Free National Parks Pass for Military Families!

In know I've already done some flag-waving for Military Spouse Appreciation Day, but you'll have to bear with me because I'm back with another military-themed post!

It's National Armed Forces Week and I've discovered an opportunity which is just too good not to share: starting on Armed Forces Day - tomorrow, May 19th -  active duty military members will be eligible for a free annual National Parks pass to pay tribute to their service!

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Those of you who've followed The Traveling Spoon for a while may remember that I have a special affinity for our country's National Parks. Last year, Matt and I had the absolutely amazing experience of touring our way through the great Parks of the American West - including the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park (you can read all about our experiences here, here, and here).

We bought our own annual pass (still totally worthwhile at a cost of $80) to fund our multi-park adventure - in addition to taking advantage of some free admission during National Parks Week - but thanks to this amazing offer, we could do it all over again for free!

Zion National Park, UT

I can't even begin to tell you how excited this offer makes me! As a travel-lover, I've always got my eye on the road - and I'd be lying if I said that road wasn't usually in a far-flung, exotic locale - but touring our very own National Parks last year helped me realize just how much America really has to offer. Our country is as amazingly diverse in its landscapes as it is in its people, and while I consider myself reasonably well-traveled, I know I've barely scratched the surface. Thanks to this National Parks offer, I'm looking forward to going further!

If you think you might be eligible for this offer, or simply want more details to pass on to a friend, check out the official verbiage from the White House and the U.S. Geological Survey.

For more details about our experiences 'out West,' (including a possible itinerary and a 'best of' round-up of all the places we visited) check out my three-part National Parks series: Part I, Part II, and Part III!

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The best things in life are free...

I'll be honest, I've got a bit of a bone to pick with the person who coined that phrase. Sure, I understand the sentiment - you can't put a price on happiness, contentment, joy, experience, etcetera - but for all the other nice things, you'd better be prepared to pay. I mean, I'm pretty most of us have to pay for stylish household furnishings (unless you're an absolute DIY diva!), trips round the world and, of course, chocolate.

Source

In today's economy, the price of life's little luxuries just seems to be getting higher and higher - which is why it's so exciting when you find something stylish, adventurous and utterly delicious...that doesn't cost a penny. It's even better, when it can be delivered right into your home! I'm talking about the recently-launched, online Wayfare Magazine, of course.

Its pilot issue premiered last month and let me tell you, it is chock full of gems for the road. My dear Budget Travel and beloved Lonely Planet had better watch out, because not only is it beautifully designed (it's sleek, modern and oh-so-easy to navigate, with rich color images and attention-grabbing copy), it's also full of insider tips and well-written, informative articles. Truth be told, there's so much information crammed into the first issue that I've yet to finish reading every last bit.

So many magazines dazzle and instruct for about 50 pages (once you discount all the ad space) and then leave you wanting more; not so with Wayfare. The magazine is content-rich and the few ads included are relevant and unobtrusive. Even better, the online format of the magazine allows for the inclusion of hyperlinks, as well as audio and video clips. This is a great feature for those who like to 'read around' the content or get a little background on the contributors.

The scope of the magazine is also pretty impressive; the pilot issue effortlessly dovetails a feature on treehouse hotels in Sweden with one on truffle foraging, and another on retro travel accessories for the Pan Am jetsetter. It's a lot to tackle in one issue, but the editors of Wayfare seem to have it all in stride. Let's just hope they can keep it up for their next issue!

In the meantime, you can satisfy your wanderlust on their blog or by viewing the travel- and design-centric links on their Pinterest boards. I've browsed both and found a lot to enjoy, whether you're planning a trip or just indulging an itch for armchair travel.

Just a note: I haven't been compensated by Wayfare or contacted in any way by those associated, regarding this review. I just like sharing good things when I find them. Sometimes the best things in life really are free!

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Travel Writers, They're Just Like Us!

