Gadling

The Best Maui Whale Watching Video You Will Ever See

Kyle Ellison — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Scuba Diving, North America, United States

It probably won't come as a surprise to hear that Maui is a popular vacation destination this time of year. With the recent bout of cold that's been gripping the nation, the idea of a warm, tropical island sounds pretty nice to anyone shoveling snow.

It isn't just the warmth that makes Maui such a popular winter hotspot, however; it's also the whales.

Every winter thousands of North Pacific humpback whales make the long swim south from their feeding grounds in waters off of Alaska to the protected waters of Maui County. The whales, which migrate to Maui, form the densest population of humpbacks found anywhere in the world, and during the peak of the Maui whale watching season it isn't possible to look out at the water for more than two minutes without seeing a splash or a spout. Whale watching charters operate from dawn to dusk shuttling snap-happy visitors out to get a closer look, and for many, the experience is a pinnacle of their vacation.

In the case of these two Maui scuba divers, however, instead of going out to watch the whales themselves, the whales decided to stop in and pay them a visit as they hung out on the ocean floor at a depth of 180 feet. Just to add some spice to the already heart stopping moment, a few sharks decide to visit the divers just for good measure.

If this sounds just a little bit insane, these are the same people who are behind the "Black Coral" documentary we reported on back in May, and encounters such as this are almost to be expected from this bunch.

So although tens of thousands of Maui visitors will embark on whale watching charters this winter, we can guarantee that none of them are going to get a sighting quite like this.

The Best Maui Whale Watching Video You Will Ever See originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: How Traveling Helps You Realize You Look Weird

Kyle Ellison — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Cambodia

When I was 4 years old I had my picture taken by a large group of Japanese tourists.

While this in and of itself is slightly strange, the curious part of the story is where it happened. I was seated with my family - mom, dad, and infant baby sister - while casually enjoying a lunch of hot dogs on the lawn of the Washington Monument.

Having exhausted whatever amount of historical appreciation you can muster out of a scraggly-haired child, we had taken to more leisurely pursuits such as having a picnic on the grassy lawn. Ketchup packets were opened, a blanket was laid out, and mustard-stained fingertips clutched bright red Coke cans as we washed down the average hot dogs.

Nothing special about this situation at all. Just a family enjoying a casual lunch on a summer day in the nation's capital.

For some, however, that scene evidently wasn't so normal. To a gaggle of camera-toting Japanese tourists engaged in a tour of Washington D.C., we were apparently something more. Perhaps it was Yoshi who had the thought first, and he subsequently told Shigeki who told Yuuki that there was one more sight they still hadn't photographed.

Lenses were pointed, flashbulbs popped, and a chorus of "oohs," "aahs," and "hai!" percolated through the curious mob. Eventually, the perplexed look on my father's face prompted one of them to reveal their fascination.

With a nervous smile and an awkward half-bow, one of the tourists let us in on their sudden fixation:

"You are, American family, yes?"

Apparently, right there beneath the spire of the Washington Monument, our troupe of four civilians had been mistaken for an official exhibit of a hot dog-eating, Coke-drinking, blanket-sitting, American family. To us, this was a normal thing to do. To the Japanese tourists, however, this was worthy of six-dozen photos.

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: How Traveling Helps You Realize You Look Weird

Vagabond Tales: How Traveling Helps You Realize You Look Weird originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: Welcome To Portland, Strip Club Capital USA

Kyle Ellison — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food and Drink, Stories, North America, United States, Nightlife

As I squeeze the last bits of orange garnish into my pint of Blue Moon, a man to my left is having his nostrils plugged by a gyrating set of female genitals.

Releasing him from the flesh cave, the attractive blonde stripper - to the immense enjoyment of the sophomoric and semi-erect set of friends he's brought with him - suddenly doubles around and stiffly slaps a hand across his clean shaven face. This is my fourth strip club of the night, and even I didn't see that coming. It's all part of her shtick, however, and from the look of things the two are no more than 10 minutes from a trip to a private room.

No, this isn't some testosterone fueled frat party, it's just another night out in Portland, Oregon, strip club capital USA.

Despite the fact that this northwestern city is lauded for its microbrews, coffee and eco-friendly public transport, believe it or not, Portland is also home to more strip clubs per capita than any other city in America. Not Las Vegas. Not Detroit. Portland.

