A chance to win a Yellowstone & Grand Teton Explorer trip with O.A.R.S

Just in time for summer vacation, we’re thrilled to be giving away the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Explorer, a six-day multi-sport wilderness trip for two people from O.A.R.S. (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists) in Wyoming this summer. This six-day (6) trip offers guided sea kayaking, whitewater rafting and dramatic hiking in two of America’s most beloved National Parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton – but off the beaten path and far away from the summer crowds. This is a great opportunity to explore land of soaring peaks and Old Faithful, and to see elk herds, eagles, osprey and moose. O.A.R.S. has secured the most remote camping spots available in these parks for this trip, including Grassy Island in Moran Bay in Jackson Lake. This is the only way to see these National Parks: with a small group on a guided active trip that’s far from the madding crowd. You can enter daily for a chance to win this great prize from O.A.R.S.!

Rafting on the Snake River with O.A.R.S. on their Yellowstone & Grand Teton Explorer

THE TRIP: YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON EXPLORER

On this one-of-a-kind multi-sport adventure, O.A.R.S. takes you off the beaten path and beyond the boardwalks of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks on a wild Wyoming vacation that few have seen.

O.A.R.S. provides everything you need to sea kayak, raft, hike and sightsee your way to some of the most extraordinary sites in the region. From the geothermal wonders of Old Faithful and the numerous geysers of Yellowstone Lake to the cool, reflective waters and pristine wilderness of Jackson Lake and the Snake River beneath the Tetons, they take care of details so you can enjoy lively days and dreamy nights under star-filled skies. Their passionate, professional guides share with you their intimate knowledge of the dramatic landscape and the mammals, birds, wild flowers and geology of the area.

Paddling with O.A.R.S.

ITINERARY: YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON EXPLORER

• Meet in Jackson, Wyoming, and shuttle to Yellowstone National Park; visit Old Faithful and the Old Faithful Geyser Basin followed by lunch and an afternoon sea kayaking on Yellowstone Lake; camp at Grant Village
• Transfer to Leeks Marina; paddle to Colter Camp on Jackson Lake; dine beneath the towering Tetons
• Enjoy the morning mist, grassy meadows and forest glens that are home to abundant wildlife
• Hike in Moran Bay, perhaps to spot a bear, moose or coyote
• Kayak the southern shore and hike to Bearpaw and Leigh Lakes
• Hike alongside rushing creeks and waterfalls; fish for trout
• Big day of paddling to Spalding Bay with spectacular sweeping views
• Paddle to Signal Mountain Lodge; transfer to Pacific Creek; enjoy a scenic rafting trip on the braided arms of the Snake River and search for moose; return to Jackson

REVIEWS FOR THIS O.A.R.S. ADVENTURE

“I could not recommend this trip enough and would actually strongly consider doing it again.” Wes from Lexington, KY

“The natural beauty of this area was as awe inspiring as anywhere we have ever been … When it’s over, you will be tired, you may be sore, you will definitely want a hot shower but you will be in better shape (both mentally and physically) than when you started and you’ll wish you could do it all over again.”  Hunker Down Jim from Bogart, GA

“This trip exceeded all our expectations. What a great way to experience two of America’s most beautiful parks!” Cyn from Boulder, CO

Geysers on the Yellowstone & Grand Teton Explorer trip with O.A.R.S.

ABOUT O.A.R.S

O.A.R.S. is a pioneer in the field of adventure travel, with its origins dating back to the late 1960’s. That’s when George Wendt, the founder and president of O.A.R.S., became one of the first people to raft down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It was a word-of-mouth trip back then, but in 1969 Wendt officially got into the rafting business. His company, Gooch-Wendt Expeditions, ran the first professional trips on the Colorado River and was selected as the first exclusively oar-powered rafting operator in Grand Canyon National Park. It was renamed O.A.R.S. (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists) and is considered the gold standard for adventure rafting companies. In addition to their  signature Grand Canyon trips, O.A.R.S. offers adventure vacations in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, as well as in British Columbia, Chile, Galapagos, Fiji, Baja and Peru. They have whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, multi-sport adventures and a host of special interest trips, from photography trips to wine tasting trips.

THE PRIZE

This prize is for one (1) six-day (6) Yellowstone and Grand Teton Explorer for two (2) people (sharing) with O.A.R.S.