Those of you who don't read gossip rags might not get the title reference (was that a confession? okay, maybe...), but today's story is ripped from the pages of the latest issue of Budget Travel.

If you've been with the Traveling Spoon for a while, you know that I love my online Lonely Planet articles and my Budget Travel magazines. I grieved a little when my subscription ended this past fall, but thankfully my sister, Rebecca, stepped in and ordered me up another year as a Christmas gift (it's thanks to her that I got my first subscription!).

I'm a frugal girl, and the only thing I love more than a great travel tip is a great money-saving one. For that reason, the magazine is a goldmine (even though their idea of cheap sometimes differs from mine) and I never fail to find a useful tidbit to share or an article of interest to savor. This issue had me looking no further than the masthead!

Each month, the magazine does mini-interviews with some of its staff members and tags the answers to the names on the masthead. Usually, it's a brief answer to a question like 'What's your favorite foreign phrase?' or 'the strangest food you've ever eaten?'. This month's is, somewhat predictably, about travel resolutions for the new year. Some of them are ambitious and some are entertaining, but what struck me most was just how many of them were ordinary.

I guess I've always just assumed that travel writers live in a magical land where every day is a vacation day, where phrase books actually do help you learn to speak like a local, and where you always get the top score on those where-I've-been Facebook quizzes. But judging from their resolutions, the staff at Budget Travel are just like the rest of us: filled with big dreams about where 2012 will take them - and just as bad about not taking their vacation days! Here are a few tidbits to make you feel a bit better if 2011 didn't quite deliver on the jet-setting adventures you'd hoped for:


What's your travel-related resolution for the new year?
"I'm going to squeeze in as much travel as I can - even if it's in last-minute, three-day installments."
"I'm going to make it up to Canada. I was born in Seattle, but I've never been - and I wore out all my excuses in 2011."
"Mark my words: I will finally take all of my vacation days."
"To take a solo culinary trip to Italy and eat myself silly. No pasta noodle will be safe. Hide the garlic." (sounds like a woman after my own heart!)

Prior Planning.....

It's a new year and at last I return to my poor neglected blog. I had no intention of taking such a long break, but sometimes circumstances conspire and things don't work out quite as planned. For example, I had planned to have a great visit with family, but I didn't plan the ferocious cold and and lingering case of laryngitis that resulted when germs from all across the country (well, really across two countries) got together. I had planned a few retrospective posts and a few predictions for the New Year; I didn't plan spending New Year's Day sleeping fitfully in the front seat of our car while Matt drove us home long into the night.

Apart from the fact that I sound like a Muppet (thankfully, a functioning voice isn't a required component of blogging!), I'm doing fine. Still, I find it a bit ironic that all this unplanned happenstance occurred at a time of year when planning is seen as the greatest virtue. After all, what are New Year's resolutions, if not plans for the year ahead?

You might think my experience over the holidays would turn me off to plans and resolutions forever, but you're not so lucky. In fact, I've even come up with a few for the blog - so if you're interested in what 2012 has in store for The Traveling Spoon, read on!

More vegetable-based recipes: I'm making this resolution as a result of a few requests, but also at the insistence of my own body. Weeks of seasonal baked goods (always my most popular posts) and a few years of marriage to a meat-lover has made me shelve a lot of the vegetable-based recipes I used to enjoy. I've decided that 2012 is the year to dust a few of them off!

A blog redesign: This one is near and dear to my heart, because I feel it's been a long time coming. While several of you have expressed a fondness for the Moroccan tagine theme, The Traveling Spoon is coming up on its one-year birthday and I think it needs a new look - something more modern and clean. Whether I (figure out how to) do it myself or hire in some talent is still up in the air, but you can expect a fresh new look sometime this year (and yes, I'm open to input!).

More Book Bites: My list of great books to review for the blog gets longer by the day - especially with the great crop of food memoirs and cookbooks that have come out in the past couple of years. I intend to step up my delivery of 'Good Reads' this year with a few more reviews. Recommendations are always welcome!