So just like the brilliant minds that put together Strip City, the documentary featured above, I, too, came to Portland on a mission to try and find out what it is that keeps the city so excessively nude.

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: Welcome To Portland, Strip Club Capital USA

Vagabond Tales: Welcome To Portland, Strip Club Capital USA originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 24 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Airline Gives Away Surprise Christmas Presents In Baggage Claim

Kyle Ellison — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Belgium, Airports

Airport baggage claims are very strange places. Industrial, drab, and rarely decorated, they are metal cauldrons of human emotion.

One the one hand, you have happy families reuniting with each other where shrieks, hugs, and the occasional "I'm going to briefly straddle you in public and disguise it as a hug" move are common practice. Then, on the other hand, you have weary travelers running on three hours of sleep who find themselves dealing with airline agents who are filing claims for luggage that has simply up and vanished. In few places do so much joy and so much despair exist beneath the same roof.

In the middle of the baggage claim, however, are the rest of us who haven't yet received a hug, yet also haven't received our bags. With one eye scanning the crowd for our welcoming party, and the other nervously watching the luggage belt, it's as if hundreds of people are emotionally stuck in neutral.

Which is why we found it so entertaining that Brussels Airlines in a recent holiday stunt decided to take a few passengers out of neutral and instead put them into drive. Placing a present amidst the baggage and openly disguising it as a free gift, all that was required for someone to claim the prize was simply to reach down and examine the present.

This, however, is not a natural thing to do. With airport security loudspeakers constantly warning us of unaccompanied luggage, this is in some ways akin to a windowless van with a sign that says "free candy". Nevertheless, a few lucky passengers decided to test their better judgement and pick up the package.

The result? Two free tickets to anywhere within Europe. A Merry Christmas indeed!

Airline Gives Away Surprise Christmas Presents In Baggage Claim originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: In Search Of Placerville's Apples And Outlaws

Kyle Ellison — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: History, Food and Drink, Stories, North America, United States

When it comes to travel there are really only two forces that drive us to the destinations we visit.

Either we hear about them from somewhere else, or we stumble upon those we know nothing about.

In the case of the Nicaraguan rodeo, that was a stumble. For nearly anywhere else, however, either we have read about it in a book, learned about in school, watched a documentary about it on television, see it featured in a magazine, or heard from a friend that this place is amazing and you should go visit if you ever get a chance.

In the case of Placerville, California, however, I learned of it through somewhat of a unique channel ... eavesdropping.

While working as crew on a sailboat in Hawaii, I once overheard the conversation of a visiting couple about their recent day spent in a place called Placerville.

"I don't know about that place," the rotund, slightly graying woman mentioned to her neighbor on the catamaran. "There was something eerie about it. It's just so far removed from everything, and if I were a mass murderer on the run from the law that's definitely where I would go. Placerville."

For reasons unbeknownst to me, this conversation - which I wasn't even a part of - stuck with me for the better part of a decade. I would see the name "Placerville" on a map and would immediately picture outlaws. Someone would mention the name Placerville and I would feel compelled to ask if they had seen any mass murderers.

Given this strange fascination, I was recently taken aback when my wife asked me if I wanted to go wine tasting and apple picking for the day.

"Sure", I agreed. "Where are we going?"

"Placerville."

Gallery: Dueling Worlds of Placerville, California

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: In Search Of Placerville's Apples And Outlaws

Vagabond Tales: In Search Of Placerville's Apples And Outlaws originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Important Warning For Anyone Using Airbnb

Kyle Ellison — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:04:00 EST

Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations, Budget Travel, Internet Tools, Consumer Activism, Travel Deals

When I first heard of Airbnb it sounded like Couchsurfing but without the creepiness.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the concept of couchsurfing, but for some people the idea of crashing on someone's couch/bed/floor/kitchen for completely free sounds a little too good to be true. There must be a catch, right? (For the record, there often isn't. It's just nice people who want to meet travelers, including the Bedouin guy in Jordan who lets people couch surf in his cave).

Which is why when Airbnb came along it seemed a bit more, how shall we say, legitimate.

Sure, you're still sleeping in a stranger's house, but since they're charging you money all the psychological weirdness about the situation goes right out the window. It's kind of like a hotel, but in someone's house, and thereby it's much more acceptable. Right?

Well, according to a recent article by the New York Times, in many cases that's exactly the problem.

