Lake Tahoe ALLLLL year long!

Another reason why California is a fantastic state...

Lake Tahoe

North Tahoe - Winter

South Tahoe - Summer

I would say that Lake Tahoe would be have to be one of the best places in the country to own a second home.  Summer time offers an unlimited amount of water activities and hiking then the winter is a snow wonderland for skiers and snowboarders.  

You get the best of both worlds - prime country for the outdoorsman!

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I personally have never been to Tahoe but I have never ever heard a negative thing about it.  It is a well sought after destination for all walks of life and for good reason.  Not many tourist places offer such a plethora of activities all year long - most have a high season and low season but here summer and winter bring in visitors for business all year long.  

Summer temperatures range from around 75-80 degrees during the day to the low 40s at night.  Winter temps average from a high of 40 to the lows in the teens and 20s but may dip to and below 0 degrees. 

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Lake Tahoe 

North

&

South

Starting with the south because this area suits my personality better :) 

It is home to a colorful, inspiring natural landscape that is home to a thriving art scene that promotes a laid back natural vibe that pairs well with the mountain life.  The streets are lined with working studios and galleries and you can view their art in any of the many festivals when the weather is warm while listening to the live music performances.  

Steve Barton painting his tropical scenes

But lets not forget why most people visit here - the outdoor activities!  

Hiking around the Tahoe Rim Trail or taking a nature walk through D.L. Bliss State Park are both great ways to spend your days.  

Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165 mile long trail that loops around the entire lake and goes through the Sierra Nevada and Carson ranges of California and Nevada.  Do your research on this trail before you set off for the local weather, trail closures, animal sitings and areas for specific experience levels - it is a challenging hike. The link above provides all the information you will need to plan your trip.

D.L. Bliss State Park is a great place to access the lake because whether you are a camper or a day visitor you can enjoy swimming, scuba diving, picnicking, or sun bathing on Lester Beach or Calawee Cove.  Lester Beach is the most popular place to launch your kayak or paddleboard but keep in mind you cannot keep trailers in the day use area - tickets will be passed out!

 Also, if you prefer to get out you can hike the Rubicon Trail, Lighthouse Trail, and Balancing Rock Trail. Check out their visitors guide linked above for all the details on what the park has to offer.

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Where to stay and eat:

For a complete list of places to stay check out the official South Tahoe tourist guide - the highlight the best of the 4 stars to rustic cabin lodges and everything in between.  The website also gives a complete review of places to eat, events and deals!  

Once you figure out where you want to stay call United Military Travel and let them book your stay now/ pay later vacation!  

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North Tahoe

While both the north and south are great places in the summer for boating, hiking, biking etc; north Tahoe is epic in the winter time for skiing and snowboarding.  Experience the world renowned chutes, bowls, glades and groomers at more than a dozen of ski and snowboard resorts.  

And if you have little ones or if you are like me who would just tumble down the mountain, have no fear, check out snow tubing, ice skating, sledding or backcountry snowmobile tours!  Tahoe accommodates all ages and experience levels :) 

This will never be me!

This is more like it :) 

Ski Lake Tahoe is a fantastic website listing all the ski resorts and the essentials to plan your visit.  Keep in mind that any where you want to stay and any packages you are interested in United Military Travel can book for you, just let your travel consultant know what you want when you call in.   

Hurricanes and Hawaii - What Does That Mean For Travelers?

Hurricane Iselle, Genevieve and Julio Threaten Hawaiian Islands

For the first time in 22 years Hawaii braces for its first direct hurricane contact as Iselle heads towards the Big Island with a second storm on its tail!

Currently, the Hawaiian Islands have been issued an advisory by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center for Hurricane Iselle which is 365 miles east-southeast of Hilo with sustained winds of 90 mph and Hurricane Genevieve, 1,140 miles west-southwest of Kauai with winds at 75 mph.  As if two hurricanes is not enough, Julio is now a named hurricane and is heading towards Hilo as well with 75 mph sustained winds.  But only two of the storms, Iselle and Julio, are tracked to hit the islands.  

Saffir-Simpson Scale

• Tropical Storm - winds 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
• Category 1 - winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt)
• Category 2 - winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt)
• Category 3 - winds 111-129 mph (96-112 kt)
• Category 4 - winds 130-156 mph (113-136 kt)
• Category 5 - winds 157 mph and up (137+ kt)

Hurricane Eselle right now is a category 1 and is expected to make impact tonight! For those of you who are not familiar with hurricanes, do not under estimate a cat 1.  I am from eastern North Carolina and no matter what strength the storm is, nature is a force to be reckoned with.  I have seen entire neighborhoods taken out in floods in a category 1, it all depends on which way the wind blows, the tidal phases and how the water is pushed and pulled.  Eselle is expected to produce 5-8 inches of rainfall with isolated maximum amounts to 12 inches.  The amounts could cause life threatening flash floods and rock and mud slides.   