Better photography: This resolution has a few components, the first being to actually read my camera's manual. I've been getting by with my photos so far, but I know there's room for improvement - I already get lots of practice, so it's time to deepen my technical knowledge. At the moment, I do most of my photographing in natural light - which means snapping stills on my windowsill between the hours of 10am and 3pm (it's the only place and time that our little apartment consistently gets light!). Perhaps a white box or some artificial lighting is also in my future......

More travel tips: Believe it or not, the travel tips are one of my favorite parts of this blog! I love collecting and sharing unique tips, and think it's great that the smallest piece of advice can completely revolutionize the way you travel. That I don't share many is partly a function of audience (most of my readers come for the recipes - and that's a great thing!), but also because I'm just forgetful. However, this is The Traveling Spoon, so you can expect some more road-worthy snippets in the months to come!

More balance: If you've noticed, most of my resolutions are about 'more this' or 'more that,' but what it's really all about is balance. I'd like The Traveling Spoon to be a little more well-rounded in 2012 - whether that means featuring more Book Bites, sprinkling in a few more travel tips, or even just evening out the ratio of sweet-to-savory...which means I might have to actually use 'more recipes' for my cooking!


What did you resolve to do this year? What do you think of my resolutions for The Traveling Spoon?

Lost in Translation

Maybe it was because I'd just received an e-mail about Lonely Planet's Lost in Translation contest, or perhaps because I had just returned from a particularly numbing visit to the dentist (and needed of a bit of cheering up), but last night I spent several happy minutes browsing Engrish.com.

As a former English major and an avid traveler, nothing gets me laughing like a good bit of Engrish - it may not be very politically correct, but these little gems of grammatical guesswork certainly are entertaining!

Opening Soon: Chinatown Disney Cafe. Order, if you dare!
(Photo courtesy of Engrish.com)

While I laugh at the awkward toilet signs and tear up at the unintentionally embarrassing t-shirts, my favorites are the mis-translated menus. They're not always the most amusing, but they're often the most bizarre - and they remind me of the brief time I spent as a menu translator in Germany. Since German shares a lot of similarities with English, my job wasn't nearly as humorous as the creators' of Engrish.com, but it certainly had its moments.

How patriotic!
(Photo courtesy of Engrish.com)

I stumbled into the work on the recommendation of a German friend who, as a more-than-competent English-speaker, had done a lot of translating herself. She was looking for a partner and I found the work so interesting that I couldn't resist. My German is conversational, at best, but I certainly knew enough menu words in both languages to make the translation easy. I would pore over the menus for a few minutes or hours (depending on how much help was needed!), submit my corrections, and then enjoy a delicious meal on the house.

On my first job, I got 'paid' in fried carp - fresh from a local pond - and the rich flavor and tender flesh was a revelation . I knew, then, that I had found the perfect job; I made my own hours, found the work fascinating, and often got paid in food - what more could a hungry girl want?

Goodness knows why people keep having a bad reaction to this dish!
(Photo courtesy of Engrish.com)

Sadly, my return to the States cut my 'career' - and my source of free dinners - abruptly short. Although it was never intended to be a wage-earning job, I'd certainly recommend it as an option for starving students abroad!  In addition to earning me a seat in restaurants I'd never have been able to visit otherwise, it also provided a bit of income and an entertaining experience that, now, can only be relived by scrolling through pages hilarity ridden pages of Engrish.com. Go on, eat up and enjoy!

For when a little crap just isn't enough
(Photo courtesy of Engrish.com)

Book Bite: Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides

It's time for another Book Bite! This one showcases some of my favorite travel guides - the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness series. If you haven't explored this series yet, you're missing out!

As a child growing up in England, I fell in love with Dorling Kindersley books. I loved their interactive and informative formats - the lively descriptions, full-color pages, breathtaking photographs and extraordinarily detailed watercolors - and the wide range of topics covered (everything from cooking to cars). DK books seemed to be everywhere and I read them with childish enthusiasm. I was disappointed when we moved back to the States and I could no longer find them so easily.