In this trying economy it would only make sense that people rent out an extra room in their house as a means of supplementing their income, but according to the New York Times article, many local laws aren't exactly accepting of this win/win form of subletting.

The article cites a man in New York City who hosted guests in his East Village apartment, only to see his landlord slapped with $40,000 in fines for violating local laws. Out in Maui, where I live, anyone caught operating a "transient vacation rental" without a permit can be subjected to fines of $1,000/day if caught by the local authorities, so the issue is one, which spans both sides of the country.

Continue reading Important Warning For Anyone Using Airbnb

Important Warning For Anyone Using Airbnb originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Man Break Record For Freediving Under Ice

Kyle Ellison — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Scuba Diving, Europe, Denmark, News

If you're one of those people who goes down to the local swimming pool and attempts to swim the length of the pool twice without coming up for a breath, I have news for you:

Stig Severinsen owns you.

In the YouTube video above, the record-holding, freediving Dane (who also casually has a PhD in medicine) shatters the Guinness world record for longest freedive beneath ice on a single breath of air.

Oh yeah, and he's in a Speedo.

Sure, this happened in March, 2010, but who cares? The concept alone is insane and the video is astonishing and wildly entertaining. Notice that when he successfully pops out of the icy cold water he opts to flash the "OK" sign, speak in English for some unbeknownst reason, and then casually relax with his bare arms on the ice sheet as if it's a post-massage hot tub session at the resort.

Just for fun, let's just look at a few more pieces of trivia for the intriguing Dr. Severinsen. According to his Wikipedia page, this 39-year-old human lung enjoyed such childhood pursuits as underwater rugby (in which he competed for the Danish National team), and also dabbled in underwater hockey (where he strangely enough competed for the Spanish National Team).

Combining his love of breath holding with yoga and physiology, the adult Stig set out to redefine the realm of possibility by shattering numerous freediving and Guinness World Records.

Around the same time of this stunt, Stig set a second Guinness record by holding his breath for 20 minutes and 10 seconds in a tropical swimming pool. Oh wait, that's right. It wasn't a swimming pool. It was a tropical shark tank. As if being the only human to ever hold his breath underwater for 20 minutes wasn't enough, he decided to immerse himself in a cauldron of sharks.

Not one to rest on his laurels, however, Stig would break his own record two years later by holding his breath for 22 minutes, and for his efforts he was subsequently declared to be "The Ultimate Superhuman" by the Discovery Channel.

Move over Dos Equis man; Stig Severinsen might just be the most interesting man in the world.

Watch Man Break Record For Freediving Under Ice originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: Setting Sail For The Most Remote Place On Earth

Kyle Ellison — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Surfing, Stories, North America, United States, Camping

There is a bit of contention with regards to where exactly the most remote place on Earth actually is.

Most lists you encounter will feature the usual suspects such as the island of Tristan da Cunha, the village of Ittoqqortoormiit (Greenland), the Svalbard archipelago (Norway) and McMurdo Station (Antarctica). Just last month we published one such list right here on Gadling.

Nevertheless, in every one of these lists there is one place, which is always conspicuously absent.

No, it's not the town of La Rinconada, Peru, a mining outpost, which sits 17,000 feet up on the slopes of a permanent glacier. That's usually on there too. Geographically speaking, the world's most isolated landmass is a place known as...

Hawaii.

Wait. What? Hawaii? There are over 4 million visitors a year to the island of Oahu alone. I can watch a bad movie on the airplane, take a nap, and I'm there. How is Hawaii remote?

While many of the places mentioned above may be unique in their inaccessibility, technically, the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated populated landmass found anywhere on the planet, with the closest point of continental land being 2,400 miles away (California).

Given the fact that Hawaii is accessible, I surmise, must be the reason it never makes the list of places, which are "remote."

What if, however, you set out to experience one of the least accessible places in all of Hawaii. The foremost outpost in the world's most isolated island chain? A place where there are no hotels, no roads, or really any trails. A place you cannot fly to, drive to, or barely even walk to. What sort of remoteness exists out there?

That was the question in everyone's mind as we set sail for the north shore of Molokai on a catamaran loaded with surfboards, beer and a number of lingering unknowns.

