North and Upper North Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon
At the end of 2016, I took a quick trip to North and Upper North Falls in Oregon's Silver Falls State Park. In a state filled with incredible waterfalls, these two are among my very favorite. The park is near the fun little town of Silverton; if you find yourself in the area, please check out these falls, and the rest of Silver Falls State Park...
Iceland Trip Overview
My visit to Iceland for the Canopy by Hilton there as short but oh-so-sweet. Here are my grethershot.com blog posts about the trip...
Wahclella Falls
In December 2014 I went up the Wahclella Falls trail, one of the best little hikes in the Columbia River Gorge. To get there, you...
Sunrise at the Blue Lagoon, Iceland
On day 4 of my wonderfully packed visit to Iceland for Canopy by Hilton, we took a relaxing soak in the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa then ate lunch at their terrific restaurant before finally heading to the nearby airport. The perfect way to say farewell to this place. The spa is an oasis of modern luxury sitting alone in stark fields of black lava rock. The lagoon pool itself has a soft floor of what I assume is pulverized rock, and the water is sky blue. When we were there, the air was a hair above freezing; so clouds of steamy fog rose from the water and swirled in the breeze. Breathtakingly beautiful...
Icelandair Stopover Buddy Adventure with ATV – Óbyggðaferðir (Post 2 of 2)
The weather was gorgeously sunny, but biting, biting cold. Once we got all bundled up in our snowsuits, we hopped on our ATVs and rode off through horse pastures to wild, rugged country around Þrihyrningr, Three-Horn Mountain. The stark, desolate beauty of the volcanic landscape reminded me of my childhood in Idaho. But it was also otherworldly. I felt civilization was a million miles away and we were on a new planet. And I remembered, not too surprisingly, that Ridley Scott filmed his gorgeous mess Prometheus in Iceland...
Icelandair Stopover Buddy Adventure with ATV – Óbyggðaferðir (Post 1 of 2)
As part of my trip to Iceland for Canopy by Hilton in November 2016, the Stopover Buddy service from Icelandair took us out of Reykjavík for an incredible adventure riding ATVs around Three Horn Mountain near Lambalækur, Iceland. Unnar Gardarsson of ATV – Óbyggðaferðir was our leader at the site, and I must admit he took us on one of the best trips I can remember as we slid through snow banks, forded icy rivers, admired waterfalls and volcanos, and then ate a wonderful lunch in an eighth-century monk's cave on a cliffside. On the first part of our adventure...
Opening Celebration for Canopy by Hilton Reykjavík City Centre
In November 2016 Canopy by Hilton flew me to Iceland for the grand opening of their very first hotel, the Reykjavík City Centre. Such a great party, for a wonderful hotel, with great food from the Geiri Smart restaurant and Omnom Chocolate. Plus, I had a good "skál" with the mayor...
Icelandic Horses at Sunset
On day three of my Iceland adventures, we begged/demanded Siggi, our Travel Buddy / van driver, stop the van beside a field of Icelandic horses. The sun was setting and everything was bathed in a golden brown glow. Heavenly...
Reykjavík: Day Two Tour
On day two of my November 2016 trip to Iceland for Canopy by Hilton, a group of us journalists and influencers got a guided tour of fun stops and shops all around central Reykjavík, including a visit of the Omnom Chocolate factory, posted separately). I learned so much about this delightful city, including vast amounts of knowledge about their cherished skyr cheese...
Reykjavík: Omnom Chocolate Factory
On the afternoon of day two of my trip to Reykjavík for Canopy by Hilton, we got a tour of the Omnom Chocolate factory, makers of some of the world's tastiest chocolates. And my goodness, the aromas were heavenly...