You can imagine my delight, then, when I discovered the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides a few years ago.  Our first was borrowed from the library and took us on a trip through the Czech Republic. Since then, we've amassed a small collection and they really are fantastic. DK call themselves the 'illustrated reference publisher,' but their books are so much more than a reference guide - they're an experience.

Each book gives detailed historical information about the specific destination, as well as practical travel tips (on transportation, money issues or social customs) and a quick-reference language glossary that's come in handy more than a few times! They're richly illustrated and chock full of photographs and the DK signature watercolor drawings that feature floor plans and cutaways of famous buildings, as well as 3-D aerial maps of popular locales.

One of our favorite features are the area maps, color-coded and divided into manageable sections which make exploring even the most unfamiliar cities or regions a breeze. We've done several DK-based tours, dividing our time between the sections and relying on their detailed street maps to get around. My favorite thing to do is to dive in, cover-to-cover, on the way to our destination so that I arrive with a sense of the cultural and historical context of the place (it also helps to give me a sense of direction, so I don't get us lost!)

I could go on and on about these guidebooks, but I discovered this little gem of an interview on YouTube, so I'll let their Publishing Director, Claire Currie, give you some more information and a sneak peak at the process behind the publication!

P.S. This isn't a sponsored post - I just really like DK books!

Have Sweet Tooth, Will Travel : A Few of My Favorite Sweet Spots from Around the World

After sharing Lonely Planet's favorite dessert destinations with all of you last week, I got all inspired to create a list of my own. As you all know, one of my favorite things about travel is the opportunity it affords to try new foods  - and these foods always seem more memorable if they come with a hefty dose of sugar! Here are a few of my favorites from the past few years:*
*This list is by no means exhaustive, but it is delicious!

1) Flapjacks, Tom's Cakes, Cambridge, United Kingdom
In addition to being a the creator of traditional pastries and intriguing cakes (like their Lemon and Elderflower loaf), Tom's is the official purveyor of the world's most excellent English flapjacks (okay, official = in my opinion). I discovered Tom's while visiting my brother at university and have made countless pilgrimages since that inaugural visit. Thanks to my wonderful brother, Tom's flapjacks have made regular appearances amongst my Christmas presents for the past few years. Sadly, I'm not sure how I'll get my fix, now that his PhD is over!

2) Tarta de Santiago, Santiago de Compostella, Spain
The Galician city of Santiago is probably better known for the 700 km walk many people take to get there, but it should be famous for this fantastic dessert. Adorned with the symbolic Cross of St. James, this pastry is beloved of pilgrims, tourists and locals alike. It's light, sweet, and heavily flavored with almonds, which, in my opinion, makes it just about perfect.

3) Cookies, Levain Bakery, Upper West Side, New York City, NY
When I first tasted Levain's Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie, I was pretty convinced that it was the best cookie ever...and it was, for about the five minutes that passed until I tasted their Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie. In any case, Levain makes some of the best cookies ever - even in the face of tremendous popularity and hype. And that's pretty impressive. Almost as impressive as the gargantuan, behemoth, 6-ounce cookies they serve.

Travel Tips: 8 Household Items You Shouldn't Leave Home Without

Have you ever watched the YouTube video in which a guy packs everything he needs for a month-long trip in a tiny backpack? Okay, maybe you're not that travel-obsessed, but I'm sure you've experienced that moment on the road when you wish you hadn't packed so much - or, at least, had packed better, leaving some luxury items behind in favor of a few, more needful things.

When preparing to walk Spain's Camino de Santiago last year, I painstakingly weighed each item destined for my backpack. A few ounces here or there don't matter much when you're flying to Chicago for the weekend or packing for a cross-country road-trip, but even that seemingly insignificant weight bears careful consideration when you're carrying all your worldly goods almost 600 miles across an entire country!