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: Setting Sail For The Most Remote Place On Earth

Vagabond Tales: Setting Sail For The Most Remote Place On Earth originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zoo Staff Determines Elephant Can Speak Korean

Kyle Ellison — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, South Korea, News

As strange as it sounds, according to a recent release from National Geographic, there is an elephant named Koshik who actually speaks Korean.

Six years ago the staff of Korea's Everland Zoo knew something was up when Koshik, an Asian elephant, kept putting his trunk in his mouth and mimicking what appeared to be Korean words.

After sending the footage of Koshik off to researchers who specialize in speaking elephants (yes, that job exists), six years later it appears that Koshik, does, in fact, have a six-word Korean vocabulary which is believed to be derived from mimicking his trainers.

As if a Korean speaking elephant wasn't strange enough, researchers explain that somehow Koshik has found a way to "Macgyver his vocal tract" (when was the last time you said that?) by placing the tip of his trunk in his mouth to accommodate for the fact that elephants don't have the proper cheek and lip structure to make an "o" sound.

In the associated video, which goes along with the post, Koshik can clearly be seen curling his trunk up into his mouth while reciting the Korean words for "hello," "no," "good" and "sit down."

The article states that what is apparently most important in the development of speaking animals is that the animal have a strong social relationship with its trainers or owners. Allegedly, there was once a beluga whale in San Diego, which could mimic the conversations of its trainers, and Koshik similarly has been raised almost exclusively by Korean zoo staff.

Other than a parrot, have you ever heard of other animals speaking to humans?

[Photo Credit: Heather Ellison]

Zoo Staff Determines Elephant Can Speak Korean originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Wing That Lets You Fly Underwater

Kyle Ellison — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Scuba Diving, Europe, Norway

What would you say if I told you there was a magical machine that combined scuba diving with hang gliding, required no training, and offered a way to fly past fish and outrace turtles?

You'd probably tell me I was on hallucinogens.

In all seriousness though, with the recent invention of the Subwing system, divers are able to tow behind a moving boat and actually glide beneath the water instead of up on top of it. It's kind of like wakeboarding underwater, or snorkeling on steroids. The jury is really still out on that one.

Invented by a team of Norwegians who came up with the idea while sailing through the Greek Islands, the Subwing system is even compatible with its own GoPro setup so that divers can record their underwater antics.

What's interesting is that - despite looking fun and easy - a rudimentary version of this system has been employed by friends of mine in Hawaii for nearly a decade. An upside down, concave boogie board with a hard bottom replaced the Subwing, and a standard nylon rope was run through holes bored into the upside down board. The result is the same ability to be towed behind a moving boat and fly past stationary coral heads at what feels like decently high speeds.

The problem, however, is that despite only traveling at 2-4 knots (as the Subwing website also suggests), since water is 800 times denser than air, the strain on your neck should you try to look to the side during your "flight" is actually rather strong. Without this peripheral ability it's difficult to see something such as, say, an approaching turtle coming in hot from your port side. When I did this back in 2003 I nearly caught a face-full of turtle.

Nevertheless, this is an invention I am all for and one which continues to push the boundaries of conventional watersports.

A Wing That Lets You Fly Underwater originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: Don't Take Smelly Things Camping Or A Bear Might Eat Your Face

Kyle Ellison — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hiking, Stories, North America, United States, Camping, Travel Security

Despite what you might think, this has nothing to do with socks, sweaty shirts or anything else that absorbs bodily smells while out on the trail. All those things are fine.

This is more in reference to things that have a pleasant odor, such as deodorant, toothpaste or even Gold Bond foot powder. Sure, these hygienic amenities will keep your feet dry, teeth clean and armpits wintergreened, but collectively they might have a dire effect for your face, limbs or vital sensitive organs.

Why?

Because it's not only your teeth and pits that love this stuff, but also bears. Forget about pots of honey, leaping salmon, or the half-eaten can of tuna lingering at the bottom of your bag; bears will go for anything with an odor - even your sunscreen.

That being said, is a black bear (all bets are off on grizzlies, they'll eat you just for fun) going to track you down and eat you because you put on sunscreen while hiking in the backcountry? No. They're too skittish of people and will run away once you make your presence known.

If, however, you leave these items lingering around a campsite overnight without having them stored in a bear storage bin, there's a good chance that you'll encounter some toothy rustling in the middle of the night. I know because I learned this hard way while hiking in the backcountry of California's Yosemite National Park. And with zero exaggeration, I'm lucky a bear didn't eat my face.

