 list
sandiegohikingclub.org - a club, best for locals
and www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/hikes.html , which is a government site, but helpful

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting my blog.  In posts to come I'll be sharing thoughts, tips, photos and insights from my many trips around this fine country.  I hope you find these helpful in planning your own travels.