Though something of a pack-rat by nature, I strive to be a light packer, even on shorter trips - there's something freeing about taking to the road with a minimum of goods on your back - so I'm always eagerly collecting handy tips and putting them to use on my travels. I've gathered a few favorites (including some of the more unusual ones!) in this article for you to enjoy. Of course, I'm always on the lookout for more so share 'em if you have 'em!


Check out the 8 Household Items You Shouldn't Leave Home Without, here!

Eating NYC: Free Foodie Things to Do in New York City

I've spent the past couple of weeks detailing some favorite food-centric sites in NYC (and you may have thought I was finished!), but the truth is that I barely scratched the surface. I made an heroic effort during my three days in the city, sadly knowing that I would leave numerous gems untasted, untried and undiscovered. I didn't even begin to tip the high-end of the scale (Le Bernardin, Per Se, or the new Maialino, for example), but since my travel posts usually skew to the more budget-conscious, I did amass a wealth of cost-free tips and attractions. Here are some of the more food-related tips, so you can afford to have you cake and eat it, too, while visiting NYC!

Grand Central Market

1) Grand Central Market: This was my very first stop on my visit to NYC - my sister and I chose the famous Grand Central Station as our meeting place - and though I didn't cover it in a dedicated post, it's a worthwhile foodie destination. The market is tucked away on the east side of the station, and is Grand Central's answer to the food halls and indoor markets of Europe (think Harrod's or Fortnum & Mason on a very, very miniature scale). As such, the food is a bit pricey, but looking is free and there are lots of exciting things to see. Sniff some spices at Penzeys or catch a whiff of the sea at the Pescatore Seafood Co. stall. For sweet-lovers, there's Corrado Bread & Pastry, and Li-Lac Chocolates.

Flowers of New York City

Well, my Eating NYC series is pretty much wrapped up, but lest you think I spent my entire visit scoffing pastries and downing dumplings, I provide this post as evidence of another side of New York City. I devoted an entire morning to Lower Manhattan's Battery Park, and the nearby Hudson River Park, and snapped these shots of its amazing natural beauty. The park provides a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city, a place where one can absorb sunshine, be refreshed by sea breezes, and enjoy Chinese pork buns in peace. An urban paradise? You decide.

Beautiful Sunshine - and not a soul in sight!

So peaceful - perfect place for a pork bun lunch!

Those are Big City fish!

Such wonderful color (with no editing!!!)

100% Natural, 100% Lovely

That's Lady Liberty in the background!

A few steps and a world away from Wall Street!

Rhubarb in the City - who'd have thought?

I collect photos of drain covers from around the world (unusual, maybe, but they're always unique!) and this one's especially pretty!

Pie is the new....pie?

On my recent visit to NYC, I flew with Southwest Airlines. I swore allegiance to this quirky, friendly airline during college when I discovered I could fly home from school for only $60! These days, Southwest isn’t always the best deal, but I try to fly them whenever I can for their great service, free checked bags, and – who am I kidding – their hot chocolate! As far as I know, they’re still the only airline that offers hot chocolate as an in-flight drink choice and they also have the cutest snacks (I got little airplane-shaped crackers on my flight home this past Christmas!).

This time around, I found another new reason to ‘luv’ Southwest: their in-flight magazine, Spirit. I’ve enjoyed their mag before (usually for the monthly dollar-bill-origami tutorials – I bring a different one back for Matt each time I travel!), but the August issue was especially enjoyable because it had a huge feature, complete with several full-page photos, all about pie!

Anyone who has witnessed the ‘cupcake craze’ of the past few years has probably head the predictions – apparently cupcakes are on the way out…and pie is on its way in. Of course, there are those who say pie never left, and judging by the Spirit article, this has to be true. The writers detail a brief history of pie, tracing its origins all the way back to ancient Greece. Other highlights include the banning of pie as ‘a pagan form of pleasure’ by England's Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, in 1644, and the widespread adoption of pumpkin pie as a Turkey Day staple as far back as 1623.

