http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/SkateVert/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from SkateVert en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:43:21 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:43:21 +0000 Our honeymoon trip to Alberta Canada was planned less because of a lifelong spiritual desire to experience the majestic Canadian Rockies but because round trip airline tickets from Boston to Calgary were available for less than 400. Our arrival to the Calgary airport brought me back to a time the late 1980rsquos when industrial flooring covered the ground at airports instead of carpeting an http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/blog-404893.html A large winter storm has just hit the coastal area of New England. The plow drivers are working double overtime and the regional school system has shut its doors. When most people are thinking of ski country and hot chocolate the local surf population resounds with excitement for the inevitable swell.The winds of a typical Norrsquoeaster provide the New England coast with large swells. After http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Hampshire/Hampton/blog-392287.html My wife and I took a trip to the Virgin Islands for the Winter Holidays in 2008. It was filled with a paradise of mixed drinks perfect sunshine blissful activities and rest. Our observations of a confused clash of cultural forces gave us an unexpected perspective of the various lifestyles on the islands. Our flight landed in St. Thomas on Christmas Day. The Cyril E. King Airport STT i http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/US-Virgin-Islands/blog-368699.html My wife and I traveled to Puerto Rico for five days in January of 2006. Our visit was during the Three Kings Holiday so the epic proportions of traffic that San Juan is famous for was unapparent. We rented a car from an offterminal rental agency in a slightly unsafe area of San Juan. My backpack had been unintentionally soaked in fish juice during our flight which I stored in the trunk of http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Puerto-Rico/blog-351930.html After visiting the Hawaiian Islands in 1997 I realized a deep connection with the culture and itrsquos people along with the landscapes and the surrounding ocean. My exgirlfriends parents sponsored my trip in 1997 so I stayed at the finest resorts and dined many of the most reputable restaurants on the islands. Next I traveled to Oahu in 2000 to attend the wedding of good friend of mine. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/blog-339163.html What is an adventure We sometimes convince ourselves that we must travel thousands of miles over foreign airspace illegally stowed on a cargo plane filled with illicit narcotics destined for a nation run by a brutal dictatorship that doesnrsquot hesitate to execute offending foreigners. Our only escape is to parachute where we find ourselves floating amongst the shark infested waters of http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Hampshire/White-Mountains/blog-333429.html My wife and I recently hiked the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu without a guide. The Peruvian government has now made it a requirement to pay an entrance fee to hike the Salkantay trail. We managed to avoid the fee. Here are some tips on how to hike the trail without a guide and how to avoid the fee. A Few Things to Keep in Mind1. Hiking in the high altitude 15000ft with 30 pounds of weig http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Salkantay-Trail/blog-332446.html In February of 1999 I took my Ford Econline E150 across the United States on my way to Santa Cruz CA. The trip was filled with misadventures and mishaps but the one destination that was far worth my while was my trip to the Supai Indian Reservation. An old college bud had spoken highly of his acid laced experiences in the area and I had always taken interest in his exaggerations. No road le http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Supai/blog-331698.html