Recent clients include MSN, Outside, Hemispheres, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Acura Style Magazine, GEICO Now and The Bellevue Visitors Guide. I also write four pieces a month on the United Kingdom for Yahoo.
Other regular outlets include travelgirl, Dive Director, and business coverage for American Express's site The Square. Forthcoming publications include Visa Black Card Magazine, Matador, Wandermelon, Wanderlust And Lipstick, Tacoma Visitors Guide and The Washington State Visitors Guide.
Much of my energy has been absorbed by booksand teaching projects like Writers.com's Travel Writing Master Class, co-taught by myself, Frank Bures, Candace Dempsey, Anna Melville-James, Tom Swick and Jim Thomsen. I also wrote the Vancouver Island chapter of Frommer's Best Hiking Trips in British Columbia and contributed to National Geographic's Journeys of a Lifetime. Recently,
I also launch-editedTripSketch, a Silicon-Valley startup, to which I still occasionally contribute.
Schedule
Seattle remains my home base. Recent trips include:
Papua New Guinea
Uganda
Kenya
Cook Islands
Taiwan
New Zealand
Australia
Colombia
Panama
Tahiti, The Marquesas
Guyana
Samoa
Thailand
Rome, Milan, Venice
London, Bath
Palau, Micronesia
Yap, Micronesia
Guam
Mount Rainier, WA
Santa Barbara, Mendocino & San Francisco, CA
Okanagan Wine Country, BC
Jasper Dark Skies Festival
Arizona's Scottsdale & Phoenix
Sasquatching: North Cascades
Canadian Rockies
Bellevue and Tacoma, WA
Vancouver & Whistler, BC
Southeast Alaska
Salt Lake City
Las Vegas
Oregon's Pinot Noir Country
Los Angeles
Olympic Peninsula and San Juan Islands, WA
Columbia River Gorge, WA
Next up: NYC, Grenada, polar bears in Svalbard and a beach bootcamp in Florida
In the planning stages: Idaho, Wyoming, Patagonia, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Yangtze River. Please email if you have editorial needs in these areas.
Suggestions
Please label your note, enquiry or press release clearly with the location & send via email.
I explored my divorce
with an essay, At the
Seashore with Medea:
A marriage unravels
in Athens. Buy the book or
learn more at
its website.
Spiciest spots around the world MSN, February 19, 2013
Nothing perks up the palate quite like chili, the fruit that sprang from South America to conquer the globe. Now it even heats up menus in space, as astronauts splash pepper sauce in orbit. Here are a dozen of the best destinations to get your burn on.
Go Locavore: one woman's quest for the 100-mile lifestyle Bellevue Visitor's Guide, 2013
Like many Seattleites, I’d frequently swished past Bellevue on Interstate 90, intent on a Cascades playground or the high desert of eastern Washington. But once I bothered to stop, I discovered the homegrown secrets the micropolis has been harboring behind the haute couture, computer code and home prices worthy of Zillow fights.
Let me introduce you to superlocal Bellevue.
Jane Austen’s England: Visit Bath as ‘Pride And Prejudice’ Turns 200 Yahoo, January 29, 2013
The first edition of Jane Austen’s “Pride And Prejudice” hit bookstore shelves two centuries ago this week. Since then, this quintessential novel has been spun into everything from a Bollywood flick to postage stamps, Jane Austen bandages and a Regency romance with ultra-violent zombie mayhem.
Season of the Brits: Could UK Talent Steal the Show at the Golden Globes? Yahoo, January 11, 2013
A quiet and terribly orderly revolution could be underway as Brits stand poised to storm Hollywood’s 70th Golden Globes ceremony, which airs on January 13. British talent appears in just about every category and dominates the silver-screen best actress divisions.
Call Upon Highclere Castle, the Real ‘Downton Abbey’ Yahoo, January 6, 2013
The third season of “Downton Abbey” debuted on PBS on January 6, renewing interest in the series’ scandal-ridden Edwardian gentry and their staff.
