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I’ve discovered the perfect campervan mattress

I’ve discovered the perfect campervan mattress

by | Mar 10, 2023 | Blog

campervan mattress

Hest sent Pam LeBlanc this memory foam campervan mattress. Chris LeBlanc photo

This may sound ridiculous, but I sleep better on the new campervan mattress in my Ford Transit than the one I’ve got in my bedroom at home.

I first heard about Hest, which makes an array of pillows, mattresses, and dog beds, when someone with the company asked if I’d like to test one of their camp pillows.

I politely declined. A pillow’s a pillow, right?

They kept at it. I got annoyed. I gave in, and Hest sent me a pillow. You can read what happened here. In a nutshell, the pillow – which folds into itself like a hedgehog – made me swoon.

So when Hest then asked if I’d like to test one of their high-dollar mattresses in my Ford Transit campervan, nicknamed Vincent VanGo, I immediately sent them my shipping address.

campervan mattress

The mattress was too wide for the platform, so Chris LeBlanc had to rearrange the furnishings. Chris LeBlanc photo

Testing the Hest Dually mattress

The mattress arrived in a long skinny carton, and the mattress itself was coiled up inside and secured with plastic bands. I figured the whole thing would explode when I cut the loops, but it just politely unrolled.

My husband Chris and I knew going in that the dimensions of the new mattress weren’t ideal for Vincent. A company in Colorado called Wayfarer kitted out our van, installing cabinets, a sink, and a platform for sleeping, complete with a mattress that was less than comfortable. We added a foam topper, but it still left something to be desired, especially for a side sleeper like me.

The Hest Dually, which folds in half and sleeps two, comes in two sizes – long, which measures 50 inches by 78 inches, or wide, which measures 60 by 72 inches. The platform in our van measures 72 inches by 54 inches.

Read more: After a hard day of skiing, kick back at Durango Hot Springs

Making it work

We opted for the wide, knowing it would droop over the edges of our platform by 6 inches. To accommodate the mattress, Chris pulled the bed platform out, to provide more room. The mattress now extends by 3 inches on either side.

Pulling out the sleeping platform meant Chris also had to move the kitchen counter and sink unit over a few inches too. Which meant he’d also have to trim a few inches off the fold-up desk he’d installed on the end of the cabinet, so I could sit in the driver’s seat and work on my computer.

He did all that. We unfurled the new mattress, hopped on top, and shut our eyes.

Holy frijoles it felt great.

HEST pillow

Pam LeBlanc cuddles up with her HEST pillow during a recent trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Photo by Chris LeBlanc

We drove Vincent VanGo to Pedernales Falls State Park for a night. The double layered memory foam mattress did its work. I felt great even when I rolled onto my side. My shoulders didn’t hurt.  ’m not going to say it was like sleeping on a cloud – clouds just collapse into ether. It was better – It provided support, but soft, cushioning support. And I didn’t overheat.
But the Hest mattress isn’t cheap. The wide model we have costs $599. The long is $549.

But it’s got some nice features. It folds in half and clips together. It’s got built in handles, so you can transport it like a giant floppy suitcase. The cover is washable.

If you’ve got a pickup truck, take note. It’s designed to allow you to place it in the bed of your truck and sleep.

As for me, I’m finding every excuse I can to hit the road and luxuriate in my new mattress.

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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It’s a beer, it’s a coffee – it’s new Suped Up, from Athletic Brewing Co.

It’s a beer, it’s a coffee – it’s new Suped Up, from Athletic Brewing Co.

by | Mar 8, 2023 | Blog

Suped Up

Athletic Brewing Company has introduced a new coffee-infused brew called Suped Up. Pam LeBlanc photo

​Coffee? Beer? Energy drink?

I’m seriously confused over the latest liquid offering from Athletic Brewing Company, which makes an array of non-alcoholic beer and markets it to folks who would rather work out than skip a swim, bike, or run because of a hangover.

Read more: Can a non-alcoholic beer stand up to regular craft brew?