What’s Included:

•Skilled professional guide service

•5 nights catered camping

•All meals, from lunch on Day 1 through lunch on the final day

•Expedition equipment, splash jacket and dry bags, two-person tents on a shared basis

•High quality inflatable rafts, sea kayaks, and related equipment including paddle and personal flotation device

•All transfers from Jackson to Yellowstone and return from the river

What’s Not Included:

•Transportation to and from Jackson, Wyoming

•Pre-and post-trip accommodations and meals

•Sleeping bags and pads (these items may be rented from O.A.R.S.)

•Insurance of any kind, including travel insurance

•Alcoholic beverages

•Items of a personal nature (an equipment list will be provided)

•Gratuities

Note: Minimum age to participate on this trip is age seven (7).

The winner can choose any scheduled trip departure for the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Explorer during summer 2013. If the winner is unable to travel in 2013, they can redeem the prize on a scheduled trip departure in 2014.

No credit will be extended for unused portion of the package. Package may not be redeemed for cash, resold or transferred. Gratuities are not included. Airfare to Wyoming is not included. The total cash value of the prize is approximately $3,078.

Paddling on the Yellowstone & Grand Teton Explorer with O.A.R.S.

HOW TO ENTER AND WIN

For a chance to win this kayaking and rafting trip for two with O.A.R.S., just fill out the form below. Multiple entries are welcome, so come back and enter once a day through June 22, 2013. Complete rules are below. The winner will be notified by e-mail on or about July 15, 2013. 

Important: Please adjust your spam filter to enable receipt of e-mails with the domain EverettPottersTravelReport.com, so that we can notify you if you’re a winner. Good luck!

ENTRY FORM 

THE WORLD OF O.A.R.S.

Be sure and visit O.A.R.S. for more details.

COMPLETE RULES: O.A.R.S. Giveaway

Presented by EverettPottersTravelReport.com and O.A.R.S.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

1. How to Enter. Between 9:00am Eastern Time (“ET”) on May 22, 2013 and 11:59pm ET on June 22, 2013, (the “Giveaway Period”), you may log onto EverettPottersTravelReport.com to enter this Giveaway. To enter, fill out your full name and email on the entry form and click “Submit Now.” Entrants may enter once a day, each day, during the Giveaway Period.

All entrants must have a valid e-mail address. No automated entry devices and/or programs permitted. All entries become the sole and exclusive property of EverettPottersTravelReport.com and receipt of entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Delivery of prize will require a street address (no P.O. Boxes) upon winning. EverettPottersTravelReport.com is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Only fully completed entries are eligible. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt by this web site.

2. Eligibility. Participation is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada who are 21 or older as of date of entry. Proof of age and legal US residency may be required. Void outside of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. Employees and partners of EverettPottersTravelReport.com, O.A.R.S., its subsidiaries and affiliates, and their immediate families (parents, children, siblings, spouses) or members of the same household (whether related or not) of such employees/partners are not eligible to enter. This Giveaway may only be entered in or from the United States and entries originating from any other jurisdiction are not eligible for entry. You are not authorized to participate in the Giveaway if you are not located within the United States. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Note: Minimum age to participate on this trip is age seven (7).

3. Random Drawing/Odds. One (1) winner will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received during the Giveaway Period. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Drawing will be conducted by EverettPottersTravelReport.com on or about July 15, 2013. By entering the Giveaway, you fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these official rules (“Complete Rules”) and the decisions of EverettPottersTravelReport.com, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Giveaway.

4. Prize. The prize will be given to one (1) winner. This prize is for one six-day Yellowstone and Grand Teton Explorer trip for two (2) people (sharing) with O.A.R.S. in Wyoming. The winner can choose any scheduled trip departure in summer 2013 or 2014. The winning prize is valid through O.A.R.S.’s 2014 Yellowstone and Grand Teton Explorer season, which ends in September 2014. The prize is subject to regular booking policies and availability.

What’s Included:

•Skilled professional guide service

•5 nights catered camping

•All Meals from lunch on Day 1 through lunch on the final day

•Expedition equipment, splash jacket and dry bags, two-person tents on a shared basis

•High quality inflatable rafts, sea kayaks, and related equipment including paddle

and personal flotation device

•All transfers from Jackson to Yellowstone and return from the river

What’s Not Included:

•Transportation to and from Jackson, Wyoming

•Pre-and post-trip accommodations and meals

•Sleeping bags and pads (these items may be rented from O.A.R.S.)