Then Hurricane Julio, now category 2, is expected to make landfall this Sunday.  Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gust but could strengthen even more by Wednesday night but then, thankfully, weaken starting on Friday. 

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What does that mean for your travel???

If you were planning on joining the two hurricanes for a vacation in Hawaii this week United, American and Hawaiian airlines, among others, are going to waive reservation change fees and differences in fares for customers who have tickets booked for August 7 and 8.

Also, due to concerns over the possible effects of Iselle and Julio those customers can change their reservations without charge to flights departing through August 12.

If you have a trip booked through United Military Travel give them a call and see what their policy is on changing existing reservations.  Or if you want to head to Hawaii after these storms have passed - give them a call :) 

866-582-9579

Big Sky Country....Montana

"I have always had an obsession with wild places.  Places that still revolve around what is natural, places where you can walk for miles and miles and not see another soul.  places that make you feel small but so large at the same time.  I want to be surrounded by vibrant natural colors and fresh air that when you breath in you feel your soul smile. I want to see sunsets so beautiful they take me away to my loved ones. This is how i envision montana." 

-me

What comes to mind when you think of Montana?

MONTANA represents the untamed, the wild, the natural. Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks are starting points. Between the parks lie mountains that don't have names yet, in ranges you've never heard of. Scattered in their valleys, you'll find small towns full of friendly locals sharing the unexpected and even maybe their huckleberry pie. We invite you to explore the parks and all the places in between.  - quoted from the official state of Montana vacation website.  

...Heaven on Earth...

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 ...Things to Do in Big Sky Country...

Montana is divided into six tourism regions

*Glacier Country

*Central Montana

*Missouri River Country

*Southwest Montana

*Yellowstone Country

*Southeast Montana

 So make sure you do your research on the location of what you want to do and how far it is to your next destination.

1.  Lets state the obvious first:

Yellowstone National Park-The Original National Park

I will admit it, when I try to think of things to do in Yellowstone I become a bit intimidated.  Where do I start?  What time frame do I need?  Is there travel time to consider?  Where will I stay?  What time of year is the best to go?  What parts are in Montana and which are in Wyoming?  Can we do it on a budget?

For answers to all the questions above check out these two websites:

Visit Yellowstone

Yellowstone official website

Top Destinations:

Old Faithful Geyser

Lamar Valley

Mammoth Hot Springs

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

2. Glacier National Park - The Crown of the Continent 

  

Glacier National Park is the center of one of the largest and most intact ecosystems in North America.  It offers over one million acres of turquoise alpine lakes, mountain goats and grizzly bears, craggy mountain peaks and of course glaciers.  It also is home to the Continental Divide which is sometimes called America's Backbone or America's Spine and runs from the Arctic Ocean all the way to the tip of South America.  

You can view the whole park from your car by traveling along the Going-To-The-Sun Road but there really is no better way to see the park than on foot.  

For more info visit here and here!

Top Destinations:

Going To The Sun Road

St. Mary Lake

Lake McDonald

Iceberg Lake Trail

Garden Wall's Highline Trail

3.  Explore Montana's Cities and Towns

*Glacier Country - Missoula

Montana's second largest city boast over 400 acres of parklands, 22 miles of trails, and nearly 5,000 acres of open space conservation land.  It is also home to University of Montana.  

*Central Montana - Great Falls

Great Falls gets it name from the five watefalls in the area that are along the upper Missouri River basin and also the Lewis and Clark Expedition had to navigate around in a 31 day, back breaking adventure to continue.  

*Missouri River Country - Glasgow

Not much to say about Glasgow but you can experience some killer storms, aka tornados, and see the Northern Lights :) 

*Southeast Montana - Billings

Billings is the largest city in the state of Montana!

For a whole background and things to do list visit their tourism website here.

  

*Yellowstone Country - Big Timber

This is where Montana gets its scenic nickname, Big Sky Country.  Big Timber is the gateway to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and offers some of the best blue ribbon trout fishing in the state.  Also, book a stay at a dude ranch and explore the land via horse back!  This is the epitome of Montana...

*Southwest Montana - Bozeman

It is known as "the most livable place" in Montana and 22nd most livable in the country. All because it is the most drivable, most walkable, most bicycle friendly.  It placed high on the list because of its high scores in health care, social and civic capital, and education.  Also, it is a college town home to Montana State University.  

4.  Winters in Montana

All I have to say is skiing!