The starriest skies in the world
MSN, December 28, 2012
Astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.” In the meantime, here are 12 of the planet’s best places to downshift and dream, while constellations shimmer against the darkness.
Whistler's Helicopter Hole-in-One Travelgirl Magazine, December 2012
Trust British Columbia to improve golf’s “19th Hole” (what jokers call the bar). But the ice in question is more glacial than cubes in a cocktail. Adventurous players can now finish a round at Big Sky Golf and Country Club with some heli golf at Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort, host of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Take Me To Taos This Winter Travelgirl Magazine, December 2012
As snow frosts the Sangre de Cristos Mountains, the streets of Taos, New Mexico, start to heat up. Candle-lit processions wind among the adobe buildings, while anise-and-nutmeg biscochitos (sugar cookies) scent the air and shoppers crowd the folk art galleries.
Salish Lodge's Sweetest Cure Travelgirl Magazine, December 2012
Forty-five minutes east of Seattle, this iconic resort invites guests to try their hands at spa mixology, creating custom blends at its Scrub Bar.
Journey to England’s Original Middle-earth as ‘Hobbit’ Hits Theaters Yahoo, December 13, 2012
Take a journey there and back again, through British landscapes that inspired one of our era's best-loved books — not to mention the epic film premiering this week: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
Evergreen State Excursions Alaska Airlines Magazine, December 2012
Washington’s beauty starts offshore, where orcas arrow past playful seals and Giant Pacific Octopuses. The sea splinters driftwood onto the cobbled coastline and dissolves into fog, twining through the temperate rainforest—our hemisphere’s biggest, in fact.
Seattle 2.0 Acura Style Magazine, winter 2012
Despite its freewheeling Neverland vibe, Seattle has transformed itself from a frontier town into a cultural capital and innovation hub—rivaling even Silicon Valley for entrepreneurial oomph.
Sky Mall Travelgirl Magazine, November 19, 2012
Taipei 101 – now the world’s tallest green building (LEED Platinum) – rockets up from Taiwan’s cityscape. This iconic skyscraper evokes an Asian pagoda with its ascending sections: eight in all – a number associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune in Chinese culture. What better place to shop, then?
Trump This! Travelgirl Magazine, November 19, 2012
Like a shot of its gourmet coffee or a glimpse of its native jaguars, Panama perks up savvy travelers with its spicy stew of Spanish, indigenous and Afro-Caribbean traditions.
Going for the Guinness: Brits Push Limits on World Record Day Yahoo, November 15, 2012
Pogo stick flips. The longest didgeridoo note. The fastest 100-meter dash on all fours. Be on the alert for the weird and wacky today as more than 420,000 people around the globe celebrate Guinness World Records Day.
Diaries, Biopic and Walking Paths in Wales Give Fans a New Look at Richard Burton Yahoo, November 14, 2012
"They drink, they fight, they fornicate!" promises the preview for Liz & Dick, an upcoming Lifetime TV film. After years of legal trouble, Lindsay Lohan climbs back in the cinematic saddle as Elizabeth Taylor, chronicling the diva's stormy, steamy love for her colleague Richard Burton.
Dare to Explore the Lethal Landscaping of England’s Poison Garden Yahoo, October 23, 2012 Skulls and crossbones bar the locked gates on Alnwick Castle's grounds, 35 miles north of Britain's Newcastle upon Tyne. "These plants can kill," signs warn. Don't be scared, though. Beyond lies a charitable trust — and one of North East England's biggest tourist attractions: The Poison Garden.
Zombie Mall: Test Run for a Night of Living Dead Yahoo, October 17, 2012 A growl. A rustle. The corpse twitches — and the race for survival is on! The town of Reading in England offers visitors practice for the undead apocalypse, just 30 minutes away from London's Paddington Station by train.
Bring the Bling: Blackpool and Other Flashy British Hotspots Yahoo, October 2, 2012 Merchant Ivory films inform many travelers' notions of Merry Olde England. Castle turrets. Thatched villages. Guttersnipes and plummy aristocrats. But there's far more to the UK than Dickens and Downton Abbey. For some real-life razzle dazzle, look first to Blackpool, a seaside resort within a 75-minute drive of both Liverpool and Manchester. (See also the accompanying slideshow.)
