Swapping Stilettos for Hiking Shoes: a Leaf Peeping Story

Virginia's fall colors light up the landscape along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. Michelle Carr takes us on a 3-day leaf peeping road trip with Front Royal, VA as her base.  Photos by Michelle Carr

Swapping Stilettos for Hiking Shoes: a Leaf Peeping Story

Guest Post by Michelle Carr

Each year when summer fades to fall, I dream of visiting a place with gold, orange, and red tree-lined landscapes that offer winding roads, hiking trails, and harvest festivals. Since I live in Houston, Texas where the seasonal lines are not clearly defined, I posted a Tweet asking where to go leaf peeping. Within minutes, I received a reply from a follower suggesting several areas from his home state of Virginia. I researched the recommended sites and discovered that the third weekend in October was

Virginia's most popular weekend for leaf peeping activities, including Virginia's Wine Tour month. The wheels were in motion to making this dream come true, but two weeks before my departure the US government shutdown and closed all national parks, museums, and monuments. Despite the threat of an extended US government shutdown, I swapped out my stilettos for hiking shoes and made my leaf peeping pilgrimage to Virginia.

As I arrived to my base location at Front Royal, Virginia in my rental car, I was greeted with a warm sunset casting off of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a kiss from the crisp fall air. I followed Google Maps’ narration through a series of back roads that closely resembled Thomas Kinkade's American landscape themed artwork, exhibiting barns with red doors, rolling hills with grazing sheep, and cozy cottages adorned with seasonal decorations. Every turn unveiled a breathtaking view that made me want to pull the car over to take pictures. Shortly after seven p.m., I checked-in at the Holiday Inn at Front Royal Blue Ridge Shadows and I was upgraded to a spacious suite that overlooked the golf course and the Blue Ridge Mountains. After the long day’s journey, I refreshed up and made reservations at Apartment 2G in Front Royal’s historic district for their Third Thursdays Tapas Night. It was a treat to watch David and Stacy Gedney, the executive chefs and restaurant owners of Apartment 2G, broadcast their culinary skills over closed-circuit TV monitors as they prepared the Spanish tapas for their guests like Food Network stars. I sampled an array of tapas ranging from gambas ajillo to scallops with walnut grape salsa and finished dinner with a homemade apple tart made from local ingredients. With my wine glass lifted to the TV monitor, I toasted the beginning of my trip with a verbal "Cheers!"

Day Two- Shenandoah National Park

Luck was on my side because the US government shutdown ended the day I arrived Virginia. The next morning, I packed a bag with water and snacks, and started my leaf peeping adventure at Shenandoah National Park’s North Entrance. The thirty-five miles per hour Skyline Drive captured my full attention

with vibrant jeweled-tone colored valleys seen from various observation points and from the tree-lined curved roads that hugged the mountainside. Cyclist shared the road with motorists and enjoyed the cool breezes and smell of fresh pine trees. In the afternoon, I pulled over at milepost 49.4 to stretch my legs with a 2.6 mile hike to Rose River Falls, a waterfall with four cascades of 67 feet. On foot, I absorbed the essence of the fall foliage experience capturing the sights of crimson and amber hued leaves, hearing the sounds of crunching leaves under my feet and chirping birds over my head, and smell of damp soil mixed with decayed leaves. As the sun began to descend, I returned to the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center to watch the sunset. The area was alive with recreation: fathers tossed footballs to their sons, couples drank wine and ate cheese on colorful blankets, and people walked their dogs on leashes. As the brunt orange globe acknowledged goodbye to the day, everyone stopped their activity to gaze at the view in wonderment.

Day Three: Syria, Virginia - Harvest Festival and Wine Tour

A light morning fog hovered off the ground as I drove to Syria, Virginia to attend the Graves' Annual Harvest Festival. I took the wine tour route 211 to the Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoyed the

beautiful fall vistas. As I neared Syria, cars formed a line to enter the Graves' festival grounds to park in an open field. The smell of freshly popped kettle corn filled the air with sweetness and lured guests to the first samplings of the day. A bluegrass band entertained the crowd with banjos and guitars as children chased each other around the grounds. Families posed for pictures in the pumpkin patches, children rode on hayrides, and vendors sold their homemade crafts. Across from the festival grounds, the Graves' working farm was open to the public. The farm was stocked with chickens, goats, and pigs, and the apple orchard was open for apple picking.