Go to these to websites to learn more there is way to much to cover in one blog!

Snow

Winter wonderland trips

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As always I gotta throw a shout out to United Military Travel because they are one kick a** company that can book your whole trip to Montana and handle all the details so you don't have to!  Check them out at www.unitedmilitarytravel.com or call 866-582-9579

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My Six Months In The Last Frontier

I am having a secret love affair...

 with the state of Alaska. 

Six years ago United Military Travel provided me with a one way ticket into Cordova, Alaska that left me there for six months.

  

Needless to say, I have not been the same since.

When I first expressed my desire to temporarily move to Alaska with my friends and family I got the reaction I was expecting; "you want to do what!", "Allison...hunny, by yourself?" "Why?", "haha, you're funny."  I will admit that I have been known (more times than not) to come up with crazy travel ideas and not stick to them, so when I actually booked the airfare my family took me seriously.  It gave me a sense of freedom and from that moment on I was "hooked on a feeling". 

You may be asking yourself: What would a girl like me do in the great state of Alaska for six months all by herself?  

Raise salmon of course!

I signed up to be a fisheries technician with Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation, aka PWSAC, for their egg take season.  

The time finally came and I said my goodbyes to friends and family and took off on my one way ticket not knowing what the future held for me.  What I did know that is that I had chosen the coldest state in the US to live.....second thoughts started entering my mind at that point!

After ten hours of flying I arrived at the Cordova airport.  It was seriously the size of the bottom floor of my house back home.  

*A little side note about Cordova is that there are NO roads that lead into the town - you can arrive only by boat or plane.  

With that being said, you can imagine trying to get into town from the airport may be a bit difficult.  No one had informed me that taxis do not operate out of this airport and that I needed to arrange my own transportation.  So please picture this: a petite, sun kissed, dirty blonde girl standing outside of this airport shivering with all her luggage looking lost.  Pathetic right?  I was internally pleading with each person that passed by me for a ride until a man approached me saying he would give me a lift into town.  I know what you are thinking, "don't get into cars with strangers in a strange place."  But one thing about traveling, especially by yourself, is that you have to allow yourself to be a little more trusting of others otherwise you will probably remain stuck at airports for hours on end.  Turns out this man was the mayor of Cordova and he delivered me safely with all my limbs en tact!  

Entering Cordova:

First thing was first - FOOD!  My first dining experience was at the Reluctant Fisherman Inn and ordered the halibut dinner.  My mouth is watering right now - if only I could teleport myself back I would order five more! What a gem of a place, the service was great and the people super friendly.  

*When traveling alone you have to get used to dining out by yourself because only you can make the experience a good one!  

I only had one night in "town" until I flew out to the salmon hatchery I was going to live at for the six months so I settled into my room above the Salvation Army and went to bed. 

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From here on out I am going to describe my experience in photos because there are no hotels or places to eat on San Juan Island - it is remote and can only be reached by float plane or boat. 

 This is where I lived...

These planes may be cute but for folks who are cursed with motion sickness....beware!!!

This is before I got sick...

My new home, Port San Juan

Second day there and already catching my own halibut!

LingCod - scary looking but delicious!

Humpbacks and Eagles were a daily sight

My fishing buddies

The lake above the hatchery

Dear God, I miss salmon berries!

Salmon are anadromous meaning that they migrate up river from the sea to spawn.  Here, they are approaching our fresh water source, also the fresh water source where they were born, to begin the spawning process.  

Only they never get a chance to...

They "migrate" up our canal to get electroshocked and then carried into the egg take room so we can extract their eggs and milk to fertilize ourselves.  

Don't worry, this is not an inhuman process - Salmon die after mating anyways.  

The egg/milk mixture getting ready to be taken into the incubation room.

Milk and eggs being activated before being loaded into an incubator.

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Arlington Glacier

Fresh bear meat!

Fishing :) 

Matt's halibut

We were spoiled with the sunrises... 

and sunsets...

Off on our great adventure to the abandoned copper town

The boys bringing home dinner!

The usual...

I busted my chin open on a Crisco can and had to get flown into Cordova for 8 stitches....thats my luck!

The reason for my love affair...

Its getting colder...

Meet Matt, the best snow fort builder in Alaska!

Our departure...

Goodbye Alaska...

When I think about my time in Alaska just a smile crosses my face and I never try to describe it because no one can understand, expect for the people I shared it with. 

 For anyone who has visited The Last Frontier shares a common bond with others who have done the same.  Its like an unofficial club where everyone understands each other just by saying "I have been there too".

 We all are blessed with an unfaltering sense of accomplishment that lasts a lifetime.

- Join the club -