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STATESMAN RAIL (Cornwall) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Statesman Rail

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Statesman Rail - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Peak bloom: Guide to Oregon's wildflower hotspots and the best times to visit

Greg Lief had a problem.

The former Salem resident would arrive at trails famous for wildflower blooms only to discover he'd come just a bit too early, or too late, for the best of nature's fireworks display.

"I got really annoyed, being a photographer, when I didn't show up at quite the right time," he said.

He did something about it.

In March 2007, he launched the website OregonWildflowers.org that brought together reports, information and links focused on the best times to visit wildflower hotspots from the Columbia River Gorge to southern Oregon. His online map (available at bit.ly/3xPsUfL) now uses two decades of data to indicate whether an area is “in early bloom,” “in bloom” or “not blooming.”

A few years ago, he launched an associated Facebook page , Oregon Wildflowers, where people exchange pictures and information about current conditions and talk about wildflowers in general.

“Without getting to fru-fru about it, wildflowers just represent rebirth the way that they come every spring — even the small ones that bloom under seemingly adverse conditions,” Lief said in a recent episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast . “You have to respect their tenacity for coming up every single year."

Lief said his favorite wildflower is bitterroot, a small pink flower that can emerge even from the harshest conditions, but that there are so many different wildflowers in the Pacific Northwest it would take a lifetime to see them all.

In the podcast, Lief broke down some of Oregon's wildflower hotspots and trails from around the state and what times of year they're best visited.

He also warned that because of climate change, “many wildflowers are blooming earlier than in the past,” but that by looking at conditions and historical bloom times, you can still get a good idea what’s coming so you’re not disappointed at the trailhead.

Columbia River Gorge in bloom now

Many trails in the Columbia River Gorge, especially on the east side, are already in bloom and should reach their peak in late May.

The star of the show is balsamroot and lupine, although there are many other wildflowers to find.

Lief suggested getting out as early as possible to avoid crowds for hikes such as Memaloose Hills, Columbia Hills State Park, Lyle Cherry Orchard and Tom McCall Point / Rowena Plateau. The most popular hike in the area, Dog Mountain, requires a permit from April 27 to June 16.

On the west side of the gorge, Lief also recommended Eagle Creek Trail for its wide variety of wildflowers through the end of May and also for the glacier lilies currently blooming near Tunnel and Twister Falls.

Willamette Valley wildflower hikes

Lief spotlighted two types of wildflowers he loves seeking out at Baskett Slough and Finley national wildlife areas: the golden paintbrush and kincaid's lupine. Both were endangered at one point but through a focused effort have bounced back.

Lief said golden paintbrush should be blooming now into early May, while the lupine would likely bloom a bit later in early May.

He also spotlighted Mount Pisgah Arboretum, which has blooms of wildflowers through mid-May, including a wildflower festival on May 19.

“It has a lot of woodland flowers, but it also has a great camas display,” Lief said. “The festival is great, but I’d encourage going a little earlier in the season.”

Coast Range sky islands bloom in late May, June

Oregon’s Coast Range isn’t necessarily known for wildflowers, given its thick rainforest, but two of its “sky islands” are wildflower hotspots. Those are Saddle Mountain and Marys Peak, both at one point islands in the ocean that allowed the evolution of many unique wildflowers, some found few or no other places on Earth.

Both tend to bloom in late May through the end of June.

Old Cascades light up in July

The favorite of many wildflower hunters is a geologic region known as the “Old Cascades,” located in the Santiam Junction area in a subset of older, lower mountains than the "young" Cascades like Hood, Jefferson and the Sisters.

Old Cascades hikes include Iron Mountain and Cone Peak, Browder Ridge, Crescent Mountain and Bachelor and Coffin mountains, which light up with wildflowers, and incredible blooms of bear grass, throughout July, with different elevations hitting their peaks at different times depending on conditions.

Eastern Oregon mountain bloom in late July

A good bet for the Elkhorn, Wallowa and Strawberry mountain alpine regions is late July, when places such as the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Elkhorn Crest Trail light up.

“There are a lot of alpine flowers that bloom there,” Lief said. “There are things to be seen into August (at the higher elevations).”

Lief suggested the second half of July for one of his favorite places — Steens Mountain, including the Wildhorse Lake area.

He also mentioned the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and nearby Sutton Mountain as blooming in June. 

Mount Hood peaks in late July into August

There are some earlier blooms on Mount Hood during July, such as Umbrella Falls and Elk Meadows, Lief said. But many of the most iconic vistas — Paradise Park and McNeil Point — tend to bloom as late as August.

Washington’s Silver Star Mountain a kaleidoscope of color

Lief highly recommended Silver Star Mountain, in Washington, as a gem that explodes with wildflowers in late June and July. The Yacolt Burn of 1902 resulted in a unique open environment where wildflowers of all colors thrive.

Lief suggested checking out the  description on the Oregon Hikers page , to avoid an access road so rough that it “eats up cars and spits them out,” Lief said.  " Use the Grouse Vista approach … it involves a bit more physical effort but your vehicle will thank you."

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast . Urness is the author of “ Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon ” and “ Hiking Southern Oregon .” He can be reached at [email protected] or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

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Statesman Rail - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Visiting Tips (2024)

These 5 Arizona hotels were just named among the world's best. Here's why they stand out

Five Arizona hotels were just named among the best in the world for 2024.

Travel + Leisure unveiled its 2024 T+L 500 list of the world's best hotels, compiled based on ratings from its readers, in its May issue. The list includes five Arizona hotels, including four that made T+L's 2023 best hotels in Arizona ranking .

Readers evaluate based on their levels of quality, luxury, service and amenities. Here's a look at which Arizona hotels made the Travel + Leisure 2024 best hotels list.

For more hotels recognized as being among the best of metro Phoenix, read about the honorees in  U.S. News & World Report's 2024 ranking ,  Forbes' 2024 Star Awards , and  Esquire's best new hotels in the world .

Five Arizona hotels selected by Travel + Leisure

Readers of Travel + Leisure, America's largest travel media brand, selected five Arizona hotels on its 2024 ranking of the world's best hotels:

• Castle Hot Springs, Morristown.
• The Hermosa Inn, Paradise Valley.
• Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley.
• Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, A Gurney's Resort & Spa, Paradise Valley.
• Tanque Verde Ranch, Tucson.

“We’re honored to be recognized on the highly coveted T+L 500 List,” said Andrew Chippindall, general manager of Mountain Shadows Resort. “It’s a true testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to providing exceptional experiences for our treasured guests.”

How Travel + Leisure World's Best hotels 2024 were chosen

The T+L 500 list is derived from T+L's annual World's Best Awards, selected based on reader reviews and feedback. Readers were surveyed about their travel experiences around the world, including hotels, cities, islands, airlines, cruise ships and other experiences.

Readers rated hotels based on their rooms and facilities, location, service, food and overall value. They scored each category on a scale from "excellent" to "poor."

The hotels recognized this year are favorites among the publication's readers, who named Castle Hot Springs the best Arizona hotel of 2021 and 2022 and the Hermosa Inn the state's best of 2023. All except for Tanque Verde Ranch were included on last year's list of the 10 best hotels in Arizona.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at   [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:   @salerno_phx .

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to  azcentral.com  today.

• Sustainable travel practices

Many are already conscious at home about turning off the lights when we are not using them, or being careful about when and how high we use the air-conditioning.

IANS | NEW DELHI | July 8, 2021 3:18 pm

Eco-travel (Picture: SNS)

The lockdown has been hard in many ways with travellers itching to get out and explore again. This pause has led us to reflect on our impact on the environment and local communities for when we do start taking trips again. According to Booking.com’s 2021 Sustainable Travel Report, 88 percent of respondents revealed that it has encouraged them to travel more sustainably in the future and 75 percent of Indian travellers believe that people have to act now to save the planet for future generations.

Luckily, making sustainable choices has become easier and more affordable than one expects. There are many simple ways we can limit our environmental impact, and better support and engage with local communities during our upcoming trips. To help make it easier for everyone to travel more sustainably, Booking.com shares 7 handy tips to create a positive impact on your next trip, when it is safe to do so again.

Choose a sustainable accommodation option

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Picking a more sustainable place to stay for your next trip is a great place to start — and it doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money. There are plenty of sustainable options for every budget and taste. In fact, 98 per cent of Indian travellers from say that they want to stay in a sustainable accommodation in the upcoming year. One of the easiest ways to confidently book a more sustainable property is to check and see if it has an established eco-label or third-party sustainability certification. There are numerous, reputable third-party sustainability certifications that properties can work towards and achieve.

Get off the beaten track

The pandemic has influenced 72 per cent of Indian travellers to avoid popular destinations and attractions to ensure they aren’t contributing to overcrowding. Being mindful when choosing your next trip can help reduce over tourism, which can be a major issue for fragile environments, ecosystems and local communities. Consider travelling to lesser-known destinations or a location just outside a busy sightseeing area. Alternatively travel during off-peak seasons when there are fewer other visitors.

Bye Bye, plastic!

Limiting single-use plastic is arguably one of the greatest environmental challenges we face. With an estimated 91 percent of plastic not being recycled, most of it ends up either in the ocean or landfills. Many properties have taken numerous steps to either reduce or eliminate single-use plastics from their operations, but travellers can also take simple steps like using reusable water bottles instead of buying plastic bottles of water while on vacation or packing your own reusable toiletry bottles with your favourite products from home. An alternative to single-use plastic are steel water bottles which are more durable and can be used for years. This will not only reduce your consumption on holiday but you can also bring it home with you — helping you become more sustainable in your day-to-day life.

Book virtuous activities that give back to the community

When planning activities for your trip, look for tour companies that give back to and empower the local community, and also engage in ethical tourism practices. According to Booking.com’s recent report* respect for the local community is high on the list of Indian travellers with 74 percent wanting to have authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture when they travel, and 91 percent mentioning that increasing cultural understanding and preservation of cultural heritage is crucial. By supporting these companies, local communities can directly and equally benefit from the travel industry.

Pick up one item of rubbish when you leave

A good rule of thumb for travelling more sustainably, is to try and leave the places you visit better than when you found them. A simple way to do this is to pick up a discarded item of rubbish that isn’t yours when you leave- a small but important step in taking care of our environment. And every action counts — just picking up one piece of plastic on a beach means one less piece ending up in the sea.

Buy Locally

When you travel, one of the best ways to support the local economy and limit your carbon footprint is to shop locally and eat food from street vendors or restaurants that use sustainably sourced produce. Avoid eating at popular fast-food chains that usually import produce from all across the globe and eat in local restaurants that likely use local produce instead. And if you’re cooking for yourself, try to purchase from local markets, too. This is also in line with the Indian traveller sentiment where 74 percent of Indian travellers want to have authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture when they travel.

Bring good habits with you on vacation

Many are already conscious at home about turning off the lights when we are not using them, or being careful about when and how high we use the air-conditioning. However, 59 percent of Indian travellers believe it’s harder to make sustainable choices on vacation. A sustainable first step could be as simple as remembering to carry those mindful habits from home along when you travel. While switching over to LED light fixtures or having keycard controlled power in the room aren’t things you can control as a guest, travellers can ensure they switch off the lights when they step out of their room, reuse their towels or forego daily linen changes and being more mindful of the length of the showers they take.

No matter whether you’re already a superstar sustainable traveller or just looking for a few tips to be a little more mindful during your next trip, there is always a next step to take. This can ultimately make travel that’s truly beneficial to the planet, the places we love to visit and the people who live there, the norm.

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Seattle Seahawks pick Texas DT Byron Murphy II in Round 1 of 2024 NFL Draft. What to know

The Seattle Seahawks selected Texas DT Byron Murphy II with the 16th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft . Murphy spent three seasons with the Longhorns , earning Big 12 defensive lineman of the year in 2023. Here's everything you need to know about Murphy.

Byron Murphy II scouting report

A high-motor interior lineman, Murphy paired with 2023 Outland Trophy winner T'Vondre Sweat as one of college football's top interior defensive fronts. He started all 14 games on last year's CFP team and set career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and hurries.