Around mid-afternoon, I decided to leave the harvest festival in search of one of Virginia’s nearby

wineries. I veered on to Weakly Hollow Road for an off the beaten path drive that displayed some of the best fall foliage views of Madison County and down RT 643 to the DuCard Vineyards Tasting

Room on Gibson Hollow Lane. The DuCard Vineyards Tasting Room offered the perfect escape to relax and unwind. A three man band played a jam session with a harmonica, bass guitar, and double bass while clients sipped wine and tapped along to the music. The owner, Scott Eliff, butterflied around the tasting room to supervise the affairs of his business and to greet his guests. When he stopped by my table, I interviewed him to find out more about his story and how he made his dream come true. Scott Eliff’s dream began over ten years ago when left his Washington, D.C. consulting job to live in the country with his wife. He converted the acreage on his estate from an apple orchard to a vineyard beginning with a few grapevines. It took him a few years, but through Scott’s motivation, determination, and process improvements to his product, the grapes blossomed into award winning grapes for local wineries. He departed with a few words of wisdom: love what you do, never under estimate a hobby, and always have fun even when times gets hard.

As my Twitter follower promised, Virginia exceeded my expectations with an abundance of fall foliage, hiking trails, civil war sights, museums, national parks, festivals, and wineries. The one thing that impressed me the most about Virginia was the first class hospitality shown to visitors. 

~~~

Michelle Carr, from Houston, Texas, writes stories and travels for fun. She gleans tips and ideas from her Twitter followers and writes about her “life by tweets” adventures on her blog. You can follow her on Twitter @lifebytweets to post ideas where she should travel next. 

Michelle's other stories on Travel Boldly:

A Day Trip to Washington, D.C.

Travel Writing on Location - The Era of the One-Man Band Returns to Travel Journalism by Jerome Shaw

In today's Travel Media environment you need to be able to do it all and do it all very well.

The era of specialization is ending, at least in travel writing. Honing your skills as s writer,

photographer and video producer is must for today's travel journalist. Photo via WikiMedia

This is my recent guest blog post on Travel Writing on Location:

The Era of the One-Man Band Returns to Travel Journalism

When I began my career in commercial photography and ventured into the genre of travel photography I was told that photographers should not try to write. They should concentrate their talents on the visual aspects and leave the writing to writers.  I suppose they may have told writers something similar about venturing into photography.

However, in today’s media landscape the ability to take compelling photographs and write dynamic copy go hand in hand.  You can’t separate one from the other and you should probably begin to hone your video production and sound recording talents as well because the era of the one-man band writer/photographer/filmmaker is back.

Whether you are writer hoping to break into new travel markets or a photographer looking for new places to publish your images, you need to make an effort to strengthen the weaker of the two disciplines if you are going to succeed in travel writing in 2014. Writers have to learn to improve their photos to publication quality for the image driven media outlets of today, and photographers have to learn to translate their ability to capture the visual reality of travel into well-crafted text.

Read the full post at Travel Writing on Location

Travel Writing & Photography Workshop and Tour in Santa Fe, NM

December 11th-14th,  2014

Travel Writing & Photography Workshop and Tour in Santa Fe, New Mexico 

Registration for the Christmas time Santa Fe workshop is open.  You can see the information on the workshop below. 

Please email TravelBoldly@Gmail.com with questions,

We will be also announcing dates for Spring 2015 Santa Fe workshop and location and dates for Summer 2015 Colorado workshop.

If you'd like information on either of these workshops please send an email with "Spring Santa Fe Travel Writing Workshop" or "Colorado Travel Writing Workshop" in the subject line to Travel Boldly@Gmail.com . 

Thanks,

Jerome / July 2014

Sign Up Here

Workshop Information:

Janna Graber the editor of GoWorldTravel.com and TravelBoldly's own Jerome Shaw are teaching a joint workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico in December of 2014.  Santa Fe is great backdrop to learn more about travel journalism from these two travel experts.

New Mexico’s Native American and Spanish roots run deep. Explore this rich heritage in Santa Fe, New Mexico during our four-day tour and writing & photography workshop.

