HIGH ON ADVENTURE, an adventure travel magazine 
Feature stories and photoessays for the Adventurous Traveler
Back issues @ Travel Destinations
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 2015 Vol 19 , No. 6  Lynn Rosen, Content Editor; Steve Giordano, Web Editor

  Izaak Walton caboose   Iceland hot spring   Grand Canyon Railway  
  Montana's "railroad" hotel, the Izaak Walton Inn, Essex

  Iceland's Viking Heritage


  The Grand Canyon Railway, a Grand Way to the Grand Canyon  
 

The Izaac Walton Inn has private, free-standing accommodations on the property inside updated cabooses, brightly painted in the colors of the railroads they once belonged to. Three of them have been designated as luxury accommodations. With raised cupolas for excellent views of the passing trains, cabooses are well appointed and perfect for ski-in/ski-out winter fun and woodsy summer relaxation.

  A second attempt at settlement. 871 CE, was successful and a massive land grab ensued. Most were Viking farmers seeking new land. Despite Hollywood’s fanciful portrayal, Vikings did not charge around with horns protruding from their helmets. But they were deservedly infamous for their raiding and plundering when they weren’t tending their farms and eking out survival in a rugged environment.

  By the 1950s the increased popularity of automobiles led to declines in the railroad's schedules. Service was discontinued in June 1968 when Train No. 14 departed the Grand Canyon Depot with just three people. It wasn't until Sept. 17, 1989, 88 years after the first train chugged from Williams to the South Rim, that the upgraded train made its return. In the years since, cumulative daily ridership has topped about 225,000 passengers annually.
 
             
             
  Ski Idaho snow sculpture   New Mexico   Balloon-jumping  
  Skiing Idaho's Gems Plus a Good Look at Boise



New Mexico in the Winter, plus Georgia O'Keefe's Ghost Ranch   Fox-Tossing and Other Forgotten Blood Sports,by Edward Brooke-Hitching  
  You undoubtedly know about Sun Valley and probably about Schweitzer. But smack in the middle of the state are Brundage and Tamarack, powder treasures with an amazing array of killer intermediate terrain.

 

In foot-deep powder we trudged about, photographing some of the silence with a stunning mountain backdrop of our destination: the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Carson National Forest and Sipapu Ski and Summer Area   There is a whole host of wild and weird sports lost to history, but why are they no more? I’ve spent the last few years discovering that the answer to this question is threefold: Cruelty, danger, and ridiculousness.  
             
             
 



Les Airelles in Courchevel

  Chinese bedroom  
Yoga icon
 


January 10 through March, 2016, a luxury shop/ski deal in Milan and the Swiss Alps    

Los Angeles Yoga Expo
Sunday, January 3, 2016

 
  Milan's Palazzo Parigi and the nearby shopping heaven “quadrilatero della moda” combined with the ski resort Les Airelles in Courchevel, 2 nights at each, couldn't leave you feeling more pampered and worldly sophisticated than attending an economic summit in Davos.   Over the course of our week in Hangzhou, China, between visiting pagodas, temples, the famous West Lake, a wetland park and eating more Chinese food than I’ve encountered in a while, we learned a bit about life there and got to try more than a little of it.

  The expo is set to be the largest event of its kind, with master teachers from around the globe teaching more than 150 classes and workshops on meditation and fitness practices. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sample local sustainable food and beverages throughout the day.  
             
             


     
     
     
     
 

Who we are: For brief bios on the writers who form this Pacific Northwest collective, please click here.

 
     
 

For daily travel issues and news, visit ConsumerTraveler.com

 
     
 

Comments and Suggestions: lynrosen@gmail.com; rsgiordano@gmail.com