Above the Arctic Circle Alaskans Skin Moose and Mush Dogs

It’s 1:00 am under a brooding Alaska sky in February. The temperature’s a few degrees above zero and there’s no sign of the aurora borealis. I wander back into the pioneer cabin where the others in my party are waiting around for the northern lights to show. Inside, Jack Reakoff holds forth about how to hunt, slice and transport the hides and carcasses of various large Alaskan mammals. He’s even brought laminated, full-color sheets showing himself and his wife posing with their kills and pictures of the chunks of meat these animals become. He segues from the best cuts of moose and bear to his upcoming gig training Special Forces how to safely cross frozen rivers.

“What do you think the most dangerous thing here is?” he asks, peering around the pioneer cabin at my group, a ball of energy despite the hour. “Bears? Moose? No, falling through the ice. Getting wet in cold weather.” The aurora never shows on my second night in Alaska. Still, after a couple of hours with Jack, I’m gripped by the spirit of Alaska and the self-sufficiency necessary to live here.

Chinese tourists at Universal Studios

5 Places Where International Travelers Can Find the Soul of America

Should you visit America this summer? Though statistically rare, violence against overseas guests has led several foreign governments to issue travel advisories. The Japanese Consulate General in Detroit warned of “potential gunfire incidents everywhere in the United States.” China cautioned its America-bound students that “shootings, robberies and theft have occurred frequently in the U.S.” Even Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry admonished its citizens to postpone trips to the U.S. “due to recent acts of violence.” And yet, with few exceptions, foreign arrivals in the United States have continued to climb every year since 2000. Are the rest of us missing something here?

Idaho_Alice Toxaway_Sarah in tent_photo by Two Outliers

Vacation in Idaho, Then Work Remotely. You May Decide to Stay

People living in cramped urban apartments are discovering they can earn just as much money working remotely from more affordable locations that offer a better quality of life, year round recreation plus larger homes for less money. Those taking advantage of the digital economy’s flexibility often end up in Idaho where they discover a variety of landscapes, from snow-capped mountains and majestic grasslands to lava, cinder cones and sagebrush at Central Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument. Many people who move to Idaho from larger cities are drawn to the clean streets and fresh air of small towns. Hailey, in central Idaho’s Wood River Valley, Read More

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Bling, Bourbon, Fine Dining & Parades Define Mardi Gras New Orleans

Mardi Gras is on again! New Orleans’ signature event, with its floats, marching bands and more than 40 processions will once again celebrate this city in a way befitting its proud heritage. Festivities start toward the end of February and peak on March 1 when elaborately costumed parades thread their way past jubilant throngs. Along with dancing, jazz and Cajun zydeco , New Orleans also means food. All are tied together through a history of exuberant celebration, Francophone culture and periodic heartbreak.

The Star in Frisco, TX

Sports Teams Don’t Need Games To Attract Tourists To Their Stadiums

Winning seasons pack arenas in every sports town, but that’s only the start of the story at Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers. What started as simply a place to play during the NFL football season has grown into a multi-purpose district with year-round reasons to visit. Developments that embrace sports and offer other ways to entertain profitably are growing from Baltimore and Los Angeles to Dallas, Indianapolis and Chicago. The trend that is redefining a stadium’s place in the community is not limited to one type of pro sport. Read More

Catalina Winter

It’s Cool, Damp and Cloudy on Santa Catalina. That means no crowds, friendlier locals and hotel discounts

Why visit Santa Catalina Island at the onset of winter when it’s too cold to swim and clouds often blanket the resort town of Avalon? Because in the off season Southern California’s favorite weekend escape offers gourmet restaurants without crowds, colorful bars where it’s actually possible to meet locals and hotels glad to provide deep discounts since only 30% of the town’s 1,051 hotel rooms and vacation rentals are occupied.