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: Don't Take Smelly Things Camping Or A Bear Might Eat Your Face

Vagabond Tales: Don't Take Smelly Things Camping Or A Bear Might Eat Your Face originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lost GoPro In India Yields Seven Hours Of Ocean Floor Footage

Kyle Ellison — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Paddling, Surfing, Gear, Asia, India

In a controversial video now percolating its way through the web, a woman who was filming herself stand-up paddling in India with a GoPro purportedly lost the hero-inducing camera in the surf, only to find it in a tide pool seven hours later with a memory card full of underwater coverage.

Many who have seen the video claim that it's staged, and it very may well might be, but in the end, who cares? She catches a wave I would love to find myself on, she gets underwater footage of sand crabs, the whole saga is perfectly set to music, and it's all tied together with her victoriously finding the camera in what appears to be a sunset filled with glee.

I've lost GoPros surfing before, and it's never fun. Actually, it pretty much ruins your day. I am happy for this girl for a number of reasons (main one being she's stand-up paddling in India), and whether or not a GoPro Hero 2 can actually hold seven hours of battery or whether the ending was staged or not, this video makes me feel good and makes me want to go to the beach.

What do you think? Staged? Real? Or who cares?

Lost GoPro In India Yields Seven Hours Of Ocean Floor Footage originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: Can Travel Writers Take A Normal Vacation?

Kyle Ellison — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: History, Learning, Paddling, Stories, North America, United States

I know what you're thinking. Travel writers are always on vacation, so what a silly concept for an article.

Sure, climbing active volcanoes in Chile and staying in castles in Ireland sounds like an enjoyable time, and often times, it is.

But it isn't exactly a normal vacation.

When others might be bathing on the sundeck of a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef, travel writers instead find themselves interviewing the boat crew on the proper method for dealing with an irukandgi sting, lest they report an inaccuracy on one of the world's deadliest creatures.

Or, when returning from four days in the Andes after having climbed over Peru's Salkantay Pass, vacationing members of your tour group are enjoying $10/hour leg massages while you instead find yourself panting in the thin air of Cuzco in an effort to find an Internet connection because the four days in the Andes have left you woefully behind on deadlines.

Then, of course, there's the electronic merry-go-round of attempting to keep all your gear charged. As the travel world gets sucked deeper into the shrunken screen of a smartphone, so too must travel writers add more tools to their yak hair belt. Writer, photographer, videographer, researcher, coder, Webmaster, blogger, ad sales director, marketer and, of course, social media ninja.

This constant juggle of responsibilities invariably leads to such pleasurable experiences as sifting through the markets of Pulau Bintan looking for a new adapter, clandestinely blogging from a van parked outside of a New Zealand McDonalds (free HotSpot!), buying camera lenses from a questionable Thai gangster in Bangkok and avoiding strange looks as you send emails from inside the airport bathroom because you're on yet another six hour layover and it's the only outlet in the whole damn airport.

Exciting? Yes. A vacation? No. Believe it or not, it's actually a lot of work.

Which is why, on a recent cross-country road trip, I was bound and determined to simply take a normal vacation.

Gallery: 4,300 miles of America

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: Can Travel Writers Take A Normal Vacation?

Vagabond Tales: Can Travel Writers Take A Normal Vacation? originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roadside America: Keokea, Maui

Kyle Ellison — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: United States

Let's get real. The island of Maui isn't exactly a secret. The nation's 17th largest island (how's that for trivia points?) sees over two million visitors per year, and it's been voted as the best island in the world by Conde Naste readers an astounding 19 times. To say the least, it seems to be a vacation destination firmly on every traveler's radar.

While it's tough to compete with other global perennials such as Bali, Bora Bora, Kauai, or Santorini, what makes Maui an annual favorite is the diverse selection of offerings available for those who make the lengthy flight.

Want to lounge on a sandy crescent of a beach with the palm fronds rustling above you in the trade winds? Not a problem. Want to hike through bamboo forests and wade across mountain streams to a waterfall you refreshingly have all to yourself? Yep, it's got that too.

But what if you want to sit in the middle of ranchlands amongst green pastures where farmers still sell their vegetables on the side of two-lane country roads? A place where the cool 3,000-foot elevation warrants the use of a morning flannel, and the stillness of the morning air is matched only by the calm demeanor of the affable locals? A friendly smile here, a well-placed shaka there, and merchants who swap stories with customers they know by first name?