The workshop will be held at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe from December 11-14, 2014. It will offer expert instruction on travel writing techniques,  travel photography, publishing your own blog or website and the business of travel writing. It will also provide an enjoyable and in-depth look at this unique destination.

• Instructor bios and session descriptions 
• Daily Schedules  
• If You Go Information
• Registration Page

About Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico is like no other place in the United States. The region was home to Native Americans from 1200 to the early 1400′s, and then fell under six different governments over the next 400 years.

All these influences and cultures have blended together to become what locals affectionately call “The City Different.” New Mexico’s capital city is famous for her unique art, architecture and savory cuisine, and is home to 68,000 residents. With an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is located at the base of the southern Rocky Mountains in north-central New Mexico.

During our workshop, we’ll spend time with many local experts, including artists, chefs and local businessmen, who will share their love and knowledge of Santa Fe.

Lodging

La Fonda on the Plaza, a historic inn located in the heart of downtown Santa Fe, will provide comfortable accommodations at a discounted rate for workshop participants. La Fonda can trace its roots back nearly 200 years. It offers the highest contemporary standards of hospitality along with Old World Santa Fe charm. You are free to use any accommodation in the surrounding area and attend the sessions at La Fonda.

Dining

Daily breakfast are provided via your accommodation at La Fonda, A welcome dinner is included as part of the workshop. Other meals may be purchased at your discretion. We encourage you to go out and sample some of Santa Fe’s excellent cuisine and will happily provide recommendations.

Activities

Our schedule will include guided visits to top local attractions, markets, art galleries and even a cooking class. We will visit a local Native American Pueblo. See the schedule for full details.

Price Details

Price is $699 for the workshop  +++  SAVE $100 for earlybird signup through September 15, 2014

 Sign Up Here

Price includes:

Dinner on Friday
Guided visits to local sites
City Museum Pass
All activities are within walking distance in downtown Santa Fe.
Travel writing and photography workshop sessions at the La Fonda Hotel (see schedule)


Price does not include:

Hotel (a discount code for accommodation at Santa Fe's historic La Fonda hotel is provided with registration - the special discount rate of $99/night for workshop participants includes a sumptuous breakfast) 
Meals (except as noted)
Transportation to Santa Fe
Transportation to and from hotel
Alcohol (guest may purchase at own discretion)

Details

Deposit:  Workshop space is limited. In order to reserve your spot, a $200 non-refundable deposit is due upon booking.

Balance Due: The remaining balance must be paid 35 days before your workshop begins. If the remaining balance is more than five days late, we reserve the right to sell your spot. Deposit cannot be returned.

Cancellation Policy: Because we must purchase lodging and activities so far in advance, the $200 deposit is non-refundable. If you must cancel your registration for any reason, your deposit can be applied as a credit towards any of our other Travel Writing On Location workshops.

Payment Methods:

Paypal/Credit Card     Sign Up Here





Sunday Travel Blog Roundup

Belly Dancer Sadie Sizzles while performing at a Denver NIghtclub

Sadie Sizzles”

Sadie belly dances at Lotus Nightclub in Denver’s Union Station.

Sadie and Kaya perform at many of the area clubs and during fashion shows and other events. In this case I was there to cover the fashion show for a local magazine and found out my friend Sadie was performing prior to the fashion show. It was a great chance to make some high intensity images. Photographing in club conditions is always filled with obstacles but freezing Sadie’s many motions is a special challenge.

Travel Writing & Photography Workshop and Tour 

Santa Fe, NM  May 29 – June 1, 2014

I have photographed Sadie in the studio on several occasions both in her many costumes and in less.  A Break from Travel - Sadie Glance and Shadow Nude are two of my favorites.

Sadie and Kaya put on a great show... when you are in Denver make certain to catch their act.. http://www.kayaandsadie.com/

The photo was taken with a Nikon D100 digital camera using a 80-200 mm f 2.8 Nikkor lens. The ISO setting was 800 with an approximate exposure of f 5.6 @ 1/500th second.


These images are copyrighted and may not be used or reproduced without direct written permission. For usage information please contact Jerome on Twitter or on Facebook

“ Why Is That Guy Taking My Photo?” Horse cart Jardim Redentor, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Why Is That Guy Taking My Photo?”