The article is full of other fascinating little, pastry-covered tidbits; in case you were wondering, the top supplier of frozen pies last year was Schwann, and Boston Cream Pie is technically a cake, not a pie. A recipe for ‘pompkin’ pie appears in the first American cookbook, Ameila Simmon’s American Cookery, published in 1796, but apparently Americans are still pretty passionate pie eaters, consuming six slices of pie each year (I guess I’m an overachiever!) and purchasing over 186 million pies yearly in grocery stores  - and that doesn’t even take into account those of us who bake them at home!

For those who do prefer a home-baked pie, the magazine also provides a few recipes. S’mores Delight Pie, Cherry and Almond Galette (for more on my love of galettes, check out this post), and Brown Sugar Apple Pie are just some of the possibilities. They also detail the ingredients of some more unusual pies (soda cracker or navy bean pie, anyone?) and include a pie-centric Q&A session with none other than Martha Stewart (for the curious among you, her favorite is Brandy Apple Pie and she never eats pie a la mode).

In short, the feature is a great read, guaranteed to leave you craving a piece of Dutch Apple or a slice of Lemon Meringue - and leave you more informed about America’s favorite pastry than you ever thought possible. If you get the chance, snag a copy before the issue changes at the end of the month (or check it out online)! For those of you not scheduled to travel any time soon, I hope to make and feature at least one or two of their recipes in the future. If delayed gratification isn’t your thing (and when it comes to pie, I completely understand!), check out my recent post on the Triple Berry Galette – the crust is based on Martha Stewart’s pate brisee. Of course, if the writers of the Spirit article are to be believed, there's no real reason to rush - pies have been around for a long, long time and they're here to stay!

Safety or Scrutiny: Tales from the Full-Body Scanner

A short while ago, I shared some tips for breezing through airport security by packing smart and cutting down on carry-on liquids. Well, during my flight to NYC last week, I had the chance to experience a whole new facet of the TSA security system - the 'full-body scanner.' You may remember the controversy surrounding the widespread introduction of this device about a year ago. Travelers railed against the practice as a violation of privacy and health experts speculated about the danger such scans could present for the body, especially in the case of commuters and other frequent travelers.

Image from time.com

Free Kindle Book from Lonely Planet!

A few weeks ago, I shared some tips for finding free books for your Kindle or e-reader. I check the Amazon offerings every couple of weeks and, though the selections are sometimes a bit uneven, I've managed to find a few gems and have stocked my Kindle with over 200 books! I'm always e-mailing friends with links to books I think they'd like and found a good one to share with my travel-obsessed readers today - from none other than the lovely Lonely Planet!

I'm not sure how long the offer will last, but if you check now, you can get their 5 of USA's Best Trips completely free. I haven't read it yet so I can't speak to its value, but at that price, I think it's worth taking the chance!

Travel Tips: Become a 'Solid' Traveler

Way back in the early days of this blog, I began this Travel Tips series with a post about solid shampoos. I offered these no-mess, no-liquid bars as a solution to the hassle of airport liquid bans and, since I've found them so convenient in my own experience, I've done a bit more research on the subject. The result is a Yahoo! Contributor Network article all about solid cosmetics. This post is a bit of a cop out (I'm too busy eating my way around NYC to write much at the moment!) but if you're planning in trip in the future, or just interested in ways to reduce packaging waste, check the article out!

Planning a Family Vacation - on a budget!

I put together a few of these tips for a Yahoo article but I thought I'd pass them on to all of you, since there are still a few weeks of summer vacation left. Matt and I chose not to take an official vacation this year in favor of a few smaller trips (Josh's wedding in Alabama, a visit to my Mum in NY, my recent Nashville weekend, and another trip to see his parents in South Carolina next week). This has not only been a little easier on our vacation budget, but has also given us the opportunity to see friends and family and to experience even more parts of the United States. It's been a win-win situation and definitely a plan I'd recommend. Of course, everyone's vacation ideals are different, so read on and see if any of these ideas appeal to you and your family!