•Insurance of any kind, including travel insurance

•Alcoholic beverages

•Items of a personal nature (an equipment list will be provided)

•Gratuities

Winner’s certificate is for (2) two people sharing the same accommodations. No credit will be extended for unused portion of the package. Package may not be redeemed for cash, resold or transferred.  The prize may not be sold on eBay or any other auction site. Otherwise, the offer becomes invalid.

The total cash value of the prize is approximately $3,078.

5. Notification. The winner will receive a prize email which must be submitted at time of booking or the space is not valid. The letter will contain instructions for redeeming the prize. The winner will be notified by e-mail on or about July 15, 2013. In order to redeem the prize, the winner must contact O.A.R.S. after notification from Everett Potter’s Travel Report. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion. Trip dates are subject to approval by O.A.R.S..

 If the winner does not respond to our e-mailed notification within seven (7) calendar days of first notification attempt, if the prize notification is returned as undeliverable, if the winner rejects his/her prize, or in the event of noncompliance with these Complete Rules, such prize will be forfeited and EverettPottersTravelReport.com reserves the right to select an alternate winner from all remaining eligible entries. Upon prize forfeiture, no compensation will be given.

6. Conditions. By entering, you agree to opt-in for weekly emails from Everett Potter’s Travel Report and occasional emails on special offers, promotions and news from O.A.R.S. All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. Participation in this Giveaway and acceptance of prize constitutes the winner’s permission for EverettPottersTravelReport.com, and O.A.R.S. to use his/her name, address (hometown and state), likeness, photograph, picture, portrait, voice, biographical information and/or any statements made by each winner regarding the Giveaway or EverettPottersTravelReport.com for advertising and promotional purposes without notice or additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. EverettPottersTravelReport.com and O.A.R.S. are not responsible if the prize cannot be awarded due to delays or interruptions due to acts of God, acts of war, natural disasters, weather or acts of terrorism. Entrants who do not comply with these Complete Rules or attempt to interfere with this Giveaway in any way will be disqualified. There is no purchase or sales presentation required to participate.

7. Additional Terms. In case of dispute as to the identity of any entrant, entry will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. “Authorized Account Holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) responsible for assigning e-mail addresses or the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Any potential winner may be requested to provide EverettPottersTravelReport.com with proof that such winner is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning entry. Any other attempted form of entry is prohibited; no automatic, programmed, robotic or similar means of entry are permitted. EverettPottersTravelReport.com, its affiliates, partners and promotion and advertising agencies are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, telephone or other communications malfunctions, errors or failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, web site, Internet, or ISP availability, unauthorized human intervention, traffic congestion, incomplete or inaccurate capture of entry information (regardless of cause) or failed, incomplete, garbled, jumbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit one’s ability to enter the Giveaway, including any injury or damage to your or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participating in this Giveaway or downloading any materials in this Giveaway.

EverettPottersTravelReport.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Giveaway should (in its sole discretion) virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of this Giveaway or for any other reason EverettPottersTravelReport.com deems it necessary. In such case, EverettPottersTravelReport.com may, at its discretion, select the winner from all eligible entries received unaffected by the problem. EverettPottersTravelReport.com reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of this Giveaway or web site. EverettPottersTravelReport.com may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Giveaway or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of this Giveaway by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automated quick entry programs) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or EverettPottersTravelReport.com representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GIVEAWAY MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EVERETTPOTTERSTRAVELREPORT.COM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM THE PERPETRATOR TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. THE NEW YORK COURTS (STATE AND FEDERAL) SHALL HAVE SOLE JURISDICTION OF ANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING THIS GIVEAWAY AND THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SHALL GOVERN THIS GIVEAWAY. EACH ENTRANT WAIVES ANY AND ALL OBJECTIONS TO AND HEREBY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION AND VENUE OF THESE COURTS.

8. List of Winners. To obtain the name of the winner, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by July 30, 2013 to: Everett Potters Travel Report Attn: O.A.R.S. Giveaway Winner, 146 Third Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803.

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Abalone, one of the accommodations at Jakes, Jamaica

What’s the Deal: Jakes, one of Jamaica’s best kept secrets, is located in a quiet seaside resort in the fishing village of Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Their new “Family Getaway” is a well-priced deal offering 4 nights’ accommodation in a two bedroom cottage for a family of four.

