Russ Beebe's Comments

The Demand For Adventure Travel, and How You Can Benefit by Russ Beebe

Feb 19, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Jan 6, 2007, 12:24pm EST

You can bet I will, Warren. I applaud your fine words!

A Winter's Desert Passage, Conclusion: Confronting The Beast by Russ Beebe

Feb 13, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Sep 21, 2006, 5:52pm EDT

Neither, Steve. The Beast was, and sometimes still is, a manifestation of my own emotional demons. I suspect I'm not alone in that characterization!

Peterson Field Guides Note of the Week -- Tiger Salamander by Peterson Field Guides

Mar 30, 2006 | comments: 4

Russ Beebe Mar 30, 2006, 7:21pm EST

Yep, it's been true for years that frogs and other amphibians are indicator species for upstream pollutants because they tend to absorb water and nutrients through their skins. About 15 or so years ago, I noticed a startling comeback in the number of bullfrogs that I heard on the banks of a local creek about 5 years after an upstream walnut orchard stopped spraying DDT. Being that the world's average annual heat index has rocketed in these last few years, I don't find it hard to fathom that amphibians, natural indicators that they are, would suffer from the effects of global warming.

A Photo by Russ Beebe

Feb 5, 2006 | comments: 11

Russ Beebe Mar 4, 2006, 7:40pm EST

Ah, Mary! You hit me where I live.

Greece For Me by Mandi -Watch where the chalk-white arrows go. To the place where the sidewalk ends. S.S.

Feb 27, 2006 | comments: 45

Russ Beebe Mar 1, 2006, 8:29pm EST

Laurie, I have to agree with you: Italy calls me too, for the food, the wine, the countryside, the lyricism of the language, the dark-eyed passion.

I have a friend who's been working in Torino for NBC this past month. His girlfriend leaves Friday to join him and visit much of northern Italy and Switzerland; I get to feed her cats for 2 weeks.

You'd be amazed, though, how many cooking classes teach Italian cooking here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would attend myself if I hadn't already grown up eating Italian much of the time and learning how naturally - we've got a lot of Italian influence here. (I'm a wannabe Italian, I think.)

Greece For Me by Mandi -Watch where the chalk-white arrows go. To the place where the sidewalk ends. S.S.

Feb 27, 2006 | comments: 45

Russ Beebe Mar 1, 2006, 8:18pm EST

I always thought I wanted to visit New Zealand. Then, being a Tolkien fan from way back in college and seeing the recent Trilogy on the big screen, I KNOW I want to go there. I'm licking my (mutton) chops just thinking about it.

Switzerland sure was nice in summer, and I'd go there in winter - to ski, of course. And eat cheese. And bread. And chocolate. Lots and lots of rich, dark, Swiss chocolate.

OK, I'm hungry now!

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything by Russ Beebe

Feb 21, 2006 | comments: 23

Russ Beebe Feb 26, 2006, 1:49pm EST

Kurt, I'm tickled that you picked up on my characterization of "Sideways." We definitely agree. While I found the movie enjoyable from an entertainment point of view, I dread the notion that some moviegoers would assume that certain behavior depicted in the film is acceptable. Thank you for your comment!

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything by Russ Beebe

Feb 21, 2006 | comments: 23

Russ Beebe Feb 24, 2006, 4:23pm EST

Beryl, that is very kind of you to say! You affirm my thinking, too, in light of my plan to publish this article to a wider audience early next week. I'll be following up to relate that experience to the Gather community.

A Photo by Spiritguided Woman

Feb 14, 2006 | comments: 11

Russ Beebe Feb 24, 2006, 3:26pm EST

Lisa, you and I must indeed love that red-rock country!

Once on a trip thru northern Arizona, I stopped for a martini in uptown Sedona. The bartender, Robin, offered to take me on a local hike where I discovered an ancient kiva, granary, and ceremonial ground. It's those secret, off-the-map places that keep calling my name.

Visiting A Winery - 5 Ways to Avoid Learning Anything by Russ Beebe

Feb 21, 2006 | comments: 23

Russ Beebe Feb 22, 2006, 1:28pm EST

Ah, you said a mouthful there, Anna. I heartily agree!
To my mind, there's a definite trade-off between a quantity experience and a quality experience. It's one of the reasons I keep my tours limited to 11 people (plus me) and try to visit the lesser-known gems. It's much more manageable (and therefore enjoyable) for everybody - venues and tour operators alike.
Thanks for writing!

3 Time Olympian by Sarah Schleper

Feb 10, 2006 | comments: 14

Russ Beebe Feb 21, 2006, 7:31pm EST

Sarah,

The long hours of training, the setbacks, the bad food and the joyous victories have all brought you to Sestriere and tomorrow's Olympic slalom hill. Now it's your moment to shine like the brightest filament burning and let the world know who's lightin' it up.

Now go out there, grab yourself a few moments of deep energizing lungfuls of peace, and then DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT ROCKIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Demand For Adventure Travel, and How You Can Benefit by Russ Beebe

Feb 19, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Feb 20, 2006, 2:11pm EST

In response to JC R (Fred Meyer?): While attracting a customer or two from this community would be exciting for me (and any customers), I see that as secondary to my main purpose in posting articles here. I'm primarily interested in how my article resounds with the Gather community - to see if I am on-topic or if I've missed the mark. The resulting feedback will shape my decisions as to whether I should refocus my article or expand it to a wider audience.