Sneak Away for a Wild Celtic Fling at Scottish Highland Games Yahoo, September 14, 2012 The Paralympics just wrapped up London's golden sporting season, but athletic feats are still going strong in the UK. Highland Games run through much of the year, celebrating Scottish and Celtic heritage.
Don’t Blink! Find Doctor Who in Britain, Onscreen and Off
Yahoo, August 28, 2012
Doctor Who spins back to Earth this week with five webisodes before the September 1 season premiere. But he's easy to find beyond BBC America. Step through a crack in time — or space, at least — and explore some of the hero's haunts, as the world's longest running sci-fi series approaches its 50th anniversary in 2013.
5 Ways To Be Frigid In Alaska
Travelgirl, autumn 2012
Like many cheechakos (newbies to the north), I’d had a sort of Glacial Age impression of cold weather in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Come fall, the freeze descends, trapping musky hermits in a sheet of ice, right? Then the survivors huddle up with homebrew and sled dogs, gazing at Russia’s balmier shores like eagle-eyed Sarah Palin.
I did not expect to swim. Outside. In September. Paddling the Inside Passage.
Quirky Britain Celebrates Olympics in Its Own Unique Way
Yahoo, August 9, 2012
The British have special places in their hearts for all things quirky, from "bubble-and-squeak" breakfast hash to the world's only Hedgehog Memorabilia Museum and the Official Monster Raving Loony political party founded by Screaming Lord Sutch.
This genius has laced the London Summer Games from the opening ceremony...
Opening Ceremony to Barbican, Bond’s All Over Olympic London Yahoo, July 26, 2012
Details remain top-secret for now, but plenty of ways exist to shake – not stir – up excitement about the MI6 agent, before the new Skyfall film on November 9th.
Britain by Water: Getting the Skinny on Narrowboats
Yahoo, July 11, 2012
Aquatic taxis aren't the only ones making a splash: Landlubbers can explore canals and rivers in floating restaurants, vacation rentals and even a bookstore, art gallery and puppet theater.
Cars, Boats and Balloons: How to Chill Like Richard Branson
Yahoo, May 15, 2012
Virgin boss Richard Branson has found yet another way to get ahead: his face chiseled into ice cubes served to passengers in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin.
Hands-on Holidays
GEICO Now, spring 2012
Forget the classic "fly and flop" vacation. Why not embark on a trip that not only feels good, but also does good? From archeological digs to mapping marine life, opportunities abound for you and your family to make the world a better place while escaping your daily routine.
Wrangle On
A late autumn cattle drive at a North Cascades dude ranch
Washington State Visitors Guide 2012
Horses trot across the river bottomlands, heading toward a barn’s promise of hay. A brunette head bobs among them: a lanky runner keeping pace with the powerful animals. Then, Kathy McKay vaults onto a roan and, riding bareback, urges the horses toward the paddock of K-Diamond-K, the ranch her family owns.
Field and Stream: Skagit Valley
Washington State Visitors Guide 2012
A bald eagle rises from a tangle of bushes and blackberries. Controlled as a hovercraft, it inches upward. A smaller bird floats underneath. Then another. Soon, four eagles stack the sky like totem carvings as parents drill their fledglings on wing control.
Mountain High: North Cascades
Washington State Visitors Guide 2012
Mount Rainier's
35-square-mile snow cone dominates all of western Washington’s skyline. And the volcano’s 14,411-foot summit remains the most glaciated and prominent peak in the contiguous United States.
A Touch Is Worth A Thousand Words
Today's Chiropractic Lifestyle, March 2012
The rasp of a cat’s tongue; the eyelash flutter of a “butterfly” kiss; the pinch and burn of an ice cream headache.
