US Highway 2, through Michigan‘s Upper Peninsula, is pristine. This stretch of road is so relatively far out of the way that its untouched beauty is its main attraction. This trip is 290 miles. You’ll want to stop off and take a dip every time you see the waters of Lake Michigan glistening beyond the birch trees, and so you should. That’s what I did when I drove across this portion of Highway 2. The actual US Highway 2 spans from Houlton, Maine, to Rouses Point, New York, in one chunk. In another chunk, it spans from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Everett, Washington. I’ve driven on parts of 2 both east and west of the UP, but the UP section is my favorite. Begin this drive early in the day and be sure to stop for pasties for lunch. Although the water is cold, no beaches I’ve been to in the U.S.A. feel quite as clean as the Great Lakes beaches. Make sure to cross the Mackinac Bridge as part of this trip. Not only is it a beautiful bridge, but parts of the water have the same turquoise glow you’ll see in the Caribbean.You’ll pass through the town of St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie State Forest, Shingleton State Forest, Big and Little Bay De Noc, and Green Bay. Many of the beaches you’ll pass on this drive appear to be nameless. Travelers park on the road’s shoulder and walk through tall grass that masks the sandy shores.
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Make Father’s Day Special With One Of These Packages Offered By Hotels Around The US
Dad’s special day is just around the corner. To help make this Father’s Day memorable, check out the unique packages and manly programming being offered by hotels around the country.
This Father’s Day, the Travaasa Austin is celebrating by featuring a full lineup of manly programming at their nature-immersed property. Some activities dads can expect include:
- Male Bonding: Texas-Style
- Beer Making 101
- Grilling and Smoking with the Travaasa Culinary Team
- Beer Tasting Experience
- Discover Your Six Pack: Core Fitness
- Conquer the Prickly Pear Challenge Course
The hotel will also be featuring a new spa menu and line of products, specially designed with men in mind.
Rates for Travaasa Austin begin at $113 per person, per night, based on double occupancy. Programming is included in the rate. Click here to book. Travaasa Hana
Maui, Hawaii
Like its sister property, the Travaasa Hana is offering a lineup of special programming for dads to help them focus on their physique, palate and pastimes in a local way. Some of the activity options will include:
- Machete Madness Coconut Husking
- Throw Net Fishing
- Private surf lessons
- Hanging in Hana
- Martial Arts Conditioning (Lua)
- Chief’s Archery
- Master’s of Mixology
The spa will also be featuring special treatments and products created with men in mind.
Rates for Travaasa Hana begin at $175 per person, per night, based on double occupancy. Programming is included in the rate. Click here to book.
St. Julien Hotel and Spa
Boulder, Colorado
For fathers who want a laid-back and tasty experience, St. Julien Hotel and Spa is offering a beer-themed package for dads. Being home to four of the nation’s top 50 breweries, Colorado is the perfect destination for brew-loving fathers. The package includes a one night stay for two people, an Urban Oasis spa facial or massage designed specifically for men, a beer of choice before the spa treatment and a Father’s Day cookout with beer can chicken, baby back ribs, corn on the cob, mountain-cured charcuterie and, of course, unlimited Fat Tire brews.
Package rates start at $619, based on two adults.
Click here to book.
Resort at Squaw Creek
Lake Tahoe, California
For outdoorsy dads, Resort at Squaw Creek is offering a “Father’s Day Getaway” package this holiday. Participating guests will receive two nights accommodation in a deluxe room, a 3-hour fly-fishing tour on the resort’s private ponds led by Matt Heron and a gourmet trout dinner for two at the Six Peaks Grille. To compliment the package, the property is also offering a buy-one-get-one-half-off special on rounds of golf. And after the game, players will receive a voucher to receive one meal of equal or lesser value free with the purchase of any meal at Sandy’s Pub.
Package rates begin at $389 per room, per night, based on double occupancy. Offer valid June 15 to June 17. Click here to book.
Hotel Terra
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
During the entire month of June, Hotel Terra is helping dads celebrate their special day with a “Dad’s Days Off” package. Participating guests will receive three nights of accommodation in an eco-friendly boutique room, 18 holes of golf at JH Golf and Tennis including cart and driving range for two and a full-day fly-fishing trip for two.
Package rates start at $529 per night, based on double occupancy. Click here to book.
Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst, North Carolina
During Father’s Day weekend, June 15 to 18, the Pinehurst Resort will be offering a special package revolving around the U.S. Open. The deal includes:
- Three nights of accommodation
- Two rounds of golf
- A night of golf stories and legends presented by Jim Dodson, bestselling author of “Final Rounds and Faithful Travelers,” and Sidney Matthew, author of “Life and Times of Bobby Jones”
- Breakfast and dinner each day
- The chance to watch the U.S. Open on a big screen television in a dedicated room
Package rates start at $795 per person. Click here to book.
The Sanctuary Hotel
New York, NY
For those looking to spend Father’s Day in the Big Apple, The Sanctuary Hotel is offering a special package from June 14 to 18. Dads will receive a $100 gift certificate to Lure Fish Bar in SoHo, a day of spa pampering at John Allan’s, which includes a scalp massaging shampoo, a conditioning treatment, hot towel, haircut, shoeshine, manicure and beverages and two $30 gift cards to The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers.
Package rates start at $479 per night, based on double occupancy. Click here to book.
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
Scottsdale, Arizona
This Father’s Day, the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is hosting a “Barbecue Basics” class on Saturday, June 16, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dads can learn the secrets of sauces, rubs and grilling, while enjoying cold beers and specialty hand-rolled cigars and learning golf tips from experts. Moreover, Executive Chef Mel Mecinas and Executive Sous Chef Jesse Hansen will lead cooking demos. This will be followed by a delicious BBQ meal, complemented by homemade ice cream and whiskey floats. And to help you remember what you learned, participants receive a recipe book, sample sauces and rubs and a cigar.
Class is $75 per person and reservations are required. Participants who stay overnight will get a free room upgrade and complimentary parking by mentioning promo code “DADBBQ.” Click here to book.
The Ocean House
Watch Hill, Rhode Island
For dads who love a bit of adventure, The Ocean House is offering a fishing safari weekend from June 15 to 17. Fathers can learn the fundamentals of fly-fishing during a time when the environment is perfect for catching fish. Participating visitors will receive accommodations in a water-view room, a cocktail reception, a seminar on fly-tying and equipment primer at table stations with lunch provided, an afternoon fly-fishing excursion at the Ocean House East Beach, dinner in Seasons Restaurant featuring participants’ catch of the day and a jazz brunch.
Package rates start at $1,200, based on double occupancy. Click here to book.
Cambria Suites
Traverse City, Michigan
The comfortable and affordable Cambria Suites will be offering a “Father’s Day Weekend” package from June 15 to 17, to help dads celebrate their special day. Package includes two nights accommodation in a King Suite, a $50 gift card to Boones’ Long Lake Inn, two $25 gift certificates for a Micro Brew Tour and 18 holes of golf with cart for two on one of five championship golf courses.
Packages are $559 including all taxes. Reservations must be made by June 12. Click here to book.
10 Apps To Help Pass The Time On Long Journeys
Backpacking my way through South America, I spent many hours – sometimes entire days – making my way from city to city via bus. Whether you’re taking a bus, plane or train, here are 10 great apps that work offline to help you pass the time.
Kindle
Kindle makes it easy to stay up-to-date with your favorite books, especially when it can be hard to find novels in your spoken language abroad. Just download the app, shop when you have Wi-Fi and then enjoy the books even when you’re without Internet connection. There are over 1,000 books in the Kindle store, as well as hundreds of newspapers, magazines, textbooks and PDFs. You can also sample the first few pages of books before buying, to decide if it’s worth the purchase.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Blackberry. Free.Pocket
Formerly called Read It Later, Pocket allows you to save articles, images, videos and other online media to read later, whether you’re on or offline. This allows for hours of entertainment via various media forms, and can help make the time go by very quickly when spending hours on a bus, train or plane.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android. Free.
A music-listening app, Spotify allows you to stream and listen to thousands of songs, and even listen to your favorite playlists when you’re offline. Simply switch “Available Offline” to the “on” position for any playlists you’d like to listen to when you don’t have an Internet connection. Offline users can also sync playlists containing any songs from Spotify’s selection to their smartphone, with the ability to sync tracks on up to three computers or smartphones at the same time.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Blackberry. $9.99 per month.