That can all be found here too, although you may have to drive a little farther to find it. While most visitors to the island will only venture "Upcountry" on their drive to the summit of Haleakala Crater, those who instead head out towards the ranching outpost of Ulupalakua (a one-shop town home to the island's only winery), will find a corner of the island where life moves so slow you'll wonder if time actually stopped.

Continue reading Roadside America: Keokea, Maui

Roadside America: Keokea, Maui originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roadside America: Cave Vineyard, Missouri

Kyle Ellison — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food and Drink, North America, United States

If you are a U.S. wine industry buff, all around trivia guru, or Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man," you already know there are wineries in all 50 American states.

Yep. That's right. Pick a state and there is a winery there.

Alaska? Yep, there are 8.

Hawaii? Two.

Missouri? There are now over 100.

Wait. What? There are over 100 wineries in Missouri? Ranked as one of the top-ten wine producing states in the nation, Missouri not only has a number of distinct wine regions, but also has a legitimate wine trail and an established industry of wine tourism.

Of all the 100 or so wineries in the state, however, only one of them is famously located inside of a natural cave.

Located 1 hour and 20 minutes from the nearby metropolis of St. Louis, the Cave Vineyard is set down a country road in the heart of the St. Genevieve wine country where the rolling hills are more akin to Provence than those of the Ozarks. Though 14 acres of grapes surround the welcoming tasting room, the main draw of the property is the gaping Saltpeter Cave, which forms a hollow amphitheater perfect for wine storage, peaceful moments, and one-of-a-kind private events.

Visitors to the winery can taste their way through regional varietals such as Traminette or Chardonel, purchase a bottle, and subsequently gain free entry to the romantic cave where private tables for two are set next to a lightly flowing brook. The warm lighting stands in contrast to the cool cave temperatures, and this is as unique a spot as any for packing a picnic basket, taking a weekend getaway, and just exploring the beauty found on back country roads.

Getting There: Exit #150 off of I-55 if coming from St. Louis. West on Hwy 32, immediate left onto Hwy P. Go for two miles and turn right onto Cave Rd. Two more miles will bring you to the vineyard. Or, just follow the signs.

Hours of Operation: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. daily (summer), 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily (winter)

Roadside America: Cave Vineyard, Missouri originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Footage From The Opening Day At 'Jaws'

Kyle Ellison — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Surfing, North America, United States

No, this is not a flashback to the 1970s where we will be watching the trailer of a movie that scared a generation of children away from the water. We'll save that for another time.

Rather, in the surf world, "opening day" refers to the first time each season where a particular surf break surges to life and kicks off the upcoming season. Much like the opening day of your favorite ski resort, this is an exciting time if it happens to be your home surf break.

As it just so happens, a somewhat early-season typhoon spinning east of Japan created an opening day at Maui's fabled "JAWS" surf break, which was far earlier than anywhere on record. Usually Jaws will surge to life somewhere around Thanksgiving, maybe Christmas - and on some years not at all.

Furthermore, not only were Tuesday's conditions unprecedented in their early arrival, but the sudden disappearance of the near-constant trade winds made for glassy conditions, which ultimately led to a paddle-in session sure to go down in the annals of the sport. As more and more watermen continue to push the limits as to what exactly is possible out at Peahi, Tuesday was a day to be remembered and one, which produced footage able to be enjoyed by all.

For more photos and footage from Jaws, check out the "Opening Day" feature on Surfline.

Watch Footage From The Opening Day At 'Jaws' originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Crap Souvenirs': New Book Explores Souvenirs So Bad They're Good

Kyle Ellison — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Books, News, Consumer Activism

Admit it. We've all bought terrible souvenirs while traveling. Even worse, occasionally even though we know it's tacky, inauthentic, cheap, or just plain useless, we end up buying them anyway.

Why?

Because the human mind is a really weird thing. Oftentimes, however, we are so wrapped up in the "magic of the moment" that for some beguiling reason it makes total sense to spend $19.95 on a knockoff vuvuzela, which will probably end up at a garage sale a year later.

