ME Travel Guide
6/21/2008 at 1:30 PM
Tags: Zorbing, Active Travel (all tags)
Just when you thought it was safe to strap yourself into a big, double-chambered plastic ball and roll down a ski slope with no means of controlling your descent, the dangerous side of Zorbing rears its nefarious head. Sun Journal reporter Rebekah Metzler was enjoying one of the perks of her job by previewing the Lost Valley Ski Area's soon-to-open 240-acre Zorbing park.
All was going well as she and a photographer were rolling down a grassy ski run--until their Zorb "bounced off a hay-encased post, went airborne and landed hard several seconds later," fracturing Metzler's back.
There are several measures designed to keep Zorbs from going off-course, and proper air pressure is the key to avoiding the pachinko-style caroms, but the mishap is pretty scary nonetheless. It's easy to feel invincible when you're strapped into a cushioned, womb-like bubble, but apparently that's still not enough to protect Zorbers from rare cases of extremely bad luck. There's probably just a millimeter's difference between "broken back" and "most awesome Zorbing run ever." Still, we'd do it in a heartbeat.
Related Stories:
· Lost Valley Ski Area [Official Site]
· Fun Ride Turns into Painful Experience [Sun Journal]
· Zorbing coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Sun Journal]
by Victor Ozols
4/14/2008 at 3:05 PM
Tags: National Parks, Outdoor Travel, Spring Travel, Hiking, Nature (all tags)
Hibernation time is over! Maine's Acadia National Park reopens its central Park Loop Road tomorrow for the official season. The road, built by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. as a set of carriage trails criss-crossing the preserve, takes visitors throughout the park, which is located primarily on Mount Desert Island.
The only national park in New England is heavily traveled during the summer months but it's a great place to hike in spring, before the hordes arrive. Use of a camp site is just ten dollars a night.
Need some gear and driving up? Swing by the 24-hour L.L. Bean store in Freeport.
Related Stories:
· Acadia National Park [Official Site]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]
· Spring Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: dbking]
by egw
3/17/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy (all tags)
Patrick Dempsey (Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepard on "Grey's Anatomy") was in Maine recently to preside over the opening of the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing, opened in honor of his mother, an ovarian cancer survivor.
Dempsey is a Lewiston native and as such will probably make an appearance at the Great Falls Balloon Festival in August. (His hometown is about 35 miles from Portland.) Wonder if Dr. Grey is a balloon fan... we sure are.
Related Stories:
· Patrick Dempsey Acts Like a Tough Guy at LAX [Jaunted]
· Oscar Movies Map: "That's How You Know" He's A Killer [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: time.com]
by egw
7/16/2007 at 3:52 PM
Tags: Honky-Tonk-Beach-Towns, Palace Playland, Beach Towns, Amusement Parks (all tags)
Honky-tonk beach towns like Old Orchard Beach are on travel's endangered list. The nearly extinct American beach towns can be easily identified in the wild -- these towns are located directly on a beach, cook fried dough, employ C-list musicians, offer carnival style rides, give away large stuffed prizes, and are usually ghost towns October - April.
Despite their lack of external charm, these towns have an incredible ability to evoke childhood memories in many people.
No, global warming has nothing to do with wiping out these towns, this is all about money. While some honky-tonk beach towns are cherished by their residents, and have achieved historic status and protection of some sort, many of these towns referred to pejoratively as "white trash towns" are suffering an onslaught of condo developers who are selling residents on "upscaling" their not-always-so-beloved beach towns.
This month, we are taking a look at America's best honky-tonk beach towns and mapping them for you. If you want to visit, you better hurry, many of them may not exist in a couple years.
America's Honky-Tonk Beach Town Map :: Old Orchard Beach Story
MORE...
by markj
6/27/2007 at 10:15 AM
Tags: Maine Travel, Walker's Point (all tags)
Speaking of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to join President George Bush at the Walker's Point compound in Kennebunkport Maine this weekend for a little summer vacation.
The Bush-Putin summit is an attempt to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Russia, away from their normal entourages.
Sit down, no necktie, sit in a beautiful house overlooking the sea and talk frankly without a lot of strangers and note takers, people that have separate agendas handing you notes and all of that.
So says President Bush. Well, lucky for the President, we have some suggestions for Kennebunkport friendship encouraging activities.
MORE...
by markj
6/26/2007 at 11:20 AM
Tags: Adventure Travel, Rafting, Maine Travel, Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge (all tags)
You know, we like adventure travel as much as anyone. But there's a definite edge on your summer vacation if you're heading to a place called Dead River to jump in icy water and tackle class IV rapids.
Do us a favor and entrust your safety to the guides at Northern Outdoors, where 30 years of experience will keep you in one piece--if not exactly dry. NO's 15-mile trips are timed to coincide with dam openings to ensure maximum whitewater.
The Kennebec River--into which the Dead River flows--has smaller rapids if you're looking for something a bit tamer. Just watch out for the next dam release day, when the Kennebec swells to double its normal size. (That'd be July 9, kids.)
Check out our Summer Vacations With An Edge Map.
Know a spot we should consider for this map? Tip the help.
Related Stories:
· Adventure Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Maine [HotelChatter]
by pbb
5/11/2007 at 12:00 PM
Tags: Surfing, Travel Deals, Hotels (all tags)
We're into surfing around here, and with summer just a few short weeks away, it's time to think about that next wave. But just when we were thinking California, a note dropped into our inbox reminding us about Liquid Dreams surf shop--in Ogunquit, Maine.
Yep, Maine. Liquid Dreams has been outfitting surfers for years on the state's southern coast, and don't worry, they have wetsuits. You'll also find rental boards and other gear, of course. For brave souls who want to learn to surf in Maine, you can do that, too. We'll watch from here, thanks.
Oh and one last thing: guests at The Meadowmere Resort get 15% off their bill at Liquid Dreams.
[Photo: rosegirl]
Related Stories:
· Liquid Dreams [Official Site]
· Surfing coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
11/29/2006 at 3:10 PM
Tags: Toilets, Travel Tech, Airports, YouTube (all tags)
The
BriLL seat is a useful invention that helps protect you at the airport. It protects you from germs, those terrorists of the microorganism world. It's a self-refreshing toilet seat that provides a new protective covering for ever user, so no other prophylactic supplies are needed.
This local news bit demonstrates how the seats are working at the Portland Jetport in Portland, Maine. There, they've only been installed in the women's bathrooms, and at least one man thinks it's "blatant discrimination." You can also find the seats at airports in New Orleans, Gulfport-Biloxi, and Oklahoma City. Does that mean they have the dirtiest travelers?
We couldn't embed the video, but you can
click through to view it.
Related Stories:·
Jaunted in Japan: The Cutest Little Bum Ever [Jaunted]
by djk
