Road Trippin’ the Cascades Loop

by Erik Olsen on

Budget Travel’s Road Trip series seems to consistently offer some great road trip ideas
with both fairly detailed itinerary information, and solid writing and off-beat suggestions. They do it again this
month with their article on driving the Cascades Loop in the
Northwest.

I confess I’m a biased reader in this case because some of the places they cover, from
Mt. Rainier National Park to the little towns in Eastern Washington are on my
list of great places. I’ve spent many a weekend in this exact places and so know that the loop make a great drive.

Hosteleria Las Torres

by Erik Olsen on

Several years ago, I did a long
trek and horseback ride through Torres del Paine
National park. The park is one of the most beautiful, pristine places in the world. I highly recommend it. Picture
Yosemite without the gnarly crowds and with the addition of cerulean lakes, glaciers and bizarre wildlife like the
spitting guanaco. Yes, it’s THAT cool.

But if you’re planning a trip there you may not know where to stay. There are ample opportunities to camp in the park,
but there are also some fine lodges and hostels. I want to highlight one of them here.

The Hosteria Las Torres is an unpretentious barn like lodge in
the park. Nestled near the 9,000 foot towers of Paine, the lodge offers ideal access to the wonders of the park in a
cozy and roomy environment. The 57 spacious rooms offer lots of amenities including excellent meals and a spa. It’s a
superb place to rest your bones after a day of trekking the Paine circuit or just wandering around the lakes.

Aconcagua

by Erik Olsen on

Argentina’s
Aconcagua is sort of the lazy-man’s Everest. Lazy because
it’s fairly easy to reach…you don’t have to fly all the way around the world…just pretty far south. And because it is a
“pretty easy” climb. I say that having never done it, but I did live in Chile and
climbed a few big peaks there and knew several folks who
did climb it. The fact is, it’s not a technical climb, assuming you take the main route. It’s actually more of a long,
sometimes miserable trudge. But it is high, at 22,834 feet, the highest peak not just in the Americas, but also in the
southern and western hemispheres. .The mountain is nothing to be trifled with especially for people who have problems
at altitude. It is also known for the “viento blanco,” or white wind which can make climbing difficult. No matter, the
article here talks a bit about the mountain and the writer summits which, despite the previous comments about it being
“easy” is something that not everyone does.  

Name that Dune

by Erik Olsen on

Strange how Oman seems to be in the news these days. The
recent (and terrific) New Yorker series on travel
had a piece on Oman…well, on Tony Wheeler of Lonely Planet traveling in Oman. And I’ve come across a couple of pieces
on the country lately. Wonder why?

Well, in this piece in the Guardian Matt Warren heads into Oman taking a 4X4 into the heart of
the country. Forget the stereotypes of bedouin and camels in the desert…on second thought, don’t forget those things.
That’s basically what the piece is about. But it’s not bad. It’s actually quite a good read.

Yosemite All Wet

by Erik Olsen on

Ah, Yosemite. Probably the best of all National Parks…except when it’s over-crowded with tourists in their motor
homes and kids screeching around on their bicycles. Oh, and when the entire valley gets sooted up with BBQ smoke and
the air is filled with the noise pollution of said tourists’ portable radios and TV sets. Then it sucks.

But that aside, there’s an article in today’s NY
Times about how the season’s unusual snow fall has made Yosemite gush. The falls are, well, falling at full fall,
and the rivers are raging. This would be an ideal time to head up there, and would make, no doubt for some great
photography. The fact is, despite the travails I just mentioned, Yosemite remains a jewel.