Acting upon this strange human tendency to trade hard-earned cash for complete and utter trash, author Doug Lansky has compiled a book appropriately titled "Crap Souvenirs." The ensuing photo gallery features a snippet of some of the items you're bound to find in the book (miniature toilet ashtray anyone?), but we also caught up with Doug for a brief Q&A on just how the inspiration for this book originally panned out.

Gallery: Crap Souvenirs

Continue reading 'Crap Souvenirs': New Book Explores Souvenirs So Bad They're Good

'Crap Souvenirs': New Book Explores Souvenirs So Bad They're Good originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China Cracks Down On Fire Extinguishers Filled With Flour

Kyle Ellison — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, China, News, Travel Security

China is notorious for knock-off items. Fake Rolex? Sure. Fake Gucci handbag? Why not? Maybe even a fake degree from UCLA?

While such items have become commonplace in the Chinese economy, the world's most populous nation may have just one-upped itself in a scandal involving fake fire extinguishers.

Yes, according to a recent post in Weird News Asia, officials in the inland metropolis of Chengdu seized close to 10,000 imitation fire extinguishers last month, which were instead filled with basic cooking flour.

Sure, the white puff of smoke, which emerges from the nozzle looks like flame extinguishing chemicals, but in reality it took two entire bottles of the flour bottles to suffocate a relatively small blaze. Probably better to find this out now than when your commercial oven is on fire during a packed evening rush hour.

To see a video of the fake fire extinguishers in action, head over here for some entertaining knockoff ingenuity, and as a bonus, some classic Chinese television.

[Photo credit: samantha celera on Flickr]

China Cracks Down On Fire Extinguishers Filled With Flour originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apparently People In Georgia Live Longer

Kyle Ellison — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, Georgia, News

According to this recent release from the Independent, a woman from Georgia has documents, which claim she passed away at the tender age of 132. Contrary to what you might think, however, Antisa Khvichava didn't live a long life thanks to eating buckets full of peaches. Mrs. Khvichava instead spent her years in the village of Sachino, a remote village in the Caucuses Mountains in the country - not state - of Georgia.

Allegedly having spoken Mingrelian, a language that is classified by UNESCO as being endangered, relatives unfortunately hold no legal documents that date back to Mrs. Khvichava's actual birth. Instead, all of her legal birth documents were destroyed during times of civil war, and those legal documents which remain - including the one stating her birth as July 8, 1880 - were created long after her actual birth.

Nevertheless, everyone from townsfolk to relatives all vouch that Mrs. Khvichava was, in fact, 132 years old. Furthermore, they claim she attributed her longevity to a daily dose of brandy.

The U.S. state of Georgia, on the other hand, has the ninth worst life expectancy of any U.S. state, with the average resident living for 77.1 years.

Nevertheless, the world's oldest verifiable living person at the time of this writing was Besse Cooper, a 116-year-old resident of, you guessed it, the U.S. state of Georgia.

[Image courtesy of justin_vidamo on Flickr]

Apparently People In Georgia Live Longer originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vagabond Tales: The Rewarding Adventures Of 'Genealogy Tourism'

Kyle Ellison — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: History, Stories, Europe, Ireland, Italy

The house pictured above is a very drab house. It's cold. It's empty. And no one has lived in it for over 120 years.

Sure, there is a fresh layer of green paint on the door, but that was put there by the neighbors. Why they did that I'm not sure, because this house was abandoned long ago.

This house isn't anything famous, and it isn't in a town you've ever heard of. This house is in Lecanvy, Ireland, a one-pub village at the base of Croagh Patrick Mountain, 3 1/2 hours from the festive streets of Dublin.

Nevertheless, this house is very important to me, because this was my great-great-grandmother's house, a woman who's family one day just decided to leave it all behind and up and leave for America.

Perhaps it's the rise in popularity of websites such as ancestry.com, but for some reason "genealogy tourism" seems to be on the rise in the world's most famous "nation of immigrants," the United States of America. Despite the fact that millions of families took the plunge to move to a foreign land, their children many years down the road have not relinquished the curiosity to learn more about where it is they came from.

I hunted down this house because I happened to be in town, but for many travelers this form of "reverse immigration" seems to be a sector of the travel market that's broadening in scope.

Continue reading Vagabond Tales: The Rewarding Adventures Of 'Genealogy Tourism'

Vagabond Tales: The Rewarding Adventures Of 'Genealogy Tourism' originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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