Lonely Planet: Unpacking Pre-Flight Rituals

Getting some help packing for Spain - sadly, the little guy (a gift from Matt!) had to stay behind

I read an interesting article earlier this week on the subject of pre-flight rituals and the role they play in our travel plans. The article came from Lonely Planet (surprise, surprise), and discussed the results of a poll they'd posted a few weeks ago. The poll turned up some interesting and unexpected results (apparently one traveler always indulges in a good old American cheeseburger before leaving the U.S., while another watches Fern Gully to guarantee safe travels) and a few more common choices (9% of those surveyed like to touch the plane before boarding, while 7% never take off without their good luck charm), but what surprised me the most was the realization that I don't have a single travel ritual. Not one. In all my years of flying, I don't think I've ever approached a flight the same way twice!

Another Sleep Cheap Option: Farmstays!

Long-term readers may remember the Sleep Cheap in Europe series that appeared just weeks after I started this blog. This three-part series covered youth hostels, bed-and-breakfasts and camping, and I've had a great response to these articles - they've even been republished, in a slightly adapted form, on Yahoo. Well, a few weeks ago, I was reunited with my beloved Budget Travel magazine (wouldn't you know the one issue I missed was the Food Issue!) and I realized there's another budget-friendly option I've overlooked - farmstays.

This option not only offers the local exposure and unique locations of the other accommodation choices, but also enables you to get even closer to nature, by pitching in on a working farm! Agrotourism has long been popular in Europe (remember, the original youth hostels were designed to help German youths get close to the land), but these days the opportunities are truly global - from apple orchards in the American northwest, to vineyards in the sunny south of France, or sheep farming in verdant New Zealand. Whatever your interest, there's a location to suit.

What can you expect? Well, your experience will vary greatly depending on the type of farming, and even the individual location you choose.  Some farms are designed as luxury, 'fresh-air' retreats, where guests can pitch in little or as much as they desire. Other sites are geared toward the younger crowd, offering a chance for kids to try their tiny hands at milking lessons or egg-collecting. Other farmstays emphasize the farm, rather than the stay: workers sleep in basic, dormitory conditions and put in a full day's work, regardless of weather. One thing most farmstays have in common is excellent food - when you're that close to the source, the food is just about as fresh as it gets!

Best of the West's National Parks (Part III)

At last, it's here - the installment of my National Parks series and the part where I dish up the dirt (no pun intended!) on some of our National Parks.  Until now, my reviews have been fairly positive - we visited some truly great places so this part's been easy - but now it's time to let you in on a few of our disappointments.  To find out which parks were a great trip and which were just a great waste of time, read on.

This view of Cliff Palace is worth searching for!

Most Confusing/Worst Signage: Mesa Verde National Park, CO
If you like getting lost, this is the park for you. Several attractions appeared to be missing signs altogether, so be sure to pick up a map at the visitor's center - if you can find it!

These logs are impressive, but the park offers comparatively few other attractions

Least Value for Money: Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
Petrified Forest National Park sounds fascinating, right? That's a trick question, because while the petrified logs are actually really interesting, the park kind of isn't. Apparently, much of the petrified wood from this area was carted away by tourists long before the National Park Service stepped in. The best logs are located at the far end of the park, and though the drive through this portion of the Painted Desert is pretty, it looks a lot like the parts of Arizona that you can drive through outside the park - for free. You can also see petrified logs for free, at several 'rock shops' outside the park, which means that there really isn't much reason to visit the park at all. Top Tip: If you have the Annual Pass, it's worth visiting the Crystal Forest and Newspaper Rock. Otherwise, you can satisfy your petrified log curiosity at one of the rock shops along the highway, or view the smaller specimens at Valley of Fire State Park, NV.

