Wings Over Manhattan

With a landmark birthday coming up soon, I've decided to treat myself to a few special gifts so i ring in the Big Five Oh in style this August. 

My first treat took place last week, when I took part in a one-day workshop on Aerial Photography organized by the Leica Akademie. 

The highlight of the course was a hands-on photo session of New York City at dusk from a doorless helicopter. 

Before stepping into the chopper, photographer Tom Grill guided our group of 8 "students" through the dos and don'ts of aerial photography, ensuring that once in the air, we were ready to make great photographs.

There are "3 main problems to overcome" in night time aerial photography, Grill explained: 

1. Achieving the correct exposure. 
2. Motion blur. 
3. Noise from high ISOs. 

Grill also said that the ideal time to shoot is during the Civil Twilight, right after sunset when the sun is just below the horizon but its rays still light up the sky. 

The workshop was held at a helicopter hangar in Kearney, NJ, about 9 miles as the crow flies from my office at the Empire State Building, and base of operations for an exciting new adventure company called FlyNyOn, which was founded in 2012 and provides professional aerial photography flights over NYC. 

Following a brief safety video, the FlyNyOn team rigged us up with harnesses, carabiners and straps for our cameras. Changing lenses or SD cards in-flight was strictly forbidden, so we had to choose our equipment carefully. 

I opted for a 24mm f1.4 Leica Summilux lens -- which was lent to me for the flight by John Kreider of the Leica Akademie -- on my M9 body. I also took along my Leica XU which sports a 35mm lens. I used 32MB and 64MB memory cards, respectively. 

With our cameras dangling from our harnesses, we rode golf carts across the helipad to a pair of helicopters - four of us to each along with an experienced pilot.

Strapped in to our seats (note to self: Test the integrity), the doors of the helicopters open to the Jersey air, the motors hummed to life, the propellers began churning, and we lifted into the sky. 

Timing our flight to start just past sunset at 8pm ET, we rose from the industrial swampland of Kearney and within 5 minutes were hovering just south of Lady Liberty, charting a course from the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan ("The money shot!" according to the FlyNyOn team), to the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges over the East River, to the Empire State Building, then down the west side to the new World Trade Center. 

"The minimum legal altitude for helicopters is NYC is 2,000 feet," said Grill. "The World Trade Center is 1,776 feet high, so you're right above it! You can get some great shots of this very important building."

TO BE CONTINUED...

My Itinerary for a Weeklong Adventure in Portugal

I’ve always been fascinated by my grandparents' escape from Europe during the war. 

It’s been forever part of our family’s oral history that Portugal was the country where they got their U.S. visas and caught a boat to New York. The year was 1940 and my grandmother was nine months’ pregnant with my Dad. 

Inspired by their experience as refugees 77 years ago, I planned a weeklong trip to Portugal this summer, retracing the route that my grandparents paved during those dark days of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. 

My plan is to see Portugal as they saw it, so I’m starting in Coimbra (where my grandparents first tried to get visas), continuing on to Porto (where they got their visas) and ending in Lisbon (where they caught a ship bound for America). 

While it’s doubtful that my family went fishing during their stay on the Iberian Peninsula, I’m going to squeeze in a day of trout fishing in the Minho Province in the far north, near the frontier of Spain. Here’s my plan for Portugal for June 2017. 

Thursday 6/15 – Fly NYC to Lisbon
Delta #473 – Leaves JFK 10:13PM, Arrives LIS 10:30AM

Friday 6/16 – Arrive Lisbon, train to Coimbra
Overnight at Guesthouse Casa Pombal

Saturday 6/17 – Morning in Coimbra, train to Porto
Overnight at Vintage Vestana Porto

Sunday 6/18 – Walking tour of Porto
Ricardo Brochado, The City Tailors
Overnight at Vintage Vestana Porto 

Monday 6/19 – Morning in Porto, bus to Ponte de Barca
Overnight at Casa Nobre do Correio Mor

Tuesday 6/20 – Full day trout fishing in Minho Province
Pedro Lopes, Cavado Fly Fishing
Overnight at Casa Nobre do Correio Mor 

Wednesday 6/21 – Bus/train to Lisbon
Overnight at The Independente Suites & Terrace