What’s the Backstory: Jakes features 26 rooms in the hotel, 5 cottages and three villas, all with either garden or ocean views. Set in the relaxed beauty of Jamaica’s sandy south coast landscape, each of the colorful accommodations is uniquely designed. Jakes is also well off the beaten path: it’s two hours from Montego Bay Airport, one and a half-hours from Negril and a three-hour drive from the capital city of Kingston.

What are the Details: Four nights accommodation in a two bedroom cottage for maximum family of four. The package includes an Educational Trip to Galleon Beach Fishing Sanctuary with a stop at the white sand beach. It also includes a trip to YS Waterfalls, two private soccer class/ hair braiding class, and two Mosaic Workshops.

Fine print: $1,400 US excluding tax. Valid through December 14, 2013

Booking: Use code FAM Tel: (876) 965-3000 or http://www.jakeshotel.com/

The post Smart Deals: Jakes, Jamaica appeared first on Everett Potter's Travel Report.

Biking on Nantucket

Bike trails on Nantucket branch off in every direction, like the spokes on a wheel. My favorite ride, especially in the spring, is the 6-mile jaunt from town to Madaket Beach. Head out on Cliff Road. You’ll quickly meet up with the Cliff Trail as you pass the rolling meadows and red-winged blackbirds at Tupancy Links conservation land. Merge with the Madaket Trail and you might be greeted by flittering goldfinches and osprey peering out from their oversized nests. When the trail becomes sandy and you can hear the pounding surf, you know you’re getting close. On the westernmost part of the island, the beach slopes down to the crashing waves. All around you is water, as if you’re stepping off land into the great abyss. If you don’t have the energy to do the return trip, the Wave bus runs until 11:20 pm and has a front rack for two bikes.

   Steve Jermanok As a columnist for National Geographic Adventure, adventure travel expert at Budget Travel, and regular contributor on outdoor recreation for Outside, Men’s Journal, Health, and Sierra, Steve Jermanok has written more than 1,000 articles on the outdoors.He’s also authored or co-authored 11 books, including Outside Magazine’s Adventure Guide to New England and Men’s Journal’s The Great Life. His latest book is Go Now! Put Your Life on Pause and See the World. He’s currently an adventure travel expert at Away.com and blogs daily at  Active Travels.

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La Table des Anges, Paris

Unfortunately it doesn’t happen very often, which is why I appreciate the very rare pleasure of spontaneously deciding to try a restaurant in Paris even more. As a food writer, you see, I’m obviously obliged to keep up with the latest new addresses, and since I don’t like going to restaurants on the weekend if I can avoid it–as a rule of thumb, Parisians generally cook or entertain at home then, which leaves the city’s restaurants to suburbanites or tourists, and I’m also too busy to go out to lunch, this leaves me five available meals per week to test the latest openings. This may sound adequate, but recently a whole week went by during which I didn’t find a single meal that was worthy of writing up here, even if only in negative terms.  

Yesterday, though, after we couldn’t get into “Mud,” which opened here yesterday, Bruno and I decided to go for a long walk after having spent a print-drunk day at home. Knowing that the fridge was bare, I hoped the Tunisian green grocer at the bottom of the rue des Martyrs would be open so that we could buy some asparagus and rustle up a simple dinner at home. But he’d already closed, so we keep walking up the rue des Martyrs with the idea of doing sort of a H shaped walk home. Along the way, I found myself regretting the two branches of Fuxia that have opened here–the food’s okay, but it is a chain, and also thinking that it had been a very long time since I’d last eaten at Le Cul de Poule, which was packed last night. The menu there didn’t really speak to me, though, and Bruno had already said he didn’t want to eat at a restaurant, so we keep moving, and then it started to rain again, so we stopped under the awning of La Table des Anges to wait out the shower, and of course I read the menu posted outside. It looked really good, and there was a reasonably priced 32 Euro prix-fixe, so I turned to Bruno, who said “Non” even before I’d opened my mouth. “Well, why ‘Non,’? We don’t have anything to eat at home, it’s getting late, I’m hungry, this place looks good.” “We still have some salad.” He could live on lettuce and other leaves, but I can’t and won’t so I told him I’d invited him to dinner and stepped inside.