Crazy roads on the Artists Drive, Death Valley, CA

Least Accessible: Death Valley National Park, CA
This park was one of my favorites, so I hate to put it on the 'naughty' list - but it is out in the middle of nowhere. Matt and I broke our epic journey to Death Valley in a little town called Orlancha - which is also in the middle of nowhere.

A rare bit of empty trail at the busy Zion Canyon, UT

Most Crowded: Zion National Park, UT
It's a small park and we visited during National Park Week - not the best example of prior planning on our part.  We weren't able to get a spot on one of the campsites in the park, even though there are two, and ended up grabbing one of the last rooms available in a Travelodge in Hurricane, UT. Top tip: Campsites are first come, first served so arrive early!

At least this sign proves we were in the right place!

Biggest Disappointment: Petrified Forest National Park, AZ, Capitol Reef National Park, UT and Sequoia National Forest, CA
I've already explained my issues with Petrified Forest, but Capitol Reef and Sequoia make the list for far different reasons. Matt and I drove through Capitol Reef without even realizing it - we were too busy looking for the Capitol-like dome that we never saw.  I've heard there's some good hiking to be had in the park, and there's was an interesting looking orchard just outside the gates, but after visiting Bryce, Zion and Death Valley, perhaps we're too hard to impress. Sequoia makes our list of disappointments only because we drove six hours to reach it and didn't see a single Sequoia. Sadly, we failed to fully research our trip and didn't realize that the only access road through the centre of the park (you know, the bit with all the giant trees) would still be closed in mid-April. Sadly, the Ranger we spoke with at the visitor's center didn't think to mention this fact either. Bummer.  I'm sure the trees are impressive but, sadly, we may never get to see them. Top tip: Please, please, check to be sure the roads are open before you plan your trip!

The photos were the best part of our visit!

Least Favorite: Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
I hate to say 'all-time' least favorite, because it seems so final.  Still, after all the hype surrounding Petrified Forest, our visit was pretty disappointing. The logs are beautiful and it was fascinating to watch them change colors with the changing light of a setting sun, but I'm not sure I would have been satisfied if we'd had to pay the usual entrance fee.  The Painted Desert portion, which makes up the majority of the park, is not really unique in terms of Arizona scenery and it's a little strange to have a highway running straight through the middle of the park. Sure, some of the other parks had less to offer, but most of these didn't have the reputation - or the entrance fees - that made Petrified Forest such a stone, cold disappointment.

Best of the West's National Parks (Part II)

In Best of the West (Part I), I covered the major highlights of our thirteen-site National Park odyssey. I explained why Bryce Canyon is my all-time favorite, why Zion has a great shuttle system, and why you should camp at the Grand Canyon if you're craving s'mores. These tips might be enough for the casual, armchair traveler, but if you want the nitty gritty details of the West's great National Parks, you've come to the right place. Read on to find out more about our favorites and get details on a few newcomers.

River Crossing in Echo Canyon, Zion National Park

Best for Walkers: Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, UT
It's official - Utah is a great place for hikers! Bryce Canyon was home to my favorite hike (the Fairyland Loop, detailed in Part I) and Zion was the site of Matt's (Observation Point via East Rim), so it's hardly surprising that these two win our most 'foot friendly' award. Both parks boast a variety of hikes that cater to walkers of all ages and abilities. From two mile hikes, to hikes you'll still be feeling two days later, these parks have it all. All routes within Zion Canyon are reached via the free park shuttle, making them extra backpacker-friendly. The sheer volume of trails at both locations means you could explore for days and never hike the same trail twice! Top Tip: While none of the trails are really 'technical,' some are quite physically demanding (Zion's Angel's Landing trail, for example, has a cliff's-edge portion with chains to hold as you climb) and many will be closed seasonally or affected by adverse weather.  Be sure ask about current trail conditions at the visitors center before you lace up your boots.