Thursday 6/22 – Full day Lisbon
Overnight at The Independente Suites & Terrace

Friday 6/23 – Full day Lisbon
Overnight at The Independente Suites & Terrace 

Saturday 6/24 – Fly Lisbon to NYC

TRANSPORTATION:

Train: Lisbon Oriente to Coimbra
1:39pm - 3:51pm (13:39 - 15: 51)
2:09pm - 4:14pm (14:09 - 16:14)

Train: Coimbra to Porto
1:43pm - 4:25pm (13:43 - 16:25)
2:53pm - 5pm (14:53 - 17:00)
4:59pm - 6:50 (16:59 - 18:50)

Express bus: Porto Airport to Ponte de Barca
10:45 - 12:45
13:05 - 15:05
15:50 - 17:50
19:00 - 21:00

Train: Alfa Pendular fast train from Braga to Lisbon
Departs 6:07am, 1:07pm, 6:07pm, 8:07pm

A Search Through Portugal

"The Last Old Place"

Type of work: Travel literature
Author: Datus C. Proper
Locale: Portugal
First published: 1992

Twenty years ago I attended a writing course in Corte Madera, California, taught by the esteemed Welsh historian, author and travel writer Jan Morris.

Upon hearing of my interest in writing about travel and fly-fishing, Morris suggested I read a book called “The Last Old Place: A Search Through Portugal” by a writer named Datus Proper.

“He’s a wonderful American author who travels the length of Portugal and does some fishing along the way,” said Morris, who wrote the forward for “The Last Old Place.”

"The Last Old Place" by Datus C. Proper. 

Now, years later, I am planning my first-ever trip to Portugal, so I figured it was finally time to take up Jan Morris on her book recommendation.

In “The Last Old Place,” the author Proper takes readers along as he and a Portuguese friend named Adriano (a loveable old-timer) crisscross their way from the far south of Portugal to the northern frontier with Spain, a journey across time and space, with some trout fishing thrown in for good measure.

Proper and Adriano start in the port of Sagres, where we learn about Portugal’s Age of Discovery, from the end of the 15th century to the 18th century when “the Portuguese took their sphere’s measure, found the relation of its pieces, and tied them together with maps.”

Next up was the arid and off-the-beaten path region of Alentejo, where we follow the duo wandering the cobblestoned streets of ancient walled villages, dining in humble pensaos and exploring hilltop castles.

When Adriano hosts Proper at his family’s country home outside the college town of Coimbra, the fishing begins. Fly-fishing for brown trout, to be specific, on the Rio Mandego and some of its tributaries.

“Trout fishing is, in Portuguese, apaixonante. The translation would be ‘passion-inducing’ in our tongue, which is shy in curling around such thoughts … Passion was interrupted by the donkey and the miller, in that order. The burro was plodding up the trail under two sacks smelling of ground maize.”

Ultimately, as a fisherman myself, these were my favorite passages in “The Last Old Place.” Proper, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, writes with a self-deferential tone that is endearing to both the reader and the Portuguese he meets along the way. He shines a light on little-known Portugal – “a land that is all heroes and no resources” – and its historical destiny of achieving independence from the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, on the flank of Spain.

In her forward, Morris explained that good travel books strike a subtle balance between description and self-portrait. The best travel books, she theorized, go one step further and made the reader feel that writer and destination were made for each other. Bruce Chatwin and Patagonia. Paul Theroux and the Chinese rail system. Bill Bryson and the Appalachian Trail.

The Portuguese-speaking, fly-casting Datus Proper achieves, in my view, travel-writing immortality with “The Last Old Place,” a perfect partnership between the writer and the Portuguese Republic.

“But then it is really hardly a travel book at all, in any conventional sense,” Morris wrote, “but more the record of an easy friendship between a man and nation – the man’s emotions, the nation’s presence, inextricably blended.”

The Crossing: A Journey to the Fly Fishing Show

As a jaded New Yorker with decades of memories on my side, it takes a lot to get me to travel all the way across the river to New Jersey. 

Over the last few years, I've crossed the Hudson to see Lebron, the Stones, Wilco, the Copa America Finals and my photographer friend Jay Seldin, and that's about it. 

But last weekend the Fly Fishing Show rolled into Somerset, N.J., and so I made the trek on the final day of the three-day expo on all things fly-fishing. 