Touch is one of our most primitive and universal senses. All the way back to the first multicellular life forms—about 2.1 billion years ago—almost all animals have relied on their somatosensory (body-sensing) systems to navigate, find food and evaluate their surroundings.
SLIDESHOW: Taiwan’s Lunar New Year Celebrations End With Fiery Lantern Festival
Wandermelon magazine, February 2012
Hundreds of buttercup-bright lanterns squiggled into Taiwan’s night sky, each powered by tiny wax-burning lamps. The fragile bamboo-and-rice-paper balloons swayed and drifted as the heat – and the crowd’s sighs – carried away scrawled wishes for love, success and prosperity. Any worries just floated away, lovers kissed and seeded their dreams in the air and we all watched in wonder as the luckiest year of the Chinese Zodiac lifted off to a bright start.
The World's Last Sundowner Cocktail
Travelgirl magazine, December 2011
Just 20 miles east of the International
Date Line, Samoa has been the sunset’s final outpost for 119 years. Raise a rum-filled coconut there and toast the era’s end, as the nation shifts time zones and loses its sundowner status.
SAMOA: Back to the Future
Waving goodbye to the last sunset on earth
Hemispheres, December 2011
For years, tourists flocked here to toast the twilight with rum-filled coconut drinks; some even came for second helpings of special birthdays or anniversaries (arrive from, say, Tonga, and it’ll be nearly a day before you left).
Soon, though, Samoa will trade away that last sunset, hoping to better align its workweek with trading partners in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Unexpected Utah
Travelgirl Magazine
The Beehive State is mellowing its straight-laced, Mormon-settled vibe, showing its eccentric edge and pioneer pluck. Newly relaxed liquor laws encourage après ski celebrations. And – putting the cherry on top – Salt Lake City wraps up a $4.5bn revamp next year, anchored by 20-acre, walkable, sustainably designed community (www.downtownrising.com).
Guyana: Running Naked in Paradise
Travelgirl Magazine
From baby-cradle water lilies to stretch-limo river otters, South America’s only English-speaking country surprises. But can it push further – protecting its tropical rainforest and indigenous culture – with a clever carbon-offsetting plan? (Pretty PDF of the 8-page Guyana spread)
Utah Revival
Scuba Diving Magazine, July 2011
Among the hermits and speedracers of Bonneville’s salt flats, misfit fish thrive in desert hot springs
The (Real) Truth About Beauty
New Jersey Life, June/July 2011
Like it or not, our bodies influence status, sexuality, self-identity, and social encounters. Despite all our women’s lib and meditation about inner beauty, humans remain hard-wired for Felina lingerie, not femstaches. Anyone who bucks the trend should be prepared to ride out the reverb, from wooing, to the workplace, to places of worship.
Parting Shot: Samoan Porters
Outside Magazine, Summer 2011
Image by Amanda Castleman. Eliu and Tala haul luggage from the seaside fales – thatched villas – at Samoa’s Coconuts Beach Club Resort & Spa. The porters routinely carry bags this way, wearing traditional lava-lavas (sarongs). I only coaxed their T-shirts off and the “special occasion” coconut fronds on, then shot this running ahead of the duo. We all lucked into a memorable image.
Treasured Islands
Embracing the Samoan Way of Life
Alaskan Airlines Magazine, June 2011
Pigs, chickens and children amble across the tens roads of Samoa. That’s OK; even traffic moseys in this Polynesian archipelago. Its 193,000 inhabitants still fish and farm taro, despite their day jobs. And fales – the traditional thatched, open-air pavilions – front even the swankiest of modern homes. Fa’a Samoa (the Samoan way of life) flows unabated, although TVs and mobiles chime into the mix as the nation approaches its 50th anniversary in 2012.
California's Channel Islands National Park
Scuba Diving, April/May 2011
Sea lions torpedo past skeins of playful seals and kelp forests offshore from surfer-chic Santa Barbara. One of the eastern Pacific's most pristine ecosystems, the Channel Island National Park protects 200 square miles, renowned for isolated evolution, much like the Galapagos. The five islands protect the park system's highest concentration of endangered and endemic species. No wonder documentarian Ken Burns showcased the area.
