Our flight to Anchorage reminded us of when airline flying used to be fun and exciting. The captain descended below a cloud layer so we could keep our view of the magnificent Wrangell St. Elias National Park. This park can only be accessed…Read More

Our flight to Anchorage reminded us of when airline flying used to be fun and exciting. The captain descended below a cloud layer so we could keep our view of the magnificent Wrangell St. Elias National Park. This park can only be accessed by plane or boat. It has enormous glaciers, steep rocky cliffs, and massive snow fields as far as the eye can see. We took several pictures and they turned out well. The approach to Anchorage was also impressive in that the runway extends right to the edge of a cliff, so the airplane is over the water until just before touchdown.
Even though we were tired from a long day of travel, we gathered the energy to walk from our downtown hotel to the Glacier Brew House. We arrived right at our reservation time, but still had to wait. That gave us an opportunity to check out the gift shop across the hall. Laura saw some nicely carved wooden bowls that she really liked, until she saw the price. At the Brew House, we all had fresh seafood, although some of us liked it more than others. Laura’s appetizer fish and chips were fine – a little strong on the breading, but somewhat underwhelming considering the $18 price tag. The rest of us had a halibut or salmon dinner and everyone liked it. Dad thought his beer tasted like a pine tree, but Richard really enjoyed the Amber.
The hotel was very basic. We put a huge fan in the window because our room air conditioner didn’t seem to work. (The fan was already sitting in the room.)   Close

Flying to and from the "lower 48" up to Alaska can present some very unique scenic opportunities, especially the flights to or from the west coast. When flying to Alaska, particularly Anchorage or even Fairbanks, I like to sit on the landward side, or the…Read More

Flying to and from the "lower 48" up to Alaska can present some very unique scenic opportunities, especially the flights to or from the west coast. When flying to Alaska, particularly Anchorage or even Fairbanks, I like to sit on the landward side, or the right side going north, and the left side going south. I tend to schedule my flights around daytime, as there’s nothing viewable at night. If the weather isn’t cooperating, and it’s overcast, there still isn’t much to see, but you don’t really lose anything. If it’s clear, then you’re in for a real treat as you can see a good portion of southeast Alaska from the unique perspective of an aircraft. Even better for me since I’m a photography buff now.

At worst, you’ll see some mountaintops sticking through the cloud layers. At best though, you’ll see a whole lot more, from immense mountain ranges, majestic glaciers, cities, ships, farms, even other aircraft. On my particular flights, I didn’t see much going north from Portland to Anchorage due to the cloud cover, but my flight back from Anchorage down to Seattle was full of wonderful sights to see.
I took an Alaska Airlines flight out of Anchorage to Seattle on the early afternoon of August 6, 2011. Taking off out of Anchorage, you’ll see where the Turnagain and Knik Arms meet at Anchorage. We turn southeast over Turnagain Arm and towards the coastline, where you can see the Seward Highway and the Kenai Peninsula.

After a brief climb up to cruising altitude, we cross over the Kenai Peninsula and pass Seward. You can already see a few glaciers, and I think I saw the Aialik Glacier, which is one of the glaciers the Kenai Fjords Glacier Tours took me to visit a few years back. After that, we pass over Prince William Sound and I can see the oil terminals of Valdez off in the distance.

A few moments later, the aircraft cuts away from the coastline for a little bit, then turns back towards the Alaska panhandle, the land formation that connects Alaska to the western coast of Canada. Here, we can activate our electronic devices and I eagerly take out my camera. I wish I had a better zoom lens, but I ended up bringing the opposite, a wider telephoto lens, which is a poor choice for photographing objects far away.

We see the Tyndall Glacier, which empties out to Icy Bay. Just south of Icy Bay is an odd sight with huge concentric rings just barely visible through the clouds. I already knew this was Malaspina Glacier. It’s an odd formation in that it is a piedmont type glacier. It doesn’t resemble a river of ice, but a slump of ice, similar to pancake batter pouring out on a griddle. The Malaspina Glacier is the world’s largest piedmont glacier, easily larger than Rhode Island. It’s cool in its own way, being one of the oddities of the geography world.

Just past Malaspina Glacier is Yakutat Bay. Yakutat Bay turns into Disenchantment Bay where the Hubbard Glacier empties out to. Hubbard Glacier is one the main glaciers that the cruise ships out of Seattle usually stop by. Although we aren’t up close like the cruise ships, I can see from a distance where the glacier starts as huge snow packs on the peak of Mount Logan. The Hubbard Glacier ends up in Disenchantment Bay. I learned in elementary school back in Laska that Disenchantment Bay was named by an explorer who thought it was the opening to the northwest passage, but found it dead ended at Hubbard Glacier. South of Yakutat Bay is Yakutat, a sparsely populated town that is renowed for its fly fishing.
Further south is Glacier Bay National Park, which is much larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. Due to the cloud cover at the moment, the numerous glaciers are obscured, but the roots of the glaciers at the peaks Fairweather Mountains and Mt. Elias ranges are visible.

Continuing south, we pass Alaska’s state capital of Juneau. Further south we can see the shipping terminal of Ridley Island in British Columbia, where they load coal onto bulk cargo ships. South of there, we see the Coast Mountain Range, which straddle the border of Alaska’s Panhandle and Canada’s British Columbia. Regions. The Coast Mountains’ peaks are not nearly as snowy as the mountains just a little north, as we’re getting into warmer climates now.

We see the rich blue waters of Owikeno Lake in British Colombia. The lake is surrounded by high mountains and probably carved out of glaciers. Just south is the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield, which is the largest ice field in the Coast Mountains. The ice field isn’t a glacier in itself, but feeds two glaciers, the Klinakini and Silverthrone Glaciers. Think of the icefield as a lake of ice, while the glaciers are a river of ice. A little further south, we can see the Franklin Glacier, which comes off the Franklin Glacier Volcano, an ancient volcano caldera in British Columbia.

Our aircraft is now almost directly over the inside passage. Most of the islands we pass over are Canadian, not Alaskan anymore. What look like odd little sets of boxes below are actually fish farms. I took a photo of one by Sonora Island and Florence Lake. We pass by the larger town of Powell River, which is up against the Malaspina Strait. Malaspina Strait was named for the same explorer that discovered the Malaspina Glacier.

A few short minutes later, we can see the massive metropolitan area of Vancouver, British Columbia, off in the distance. As we descend lower, it’s just a little past 5 PM on a Saturday and I can see three cruise ships steaming up Puget Sound on their way to Alaska. They’re almost in a line, following each other by maybe less than a mile. I’ve been the port area of Seattle on a summer Saturday before, and the cruise ships from the various cruise lines really do set sail one after another at 5 PM. We circle around and I can see Lake Union and Lake Washington beyond that. We pass over downtown Seattle, and I can make out the definite shape of the Space Needle just outside of the downtown area. South of downtown, I can see Quest Field and Safeco Park.

Depending on the cloud cover and time of day, you can see a lot of interesting things on your trip to or from Anchorage. Some people on the plane slept, others watched a movie or did something else to occupy their time, which is their choice. But for me, I really enjoyed seeing the sights, albeit at a distance. I enjoyed seeing the majestic glaciers, enormous mountain ranges, and other things not normally viewable at ground level. I saw places that humans probably have never set a foot on. I saw places that were only described in textbooks in my geography classes back in school in Alaska. I think going places is also part of the adventure, and this mode of flightseeing is not only convenient and educational, but also quite a cool experience.
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Montpelier, IdahoThis rather small, quiet, town of Montpelier is the largest community in the Bear Lake Valley; this area is situated north of Bear Lake in southeast Idaho along the Utah border. The population is only about 3,000 so it is hardly a huge metropolis…Read More

Montpelier, Idaho

This rather small, quiet, town of Montpelier is the largest community in the Bear Lake Valley; this area is situated north of Bear Lake in southeast Idaho along the Utah border. The population is only about 3,000 so it is hardly a huge metropolis but it is a city and has been so since 1891 which seemed odd to us as this is a town size in the UK.


We stayed the night in this little town or city as the Americans call it on our way from Salt Lake City to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. We chose this little town mainly because of the Oregon Trail Centre museum in the town as we found it on the internet and thought it sounded worth a visit.


Montpelier has an interesting history. And is in the scenic Bear Lake region so popular for summer holidays for people who want to use the lake for water sports, swimming or juts enjoy the beautiful scenery.


Bear Lake was a popular hunting ground for the local Shoshone, Ute and Bannock tribes for many years and one of their camping grounds. Later in around 1818 the Mountain Men began to trap and hunt in the area and indeed the lake got its name when one of these Mountain Men, Donald ‘Fats’ McKenzie attended an Indian gathering on the shores of the lake. He named it Bear Lake because of the large number of Black bear in the area.


There is written evidence of two major rendezvous on the shores of the lake when Indians and trappers and traders met to trade furs and other goods and supplies. Two well known Mountain men were at these rendezvous in 187 and 1828, one was Jedediah Smith and the other Jim Bridger.


Smith was famous for his explorations throughout a number of states in today’s USA and also for having survived a number of massacres and also a bear mauling in his travels.


In 1824 Bridger set out to find the exact course of the Bear River from the Cache Valley and when he returned he reported that it emptied into a vast lake of salt water. Everyone was certain that he had found the Pacific Ocean. What he had actually found was The Great Salt Lake and so he was the first white man to view The Great Salt Lake.


In 1836 the Whitman- Spalding party arrived to set a mission to work with the local tribes and reported that there was plenty of great farming land in the Oregon territory to be settled and so many pioneers came out west to take advantage of this.


By 1841 pioneers arrived in the area crossing on their way to Oregon. They camped at Clover Creek, on the site of the Oregon Trail Centre today. Clover Creek became Montpelier later in time. ‘Peg Leg’ Smith had a trading post on side of the river close to the site of the present town of Montpelier.


In 1863 the original pioneers were now followed by Mormon pioneers moving west because of religious persecution rather than the hope for rich pastures of farmland. Montpelier was settled in 1863 by these Mormon colonists and became the first settlement in the area.



The Mormon settlers led by George C Rich then established a base in Paris where a tabernacle was built. Shortly after this they spread out through the valley and by September 1919 the Montpelier tabernacle was built and crowds came to see President Grant, one of the Mormon leaders dedicate the tabernacle.


It was after the arrival of the Mormons that Montpelier had its name changed from Clover Creek to Montpelier at the request of Brigham Young when he came to the area in 1864 and he suggested the name Montpelier after his home town in Vermont.


This tabernacle was the first public building in Montpelier to have indoor toilet facilities! It cost a whopping $ 77,000 a fortune at the time but I am sure the indoor toilets must have been very popular with the congregation at meetings. This tabernacle was completed in 1889.


Montpelier’s other claim to fame is that their bank was the first one robbed by Butch Cassidy and his gang. On August 13th 1896 the gang apparently needed money to bail out their friend Matt Warner from a jail in Wyoming and this seemed the answer to their problem. It was a bit of a bodged job but they got away with $6165 in notes and $1,000 in silver and gold. Cassidy and another man who actually went into the bank escaped while the one Joe Meeks was left outside with the horses he was later caught and stood trial for his part. No-one knew what became of the money stolen.


So this small town or city is nowadays somewhere people stay for a holiday in the Bear Lake region. It has a lot of traffic through the town on Highway 30 as trucks travel the route from the Northwest states to the east. Also the route we passed through the town is Highway 89 which takes you from Salt Lake City through Bear Lake Valley and on to Jackson and the Grand Tetons which is the way we were travelling.

I am not sure that I would make a special effort to visit Montpelier as apart from Bear Lake and the Oregon Trail Centre there is not really a lot there to see; however the city lies very conveniently between salt lake City and the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone so if you are driving through then certainly make an overnight stop. The Clover Creek Inn is excellent and very convenient for visiting the Oregon Trail centre and that museum alone is well worth the overnight stay.
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Our small dog travels with us nearly everywhere and Florida has some special requirements for your dog. First, nearly every community has a regulation about leaving your dog in a closed vehicle. It's helpful to know that even on a cloudy day in the Sunshine…Read More

Our small dog travels with us nearly everywhere and Florida has some special requirements for your dog. First, nearly every community has a regulation about leaving your dog in a closed vehicle. It's helpful to know that even on a cloudy day in the Sunshine State, the heat inside a closed automobile (even with the windows open a bit) can rise to over a hundred degrees within ten to fifteen minutes. Animals cannot tolerate extreme heat nor should you expect them to; if you cannot be with your dog to keep him safe, best to leave him at your residence. It's also helpful to know that if you do leave your dog in a closed automobile, a kind person will probably report you to the local police and/or animal control officer and that officer may open your car and remove your dog to safety. This said, since he does love to ride, we do bring our dog with us on cool evenings when going out to dinner or another evening event. We always leave a brightly colored 3 x 5" card on the dash with our cell phone number clearly written and in large print, asking anyone who may be concerned about our dog's safety to please contact us. At least twice we have been contacted by local law enforcement to verify the number and to let us know they found it helpful. We hope this information will help pet owners to understand the special travel needs of a warm weather climate.   Close

One of the things I wanted to do while in Fairbanks was see the Northern Lights. I thought it wasn't going to happen, because I read more trip reports of people not seeing them at all or just barely seeing green bands than I…Read More

One of the things I wanted to do while in Fairbanks was see the Northern Lights. I thought it wasn't going to happen, because I read more trip reports of people not seeing them at all or just barely seeing green bands than I do of people seeing them. Apparently, the last few years the solar activity has been low.

It's not something you can really plan around. Weather on the sun is like weather on earth, unpredictable that far in advance, so I planned my trip and hoped for the best. A few weeks before my trip, I saw reports of a possible storm that would reach earth around the time I was going. Yes!

The storm happened. It was early according to the reports, so it wouldn't be affecting the skies when I was there. Maybe some residuals 2 kp lights would be all that was left. I guess a 2 is better than nothing, right? I was a little disappointed, but what can you do?

The morning we left for Anchorage, I got another update. Apparently another storm on the sun was happening and the activity of it (which was supposed to be "storm level") would reach the earth on 3 of the days we'd be there. Pay dirt! Now, just to find a place to view them.

We were staying at Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks (just outside of town), and the hotel assured me that you could see the lights from the decks in the rooms and they would give us an aurora wake-up call. I didn't buy it. I made plans to drive out to the Ester bowl which is about 30-40 minutes away. The aurora can come and go in 20 minutes, so that takes planning ahead. The second night we were there was supposed to be kp 2 and the hotel did give us a wake up call. I couldn't see anything from the parking lot or deck, but I headed to the Ester bowl anyway.

We saw some faint bands of green, but it was on the wrong side of the road (opposite our vantage point). Disappointed and tired (it was 2 a.m.) we headed home and decided to ignore the hotel from now on.

The next night we had dinner some friends who are Fairbanks residents and they told us that the Ester bowl, contrary to what I read, wasn't the best place to go. They took us out toward Fox and showed us a place that was flat on both sides. The amazing part was it was 9 p.m. and the lights were already brighter than the night before. We decided to go get some gas, cocoa and treats and watch the light show.

Photos can't express how amazing the Northern Lights are. You hear about them dancing and moving, but seeing it in person is really neat. They undulate and move across the sky, changing color, intensity and width and feathering out. Then, as suddenly as they've came, they're gone. It's really neat.

We stayed a long time, but ended up leaving when someone started taking 100 flash photos a minute, ruining ours in the process. Someone asked her not to use it, but she said her photos were great. We all rolled our eyes and just watched for a little bit and then took off. We came back the next night for a similar scene.

Some advice: even when the lights were "storm level 5" according to predictions, you could barely see them from the hotel. We could see them even from the Ice Championships, but they were very faint bands, similar to what was at the hotel. You really need to get away from city light pollution. I guess hotel staff is right. You can see them, but you're not going to get a good show.

Fox is also the best place in Fairbanks to see the pipeline. There's a pipeline visitor's center there.

More photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandagal/sets/72157626261865724/   Close

I had planned to go mushing with Paws for Adventure, but I read about Northern Sky Lodge on Trip Advisor. The price was about the same and Pascale seemed really nice in the emails so, I decided to book the tour. We had…Read More

I had planned to go mushing with Paws for Adventure, but I read about Northern Sky Lodge on Trip Advisor. The price was about the same and Pascale seemed really nice in the emails so, I decided to book the tour. We had four people in our group and she accommodated us all. We went out two teams at a time.

First, she geared us up with anything we might need. I suggest you dress as warm as you think you'll need to be. She'll let you know if you need anything else. I was pretty much set, but she suggested I switch my parka out for a short coat and wear a balaclava. I probably really didn't need it because it was pretty warm. She gave shoes and coats to some other people in my group.

She has several dogs on site that you can interact with. Most are pretty friendly and some are Iditarod veterans. The guide that was going to take us out also had some dogs that he brought with him. He was an iditarod veteran (Clint Warnke).

I fell off my sled twice, around the same curve. You go out, circle around and come back. They had just had about 18 inches of snow, so it was a soft landing.

Both the guides and Pascale were very friendly. Pascale offered us coffee and tea, a warm place to sit while we waited for the next group (since we went out two at a time), and lots of hospitality. I would love to stay at the lodge someday. The guides were very informative and it was neat running with an Iditarod/Yukon Quest veteran (Clint wasn't my guide, but Austin was just as informative and friendly).

One member of our group is 80 years old and he said this was the highlight of his trip and, "This made it worth it." He was a bit hesitant that he could handle it (he rode in the sled). Pascale made him feel comfortable and he had a great time.

More photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandagal/sets/72157626262556014/   Close

Shopping in Manhattan, New York really was a wonderful experience. The city was bustling with shoppers during my entire trip from early morning to midnight. Literally. I remember wondering to myself, "What on earth are these people shopping for after 9pm?"I myself was swept up…Read More

Shopping in Manhattan, New York really was a wonderful experience. The city was bustling with shoppers during my entire trip from early morning to midnight. Literally. I remember wondering to myself, "What on earth are these people shopping for after 9pm?"

I myself was swept up in the shopping madness which is New York City. I found out why some people leave NYC with massacred bank accounts and overdrafts on their credit cards. The sale signs screamed at you through the windows of almost every store. Regardless of what is on my shopping list, I was tempted to throw caution to the wind and blow the dollar bills away.

The main stores which held my interest in this great city include J.C.Penny, Forever 21, Daffy's and Dr. Jays. There were countless other stores which had nice items for sale but they did not register as much as the afore mentioned establishments. Each store differed from the others in many ways, such as style, variety and intended customers.

In my opinion, J.C.Penny was a family oriented enterprise. There were sections dedicated to older men and women, juniors and infants. Each section was large and well stocked, with styles for every walk of life. There was also a household section which specialized in furniture, bed spreads and curtains, as well as appliances for the kitchen, bathroom etc. The prices in J.C.Penny were affordable and the quality was pretty good. I bought quite a few things here, including a two casual tops (USD $6.99 each), a pair of jeans ($14.99) and a tunic for my mom ($17.99). Website for J.C.Penny is http://www.jcp.com

Forever 21 geared towards the youth of the nation. The store mainly catered for young females with only a minute portion set aside of young men. I really liked the styles that were available in their arsenal and quite a bit of my money was spent here. There were mannequins dotting the entire store, each being dressed in very tasteful and fashionable ensembles. A shortened version of my damage done here included a blue striped tee ($5.50) and purple racerback top ($6.50) and a casual dress ($13.80). Very affordable prices combined with an extensive assortment made Forever 21 a wonderful shopping destination. Website: http://www.forever21.com

Daffy's was a store which specialized in "High Fashion for Low Prices". The quality of clothing in this store was somewhere between the likes found at J.C.Penny and Forever 21. I bought roughly around 4 tops and a romper, which resulted in a bill of $26.93. Store's website: http://demos.freedomandpartners.com/daffys/

The interesting thing about Dr. Jays was that they were in the middle of a liquidation sale. They were being forced to move from their location in manhattan which they have been established at for over 20 years. The deals here were amazing and the quality of clothing was quite excellent. I scored a pair of Levi's jeans for a mere $29.99! Check them out at http://www.drjays.com

I had a great experience shopping in New York City, and I highly recommend it.
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Surfing and Hawaii go hand in hand like pancakes and maple syrup. This island sport, glamorized by movies and television, was first described to the outside world by European explorers in 1778. Although deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture, the sport was banned for religious reasons…Read More

Surfing and Hawaii go hand in hand like pancakes and maple syrup. This island sport, glamorized by movies and television, was first described to the outside world by European explorers in 1778. Although deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture, the sport was banned for religious reasons when missionaries arrived on the islands in 1821. At the start of the 20th century, Hawaiians near Waikiki began reviving the practice. Surfing gradually gained popularity around the world, peaking in the mid 20th century with the introduction of surf music and movies. Contemporary visitors to the islands will find myriad ways to experience this sport.

First, identify your skill level. If you have never done any surfing, or it has been a long time since you hit the waves, consider yourself a beginner. If you surf regularly, consider yourself an experienced surfer.

Next, choose your destination. Beginners will want to stick to relatively easy surf beaches like Waikiki on Oahu and spend plenty of time with an instructor before hitting the waves. More experienced surfers may choose to hit the island's north shore with its swells, or even the rough surf of the Big Island of Hawaii. Whatever your destination, give yourself a day or two to ease into "island time" and become acclimated to the area.
Book your accommodations. Hotels are limited on the north shore, but plentiful near the beaches in Waikiki and the Big Island. With 100 or so hotels in the downtown and Waikiki areas, visitors to Oahu will find plenty of options to fit their style and budget. Many hotels are within walking distance of Waikiki Beach and other area attractions. For most visitors, Waikiki will offer everything they need to enjoy a surf vacation on Oahu. If you have your heart set on tackling the north shore waves, try the Turtle Bay Resort. Most hotels on the Big Island are situated on a swimming or surfing beach. Winter and summer are the prime surf seasons in Hawaii, so try to book your trip accordingly.

Finally, book your lessons. Lessons can be booked online with several surf schools, through the concierge at your hotel, or right on the beach after you arrive. Lessons include use of a surfboard. Surfboard rentals by the day are also available through area surf shops, so experienced surfers won't need to travel with their board. Beginners should check out the surf camps offered by Sunset Suzy on the north shore of Oahu or lessons offered by Surf Oahu in Waikiki.
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Dining is something that we all do. I have to admit to a bit of a passion about it. If you have never really seen a bad review from me it is because I love food and if a restaurant disappoints I refuse to…Read More

Dining is something that we all do. I have to admit to a bit of a passion about it. If you have never really seen a bad review from me it is because I love food and if a restaurant disappoints I refuse to give it the publicity that a bad review provides. Instead I usually just ignore it. The same is true for most chain restaurants with a few exceptions. In this journal I did review one restaurant from a small local chain. When a restaurant always meets or exceeds your expectations, it deserves to get the publicity.

Plan B, Glastonbury CT
This restaurant is part of a very small local chain. It is just a phenomenal place to eat as is witnessed by the almost constant crowd of people eating there. That leads to the only real gripe I have with them and that is the noise level. It is quite astounding. We just returned again this past weekend and tried something new, the cheese fondue. Four of us shared this luscious treat and between the par-cooked green beans, the tater tots, apples and the soft pretzels, we all ate as much as we wanted, even my youngest granddaughter Sydney who was a big fan of their apples, which by the way were crispy, tart granny smiths.