Along the way, I passed through two towns that played a big part of my early years: Plainfield, where my Mom was born; and Perth Amboy, home to my grandmother Rose when I was a little boy. 

Steal Your Face reel. 

Arriving at the show in Somerset, it was great to see Jim Klug at the Yellow Dog Fly Fishing booth. We became friends at the Fly-Fishing Photography School last October in Belize that he organized. 

It was also fun meeting famed fly tier Enrico Puglisi and telling him we have a mutual friend: the one and only Alejandro Hernandez of Campeche Tarpon. Pugilisi's wide grin upon hearing Alejandro's name was worth the $20 admission alone. 

My real motivation for attending the show, along with discovering the latest and greatest gear, from rods to reels to flies, was exploring some of the fishing lodges, outfitters and guides that work in the industry. 

Enrico's vice and work station. 

Lakutaia Lodge in Chile in one such operation. Located on Navarino Island in the Cape Horn watershed of southern Patagonia, the lodge offers helicopter-fishing for large brown trout, monster brookies, rainbow trout and sea-run browns. Lakataia is a new lodge that offers adventurous (and well-heeled) anglers a new frontier in Patagonia. 

"We are the southernmost heli-fishing operation in the world," said William Kosmer, fly fishing ambassador for Lakutaia. "We are just now discovering some of the rivers in the Cape Horn region." 

I also met Hogni Hardarson, a young professional fishing guide in Iceland. His company Fish Parnters offers guided fishing in some of the most beautiful parts of the country: Lake Thingvallavatn, the Central Highlands, Tungnaa River, Volcano Lake and more. 

Fishing map. 

Having been to magical Iceland twice before but never to fish, I started plotting my return in search of salmon, trout and Arctic char. Indeed, I am going to keep Hogni's business card on me for that very time. 

Most exciting was stopping by the booth of Tsimane Lodge in Bolivia, which is a place I'd like to go, possibly later this year as I celebrate a landmark birthday (gulp!). It was also great timing because Marcelo Perez, the founder of the remote lodge located deep in the Amazon jungle, was giving an hour-long presentation on Tsimane.

Perez explained that in the jungle there are many exotic species of fish to catch but at Tsimane the main prize is golden dorado. 

"The golden dorado is a beautiful fish that jumps like a tarpon, hits like a GT, and runs like a bonefish," he said. "All these things add up to the golden dorado."

The latest fly rods. 

Unlike northern Argentina, where anglers catch golden dorado in wide, murky rivers, at Tsimane the fishing is done in fast-running clear-water streams.

"It's relative to a creek in Montana," Perez said. 

The local indigenous Indians think of the golden dorado "as sacred, like a king" due to their symbiotic relationship. During the great migration of the sabalo fish, the golden dorados feed and drive the sabalo to the river banks, where they can be killed by bow and arrow.

"The golden dorados and the Indians hunt together," Perez said. 

By the time Perez's presentation was over, I was completely sold on Tsimane and this adventurous, once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip. 

As we shook hands goodbye I told Perez that I would hopefully see him in October at Tsimane. 

"See you in October," he said. "We will have a cold Bolivian beer." 

From New York to Bolivia, by way of the Hudson.

The Border Trilogy

"The Crossing"

Type of work: Novel
Author: Cormac McCarthy (1933-)
Type of plot: Contemporary fiction
Time of plot: 1938-1945
Location: New Mexico and Mexico
First published: 1994

"The Crossing" is the second novel in Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. It begins in the late 1930s and ends in approximately 1945 when the United States enters World War II. 

Billy Parham, 16 years old, traps a wolf that has been threatening his family's small ranch in New Mexico. Rather than kill the predator, Parham journeys across the border to return the animal to its rightful home in Mexico. 

This is the first of three crossings that Parham makes in the novel. Each of his trips is motivated by an almost mythic sense of duty and Western ethic. Each of the trips into the wild mountains and villages of northern Mexico is fraught with danger. 

"The Crossing" is both a coming-of-age story and road trip. Parham encounters an eclectic band of characters, travelers, truth seekers, bandits, gypsies and vaqueros along the way. 

Parham is not unlike John Grady Cole, the protagonist in "All the Pretty Horses," which is the first volume of the Border Trilogy. Both Cole and Parham are examples of the archetypal Western individualist: brave, principled, laconic, resourceful and with a wry and surprising sense of humor. 