The movement of goods by horse power is quite common in Jardim Redentor and other parts of Brazil. While I cannot recall seeing horses drawn delivery vehicles in Copacabana or Ipanema I did see many bicycle and motorcycle delivery vehicles. Perhaps this method of travel will reinvent itself in the US now that gas prices are rising toward international levels. Perhaps the US economy will truly have to join the rest of the world with what some might call a step backwards but what I’'d call progress... economic and environmentally friendly delivery methods.

A horse cart whizzes down the street in the Northwestern suburb of Rio de Janeiro moving at a surprisingly quick clip.  I swing in a panning motion to capture this moment. The driver of this cart ponders what could be so interesting about a passing horse cart that it would merit such an overt action and a photograph. His expression tells a lot about the cultural divide that exists from one part of the world to another. I hope this divide never fully closes.

The photo was taken with a Nikon F100 film camera using a 400mm f 4.5 Nikkor lens. The film used for this image is FujiPress 800. The approximate exposure is f 8 @ 1/250th second.

These images are copyrighted and may not be used, reposted, or reproduced without direct written permission.

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

Copyright Jerome Shaw 2005 / www.JeromeShaw.com 

Greece: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Myrtos Beach on the island Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands of Greece. 

Greece: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Guest Post by Liz Alvey

Bougainvillea in Fiscardo

For many years when I travelled to Greece, it seemed like every other person on the journey to Kefalonia was reading Louis de Bernieres’ novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.  Knowing my passion for the place, a friend bought me a copy. Never one to follow the crowd, I resisted reading it. Then one winter’s day, in need of sun and light in my life, I settled down to read it.  And devoured it in one sitting.

I will admit that the first 50 pages created doubts. But then I was hooked. The painful love story of the Italian Captain and the doctor’s daughter could have been just another romance. But the setting against the brutality of the Second World War and the hardships faced by the islanders adds another dimension. Whilst the story may be fiction, I know from the recollections of elderly Kefalonians, that the consequences of resistance and the punishments meted out are still keenly felt, decades later.

Lighthouse Fiscardo, Kefalonia

As always it is the characters that hold me fast.  The quixotic Corelli, the passionate Pelagia, the pragmatic Doctor Yannis.  And perhaps most of all the loyal and tragic Carlo.

I didn’t visit Kefalonia whilst they were making the film of the book, which came out in 2001.  Not deliberate, just a desire to explore some new Greek horizons.  Although the director, John Madden, apparently looked at several potential locations, in the end, the film was shot largely in Kefalonia.  A purpose built set was created near Sami, the island’s main port. The beautiful Antisamos beach served as the location for the Italian camp. Several key scenes were filmed at Myrtos, perhaps the most iconic beach in Greece and one of the most photographed beaches in the world.

Lighthouse near Fiscardo

On my next visit, I heard of grandfathers taking their grandchildren to visit the set. It was by all accounts a memory-jerking re-creation of the formerly beautiful and elegant capital of Argostoli before it was flattened by the 1953 earthquake, which features at the end of the novel.

Sadly, to me at least, the film was not as accurate in its re-creation of the book’s story and themes. And neither Penelope Cruz nor Nicholas Cage fulfilled my mental image of Pelagia and Antonio – not their fault, of course.  I know that no film can replicate the detail of a novel, but for me the tone was too different and the story too focused on the central love story, to the exclusion of some of the subtler sub-plots.

View of Agia Efimia from Sami 

Kefalonia, Greece

But what it did achieve, magnificently, was a stunning visual record of the glories of the landscape and villages of Kefalonia.  And so, in the dank and damp British winter, I regularly re-run the film, skip through the plot and revel in recognizing the mountains, the sea and most of all the glorious, intense light.

The film now acts as an appetizer for your trip to Kefalonia.

Liz Alvey has had an almost 20 year love affair with Greece. As well as repeated visits to her beloved Kefalonia, she has travelled to many other Ionian and Aegean Islands and to Athens.

More Travel Boldly posts on Greece:

Greece: A Kefalonia Love Affair
Greece: adventures in the Ionian Islands

Greece: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin