Portland, Oregon is a brew lover’s haven and touted as America’s best bike city by Bicycle Magazine. With a stay at the Nines this summer you too can do like the locals do. Get your bikes and brews in Portland with this “Bikes & Brews” sweet hotel deal. The Nines hotel has partnered with breweries and local bike companies to offer bike rentals to explore the city and refreshing beers to enjoy after the cycle, plus a few extra perks to enjoy the ride to the fullest.

When you book the “Bikes and Brews” package at the swanky Nines Hotel in Portland’s downtown, you’ll get two rental bikes or a tandem bike to share, Portland walking and biking maps, two Fat Tire Beers from Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing plus two local microbrews and housemade chips and roasted nuts for winding down after a day of site-seeing and cycling. And you get to snag a nifty New Belgium gift bag with the brewery’s famous bike bell and bottle opener. Package starts at $269 per night. Head HERE for more deets.

The Nines deal is available until September 2, 2013.

More Bikes & Brews in Portland Oregon

Old Town Brewing Company is one of the only breweries in the U.S. to offer craft beer deliver by bike. Available for delivery are the brewery’s Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Irish Red, Winter Ale, Porter, and Pilsner along with Old Town’s well-known pizzas.

The Portland Fruit Beer Festival will feature 40+ fruit beers from 25 local breweries. Takes place June 8 and 9, 2013, tickets are $20 and includes a festival glass (required for tasting) and 12 drink tickets, each good for one 4oz taste (some beers require 2 tickets).

Oregon Brewers Festival, held July 24-28 in Portland, Oregon, will be pouring more than 80 different craft beers from around the country. The Oregon Brewers Festival is the quintessential celebration of craft beer!

Rather bike as a group to Portland’s best breweries? BrewCycle Pub Crawl is huge community pub-pedaler. Up to 15 people can pedal through Portland stopping at breweries along the way. It’s $20 per person.

Get your Portland brew tour on with Brewvana. They promise beer nirvana for both beginners and the ‘ceravisaphile’ (Yeah, we had to look this word up too, means a devout lover of beers in the urban dictionary.) Tours run from Thursday – Sunday, usually 3+ brewery stops included, prices start at $69 per person.

For more biking in Portland news and resources, head to bikeportland.org or for free bike route maps, head to portlandoregon.gov.

Headline photo ©VoyageVixens, the others are courtesy of respective businesses.

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Sixty years ago, Marilyn Monroe arrived in Jasper, Alberta to film River of No Return. Many Canadians, Albertans in particular, still have fond memories of Marilyn Monroe in Alberta, as we learned in our last visit to Banff. At the time, the The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was celebrating the release of a new book - August 1953: The Lost LOOK Photos - that shared 100 photos of Marilyn’s time in the province that had never before been seen publicly.

Now, as the province celebrates the 60th anniversary, this is the last week to see some of those summer memories again at The Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives. Their Marilyn-themed exhibit features professional images taken by local photographer Ray O’Neill, locally-donated hand written mementos, snapshots, and more.

As the 60th anniversary continues to be celebrated throughout the summer, other local business are getting involved. Buffalo Betty’s Gifts will be displaying Marilyn memorabilia throughout the season and local wine merchant DJ Bowen, of Jasper Liquor Store and Wine Cellar, has brought in two Marilyn branded wines. He is donating partial proceeds to the museum’s “Repair Our Roof Fund” and will also have limited edition posters available. All proceeds from the poster sales will be donated to the roof fund.

The museum has been asking visitors to participate by recording their own memories of Marilyn Monroe in Alberta.

The Jasper Yellowhead Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. It is located at 400 Bonhomme Street, Jasper, Alberta. Visit www.jaspermuseum.org for more details.

Click here to see more images from August 1953.

* Photos Courtesy Dover Publications 

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Can you imagine a world without these beautiful creatures in it?

Neither can we.

And neither can he.

Sadly, we saw with our very eyes evidence of animal populations disappearing at an alarming rate during our trip to Kenya and Tanzania last year. It took days – five days precisely – until we finally saw one of the elusive and endangered Black Rhinos. To our pleasant surprise, it was a mother rhino with her baby calf! But — it was the only rhino sighting in a week on safari.

With threats like poaching (animals are not medicine!), habitat loss and overuse of natural resources, it takes a village — often literally as in the wildlife recovery story happening in Namibia — the global village to make a difference.

But when there is a victory, let’s celebrate it! In addition to supporting several projects around the world, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s partnership with the World Wildlife Fund has helped to double the number of wild tigers living in Nepal’s Bardia National Park.

This week, DiCaprio helped to organize and bring Hollywood friends together for a major fundraising event in New York with Christie’s to benefit environmental and wildlife conservation efforts supported by the Foundation.

The “The 11th Hour Charity Auction” event, which raised about $39 million, featured the work of 30 of today’s most important living artists from around the world. Some of the pieces were created specifically for the auction. All were donated by the artists.

DiCaprio himself got in on the auction action – in true Gatsby form – to win a Takashi Murakami acrylic for $735,000. (Yes, you read that right.)

The Oscar-winning actor has long been an environmental and animal rights activist. His Foundation’s mission in fact is “Dedicated to protecting Earth’s last wild places and fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world.“

According to his website, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has focused attention on environmental and humanitarian issues around the world including wildlife and habitat preservation, healthy oceans, water access, climate change and disaster relief. They raise funds to support the initiatives through grant making, campaigning and media projects.

“My Foundation has worked on environmental issues since 1998, and despite the great efforts by organizations all over the world, our planet is in trouble. The modern world is placing enormous pressure on the very natural systems that sustain us; we are destroying our forests, polluting the air and water, overfishing our oceans and facing overwhelming extinction rates of plants and animals. Consequently less than 2% of our Oceans and 12% of our forests and wildlands are protected. Nature is abundant and it is resilient, but we have to take action now to protect our planet before it’s too late. Given that less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to environmental conservation projects, we are grateful that Christie’s and the participating artists are providing this incredible opportunity,” said DiCaprio.

The partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was a natural fit, as their efforts extend from protecting forests that slow climate change to filtering water to oceans that provide more than one-sixth of the world’s food. From tigers and rhinos to whales, polar bears, and sea turtles, it’s an uphill battle when there are so many worthy causes around the globe competing for attention and funds. http://worldwildlife.org/species

DiCaprio currently serves on the board of the World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, International Fund for Animal Welfare and Global Green USA.

5 Ways to Celebrate Endangered Species Day:

1. TAKE ACTION - Tell the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that reviewing the environmental risks of large scale projects is critical for wildlife.
2. Update your Facebook Timeline pic - Show your support for endangered species with a photo of your favorite wildlife species. Let us know you did it by including @National Wildlife Federation in your status message.
3. Help spread the word via Twitter - Share an Endangered Species Day story or wildlife message with your friends and family. Make sure to include #speciesday in your tweet.
4. Attend an Endangered Species Day event! Events are held across the country to highlight endangered species stories.
5. Help Kids Learn About Biodiversity! NWF’s Eco-Schools has resources to get students ready to celebrate biodiversity and conservation.

* Tips courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation.

To make a donation to Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, visit their profile at the California Community Foundation.

To learn more about the WWF and donate, visit worldwildlife.org.

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Thankfully, whisky is not just a boy’s club drink any longer. More and more women are warming up to the beloved brown spirit, especially since the TV show Mad Men features beautiful whisky drinking men AND women. See the list of influential women in the whisky world below.

In fact, it’s pretty much all Lanee will drink (she’s big fan of bourbon especially). She likes to say she drinks like an old man – strong and straight up. And Lindsay is definitely headed down the path of being a bona fide whisky lover herself, although she prefers it in classic cocktails like a Sazerac, Old Fashioned or Vieux Carré.

Our Favorite Whisky Quotes

“Whisky is liquid sunshine.”
- George Bernard Shaw

“Whiskey, like a beautiful woman, demands appreciation. You gaze first, then it’s time to drink.”
― Haruki Murakami

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.”
― Mark Twain

“There are two things a Highlander likes naked, and one of them is malt whisky.”
– Scottish proverb

“What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there is no cure for.”
- Irish Saying

“There is no such thing as a bad whisky. Some whiskies just happen to be better than others.”
- William Faulkner (also credited to Raymond Chandler, take your pick)

Fun Facts about Whisky

Provided by Makers Mark, whose distillery we loved visiting for their annual Cocktail Party bash in Loretto, Kentucky last year, here are some other fun facts to add to your quiver for enlightened conversations on World Whisky Day.

• Whisky is made of fermented grain (barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn) and then aged in oak barrels, similar to wine.
• Whisky comes from all over the world. The major regions are Kentucky, Tennessee, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Canada and New Zealand.
• Each type varies by region, distillation, aging and grain mash recipe. For instance, Irish whiskies are normally distilled three times while Scottish whiskies are distilled twice. Maker’s Mark whisky is made from mash that consists of at least 51% corn, red winter wheat and barley malt and is distilled twice.
• Is it whisky or whiskey? It’s both. The difference in the spelling depends on the style or country of origin. Whisky is generally used in Scotland, Wales, Canada and Japan, while whiskey is mostly used in Ireland and the U.S. While Maker’s Mark is distilled in Kentucky, the Samuels’ family has Scottish roots – therefore no “e.”

Whisky Women

These women are breaking down the boy’s club glass ceilings in the whisky world. We’ll be raising our glass on World Whisky Day to these brave gals:

Rachel Barrie, malt whisky master, Glenmorangie. She is responsible for all sensory and quality-related aspects of new product development for the company’s distilleries including Ardbeg.

Lynne Tolley, master taster, Jack Daniel’s, and incidentally Jack’s great-grandniece. She is one of the distillery’s official taste testers and creates many Jack Daniel’s food recipes.

Victoria Samuels, vice president of Makers Mark. Victoria is the highest ranking woman in the bourbon industry. (in photo above)

Peggy Stevens, master taster, Woodford Reserve. She was the first female taster in the bourbon industry and is believed to be the only one. She focuses on pairing bourbon with food.

Allison Patel, first woman to launch her own whiskey, Brenne. It’s an organic French Single Malt whisky that’s been finished in Cognac barrels. And in a very pretty bottle to boot which looks like a Tiffany box, only this package holds liquid jewels.

Can’t Get Enough Whisky? You Gotta Meet Fred

Thirsty for more knowledge about whisky? Our favorite whisky expert and ascot donner, Fred Minnick, has a visually stunning blog with great reviews and the latest news in the whiskey world. You can also catch his writings in major publications like Whisky Magazine and The Tasting Panel. And he’s working on a book all about women and whisky — we can’t WAIT to read it!

Other Whisky Fun:

For World Whisky Day events around the world, head to www.worldwhiskyday.com

Voyage Vixens on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky Video:

Happy World Whisky Day 2013!

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As a caveat, we have to say here that some of the “fishing” (both legal and illegal) taking place around the world makes us sick, as in shark fins for soup, or seals for fur. But there is legal and safe fishing around the world for sport as well as sustenance that is commonplace, necessary, and enjoyable for many.

To be honest, Lanee finds fishing a rather boring activity. Lindsay can find it peaceful and meditative, particularly fly fishing, but whether we’re on Lake Ontario salmon fishing, in the deep sea off the coast of the Pacific, or in waders along the Gallatin River in Montana, we always throw them back!

(Unless of course there’s camping involved and it’s dinner… or unless Lindsay kills one by accident, or as she likes to say, “the hook killed it!”)

Fishing is not typically a pastime in which we think of women, which is why we were surprised to read on the blog Alaskagraphy (which shares one couple’s adventures in the state) that “women tend to catch more fish than men.”

Regardless, whether it’s a hobby or a means of survival or neither, there’s no denying the epic beauty of these photographs of fishing around the world.

* Photo locations and credits are listed in each photo title. Scroll over or click on the photo to open in a new window.

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Tippi Degré aka Tippi of Africa, born of French wild life animal photographers, is the real, live version of Jungle Book. Except Tippi grew in Africa rather than India. Like the boy in the story, Mowgli, she also developed friendships with wild animals including a leopard nicknamed J&B, a 28-year old African elephant named Abu, lion cubs, giraffes, an Ostrich, crocodiles, a cheetah, giant bullfrogs, and even a snake. Tippi of Africa also made friends with the local tribespeople of Namibia as well.

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The heat is ON! Temperatures are rising and you know what that means. Time for some new vodka lemonade cocktail recipes! CÎROC Vodka, a vodka made from grapes versus the traditional corn, rye, wheat or potatoes, graciously provided these beautiful cocktail recipes perfect for any soiree – from pool parties to BBQs.

CÎROC Vodka, made in France, is available in regular, peach, coconut and red berry flavors.

Signature Peach Lemonade

Summer wouldn’t be complete without lemonade. The oils in the fresh mint awaken the flavors of CÎROC Peach, lemon juice, and iced tea giving a new spin to an old favorite.

1.5 oz. – CÎROC Peach
.75 oz. – Lemon Juice
1 oz. – Ice tea
5 – mint leaves

Build: Smack the mint then place in mixing tin with all ingredients.
Strain: Add ice and shake. Into a chilled Collins Glass with ice.
Garnish: A sprig of mint.

Coconut & Strawberry Lemonade

The aromatic quality of CÎROC Coconut is highlighted by its clean finish while red strawberries, honey, lemon juice, and soda water blend to create savory summertime flavors.

1.5 oz. – CÎROC Coconut
1 oz.- Lemon
.75 oz. – Honey Syrup
3 – Strawberries
Top – Soda water

Build: Muddle strawberries. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice.
Strain: Into a Collins glass and top with soda.
Garnish: With a slice of strawberry on the rim with a lemon twist.

Pomegranate Passion Lemonade

“Sunday Fun-Day” Cocktail by the pool has never been better. Fresh lemonade, pomegranate juice and Limoncello accentuate the natural sugars and fresh finish of CÎROC Red Berry, the star of this summer cocktail.

1.5 oz. – CÎROC Red Berry
1 oz. – Lemonade Juice
.5 oz. – Pomegranate Juice
.5 oz. – Limoncello
.5 oz. – Simple Syrup

Build: In a mixing tin add all and shake with ice.
Strain: Into a chilled coup class and
Garnish: With a rose petal

Summertime Fruit Punch Lemonade

Nothing is better than watermelon in the summertime. Watermelon creates texture in this summer cocktail; while CÎROC Vodka and sparkling lemonade opens it’s liquid. Aromas of parsley lend whispers of summertime scents as agave nectar and lemon are added for balance

1.5 – CÎROC Vodka
.75 oz. – Lemon Juice
.75 oz. – Agave Nectar
4 Chunks – Watermelon
5 – Parsley Leaves
Top – Sparkling Pink Lemonade

Build: In mixing tin muddle watermelon, strawberries, Blackberries, and parsley. Then add remaining ingredients and shake with Ice.
Double strain: Into a Collins glass and top with sparkling pink lemonade.
Garnish: Half sugar rim, assorted fruits and a lemon twist

Agave Lemonade

1.5 oz. CÎROC Peach
.25 oz.- Elderflower liqueur
.75 oz.- Lemon Juice
.5 oz.- Agave
2- Slices of Peach

Build: Muddle peaches. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice.
Double Strain: Into a chilled double old fashion glass with ice.
Garnish: with a dried peach.

Coconut Limeade

1.5 OZ.- CîROC COCONUT
½ juice- of one lime
.75 oz.- Simple Syrup
6- Basil Leafs

Build: Cut lime and place half in a mixing tin. Add a handful of basil, then muddle. Add the remaining ingredients and shake over ice.
Double Strain: Into a chilled old fashion glass.
Garnish: With a sprig of basil.

For Vodka Geeks

If you’re into the science behind spirits like we are, you’ll find the CîROC Vodka story interesting. As we mentioned before, it’s the one of the very few vodkas in the world made from grapes! The production method used for Cîroc vodka are “snap frost” grapes. These grapes include the Mauzac Blanc from the Gaillac region and Ugni Blanc from the Cognac region of France. The juice extracted from these grapes is fermented and distilled five times. And since it’s wheat-free, these CîROC Vodka lemonade cocktail recipes are ideal for the gluten intolerant. And yes, Sean “Diddy” Combs is the official ambassador of the brand.

Photos courtesy of CÎROC Vodka. Recipes are created by Billy Ray (not the mullet wearing 80s singer) but the bartender/owner of a 13-stiches, a cocktail consulting company.

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Fifty never looked so good! On May 8, a convoy of 350 Lamborghini super sports cars left from Milan, as the biggest reunion ever of cars from the House of the Raging Bull to start their Grand Tour. The tour kicks off the Lamborghini 50th Anniversary celebrations. Talk about a luxurious road trip!

The tour will pass through the beautiful landscapes of Lombardia, Toscana, Lazio, Umbria and Emilia Romagna, stopping over in Forte dei Marmi, Grosseto, Roma, San Giustino Valdarno and Bologna, where they will arrive this afternoon, May 10th.

Tomorrow, Saturday May 11th, the Lamborghinis will depart again for Sant’Agata Bolognese, for the final leg of the Lamborghini 50th Anniversary celebrations.

The convoy will be more than 4.5 km in length, with a dramatic combined power of more than 190,000 hp. It will be a true open air exhibition of all the models that wrote the history of the brand. From the first car produced in 1963, the 350 GT, it will include the entire model range right up to the current Gallardo and Aventador models.

Drivers and co-drivers will arrive from all over the world: with 65 percent men and 35 percent women, their ages range from 22 to 75 years old, underlining the passion for the brand that stays from one generation to the next.

The first rendezvous took place in Milan on May 7, when the Lamborghinis were parked at the parc fermé in Piazza Castello, and from there kicked off the road trip the next day to Bobbio.

Want to see where it all starts on your next trip to Italy?

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When we mentioned to friends and family we were headed to British Columbia’s largest wine country, we got, “Really?? They make WINE there?” And that’s exactly why we went. To find out more about this undiscovered wine country often referred to as the “Napa Valley of the North.” Interestingly enough, the Okanagan Valley wine country is ripe with luscious wines – both red and white – due to the hot summers, high-latitude sunlight and surprisingly rich soils.

Grapes that grow the best in the area are Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. And although the premium Okanagan Valley wine industry didn’t begin until the late 1980s, it’s booming now with 121 licensed wineries.

Here’s a rundown of our Okanagan Valley wine country adventures:

 50th Parallel Wines

These were the first rock star farmers we’d ever met. Husband and wife team, Curtis Krouzel and Sheri-Lee Turner-Krouzel would concur with our nickname for them. Sheri, outfitted in bedazzled black satin pants, spiked leather boots, perfectly quaffed blonde locks and Prada shades, refers to herself as a glam-farmer. She says her french manicure (in photo above)  actually helps to hide the dirt under her nails from planting vines, posting fences and working the land. Not to miss is their French-style Pinot Noir, aged in new French oak barrels. It’s a rip-roaring good time, whatever you decide to taste at 50th Parallel Winery. Within the next few years, you’ll be able to stay there as well, with 10 modern bungalows and a restaurant/event center in development.

Gray Monk Estate Winery

Perched above Okanagan Lake with stunning panoramic views of the vineyards framed by the lake and mountains beyond, Gray Monk Estate Winery is the oldest family owned and operated winery in British Columbia. It’s really all in the Heiss family at Gray Monk. Dad and Momma Heiss still oversee the daily workings of the winery with all four sons working different aspects of the business.

Red Rooster Winery

After a kayak on Okanagan Lake, Dino of Grape Escapes dashed us off to Red Rooster Winery. Red Rooster has a fantastic display of vineyard art – from a mermaid guardian to a statue of Frank the baggage handler. Loved their latest release which they graciously popped open just for us: 2012 Red Rooster Rose.

Ruby Blues Winery

Across the dirt road and hard to miss with the hippie-style Volkswagen van out front is Ruby Blues, owned by longtime wine pioneer lady of Okanagan Valley wine country, Prudence. This is another outrageously fun stop where merely a smile is the fee for tasting and you can sip on a Red Stiletto wine while shopping for Ruby Blues’ own brand of sassy stilettos.

Sumac Ridge

We’re were given a special treat with a personal tasting session with Sumac Ridge’s winemaker, Jason James. Popcorn and sparkling wine? Oh yes. This and many other valuable tidbits were shared as we sipped on Steller’s Jay sparkling wines (one pictured above was so good it made the Veuve Cliquot makers jealous) and two reds from the Black Sage label. Started in 1979, Sumac Ridge is the grandaddy (oldest) winery in British Columbia.

Volcanic Wines

Volcanic Hills Winery is the result of Bobby Gidda’s (in photo above) grandfather – his hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. (He came to Canada from India with $5 in his pocket and began working as a farmer.) Today, the family owns 60 acres of vineyards with a 15,000 square foot winery at the foot of a 60 million year old dormant stratovolcano, Boucherie Mountain. And mid-May, an Indian restaurant will be the newest addition to Volcanic Hills. By the way, the 2010 Volcanic Hills Gamay Noir pairs well with Indian cuisine.

Mission Hill Winery

If you love the ornate grounds+panoramic views+fancy gift shop winery experience, say like the Robert Mondavi winery in Napa, you’re gonna love Mission Hill Winery. Take the tour to see the cave containing the antiquities collection of bottles and vases and of course, wine barrels. Ingo Grady, head of the wine education program, offered a six glass wine tasting, including their fabulous Bordeaux-inspired Oculous ($80 a bottle).

We were lucky to visit during one of the three wine festivals the Okanagan Valley wine country hosts annually. For more on the festival, head HERE. And stay tuned for our “Wine-ing and Dining” piece on Okanagan wine country.

P.S. Unfortunately, living in the U.S., we can only savor the beautiful wines in our memories. Most of the Okanagan Valley wines are NOT available for shipping or purchase in the U.S. We hope they change that quickly as we’d like more than just the few bottles we stashed away in our suitcases!

Photos ©VoyageVixens

This trip was hosted by Okanagan Valley Wine Festivals and Thompson Okanagan Tourism but opinions are our own. We traveled with two other Canadian writers: Jody Robbins of Travel with Baggage and Marc Smith of 30 Day Adventures (both pictured in Volcanic Hills photo).

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