The overarching theme of the novel is the end of the mythic American West and its impact of this transformation on those who had no interest in the new modern, urbanized reality. 

When Parham encounters an American stranger in Mexico near the end of the novel, they share this conversation:

"This world will never be the same."

"I know. It ain't now."

The author paints a vivid picture of the epic American hero in "The Crossing," and I enjoyed following Parham's trek through time and space. The prose is rich and wonderful, in classic McCarthy style. 

The ending surprised me and left me wanting more. Luckily, in the "Cities of the Plain," the final installment of the Border Trilogy, Billy Parham and John Grady Cole cross paths. 

It is no wonder that McCarthy is often called the William Faulkner of the American Southwest. 

Final Stop on Taco Tour

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- Any Taco Tour worth its salt needs to include at least three taquerias. It's like my old journalism professor Sam Archibald used to say about news stories. You need to include more than one source. Same thing with Taco Tours. 

So far, in San Antonio I've tried the pork belly tacos at La Gloria and the BBQ brisket and carne asada at Maria's Cafe. My time in the Alamo City was running short, though. I went back to the concierge at Hotel Emma and asked for advice. Is there anything near the hotel that's worth sampling? 

Taqueria Chapala Jalisco at night. 

"Yes, there are a couple options," said Hugh Daschbach, Emma's extremely helpful culinary concierge. He drew me a map of nearby streets -- "take Grayson to St. Mary's to McCullough" -- with all points leading to Taqueria Chapala Jalisco. 

The restaurant was big and bright and packed with families enjoying a Saturday night dinner. While San Antonio is known for its Tex-Mex, Taqueria Chapala Jalisco was another all Mexican option in the city. 

I ordered a Negro Modelo and savored the spicy green salsa on the chips, while I ordered my al pastor and carne asada tacos in Spanish. As I waited for the food, I noticed Christmas stockings on the walls, one for each of the friendly waitresses: Gabby, Sofia, Tania...

The tacos were huge, morsels of pork meat, pineapple, onions and lettuce and wrapped in corn tortillas along with the carne asada steak tacos. Compared to my other tacos in San Antonio, these were the largest. The al pastor taco was the star of the show, at once sweet and spicy.

Carne asada tacos at La Gloria in the San Antonio International Airport. 

Alas, my Taco Tour had come to an end. Or had it? The following morning on my way out of town, I stopped again at La Gloria's, this one in the San Antonio International Airport. With a college bowl game on the tube, I ordered an Alamo Golden Ale and three carne asada tacos.

(No comment on the Oklahoma State fans who sat next to me, criticizing the fact that Colorado had been favored in the Alamo Bowl, sore winners to the core.)

Served on small corn tortillas, the tacos were spiced perfectly with chili and charred to perfection. Despite being served in the homogenous confines of an airport terminal, they were the best tacos of my tour in San Antonio. And a deal at only $5. 

As I boarded my Delta flight back to New York City, my Taco Tour was now officially over. It was only a quick visit but through tacos I experienced a slice of authentic San Antonio. I know my old journalism professor, so tough to please back in the day, would've been proud. 

Losing track of time at Hotel Emma

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- My base camp for San Antonio was Hotel Emma, which opened last November in the Pearl District, about a mile north of downtown.

The hotel building was originally Pearl's Brewhouse, built in 1894 and a San Antonio landmark ever since. It was designed by Chicago architect August Maritzen in the Second Empire style.

Hotel Emma. 

Pearl was the only San Antonio brewery to survive Prohibition, thanks primarily to Emma Koehler's astute leadership during those lean years (she kept the brewery going by converting operations to dry cleaning to auto repair). The fortunes of the brewery rose and fell during the next six decades until it was closed down in 2001. 

The library at Hotel Emma. 

Today, Emma is a vibrant 146-room boutique hotel with a handsome bar and club rooms, an excellent restaurant and brewery, the city's best hotel gift shop, a gourmet grocery and public spaces reminiscent of fine old hotels in far-flung locales.  

My favorite spot at Emma was the hotel library, which boasts an eclectic collection of books and texts and features an upper deck with a wraparound counter and stools. 

It's here that I enjoyed coffee each morning along with an Emma tradition: a welcome La Babia Margarita -- a simple drink named after La Babia Hacienda in Coahuila, Mexico --  surrounded by books on brewing, travel, Turkish traditional art, Texas flora and fauna, Mexican folk art, Australian aboriginals, aviation, astronomy, philosophy, fishing, world history and more. 