La Table des Anges, Paris

Seated at a wooden table with Kraft paper place mats by one of friendly owners, who immediately brought us a complimentry serving of speck and salami to nibble while we studied the menu, I liked the look of this place. The exposed stone walls gave it a warm atmosphere, and the slicing machine by the chalkboard announcing the daily specials inspired confidence, too. Still, tempted though I may have been, I was not going to order langoustine risotto in a Paris restaurant I didn’t know–I’ve had good risotto exactly once in Paris during twenty-five futile years of trying, and so instead decided on the asparagus veloute and the brandade de morue, which is one of my favorite dishes. Bruno chose the homemade duck terrine and the quenelles de brochet (pike perch dumplings), and we ordered a bottle of Fleurie, a perfect Spring time wine, from the short but interesting wine list. Happily, the bright cherry-jam nose of the Fleurie dissolved whatever peevishness Bruno was still nursing over this impromptu dinner outing, and then things took a decided shift for the better when our starters arrived.

Studded with pistachios, Bruno’s duck terrine was homemade, beautifully seasoned (thyme, green pepper corns), generously served and accompanied by a ramekin of tangy onion jam. My froathy soup had a superb depth of flavor, too, and the bread served with these dishes was excellent crusty baguette with a lacy crumb and a faint perfume of wood smoke. I overheard the couple sitting in the corner across from us congratulating themselves for having found this place, too, and grinned as I watched the owner serving them each a complimentry tot of fiery hazelnut eau de vie that had been made by monks somewhere in the Yonne. I hoped we’d get to taste it, too.

Menu at La Table des Anges, Paris

Since brandade de morue, that sublime mixture of baked olive-oil lashed whipped potatoes, salt cod and garlic that’s perhaps best sampled in Nimes, can be a sorry business when it’s not made with real care, I hoped our luck would hold with the main courses. Ditto Bruno’s quenelles de brochet, which can be leaden and tasteless when made from industrial ingredients in industrial quantities. This apprehension surely explained Bruno’s alarm when the waiter revealed his enormous quenelle in a covered Staub casserole. As if reading his mind, however, he reassured Bruno that it was homemade and also explained that the accompanying sauce had been made with broth and a little cream but no flour. The quenelle’s delicate sauce was also garnished with mushrooms, carrots, baby onions and a potato. 

Potently garlicky and almost airy in its lightness, the brandade was superb, as was Bruno’s quenelle. When we claimed a well-fed pause before dessert, the owner returned to the table with two glasses of Fleurie from another producer, a thoughtful gesture, and we complimented him over his chef. “Thank you, yes, he’s very talented,” said the proprietor, who told us his name is Yan Duranceau, a young up-and-comer who has already worked at Le Grand Véfour, the Plaza Athénée and Taillevent.

Both of us finished up with fine slices of brebis d’estive, which is made by Christine Arripe at her Ferme de la Montagne Verte in the Ossau valley and shipped directly to this restaurant in Paris. The particularity of this rich but subtle ewe’s milk cheese is that it’s only made during the transhumance period from June to September in the up-mountain valleys of the Bearn. Not surprisingly, it has won a Slow Food label, and it’s just superb.

And finally, two slugs of that mysterious hazelnut eau de vie, which made our eyes water and tasted exactly the way a rafter in the attic of Burgundian barn might if you gave it a good lick–grass, dust, caramel, smoke, it was just lovely, and we walked home with the fuzzy happiness of having inadvertently discovered a delightful new everyday restaurant in our neighborhood embroidered with the warm halo induced by the monks’ skills with a still.

La Table des Anges, 66 rue des Martyrs, 9th, Tel. 01-55-32-24-89. Metro: Pigalle or Notre Dame de Lorette

www.latabledesanges.fr, Closed Sundays and Mondays. Lunch menu 16 Euros, prix-fixe menu 32 Euros. Average a la carte 45 Euros. 

   Alexander Lobrano was Gourmet magazine’s European correspondent from 1999 until its recent closing. Lobrano has written for almost every major food and travel magazine since he became an American in Paris in 1986. He is the author of “Hungry for Paris”  (Random House), his personal selection of the city’s 102 best  restaurants, which Alice Waters has called “a wonderful guide to eating in Paris.” Lobrano’s Letter from Paris runs every month in Everett Potter’s Travel Report. Visit his website, Hungry for Paris.(Photo by Steven Rothfeld)

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Seven Cycles 622 SLX, a Titanium-Carbon handmade bike that starts at $6,995.

