Food & Wine Classic in Aspen offers day passes to debauchery

by Laurel Miller on

It’s almost time for the 28th annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, and day passes are back by popular demand. The June 18-20 festival features seminars, cooking demos, grand tastings, and book signings by featured chefs like Thomas Keller, Mario Batali, and Giada De Laurentiis. All of this goodness in an alpine wonderland doesn’t come cheap, which is why the $295 Grand Tasting pass is such a steal.

The price includes attendance at two Grand Tastings in a single day, on Friday, June 18 or Saturday, June 19. Highlights include tastings from over 200 vineyards, breweries, and distilleries, as well as food samplings of meats, cheeses, olive oils, and chocolate. There’s also a Spanish pavilion dedicated to wines, spirits and foods of Spain.

Full consumer passes are $1,185, which include access to all Grand Tastings, wine seminars, and cooking demonstrations. If you really want to splurge (read: schedule follow-up appointment with your cardiologist), spring for some of the special events, such as the Food & Wine magazine Best New Chefs 2010 Dinner, or Reserve Wine Tastings. New this year is the Grand Cochon finale, featuring ten chefs, ten heritage breed pigs, and ten wines. Sounds like food porn just got really kinky.

Win a travel documentary scholarship to the Amazon

by Kraig Becker on

Gap Adventures and National Geographic are teaming up to give one aspiring filmmaker the chance of a lifetime. The two organizations are giving away a film scholarship that will allow the recipient to work with veteran film producer Trent O’Donnell, who will mentor the budding documentarian in the art of making a film, while exploring the depths of the Amazon Rainforest. And once the project is finished, the film may make its debut on the Nat. Geo Adventure Channel, an opportunity filmmakers often wait years to get.

This scholarship is open to anyone, whether you’re a film student or not, with the only requirements being that you must be at least 18 years of age, and hold a current passport. You should also have a healthy sense of adventure, a love of films, and be reasonably fit, as there will be some jungle trekking involved.

All applicants are required to make a 3-minute video, in English, based around the theme “Local Encounters”. The video should demonstrate your love of adventure, and show how your “encounter” changed your perspective on the world. A panel of judges will review the entries, looking for originality, the ability to tell an engaging story, and a passion for filmmaking. Once your film is complete, upload it to YouTube and head over to WorldNomads.com to fill out the scholarship application. From there, you’ll complete the process by embedding your film and telling the judges about it in 200 words or less. The deadline for entry is August 1st.

The winner won’t just get the opportunity to make a film with Trent O’Donnell. They’ll also receive a flight to Quito, Ecuador sometime in the last two weeks of September, where they’ll have the chance to explore the Amazon with O’Donnell and Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of Gap Adventures. They’ll actually stay in the rainforest with the local Quichua tribes, learning about their way of life, and creating a film on sustainable tourism.

To find out more about this great opportunity, click here. Then go blow the dust off your video camera and get filming. Who knows, you might be on your way to the Amazon in just a few short months.

Jon Bowermaster: Dispatches from St. John – Day 3

by Jon Bowermaster on

I spent one rare rainy day in St. John with Jane Johannis, who couldn’t have been happier about the dampness outside her simple house. “When it rains like this I put out every pot and pan I have, in order to keep my plants watered,” she says.

A native of the island, at 80-plus years old her skin as beautiful as fine Italian leather, eyes reduced to slits from years spent tending her garden under a hot sun, she wears a long pink dress and flip-flops. Her hair, remarkably free of gray itself, is pulled back in a tight bun. One of seven children, with nine kids of her own, she has lived most of her life in the small island town of Coral Bay. “You could say I’m surrounded by family all the time, yes,” she says, though she’s not against the occasional off-island foray and has been to New York and LOVES Las Vegas. “I do manage to play the slot machines,” she smiles, “since I’m not a drinker I need to have something to do!” But more than anything she loves her island life and her gardens.
Her expertise is the herbal medicines she finds everywhere in the bush, giving the occasional class but counseling her friends and neighbors for free. “People now they too easily run right to the pharmacy when they need something. They tell me, ‘It’s easier.’ I don’t agree. Me, I never go to the pharmacy. The doctor? He’s the last person I turn to!”

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What does she find in scrub and forests? Black wattle for fighting colds. Aloe for burns. Eye bright, which is – believe it or not – makes your eyes stronger. Sour sop used as a sleeping aid. Bastard okra, boiled and used to relieve burning eyes. Breadfruit leaves, used in an infusion to cure high blood pressure and lime leaves boiled with salt to fight aging. “Those are the ones I rely on most these days,” she laughs.

