When I first heard about Appalachian Gear Company’s All-Paca Fleece Hoodie, I thought it was going to be like other hoodies that are currently hanging in my work-from-home closet. I was delighted when this very soft sweater arrived. It’s actually nothing like my other hoodies. (Not sure if that says more about me or about this particular hoodie – LOL.) Rather than a baggy top that I might wear only around the house, this is a snuggly, form-fitting sweater that actually looks really nice on. While I did feel an initial scritchy-scratch when I put it on, it softened up pretty quickly with no not ..read more

Summer might be over, but don’t let the cool air keep you indoors. Actually, there’s probably not a better time to consider being outside than right now! Here’s an opportunity to make getting outside a little more fun. After all, who doesn’t love new gear to test out? I’m giving away a pair of Tifosi Tsali sunglasses to a lucky winner residing in the U.S. As a runner, these are the best sport sunglasses I’ve tested to date. There are several reasons for this… Though it’s not a feature mentioned on the Tifosi site, I have found that these don’t fog like other sport sunglasses I have. That’s the ..read more

In some parts of the world, the only reason you can go outside right now is for groceries and to exercise. Here in Washington State, our parks and trails are starting to open up which means that, for the first time in months, I can now get out for a hike! Whoo hoo! But because the weather is still a bit tenuous (last week it was in the low 80’s, this week it’s cool and rainy), I’ll need to have some protection on my feet against the weather at least for the next couple of months. Trails will still be muddy (especially in the mountains) and the likelihood of rain during a hike is high. LOWA’s n ..read more

This was part of my March 30 newsletter that goes out to subscribers. If you’d like to be on that list, you can subscribe here. Note – I normally talk about travel stuff but, well, you know… _________ I’m generally an upbeat person who can see her way out of most situations. So I know things have gotten bad when *I* start to feel down. That’s exactly what happened last week. I thought our “stay at home” order in Washington State would be down time for me to catch up on email, and an opportunity to develop some new tours for 2021 and edit podcasts for the coming weeks. Unfortunately, it quickly ..read more

I never, and I mean NEVER, take a flight without packing a neck pillow in my backpack. Over the years, I’ve been through a lot of these and have had to toss out a couple because they began leaking after the second or third time I used it. Ugh! But here’s one that I love and trust AND cannot believe how small it packs down. It’s the inflatable Sea to Summit Aeros Traveller Pillow. <3 Though I’m only about a half dozen flights into using this, I have absolute faith that it’s going to hold up for the long haul. The quality of the seams is as good as, if not better than, any other neck pillow I ..read more

Bhutan is a country steeped in happiness, literally. This is the country that invented Gross National Happiness as a way to measure the country’s success – forget GDP. If you’re interested in joining one of my tours to Bhutan, check out the WanderTours website and feel free to contact me to be on the waitlist for future tours! Tipping my hat to these happy peeps, I thought I’d do a little roundup of my favorite books about Bhutan. Lonely Planet Guide to Bhutan – There are few guidebooks to Bhutan and Lonely Planet is one of the best. though you likely won’t use this book for hotel and restaura ..read more