By Everett Potter

When Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, cycles in Central Park or near his vacation home in Quebec, he rides a handmade bike made by Seven Cycles in Watertown, Massachusetts. To Lowry, who takes 70- to 100-mile rides two or three times a week during the summer, the bike is not a status symbol, not an objet d’art (beautiful though it is), but a performance enhancer.

“I don’t notice the bike,” says Lowry of his carbon and titanium steed. “It’s just you, your legs and your heart.”

That’s the highest praise a serious rider can bestow.  

Seven Cycles (www.sevencycles.com) has turned the world of handmade bikes on its head by managing to lightly industrialize the production process—it produces several hundred road, competition and mountain bikes yearly and takes orders through a network of about 150 U.S. retailers and distributors in 30 other countries—without losing the essence of the product: one worker makes one bike at a time tailored to the client’s body and riding habits. It’s a custom-made suit with wheels. And like the suit, there’s a wait (four to eight weeks) and a cost. The entry-level Resolute SLX is steel and costs $3,699; other models, of carbon fiber and titanium, cost four times as much.

“A handmade bike,” says Seven Cycles founder Rob Vandermark, “is not just about the look and feel of the bike. It’s about how it handles, how it fits the rider and how it performs. We focus on the rider experience rather than only artistry.”

Those three reasons—fit, performance and quality—are why you go bespoke. “My Seven Cycles machine is more comfortable over longer distances,” Lowry says. “I don’t get tired after four or five hours because the quality of the ride is so superior to a factory bike. I’m not sore at the end of a ride either, and I’m not sore the next day.”

Vandermark brings an unusual back- ground to his passion. He worked in a bike shop while studying sculpture at the Massachusetts College  of  Art and Design and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Then he spent a decade at Merlin Metalworks, a high-end frame builder, eventually heading the research and development department. In 1997, he founded Seven Cycles.

“We start with the client’s ideal riding position and design the bike underneath them from scratch,” says Vandermark. Seven Cycles does a staggering amount of research for each bike. Its retailers spend an average of two to three hours with a prospective buyer and go through a checklist of more than 100 questions. They take the measurements of your body and your current bike and delve into your riding style—do you like hills more than flats or vice versa?—and into what you like and dislike about your current bike. Every element of the bike is tailored to suit the buyer’s weight, riding style, intended use, age and favored terrain.

“Say we had a taller-than-average rider who has shorter-than- average arms and rides in New England,” says Vandermark. “We’d bring the front end up and in a bit, and we would readjust the handling to rebalance the rider’s weight, placing it squarely between the wheels. We’d also include slightly longer chain stays for better weight distribution and to improve rear wheel tracking, and bring the bars up a bit so that the rider’s torso would be in the correct position. Since the client rides in hilly New England, we’d tend to design the position slightly more upright because wind is less of a factor. The slightly more upright and open position also facilitates breathing and overall comfort, helping reduce fatigue.”

The Opa from Workcycles, a Dutch bike for for retro-hipsters.

For every North Pole, there’s a South. The bespoke bicycle antithesis to Seven Cycles is an Amsterdam-based company that caters to design-conscious riders with a utilitarian bent—people who may ride three miles a day to the office or greenmarket. WorkCycles (www.workcycles.com) makes the gold standard of urban cycling under the direction of an American named Henry Cutler.

“We build bikes that are beautiful, practical, durable and that make cycling a more attractive means of transport,” he says.

Rather than titanium and carbon fibre, the basic proteins of high-performance bikes, a WorkCycle is made of steel, weighing in at 50 pounds plus. It’s an urban tank, designed for all of the abuse that city streets could throw at it. The ride is upright, and the bikes are equipped with mud flaps and a chain case to keep the rider’s clothes clean and dry. (Amsterdammers bicycle to work daily, weather be damned.) WorkCycles have eight-speed Shimano internal gear hubs and front and rear Shimano roller brakes, and they sport ultra-comfortable Brooks B67 leather saddles, a rear carrier of heavy-duty steel, an integrated wheel lock, and a hub dynamo generator that powers the front light and rear light. It’s all very retro stylish—in fact, the styling of models such as the Oma or Opa (grandmother and grandfather in Dutch) isn’t that different from bikes of the early 20th century. Except the price: they start at $1,699.95.

“People like WorkCycles because they appeal to them aesthetically,” says David Schmidt, who was one of the first retailers to bring WorkCycles to the U.S. as a featured brand. His Dutch Bike Shop opened in Seattle in 2007 (www.dutchbikeseattle.com/). “They like that they’re not made by robots, that the metal is braised by humans.” Schmidt claims that American bikes “went the way of  sporting goods, leaving a niche for city bikes. There’s nothing like these bikes made in the U.S. The demand is so great in Europe that they’re able to make a lot of them.”