World Travel Guide Offline Deluxe
World Travel Guide Offline Deluxe is an app that is specially suited for travelers. It allows users to browse information for over 20,000 travel destinations around the world through travel guides, itineraries, language guides and more. Best of all, it can be enjoyed while offline on a bus, plane or train. Research a current destination, or learn more about a place on your bucket list.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The first 50 pages are free. After that, you can purchase unlimited pages at a low cost. Android users can download a similar app by clicking here.
I’m obsessed with Word Mole on long journeys. Not only is it fun, but it exercises the mind. It’s kind of like Boggle in the sense that you need to make words with adjacent letters in order to gain points. However, with Word Mole you’re making words in a garden plot. If you use letters that aren’t touching any other letters, you’ll get a big hole on the board. Because the game is timed and requires some critical thinking, it’s also a good way to get some brain exercise in while killing time.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Blackberry. $0.99.
Flixster
Watching movies is one of the easiest and most entertaining ways to pass the time. Unfortunately, even when a film is showed on public transportation, it is rare that it’s a flick that everyone will enjoy – if it’s even in a language you understand. Flixster allows travelers to browse their Flixster Collections page, a free application where you can browse movies and shows from various sources. If the movie you want to watch offline is compatible, you’ll be able to watch it without an Internet connection.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Blackberry. Free.
The Ben Stein: It’s Trivial app is one of my favorites, as you can spend hours going through over 1,000 trivia questions in the categories of pop culture, sports, natural wonders and random Steinage. The game starts off easy and gets harder as you progress. Furthermore, answers are timed, adding an element of adrenaline. There’s also a bit of comedy, as the game includes quips and wry comments by Stein.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android. $2.99.
Adobe Ideas
For art-lovers, Adobe Ideas allows users to “paint” masterpieces on their smartphones. You’ll be able to sketch using vector-based drawing tools, use an eyedropper to color with precision and work with 10 drawing layers. It’s also got some of the same features as Photoshop, for example, drawing over a photograph. Moreover, you can email your creative pieces to work on them again later.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android. $9.99.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Fruit Ninja. It’s perfect for times when you don’t feel like thinking too hard, but want to pass the time. The object of the game is to chop as many pieces of flying fruit as possible by sliding your finger over the phone screen without hitting any spontaneous bombs. Certain fruits are extra points, as is slicing multiple fruits at the same time. It’s simple, but seriously addicting.
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android. $0.99.
18,000 Cool Jokes
This app is extremely entertaining, especially on long journeys. You won’t need an Internet connection to laugh your way through 18,000 Cool Jokes, which includes numerous categories, like blondes, bar, dirty jokes, at work, business, foreigners, yo mama, military, travel and many more. You can also browse the top jokes of the day, week and month. To give you an idea, here is one of the cute – and PG – travel jokes from the app: “What steps should you take if you see a dangerous animal on your travels? Very large ones.”
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android. $0.99.
Iconic Road Trips: Enjoying Idaho’s Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway
If you’re already in Idaho, chances are you’ve already had your breath taken away at the hand of your surroundings. But the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, also known as Idaho State Highway 21, will make you fall in love with the Idaho landscape if you haven’t already. Beginning in Boise, the “City of Trees,” this road is carved within the Boise National Forest and the scenery here is unbelievable. Flat pastures will merge into green hills that will remind you of photos you’ve seen of the Irish countryside. The highway begins at 3,000 feet above sea level. You’ll see the Boise River, the Boise River Diversion Dam, the Lucky Peak Dam and much more on this drive. Rocky mountains, summits good for stopping and taking in the fresh air, rushing waters and densely packed Pines make this drive worth the trip. It’s best to avoid driving this route in the winter. High elevation points throughout the highway are often closed during the winter because of snow.
[flickr image via bmarmie]
Peru’s Best Beach Town: Mancora
After hiking the Inca Trail outside Cuzco and exploring the museums in the bustling city of Lima, many travelers agree they crave nothing more than a relaxing setting and a beautiful beach. If you’re making your way north, a worthwhile stop is Mancora, thought by many locals and tourists to feature Peru‘s best beaches.
Getting There
If you’d like to make the journey in style and comfort, my recommendation is to take the Cruz del Sur bus company. Backpacking six countries in South America, I definitely had my fair share of questionable bus rides; however, Cruz del Sur was the best company I traveled with on the entire continent. Not only do they check bags and do body scans for safety reasons, they feed you a delicious hot meal, show movies in English or Spanish with subtitles, have comfortable reclining seats and provide you with a pillow and blanket. And, the bathrooms were clean and stocked with toilet paper and soap, something almost unheard of on bus transportation in South America.