A six-pack of a coffee-infused, extra dark brew called Suped Up arrived on my doorstep this week. The drink, a collaboration with Super Coffee, which makes keto-friendly coffee drinks without added sugar, has 5g of protein. Athletic Brewing Company is pushing it as a pre-workout swig.

Maybe it’s because I’m not a big coffee drinker – I prefer hot tea – but this just seems weird to me. I’d much rather enjoy a cold one after a good hard bike ride than beforehand.

Suped Up is made with water, malted barley, barley rice protein, coffee, oats, wheat, hops, yeast, and coffee flavoring. I know it’s not real beer, but even the thought of beer makes me feel a little bloated, so the idea of drinking it before a run makes me want to burp.

Giving Suped Up a try

Anyway, I cracked into one last night, during my regularly programmed evening neighborhood stroll. I didn’t want a cocktail, which is what I sometimes carry as I walk, and I thought maybe this would hit the spot.

I popped the top. It looked roughly like Diet Coke – fairly dark, not sugary, and with the vague aroma of the coffee maker my husband uses.

It tasted neither like beer, nor coffee, nor soda. I can only describe it as a fizzy and earthly, almost like a strange new twist on kombucha.

Not for me. But congrats, Athletic Brewing Company, I salute your spirit.

Interestingly, you can get a shirt to match the drink. Suped Up comes in a brown and yellow can, and the Athletic Brewing Company website sells a long-sleeved flannel shirt that matches for $60. I’ve already got one of those, but thanks.

Suped up sells for $14.99 here.

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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After a hard day of skiing, kick back at revamped Durango Hot Springs

After a hard day of skiing, kick back at revamped Durango Hot Springs

by | Feb 26, 2023 | Blog

Durango Hot Springs

Visitors soak in pools filled with naturally heated water at Durango Hot Springs & Resort. Pam LeBlanc photo

I consider myself a bit of a hot springs connoisseur.

I love bobbing in a naturally heated pool of water (kind of like a dumpling in a bucket of soup), especially after a rigorous day of skiing, hiking or mountain biking.

I’ve dipped a toe or 10 in geothermal springs across the western United States. The best are springs that burble up at the side of otherwise cool rivers, in the back country. They’re not developed, other than the rocks that someone stacked around them to trap the warmth.

Some require a long hike in, like one I stumbled upon while backpacking the High Sierra Trail in California. The small, hidden soaking pools tucked among pine forests in the Jemez area of New Mexico rank at the top, too, as do the more developed springs like Strawberry Springs near Steamboat, with its hippie vibe, and Pagosa Hot Springs & Resort, just down the road in southwestern Colorado.

Read more: At the Moose Hotel in Banff, a restored mail-order home inside a modern lodge

I’ve spent blissful hours soaking at Glenwood Hot Springs, Ouray Hot Springs, Mount Princeton Hot Springs, and Salida Hot Springs, all in Colorado; Boquillas Hot Springs in Big Bend National Park in Texas; and Heise Hot Springs in Idaho, too.

Durango Hot Springs

A bucket of steamy water splashes over Jordan Rane of Los Angeles at Durango Hot Springs & Resort. Pam LeBlanc photo

This week I added a new one to the list: Durango Hot Springs and Resort, located not far from Purgatory Ski Resort.

If you’ve visited Durango before, you may remember funky old Trimble Hot Springs. I never visited the place but know a few folks who loved it and were sad to see things change.

Changes at Durango Hot Springs

A new owner took over in 2019, turning the once humble destination into a much fancier resort. Today Durango Hot Springs features 41 soaking pools and water features, including what looks like a giant mining bucket near the entrance that slowly fills with water and tips over, gushing what looks like a bathtub full of steamy water over anyone standing beneath it, every 7 minutes.

Read more: After skiing hard, soak your legs in this natural hot springs

Unlike some hot springs, these don’t smell like sulfur, but they are loaded with minerals. In all, 32 minerals, including lithium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, fluoride, silica, and iron are found in the water. The resort’s website describes the benefits of each.