Five Best Photo Opportunities in Scottsdale
AOL Travel, October 21, 2010
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright left his stamp on the Valley of the Sun. Conceptually, he urged developers not to stack buildings on the ridges – preserving sight lines – and favoring desert hues. And more concretely, he built his desert masterpiece, Taliesin West, a winter home, studio and architectural campus in the McDowell foothills of northwest Scottsdale. Today, visitors can experience firsthand his brilliant ability to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces.
Five Best Photo Opportunities in Sedona
AOL Travel, October 19, 2010
A primal sea once flowed and retreated here, pancaking ancient sand dunes into layers of sedimentary stone, each a subtly different shade. Salmon. Ruby. Claret. Carnelian. Garnet. Magenta. This scenic overload leaves poets fumbling for words and photographers racing for tripods and filters.
Adventure Activities in Tucson – Try if You Dare
AOL Travel, October 19, 2010
Forget the Tootsie Roll center: in Tucson the crunch comes from arachnids in scorpion lollipops. Crablike in appearance, these desert dwellers have four legs, a pair of pincers and a long segmented tail with a stinger. In high doses their venom can be fatal to humans, but Chinese medicine treats rheumatism with small amounts.
Just don't be the sucker who gets hooked. Over in China, Li Liuqun bit the head off a huge live scorpion that stung him. It tasted so sweet and nutty, he's consumed at least 10,000 over the last three decades.
Sedona with Kids: A Perfect Family Day
AOL Travel, October 20, 2010
Anyone visiting Sedona with kids should keep them awake long enough for the stars to shine. The sky unfolds some of the brightest, clearest constellation views in the country. Evening Sky Tours can guide you through the cosmos from any dark spot in town. Professional astronomers point out spiral galaxies, space station passes and red super giants, among other sights. The cooler night air may not be muy caliente, but the experience will cap your family vacation in Sedona and burn forever in your family's memories.
Mighty Methow
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Wedged between the east flank of the Cascade Mountains and the sprawling 1.5-million-acre Okanogan National Forest, the Methow Valley (pronounced “MET-how”) boasts warm, dry summers and crisp, blue-skied winters.
Whale Tales
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Whales gather in the cool waters of Washington from roughly April to September. And the 170-odd islands of the San Juans offer prime spotting territory for orca, gray, minke, and humpback.
Tacoma – Destined for a Good Time
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway declared its western terminus would be Tacoma, not Seattle, its confident neighbor 32 miles north. Flush with optimism, the town adopted the nickname “The City of Destiny.” Today, that sentiment rings truer than ever, as Tacoma barrels full-steam ahead, fueled by a modern light rail, worldclass museums, and a renovated downtown (www.traveltacoma.com).
Seattle – Top Draw
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Be sure to head north of the city center to the Fremont neighborhood (www.fremontseattle.com). Once you’ve said hello to the eclectic mix of galleries, shops, and eateries, don’t forget to meet the area’s most beloved resident—the Fremont Troll, a whimsical two-ton concrete sculpture tucked beneath the Aurora Bridge.
Olympic Park – Wild Sights
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Inside the park, you’ll find the Northern Hemisphere’s largest temperate rain forest and the world’s largest wild herd of Roosevelt elk. Glacier-capped Mount Olympus rises nearly 8,000 feet, fringed by alpine meadows, forests, and 57 miles of pristine coastline.
Water Walks
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Washington boasts
more than 160 miles of coastline, stretching from the Columbia River to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. And whether you’d prefer to catch waves, go for a hike, fly a kite, or just wiggle your toes in the sand, there’s a beach here with your name on it
San Juans – Island Spice
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Sheltered by the Olympic Mountains, the San Juan Islands sit in a “banana belt,” a sunny swath that receives just about half of Seattle’s average annual rainfall. The archipelago—just six miles from Vancouver Island—showcases the fact that the Northwest’s piercing beauty is often soaked in sun.