A more extreme—and arguably more beautiful—WorkCycle model is the Bakfiets Cargobike. It has a polished triangular wooden box between the driver and the front wheel that’s designed to hold groceries or up to two small children. The bike can also be adapted to hold multiple kids on separate seats.

Schmidt says his buyers range from 25-year-old hipsters to young families to 40-plus-year-old riders. “Many of my customers have never even been in a bike shop before this. And we’ve taught people to ride who haven’t ridden a bike since they were kids,” he says. “I see my customers awakening to what was lost.”

The post Bespoked: A Tale of Two Bike Companies appeared first on Everett Potter's Travel Report.

When my favorite walking company, The Wayfarers, approached me to write their Walk Away Guide, I was honored.

Here’s the result … 

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Whale watching off Provincetown, Mass.

Located seven miles north of Provincetown, Stellwagen Bank is one of the Atlantic coast’s largest feeding grounds for whales. The 18-mile long crescent-shaped bank ranges from 80 to 500 feet below the surface. Currents slam into the bank, bringing nutrient rich cold water to the surface. This attracts fish, which in turn attracts numerous species of whales from April to November—humpbacks, the larger fins, and smaller minkes. One gulp from a hungry humpback whale can take in a ton of fish.

  Steve Jermanok As a columnist for National Geographic Adventure, adventure travel expert at Budget Travel, and regular contributor on outdoor recreation for Outside, Men’s Journal, Health, and Sierra, Steve Jermanok has written more than 1,000 articles on the outdoors.He’s also authored or co-authored 11 books, including Outside Magazine’s Adventure Guide to New England and Men’s Journal’s The Great Life. His latest book is Go Now! Put Your Life on Pause and See the World. He’s currently an adventure travel expert at Away.com and blogs daily at  Active Travels.

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TGV in France

What’s the Deal: Rail Europe is offering travelers a “FAST 30% OFF TGV Premier Tickets” now through June 10^th.

What are the Details:  TGV Premier Tickets provide an added element of comfort and convenience for those embarking on an  adventure. Travelers can enjoy large comfortable reclining seats while traveling across the French countryside and bookings made online include a choice of meal options while on board. Safe and speedy service allows you  to discover a host of popular French destinations, zipping from city to city at up 201 mph.

TGV Premier Tickets offer travelers the opportunity to relax while waiting for trains in one of 10 TGV lounges called “Salons Grand Voyageur.”  The TGV lounges are available to travelers in select train stations including: Bordeaux St. Jean, Djon, Lille Flandres, Lyon Part-Dieu, Marseille St. Charles, Nantes, Paris Est, Paris-Gare de Lyon, Paris Nord, Paris Montparnasse and Strasbourg train station.

Caveat: From May 14 through 5:59 pm ET on June 10, 2013 enter coupon code FAST30 during checkout on the delivery page. One coupon code per booking may be applied. No other discounts, except free shipping, can be combined. Offer is subject to change or extension without notice. Offer is limited to the first 400 bookings (each with a minimum value of $350), or until the promotion’s end date of 5:59 pm ET on June 10, 2013, whichever comes first. Offer is valid on Premier Ticket bookings. Only online bookings include a meal. Bookings of TGV train tickets to destinations outside of France are excluded from this offer. Prices are subject to availability

Fine print: Enter coupon code FAST30 during checkout.*Prices begin at $99 USD for TGV Premier Tickets

Booking: Bookings can be made by visiting Rail Europe’s website at raileurope.com

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Seattle, one of Larry Olmsted’s top 10 picks for a weekend getaway.

By Larry Olmsted

As far as tourist destinations go, few cities can rival the likes of New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles. But if you haven’t been before, each of these places can overwhelm and easily fill an entire week.

The solution?

Cities well designed to be visited in a weekend–or better yet, a long weekend. The best weekend cities offer at least one or two marquee attractions like world-class museums or monuments, a unique cultural atmosphere and enough great food to let visitors know they are somewhere special–all for less money and easier navigability.

Read my top 10 list of great cities for a weekend getaway …

  Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted is a Contributing Editor to US Airways Magazine and Cigar Aficionado Magazine and “The Great Life” columnist for Forbes.com

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