Photo by Emma Krasov

MERCURYNEWS.COM: January 4, 2012

If health tops your list of New Year’s resolutions, welcome to the party. A survey by the Journal of Clinical Psychology shows three of the top five resolutions for 2013 are wellness-related. Combine this with travel, and you have a $106 billion industry worldwide.

I pondered this briefly as I climbed to the top of a crag of red spires above Enchantment Resort in the scenic Boynton Canyon of Sedona, Ariz. There was an hour before sunset, and I wanted to catch nature’s light show from a perch I’d picked out on the edge of an energy vortex. Continue reading →

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: December 21, 2012

The Wall Street Journal calls it the world’s premier Christmas dinner — a pageant so grand that only the angels in heaven could summon a more joyful celebration.

The Bracebridge Dinner in Yosemite National Park has been held almost without interruption since 1927 — the year the Ahwahnee Hotel opened. It’s a must-see event that should be on everyone’s wish list or bucket list. Yet you may be thinking, “How can I even get a ticket to this popular event that seemingly sells out a year in advance?’ Continue reading →

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: December 6, 2012

Trains are to Christmas what chocolate bunnies are to Easter. They’re a symbol of a simpler time — when we looked at the holidays with childlike wonder. But not since “The Polar Express” hit the theaters has there been such strong interest in holiday train rides. Continue reading →

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: November 21, 2012

Pack up the pinot and the roast turkey sandwiches — it’s a beautiful weekend for leaf peeping. Yes, while most of the country ushers in winter, we’re in full autumn splendor in the Bay Area and beyond in Northern California.

Every fall, travel expert John Poimiroo tracks California’s changing colors on his website, www.californiafallcolor.com. He says the mid-elevations are the best places for crimson and gold this week, including the Bay Area wine regions. Continue reading →