Water World
Washington State Visitors Guide 2011
Piratical Explorer Sir Francis Drake once described the Northwest as a land of “congealed rain.” And for outdoor types exploring Washington, all that moisture’s a fine thing. Miles of pristine coastline, powerful rivers, clear lakes, and tranquil bays all converge here, providing boundless opportunities to immerse yourself in an Evergreen State adventure.
Also in
the Washington State Visitors Guide 2011: Roadtrip around Mount Rainier and Rafting: A Spill a Minute.
A Trip Back in Time: Discovering Your Roots
GEICO NOW, Autumn
Next time vacation rolls around, blend something old and something new: Trace your family tree on the road.
Four Family Getaways for Frugal Fun
GEICO NOW online, Autumn
Even if you’re trying to tighten your purse strings, it’s important to let loose for a little family time. Here are a few budget-friendly options.
Urban Submersion: Sublime Seattle
Sport Diver, August 2010
Seattle has outgrown its ripped flannel, along with the rise of Amazon, Boeing, Starbucks and Microsoft. But America’s most educated city still heeds the call of the wild. For small talk, think snow pack and swell reports, not stock options
Winter of our Content
Seattle Bride, July 2010
From apres-ski aromatherapy to storm watching, and gray whale sightings to vineyard crawls on horseback, Northwest honeymooning shines in the cooler month.
Mountain Majesty
Washington State Visitors Guide 2010
From alpine meadows to Wild West towns, the North Cascades Highway covers a wealth of inland scenery. Highway 20 slaloms around mossy forests and lakes turquoise with glacial melt, then crests mountains that are bookended by granite massifs before stretching across Washington’s high desert.
Also in
the Washington State Visitors Guide 2010: Cape Alava
Most Adrenalin: Palau's Ulong Channel
Sport Diver April 2010
My group unhooks and tumbles, blasted by the current. Trim is largely forgotten as limbs cartwheel, sometimes overlapping Twister-style. Everyone contorts further to glimpse the sea fans, giant clams (Tridacna gigas) and rare lettuce corals, some blooming 15-20 feet tall. Nesting triggerfish patrol their nests on the sandy bottom. One even lunges at a clumsy cameraman, teeth bared: Gotcha! As if this wild ride needed more adrenalin…
Cyber-rehab
Near Microsoft headquarters, the U.S. opens it first internet-addiction clinic.
Sunday Express, September 6, 2009
The Sunday Express: The facility – Heavensfield – lies 13 miles away from Microsoft's Redmond headquarters and about 28 from Seattle. The skyscrapers melt away, then even the mini-malls. The clinic's five acres are pure rural Pacific Northwest: windchimes scare deer from the organic garden, set among towering firs and moss-shrouded valleys.
Bagging Crowns
Yap's Latest Eco-efforts to Save a National Treasure
Sport Diver, September 2009
Spanning an area the size of the continental US, Micronesia encompasses 5 percent of the Pacific Ocean and contains 61 percent of the world's coral species. Yet some are under threat. Each Crown of Thorns sea star (COT) can devour a square yard of reef every day.
100 top American destinations
TripSketch.com
Capsule reviews of classic U.S. trips, from
Route 66 to the National Cowboy Museum.
How Forks Got a Bite of Luck from Vampire Franchise
Sunday Express, July 19, 2009
The blockbusting Twilight series has given the kiss of life to a north-west American logging outpost. Foks, in Washington State, now welcomes more visitors some weeks than during previous years.
Flow State
Tapping the Subconscious Grace of Palau
Sport Diver, June 2009
Cover story: Hundreds of red snapper swirl like a galaxy, thick enough to block sunlight. For only three days each year, they gather in this fathomless deep to spawn during a full winter moon. I arc away from the reef, spindling toward the great ball of fish, enthralled. Buffalo stampeding. Locusts swarming. My mind fumbles for a sense of scale...
Tangled Up in Wild Blue chronicles my all-terrain-Barbie
lifestyle as a travel writer.
Diane Mapes masterminded
this sassy anthology.
(Seal Press 2007)