Temperatures in the soaking pools, staggered along a hillside, range from the mid-90s up to 112 degrees. The owners tout a special filtration system that infuses the water with oxygen bubbles. (Don’t worry, it’s not like soaking in Topo Chico – you can’t feel a difference.)

Durango Hot Springs

Visitors soak in geothermal pools at Durango Hot Springs in February 2023. Pam LeBlanc photo

Indigenous people used the geothermal pools hundreds of years ago. Later, pioneers soaked in the warm water, and the first hotel went up in 1882. A newspaper ad in 1884 described the old springs as a health resort – with a bar and billiard parlor on site. (It later burned, as did a building that replaced that original structure, according to the Animas Museum.) Marilyn Monroe visited in 1950s.

I made two visits to the hot springs last week. Nothing’s better than sitting in an outdoor tub filled with naturally heated water while snow sifts down on your head after a day of cat skiing in waist-deep powder.

If you go to Durango Hot Springs

The resort is located just north of Durango near the intersection of Highway 550 and Trimble Lane.

Proper swim attire is required. Remove jewelry or it might tarnish. Admission is $39 for adults or $15 for children. A special “club area” that includes private changing rooms, shows and private soaking tubs, costs extra.

The springs is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Reservations are recommended. During the summer, bands perform each Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9 p.m.

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, scientists work to save frogs, whales and more

At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, scientists work to save frogs, whales and more

by | Feb 19, 2023 | Blog

 
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra nature center is open to the public. Pam LeBlanc photo

A three-toed sloth dangled from a tree outside the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra Nature Center earlier this week, when I dropped by for a visit.

The long-haired hippie was on the move, too, slowly making its way along a branch. I like to think it was there to greet our group of 20 passengers making a field trip to the center during a week-long cruise aboard Le Bellot on a Smithsonian Journeys cruise.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute operates research facilties all over Panama, but this is the only one regularly open to the public, and the exhibits there give a glimpse into some important research that the organization is doing in Central America.

Panama is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. It’s home to roughly 2,300 species of trees, 1,700 species of fish and 1,800 species of butterflies.

Trying to save Panama’s iconic amphibians

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute house frogs to protect them from a fungus. Pam LeBlanc photo

Some of the center’s most important work involves the country’s iconic frogs. Since the 1990s, a fungus that dries the skin of amphibians has decimated frog populations across the country. Through the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, scientists are creating a sort of “ark” collecting individuals and keeping them in tanks to protect them from the fungus.

A few of those frogs are on display at the center. I peered into a tank and got a glimpse of a Panamanian golden frog, which is now functionally extinct in the wild, tucked in some lime-colored leaves.

It’s not just frogs. Scientists at the institute studying humpback whales, which migrate off the coast, worked to convince authorities to create traffic lanes for ships, to lower the chances of whale-ship interactions. The solution, simple but effective, has reduced such interactions by 95 percent.

sloth

This sloth hung in a tree outside the Smithsonian Tropical Research Instittute. Pam LeBlanc photo

We spent some time in an interactive section of the facility, where we looked through microscopes and touched some whale bones. Outside, we watched green iguanas that live on the grounds and spotted more sloths, including a mother with its baby.

Visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra center

The center is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for residents and $8 for non-residents, $2 for children and retirees. For more information go here.

 

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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Cruising through the Panama Canal on an inflatable unicorn

Cruising through the Panama Canal on an inflatable unicorn

by | Feb 16, 2023 | Blog

Smithsonian Journeys cruise

Two sailboats share a lock with Le Bellot during a Smithsonian Journeys Panama Canal cruise in February 2023. Pam LeBlanc photo

In one of the more surreal moments of my life, this week I climbed atop a unicorn-shaped inflatable toy and floated, in a swimming pool at the back of a cruise ship, through a set of locks in the Panama Canal.

It was an interesting perspective.

Smithsonian Journeys cruise

Pam LeBlanc floats on a pool toy at the back of a ship as it passes through the Panama Canal. Chris LeBlanc photo

Our ship, Le Bellot, was tethered to two train-like vehicles called mules that ran on tracks alongside the massive steel-gated chambers. Once we were in position, the water level in the chamber slowly dropped, and we proceeded to the next lock.