If flying, the closest airports are in Piura, Tumbes or Talara. When flying internationally, you’ll need to travel to Lima first, and then take a national flight to one of the three cities.
Food
Luckily, there are many typical Peruvian restaurants in town. This means you’ll be able to easily find and enjoy local, affordable eateries. The most I ever paid for a meal in Mancora was 5 nuevo soles (about $1.80) on a set menu, which includes a starter, entree and refreshing glass of juice. A usual lunch would be a large bowl of chicken noodle soup followed by either baked chicken with rice and potatoes or goat or beef with rice, salad and beans.
Mancora is also a great place to sample some fresh ceviche, or cebiche, as you’ll see it written on restaurant signs.
To Do
When in Mancora, the best thing you can do is absolutely nothing. The town is very different from many of the popular tourist spots in Peru, and has an amazingly laid-back vibe and stress-free atmosphere. Walking down the main street, you’ll see people browsing beach-inspired markets, locals relaxing with a newspaper, playing cards or enjoying a delicious meal, and travelers with dreadlocks and baggy pants twisting each others’ hair and weaving bracelets in the sun. At the hostel I stayed at, many of the staff were backpackers who had simply fallen in love with the lifestyle of the area and didn’t want to leave.
Still, there are things to do if you so please. Most importantly, spend time on the beach. Here you’ll not only be able to sunbathe and go swimming, you’ll also be able to partake in a range of water sports and adventure activities, like surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, kitesurfing and horseback riding. I’d also recommend watching the sunrise or sunset at least once while you’re there, as the beach is such a peaceful place to watch the colorful show of nature.
If you’re in town during August, September or October, it’s definitely worth it to book a whale watching tour. During that time, humpback whales swim from Antarctic waters to breed during reproduction season. Participants have an 80 percent chance of seeing the whales diving, breaching, swimming and playing.
In Mancora, there are also many places to partake in yoga. You’ll pay about S/.20 for 90 minutes, and will feel invigorated for the rest of the day. To find a center, just walk along the beach near the hotels and you’ll find signs advertising the service. I recommend checking out Samana Chakra and Mancora Yoga: A Center for Radiant Living.
To help you relax even further, getting a massage is an option in this chill beach village. The most reputable spa in the area is Origenes Spa, which offers holistic and specialized treatments – like cooling cucumber for sunburn if you’re like me and forget how strong the sun is in Mancora. Depending on what you get will depend on the price, but some examples include a 60-minute aromatherapy massage (about $58), a honey and cucumber facial (about $52) a 2-hour fertility ritual (about $112) and a 30-minute floral bath (about $52). To see the complete menu, click here.
There is also a woman named Sarah Lane who was recommended by my hostel, who gives massages on the beach from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You can find her near the Quebrada entrance of the beach – email her at sarahlanetherapies@gmail.com or visit her website.
Day Trips
Located about an hour out of town is Cabo Blanco. Here, you’ll find the charming fishing village where Ernest Hemingway used to hangout and drink Pisco Sours while writing brilliant text like “Old Man and the Sea.” The location is also where the author caught a 700-pound Marlin fish. If you’d like an informational tour, Pacific Adventures offers a “Hemingway Route” trip that visits all the spots that inspired this legendary writer. For surfers, Cabo Blanco is also known as one of the best places in Peru for the sport.
Another day trip option is to travel about 30 minutes northeast to Poza de Barro, where you’ll find a natural hot spring and mud bath. Not only is it relaxing, a soak in the bubbling, sulfurous water is said to be good for your health, curing skin ailments, mineral deficiencies, rheumatic conditions, stress and eliminating toxins. The trip costs about S/. 35 (about $13) round trip.
Nightlife
Most of the nightlife scene revolves around the hotels and hostels. Loki Mancora is the most notorious party spot in the city, and visitors should get there before 10:00 p.m. or risk being charged an admission fee. The Point Mancora Beach also puts on regular theme parties, including their monthly Full Moon Party, which features a live DJ spinning near the pool (shown right). After 2:00 a.m., head to Cocos Beach Club or Charlie Brown’s in town to finish the night.
[Image via Surfglassy/Flickr]