I believe others on Gather find similar purpose. And there's nothing cheap about that.

The Demand For Adventure Travel, and How You Can Benefit by Russ Beebe

Feb 19, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Feb 19, 2006, 10:37pm EST

Golly, Jennifer, where do I start?

First of all, thank you for commenting! Perhaps you're ready for winter to be over with so you can enjoy a vacation! (Yep, me too!) I invite you to see the 15 winehiking tours I've currently got listed on my website, http://www.californiawinehikes.com/. Please let me know what you think!

Aside from what you see listed on my site, I've enjoyed organizing group tours into the wilderness and the tasting rooms ever since I almost can't remember when. As for recent times, you can look me up on bayarealinkup.com, an online community in which I've been an active poster of biweekly hiking and wine-tasting events, now going on my 3rd season.

After getting laid off last summer after a 20-year career in high-tech, I decided to take my passions and run with them by building my website. Gotta go where the love is, you know?

Jen, if you have any questions for me, you have only to ask. In fact, I'd be delighted to know more about your experiences tasting the wines of Washington.

The Demand For Adventure Travel, and How You Can Benefit by Russ Beebe

Feb 19, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Feb 19, 2006, 12:54pm EST

Colleen, it's just under 2000 miles from Clinton to Napa Valley. If you want to get here in a hurry, you can trade drive time and nap time with a friend and get here in 2 days. But if you really want to savor the experience, which I recommend, I would suggest taking most of a week. Of course, that all depends on how much time you want to spend in the California wine country as a reflection of your allotted vacation time.

If you do plan on coming to California, I'd be thrilled to be your tour guide, Colleen.

The Demand For Adventure Travel, and How You Can Benefit by Russ Beebe

Feb 19, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Feb 19, 2006, 12:44pm EST

Zayla, I can't agree more with your sentiments, which essentially provide the basis for my writing such an article as this one. Though by their very nature, the tours that I organize involve wine tasting, and are therefore not suitable for children, the family-oriented tours are out there - you only need to look for them. One place you might start is familyvacationcritics.com, which just came out with a press release yesterday. In this release, they say, "The online travel market is crowded, yet rapidly growing. We have an opportunity to tap into an expanding component of the travel industry - families. With the increase in hours people are at their job and households in which both parents work, the desire to maximize the family travel experience is paramount. This website focuses on attracting users by providing information in the form of easy-to-understand, accessible, and relevant family critic ratings and comments of hotels, airlines, cruise lines and adventure travel companies. In addition, family-specific travel deals, specials and tips are offered."

Best of luck with your family vacation plans, Zayla!

A Photo by Russ Beebe

Feb 5, 2006 | comments: 4

Russ Beebe Feb 19, 2006, 11:47am EST

Your words tickle my eyeballs, Elena. Glad you chose to write 'em!

The Demand For Adventure Travel, and How You Can Benefit by Russ Beebe

Feb 19, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Feb 19, 2006, 11:45am EST

Nancy, you raise a valuable point. Fortunately, the travel and tourism industry is large, and therefore one can find tours spanning all types of tours, prices, and accommodations, and covering many aspects of educational experience that include cultural, heritage, photographic, ecological, and often a combination of these, whether physical output is required or not.
While the tours that I offer on californiawinehikes.com typically appeal to the hiker and adventure traveler, price is an important parameter, and my guests get to choose the tour they want to do in line with their vacation budget.
Thank you for commenting, Nancy!

easy and colorful broccoli salad by jessie voigts

Feb 16, 2006 | comments: 8

Russ Beebe Feb 16, 2006, 4:35pm EST

After a diving board injury years ago, Jessie, I learned a lot about health, yoga, meditation, and nutrition. I met a nutritionist who told me, "If you remember nothing else about nutrition, then here's something you'll never forget: "Eat a rainbow every day."

The assumption is, of course, that when a person prepares a colorful plate in line with ingesting the proper food groups, he or she will generally have a balanced and healthy diet.

I may have forgotten his name, but I've never forgotten that nutritionist's sage pronouncement. I still prepare my meals in line with his credo, and I feel pretty good most days.

A Photo by Russ Beebe

Feb 5, 2006 | comments: 11

Russ Beebe Feb 15, 2006, 10:10pm EST

I sure loved my 10 days in Switzerland & Northern Italy in August of 2004. It was very Spring-like in those high passes, with many small flowers everywhere - many I'd never seen before, and a number of species displaying an iridescent blue color that I found fascinating. This is one of the few photos without those cheese-making cows in it!

I took this photo for my mom - a real Julie Andrews fan (weren't we all?) when I was a kid. And yes! - I was singing "The Hills Are Alive!" when my friend Niki snapped this picture.

A Winter's Desert Passage, Conclusion: Confronting The Beast by Russ Beebe

Feb 13, 2006 | comments: 24

Russ Beebe Feb 13, 2006, 5:49pm EST

Peter, I'm afraid to tell you! Actually, my room at the Ash Fork Inn, though warm and dry, was remarkably forgettable.