The welcome La Babia Margarita at Hotel Emma. 

Although I didn't spend much time in my room, my "Classic Brewmasters" king on the third floor -- a few doors down from the outdoor pool -- was pretty sweet. For two nights, I enjoyed the king bed, my view of the front courtyard and fresh macarons delivered nightly from an on-site bakery. 

Brewhouse king room at Emma. 

The culinary scene at Emma is also a main draw. The in-house restaurant is called Supper, and it showcases Chef John Brand's take on South Texas farm to table.

I highly recommend getting a spot at the chef's counter, with a view into the open kitchen, and no matter what you order you won't be disappointed. The menu is approachable and offers several small plates that are perfect for sharing. It's no wonder this is one of the hottest tables in SA. 

The newly opened Southerleigh Brewing Company is another solid option at Emma. Along with typical brewery fare, the friendly bartenders at Southerleigh serve up an impressive list of draught beers including Texas Uncommon IPA, Downtown Mrs. Brown and the sake-infused Godzilla Go Ale.  

Emma sits on a bend of the San Antonio, technically part of the city's famed river walk but far from the touristy hordes downtown. I enjoyed getting to know this South Texas city for the first time, and Emma was a big part of my experience. I lost track of time lounging in the lobby, surrounded by 19th-century machinery, piping and levers.

As a neoyorquino constantly rushing from place to place, losing track of a little time in Texas wasn't such a bad thing. 

Maria's Cafe

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- The morning after the Alamo Bowl, I had some coffee in the stately library of Hotel Emma, which opened last November after renovation of the 19th century Pearl Brewery. 

My mission for the day was to see a bit of San Antonio and eat as many tacos as possible. I had a few names of taco spots from research I had done online. 

"These look pretty good," said Hugh Daschbach, the concierge at Emma, when I showed him my taqueria list. He put stars next to a few spots he recommended. "But if it's OK, I'd like to add another place to your list: Maria's Cafe on Nepalito Road in Southtown."

"There's a saying here - puro San Antonio, which means pure San Antonio," said Daschbach, who is a bonafide globetrotter with deep Southern roots. "Maria's is puro San Antonio. It'a tiny place, family owned, tons of random things on the walls. Lots of local character. Everyone in San Antonio has their favorite taqueria. My go-to spot is Maria's."

Maria's. 

Maria's is an unassuming cafe located about a mile south of the city's touristy center, in a neighborhood (Southtown) where locals outnumber visitors. There are 8 tables inside, tight aisles, and I shared a spot in the back with a regular named Cheryl, who was enjoying a torta dripping with salsa.

Maria was at the register in front, and the walls were covered with random ephemera such as gas station signs, black and whites of old-time Hollywood stars and a painting of the Virgin Mary. 

Maria's daughter Leslie sat down at the table and guided me through the menu. "You have to try the barbecue brisket tacos. My Dad smokes the brisket and people really love it." I ordered a couple along with a carne asada taco. All the tortillas are made in house and I opted for a trifecta of corn, flour and whole wheat. 

Like most traditional taquerias in San Antonio, Maria's is only open from early morning to 2pm. Cheryl finished her torta and said goodbye. Her spot was taken by Lester, a mustachioed local who greeted me with "How's it going, brother?" The TV above my right shoulder was turned to the news. 

The tacos arrived. The tacos soon disappeared. What do you think, asked Leslie. I said that, while I liked the carne asada, I loved the brisket. The meat was shredded and paired perfectly with onions, cilantro and salsa, with a smoky after taste that screamed Texas. 

She smiled. "Yeah, people really love the brisket. We make it with nachos, enchiladas, tacos. People sprinkle that brisket on just about everything," 

It would be tough to compare the pork belly tacos I had yesterday at La Gloria to these brisket tacos. As if they were my children, I love them equally. But the atmosphere at Maria's set this place apart. It was an authentic spot, that told me something about the city. This is where neighbors gathered to share tacos, tortillas and the news. Puro San Antonio. 