She’s not wild about some of the changes on her island, like the cost of living and taxes both of which are going up. “Even Coral Bay is changing, with more shops, more people, more everyt’ing,” she says. I’m headed to her small town the next day and ask for a recommendation on a good place to eat, the best places to hike. “Go to Salt Pond, for sure. That’s where we collect the best sea salt. The best restaurant would be Lucy’s, but she died the other day at 93, of a stroke. I’m going to her funeral tomorrow. So that restaurant be closed for a private party. But you might stop by anyway. Probably be the best party of the year!”

Outside in Aspen delivers outdoor fun June 11-13

by Gadling Staff on

Outside magazine and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) have announced the first annual Outside in Aspen adventure weekend set to take place in Aspen, Colorado June 11-13. The three day event will be filled with hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities, with a host of professional adventure athletes, such as Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and mountaineer/photographer Jake Norton, on hand to take part in the fun.

The festivities get underway on Friday night with a welcome party at the Sky Hotel which will be used t for the Leave No Trace organization. Then, on Saturday the Base Camp will open, which will serve as the adventure headquarters for the weekend’s activities. Visitors will gather at BC to meet up with guides who will take them rock climbing, trail running, cycling, fly fishing, and much more. Then, following a full day of active outdoor pursuits, it’ll be time to head over to a pool party at the Hotel Jerome. An after party at the Belly Up Aspen, will round out the evening.

On Sunday, it’s back to Base Camp for another full day of outdoor fun. The weekend will be capped by a panel discussion moderated by Outside editors, with adventure athletes fielding questions from the crowd and discussing issues in the adventure community. Lunch will be served following the panel discussion, with a gear give away soon there after.

In order to make Outside in Aspen as affordable and accessible as possible, special packages are being offered through Stay Aspen Snowmass, where you can get two-night lodge packages starting at $99. Additionally, the Outside in Aspen Activity Package is available for $250 and includes entrance to the welcome party, half day outdoor activities on both Saturday and Sunday, access to Base Camp festivities throughout the weekend, and entrance to Saturday’s Pool Party as well. The package also includes admission to the adventure athlete panel discussion on Sunday, and includes lunch after that event too.

For a great weekend of outdoor fun and adventure, plan on being in Aspen on June 11-13. It is sure to be a great time. Register here.

Five incredible sights in Idaho

by Gadling Staff on

On your next trip out West, forget about Colorado or California. Visitors in the know are heading for Idaho. There’s lot more here than potatoes. In fact, the state’s wild, unspoiled terrain is dotted with natural wonders, a intriguing range of activities and loads of hidden finds. Wondering where to kick off your Idaho adventure? Give these five great sights a look:

Craters Of The Moon National Monument
You feel you might be on the moon’s surface at Craters of the Moon National Monument, covering 618 square miles of desolate volcanic wasteland bearing lava tube caves and cinder cones southwest of Arco. Apollo Astronauts visited in 1969 to practice exploring the moon. The visitor’s center has exhibits and films. Take a hike on one of the many trails or enjoy the stark scenery along a 7-mile loop drive. Admission: $8 autos, $4 cycles or by foot, under 15 free. Campsites are available.

Hagerman Fossil Beds
More than 200 specimens of the Hagerman Horse, along with mastodons and saber-toothed cats are still being found at the Hagerman Fossil Beds, a quarry north of Buhl. Be ready to do some walking but no digging. A couple of miles away, the Hagerman Valley Historical Museum houses this zebra-sized replica which has become Idaho’s state fossil. Kids can apply hands-on activities with the pre-historic displays and sign up to be a ranger. Donations are welcomed. Hours: May-October, Wednesday-Sunday, 1-4; November-April, Saturday-Sunday, 1-4.
Balanced Rock
It’s nearly a 200 foot climb to Balanced Rock, the camel’s head-shaped rock perched on a pedestal only 3 feet by 17 inches. As you feel very small underneath this 40 ton monster, you’ll be treated to a view of the spectacular Snake River country below. Less than a mile from the rock, nestled between two walls of volcanic rock, free camping is available in the small and narrow, yet peaceful state park south of Buhl.

World Center of Birds Of Prey
Located south of Boise on Flying Hawk Lane, the World Center of Birds of Prey and interpretive center breeds birds of prey in captivity to release to the wild. Viewing our nation’s Bald Eagle or Idaho’s state bird, the Peregrine Falcon, from only a few feet away makes you realize what large birds they are when you see them soaring through the air hundreds of feet above. Live bird presentations are regularly scheduled. Hours: November-February, Tuesday-Sunday, 10-4; March-October, daily, 9-5. Admission: $7 general, $6 (62+), $5 (4-16), under 4 free.

Warhawk Air Museum
Getting up close to real air planes can make you feel mighty small. World War II History of Aviation, right up to the space age, is depicted in the aerial displays of Warhawk Air Museum, located in Nampa on Municipal Drive. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 to 4; Saturday, 10-5. Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors and military identification, $4 (5-12), under 5 free.