An iguana hangs out at the pool side bar of hotel Si Como No in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. For more info on travel to Costa Rica, check out: Austin Lehman Adventures
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In Manuel Antonio Costa Rica, a man holds a baby boa constrictor tightly by the neck. He had captured it at his home, and was returning it to the jungle.I had never seen a snake strike before, lightning fast, it extended half its body length when it bit his hand. For more info on travel to Costa Rica check out: Austin Lehman Adventures
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Robert Downey Jr and wife Susan on the set of ‘The Judge’ on June 10, 2013 in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
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The Strolling of the Heifers. Brattleboro, VT. 2013
Photography: Paul Shoul
Music: Paulzilla
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Michell Chamuel is over flowing with talent and personality. If you have caught any of her performances on The Voice, she is fantastic. She brings a boat load of presence to the stage and, oh yea…..she can really sing. She showed up at the woodstar cafe today in Northampton, Ma where she works. The crowd loved her, I loved her. As far as the pioneer valley is concerned, she has already won.
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A Capuchin monkey peers down from the tree tops near Agujas beach on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
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In the air or on the ground, the Kelty Flyway is hands down the best travel backpack I have ever used.These are strong words coming from a very frequent flyer. I just returned from a week long trip to Costa Rica with the Flyway and ran it through an obstacle course of adventure travel. I could not have more pleased with how it performed. Here is what Kelty tells you about about the Flyway:
“If you prefer to travel light, then the Flyway is for you. A standard-style backpack with travel-friendly features like a separate compartment for shoes or dirty clothes and a pack cover that protects shoulder straps when checked, the 43 liter Flyway carries easily and fits enough gear for a long weekend away. A padded sleeve protects your laptop while making it easy to remove at security. Serving double duty, the Flyway is also an excellent pack for day hikes and around town. ($129)”
Here is what they don’t tell you:
In the airport I am always running, always late, and always scrambling. The flyway’s top zippered pocket for quick access to your travel documents and plane tickets, and the easy access laptop sleeve make it a breeze to get through security The inside passport pocket has Velcro strap, a nice added feature, as is the a center handle on the top of the bag.
The internal frame, waist belt and padded shoulder straps make it very comfortable and balanced to carry in the airport and are well vented when you are in the heat and on the trail.
At 22 inches long It works as a carry on, but if you are going to check it, or place it in a dry bag like I did while white river rafting, the attached rain fly can be put on upside down to cover the straps.
In Costa rica it rains hard and often there is little warning of the deluge you are about to be caught in. The rain cover is attached within its own pocket. You can’t lose it and it covers the bag in seconds allowing you to keep on hiking.
Having a separate wet pocket at the bottom of the bag was fantastic. I hiked in boots but needed sandals, a towel and swimsuit as well. No more stuffing these into plastic bags that inevitably leak.
The main compartment opens ¾ length revealing a top mesh pocket for toiletries and making it easy to lay a few pair of pants down and pack rather than stuffing things in from the top. There are two long zippered pockets along the outside of the bag as well as two mesh pockets for water bottles etc.
I only ask three things from form my travel equipment, do your job, make my life easier, and try to look good doing it. The Kelty Flyway passed with flying colors, in black, tan, and blue.
For more info on the Flyway and other Kelty products go to: Kelty.com
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The Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels is a Roman catholic Basilica in the town of Cartago, Costa Rica built in 1639. It is the home of The Virgin of the Angels, a small statue of the Virgin Mary with a dark complexion sometimes called ‘La Negrita” or the ‘Queen of Cartago”, the patron of Costa Rica. She is kept inside a small golden shell inside the Basilicsa where believers leave Salvadores, small silver representations of body parts they hope to be cured. “In August the Basilica is the object of extensive pilgrimage and visitation by about 2.5 million believers throughout the country, many of whom join in the celebrated 22-kilometer walk to the basilica during the Romería. Though many people start the pilgrimage from locations all over Costa Rica, some, as a demonstration of their piety, choose to crawl the 22 kilometers on their hands and knees.” For more info on travel to Costa Rica go to the official tourism board website: Visit Costa Rica
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Take 270 lbs of adventure photographer and Montana state football player Andy Austin, add 30 lbs of camera equipment and sweat, fly them through the jungle 50 feet in the air and you have a serious test of the jungle canopy zip line at the Rios Tropicales Lodge. This is a special place. We white river rafted in the day before and spent two nights in the cacophony that is the jungle.. Sustainably built and operated “Rios Tropicales Lodge is located on our 2000 acre private reserve at the mouth of the Pacuare Gorge, inside the Pacuare Protected Zone. Private reserve borders the indigenous Cabecar Indian Reserve and contains more than 40 miles of hiking trails and numerous waterfalls, streams, and pools. There are two ways to access the lodge, via rafting in on the Pacuare River, or hiking in along a trail. The various accommodations are set on the mountainside at varying slope heights, affording fantastic views of the river and the dense rainforest surroundings.” Check out this link to Rios Tropicales. For more info on travel to Costa Rica go to : Visit Costa Rica . If you are interested in adventure travel all over Costa Rica around the world, check out Austin-Lehman Adventures.These folks do travel right
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