Cowboys and Buffaloes

CU knows no defeat
We'll roll up a mighty score
Never give in

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- Standing in the longest beer line ever, I started chatting with the woman standing in front of me. We were surrounded by a sea of black-clad Buffaloes fans, people of all ages, in the shadow of San Antonio's Tower of Americas, which was lit up in black and gold. 

I can't believe how many CU fans made the trip to San Antonio, I remarked. There were hundreds if not thousands of people here at the official tailgate party. Well, it's been a long time since we were good, the woman replied. Ain't that the truth. When did you go to Colorado? I told her I graduated in 1989. 

"I'm 1987," she said with a wink. "We probably went to a few of the same parties."

After a special appearance by Ralphie and her cowboy handlers -- "Step right up folks and get your photo taken with the best mascot in college sports!" - it was time to head across the street to the Alamo Dome for the big game. Along the way, we had to stop to let the Oklahoma State band enter the stadium. "Go Pokies," they shouted as the tuba players and their counterparts passed.

I sat in the front row of section 209, in the heart of the CU section on the 25-yard line. To my right was a diehard fan named Gordon, who went to CU from 1969-1973 and says he's been to every home game in Boulder since, roughly 300 games in a row. 

"You came all the way from New York, by yourself, just to see the Buffs?" he asked me. I nodded. "Alright, that's very cool" he said as we fist-bumped.  

On my left was a Texas couple that drove in from their ranch west of town. "We come every year just to see the football," the wife said. Her husband said to me, "You ought to see our place, it's a lot different than New York City. We've got rattlesnakes and coyotes, they howl at the moon at night."

Unfortunately, the game wasn't much of a game. Despite being ranked No. 10 in the country heading in, the Buffs never got on track and the 12th ranked Cowboys took advantage, crushing Colorado, 38-8.

It was still a great season for the Buffs -- only the fourth time in history a Colorado team won 10 games -- one that will be remembered for a long time despite the way it ended. It was fun to be a CU fan again this year, and I was eager to be a part of it. 

The Alamo. 

Gordon invited me to join him at a Buffs game anytime I'm in Boulder. I mean it, he said. We said goodbye and I walked into the San Antonio night. It was a 1.5-mile trek to my hotel but I needed the fresh air after sitting in the dome for the last few hours. 

The streets were full of black- and orange-clad fans, and the air was thick with revelry. I walked past the famed Alamo, lit up against the maroon sky, surrounded by office buildings, and took a left on St. Mary's, no longer downtown.  

Shoulder to shoulder
We will fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight

The Taco Tour

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- I had an ulterior motive for wanting to visit San Antonio. While Austin, located about an hour to the north, is known for its Texas-style barbecue, San Antonio has long been lauded for its Tex-Mex and tacos. I love tacos. I love taco tours. 

The first stop on my Texas taco tour was La Gloria, which was conveniently located next to Hotel Emma in the Pearl District, my base camp in San Antonio. Arriving on game day a few hours before the Alamo Bowl kickoff, I grabbed a seat at the outdoor bar and ordered some tacos. 

La Gloria, San Antonio. 

La Gloria celebrates the rich cuisine of Mexico -- not Tex-Mex -- and chef Johnny Hernandez has traveled far and wide seeking the best regional recipes, from queso fundido from Chihuahua and tlayudas from Oaxaca to tacos de bistec from Nuevo Leon and agua chile from Sinoloa. 

I opted for an order of puerquito echado tacos -- pork belly marinated with cloves and chilies and grilled. The tacos came 3 to an order, made with homemade corn tortillas, small and street style.

Along with a cold Bohemia served in a frosty mug, and some red and green salsas, the tacos were crunchy, spicy and delicious. It was no surprise that La Gloria is one of the most beloved Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, with a location in the city's international airport. My taco tour was off to a great start.

Remember the Alamo

Fight, CU down the field
CU must win
Fight, fight for victory

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- It's been more than 25 years since I traveled to see my alma mater play in a bowl game. 

That was 1990 and the Orange Bowl in Miami between Colorado and Notre Dame. Now, I'm flying to San Antonio to see the resurgent Buffs play Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl, a rematch of conference foes from the famed Big Eight. 

This has been a special season for the Buffs, who won 10 games and went from last place to first place in the Pac 12 South. It's been 10 long years since the Buffs had a winning record, and for the most of the last decade they were getting slaughtered on a weekly basis. 