Barley Creek Brewing Company Tannersville PA
Barley Creek was probably the most disappointing of the restaurants in this journal. Not because they were bad, they weren’t but I prefer great and maybe it was just the choice of food that I choose that left me a little disappointed. Al certainly had no complaints about his steak and my wings were cooked perfectly they just needed to have a little more flavor, I have very high standards for my wings and these were just a little bland. Aero Diner

Windham CT
This diner on the other hand was the biggest surprise. Great food in a nondescript diner, in a town where nothing is outstanding. It was one of those accidental finds that you want to return to and we will. The French fries were perfect and though there isn’t too much that can go wrong with a hotdog, these were memorable. You need to know where it is because it is very easy to just pass it by in the clutter of strip malls around it.

Ron’s Diner Hamlin PA
Ron’s was another surprise. We had eaten at his previous location and been unimpressed. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to try it again but the weekend breakfast buffet was just too good of a deal and really there is a dearth of good restaurants for breakfast in this area. I often just make it at the cottage because why pay for mediocre? This breakfast is worth returning for more than once. It was filling but also unique and had great flavors and even a good cup of coffee.

These are some of my more recent dining adventures. There are many more where these came from so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming journals.
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Having been surrounded by the wine culture of Northern California’s Bay Area before moving to sourthern Virginia, I was very surprised to find the wine culture alive and well here in the Mid Atlantic region. Actually, Virginia is currently in the stage of vineyard growth…Read More

Having been surrounded by the wine culture of Northern California’s Bay Area before moving to sourthern Virginia, I was very surprised to find the wine culture alive and well here in the Mid Atlantic region. Actually, Virginia is currently in the stage of vineyard growth because of several factors that would have had Thomas Jefferson smiling if he was around today. With over 160 wineries now dotting the map heavily in the center of the Commonwealth, it would be hard not to find something that you like amongst the varieties offered.
It was over 400 years ago that English settlers in Virginia hoped to establish a flourishing wine industry at Jamestown and become a source of wine for the British home islands. A law in 1619 was signed making it a requirement for each male settler to plant and grow at least ten grape vines. Unfortunately, the vines were of European origin and they could not stand up to the diseases found in the new world. Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington tried to cultivate European grape vines for many years. Washington gave up and stuck to ciders and whisky, while Jefferson spent more than 30 years trying and his Monticello vineyards never produced a single bottle of wine. It would only be after the grafting of local and European grapes in the late 1800s before a break through was made on grapes that could grow in Virginia. Soon after that, prohibition occurred and there were very few vineyards left afterwards.
In the late-1950s, experimental plantings of a new grape showed promise. With the firm establishment of six new wineries in the 1970s, the recovery of the Virginia wine making was underway. Today, wineries in Virginia are mostly small family operations, with a few larger exceptions to that rule. If you go to a winery for a tasting - your likely to meet the whole family and find their passion for creating a world class wine while talking with them sipping their product. And here you will find the merlot, rose, red, and white wines are now plentiful and of a huge variety of tastes, tectures, and alcohol contents.
Knowing the history of how the other than local grapes could not grow in Virginia for so long, it is much easier to see how the fruit wines came about here. These can be found in many of the wineries, with some of the best being apple, blackberry, pear, or pomegranate wines. There may have been a time when the limited selection of these made them a poorer showing item, but that definitely is no longer the case these days. As a guy who really likes sweet white Riesling wines and dessert wines – Virginia holds many great surprises with all the fruit wines being produced in small batches.
Both Hilltop and Horton offer a great variety of fruit wines that are well worth a sample at any wine tasting. It is also surprising how many meads are available now. Mead has been around since time eternal, and made by almost all cultures. But finding mead in the USA takes some searching. Some meads retain some measure of the sweetness of the original honey, and some may even be considered as dessert wines. But it is the mix of the fruit wine and mead that really creates a unique wine that I probably never would have tried if not for a wine festival tasting. If you happen to see Dragon's Blood and sample it - I am sure you will be buying a bottle of it just like the rest of us have.
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