The entire 51-mile trip, from Atlantic to Pacific, took about eight hours and took us through six locks. And no, I didn’t ride the unicorn the entire time.

I’ve learned a lot since I boarded Le Bellot, which is carrying about 150 passengers on a week-long Smithsonian Journeys cruise round Panama and Costa Rica. We boarded in Colon, Panama. After a day in the San Blas Islands, we transited the canal. Now we’re motoring toward Costa Rica.

Smithsonian Journeys cruise Panama Canal

Entering the Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal. Pam LeBlanc photo

Ten interesting things I learned during a Panama Canal cruise:

  1. France began construction of the canal in 1881 but stopped due to high worker mortality and engineering problems. The United States took over in 1904 and the canal opened for business in 1914.
  2. American officials originally thought Nicaragua, not Panama, was the most feasible location for the canal.
  3. More than 25,000 people died during construction of the Panama Canal. Accidents like rockslides, plus mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever all took a terrible toll.
  4. Ships pass through a series of six locks that lift them 85 feet up to Gatun Lake and then, on the other side, lower them back down.
  5. The U.S. controlled the canal until 1977, when it handed over partial control to Panama. In 1999, the Panamanian government took over full control and now operates the channel.
  6. The original locks are 110 feet wide and 42 feet deep. Newer, 180-foot wide and 60-foot-deep lanes opened in 2016 to allow larger ships to pass through.
  7. Some ships were built to what is called “Panamax” size – the maximum size that fit through the original locks. Now we’ve got Post Panamax ships.
  8. Annual traffic on the Panama Canal was about 1,000 vessels in 1914. Today, between 30 and 40 ships transit the canal daily.
  9. The toll for a yacht less than 125 feet is a few thousand dollars. Cruise ships and cargo ships pay much (much!) more, based on boat type, size, and cargo.
  10. Explorer Richard Halliburton, who was born in Brownsville in 1900, paid 36 cents to swim through the canal in 1928.
Panama Canal

Between 30 and 40 ships transit the Panama Canal daily. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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Port Aransas gears up for Whooping Crane Festival

Port Aransas gears up for Whooping Crane Festival

by | Feb 7, 2023 | Blog

whooping cranes

The 26th annual Whooping Crane Festival takes place Feb. 23-26 in Port Aransas. Photo courtesy Whooping Crane Festival

Whooping cranes, take a bow.

Port Aransas is gearing up to celebrate the arrival of some of its most famous winter residents. The 26th Annual Whooping Crane Festival is set for Feb. 23-26, with bird-watching boat tours, bus tours, lectures, bird identification clinics and photography workshops.

The cranes’ story is an inspiring one. The population of whooping cranes, the tallest birds in North America, dwindled to about 20 in the 1940s. Fifteen of those animals migrated between Canada and Texas, and the rest lived in Louisiana. The Louisiana population went extinct, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, but the Texas population has since grown to about 800 individuals that migrate from Canada to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Read more: This HEST pillow is perfect for my campervan

They’re impressive. Adults, with snowy white feathers, black tipped wings, and a red patch of skin on their head, stand up to 5 feet tall. They move with a stately gait and have a loud call. Their courtship ritual includes a sort of dance – jumping, kicking, head bobbing and wing flapping. Their wingspans stretch up to 8 feet and they weigh 15 pounds.

whooping cranes

Whooping cranes are the tallest cranes in North America. Photo courtesy Whooping Crane Festival

More than 1,100 people attended last year’s festival. They spotted whooping cranes as well as 115 other species of birds.

Keynote speakers at the festival include David Newstead, director of the Coastal Bird Program; professional nature photographer Kathy Adams Clark; well-known birder Mikael Behrens; and Dr. George Archibald, founder of the International Crane Foundation. Representatives from conservation organizations and nature-related vendors will also be on hand.

 

 

Information on free and ticketed events can be found here.

For more information go to www.portaransas.org. 

 

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

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