Murphy has drawn comparisons to Jurrell Casey, a 2018 third-round pick by the Titans who played 10 years in the NFL and was a five-time Pro-Bowler.

Byron Murphy II height, weight

Murphy is listed at 6-feet, 297 lbs. He's a DeSoto, Texas native and attended DeSoto (Texas) High School.

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Byron Murphy II college stats

In 39 games, Murphy tallied 70 tackles (15 tackles for loss) and eight sacks.

Byron Murphy II highlights

Murphy scored a pair of offensive touchdowns in two of the biggest games of the season: a 1-yard catch in the win over Oklahoma to become only the fourth UT lineman to score an offensive touchdown, and a 1-yard run in the Sugar Bowl against Washington.

Byron Murphy II NFL combine measurables

Murphy's 4.87 was the third-fastest 40 recorded among defensive linemen at the combine, where he also had a 33-inch vertical and 28 reps on the bench press. He added a strong follow-up workout for scouts at Texas' pro day.

Traveling through the Austin airport for the solar eclipse? Here's how to plan.

Travelers will flood the state of Texas to catch the total solar eclipse on Monday afternoon.

This means that Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is preparing for a "high volume" of travelers during the solar event.

Whether you are flying in or picking someone up from the airport, here is everything you need to know about traveling in Texas during the eclipse.

What will traffic be like in Austin, Texas, for the solar eclipse?

Prepare for heavy traffic on roads around the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Presidential Boulevard is the main entrance to the Barbara Jordan Terminal. If it is busy, drivers can use Spirit of Texas to access the terminal instead, according to a news release from the Austin airport. Travelers should plan to spend more time than usual in traffic due to congested major highways and roadways across Central Texas.

Busy times will be 8 a.m. April 9 on Highway 71, north of the airport. So leave the house with plenty of time to spare.

"Airport roadways will be busy and congested and could contribute to delays for passengers and staff getting to the airport," according to the news release.

More: Cloud coverage will 'most likely' impede eclipse viewing in Texas, NWS reports

Will there be flight delays for the solar eclipse?

Possibly, the Austin airport warned of flight disruptions in air travel due to recently issued air traffic procedures by the Federal Aviation Administration for the eclipse. This could cause delays or changes to flights.

Expect lines for rental cars, airline ticket counters and security screening checkpoints. Build this additional time into your travel plan.

"AUS is prepared to utilize every square foot of the terminal to ensure a safe and smooth operation," according to the news release. "Extra Department of Aviation staff will be in the terminal to provide assistance to passengers and to help keep ticket counter and security screening lines organized."

More: Where to buy solar eclipse glasses, according to the experts

Can I still get a rental car at the airport for the solar eclipse?

Rental cars will be in high demand due to the nature of the event. Visitors will drive into Austin and fly out after the eclipse is over. The airport expects a high volume of rental car returns at the Rental Car Facility, making lines and wait times longer. Rental agencies are "100% booked" for available rentals on the day of the eclipse. They are also expected to be booked on April 9.

"The Department of Aviation is working with our rental car operators to support their operations contingency plan," according to the press release.

More: Austin airport's rental car agencies are '100% booked' for eclipse

Where to drop off passengers at the Austin airport?

Drop-off can happen at the upper departures or the lower arrival levels of the airport. The airport recommends dropping passengers off at whichever location is least congested.

Tips for traveling during the solar eclipse

• Get to the airport early: Plan to arrive at least two and a half hours before departure for domestic flights. International flights should arrive at least three hours in advance. If you have to return a rental car, check luggage or have a large group, plan to arrive even earlier than the two-and-a-half-hour early recommended arrival time.
• Keep traffic conditions in mind: Roadways outside of the airport will also be congested. Austin-Bergstrom airport recommends allowing for extra time while traveling to the airport.
• Returning a rental car: Rental cars must be returned by the renter in person at the Rental Car Facility. Plan to wait in line and allow for extra time on April 9 at the car drop-off.
• Getting assistance: There will be additional aviation staff on the day of the eclipse and after to provide support to travelers. You can also call the airport at 512-530-2242 if you need any assistance. The airport also will provide real-time updates via its X account .