So I figured I had to be there, I had to travel to Texas for the bowl game. Besides, the Colorado mascot Ralphie -- a live buffalo -- was also making the journey to San Antonio and I wanted to get a photo with her at the official CU tailgate before the game. 

Only a couple more hours and my direct Delta flight from JFK will land, deep in the heart of Texas...

First Salmon

Silver Anniversary

Fly-fishing in the Great White North

STEADY BROOK, NEWFOUNDLAND -- It was raining again when John Wight picked me up at the Marble Inn for another day of salmon fishing. 

"Are we stopping at Jimmy's?" I asked. 

"Oh yeah," John said as he drove us in his van to Corner Brook and our first stop -- caffeine and breakfast at the town's obligatory Tim Horton's. 

Soon we were back in the tiny village of Gallants -- population about 100 -- and up the dirt road that skirts Harry's River to the same pool where I hooked two fish yesterday morning. 

"The water level is dropping," said John, a fishing guide who's been working these waters in Newfoundland all his life. "It should be good. Salmon move upstream when the water level drops."

He was right but the water level was still higher than yesterday. Rocks visible then were no longer in sight. And man oh man, the water was cold! 

Wading even a few feet out was treacherous -- with water moving upstream and down -- the rain was still steady, and we decided after a half hour to move downstream to another spot. 

Alexalnder's Pool -- about a mile away and named after Mr. Alexander, who lived in front of the pool for decades -- was our next stop, close to Gallants. 

John and I waded into the shallow pool -- in Newfoundland it's illegal for a non-resident to fish for salmon without a guide and also illegal for a guide to fish while with a client. I was casting in the pool when we both saw a fish jump, very close to the end of my drift. 

"There must be another one right there," John said. "Salmon are like women going to the bathroom. They never travel alone." 

One hundred more casts and no luck. I could barely feel my toes. It was July but still unbearably cold in the water. John said it was about as cold as it gets. I needed to warm up so we retreated to his van, clicked on the heat and thawed out. The rain didn't let up and I thought about packing it in for the day. But I had a few casts left in me. OK let's do this. 

We stepped back into the cold rain, into the river and assumed our position at the top of a shallow pool. Another half hour passed, uneventful except we saw the old fishermen we'd met earlier on the road; they were heading home, driven away by the nasty conditions. 

Every 15 casts, I took a step down and a step toward the bank, so that my fly drifted to a slightly different spot in the pool. My feet were numb. My sunglasses were speckled with raindrops. I was miserable and wondering what in the hell I was doing out here, freezing my ass off in the wilds of Canada. 

A few more casts and I'm done. I physically could not take this much longer. OK if we call it a day soon. Course, John said. "The most important thing is for you to be comfortable." He was smoking a cigarette. 

Five more casts, I thought to myself. This is ridiculous. That's when I felt a slight tug at the end of my line. I lifted my rod tip, set the hook and the fish was on. The rod bent and the salmon took off downstream. 

"Great job!!!" John said, as he scurried to shore in search of his net. I didn't say a word but focused on keeping the rod bent, reeling when the fish allowed and letting the fish run when it wanted to run. I played this fish perfectly -- after losing two fish yesterday there was no way I blowing this one. It took about 15 minutes to reel her in. 

"Yes!!!!" John screamed. The fish was gorgeous, about 8 pounds, bright silver with a smidge of sea lice on her tail. "It was probably in the ocean 2 days ago." 

We snapped a few pics and I clumsily released the catch. Back in the van, where John and I tried to return feeling to our toes, I drank a victory beer. Molson, of course. 

If you go: The Marble Inn is ideally located near some of the best salmon rivers in all of Newfoundland. John Wight is the main fishing guide at the inn. 

Travel Year in Review - Best Hotel

 

The inn at the edge of the world

Icebergs and whales in Canada's wild Atlantic coast

To reach the Quirpon Island Lighthouse Inn, the first thing you'll to do is fly into the nearest international airport in Deer Lake. 

From YZE, one of the great small airports in the world, you drive north on highway 430, also known as the Viking Trail, with the Gulf of St. Lawrence to your left and the rocky Long Range Mountains on your right. 

It's a 4 hour trip but you can stop for a rest at any of the pullouts along the road, look out to the sea and Labrador beyond, and there's a good chance you'll spot whales, mostly humpbacks cruising about a half-mile offshore or a pod of orcas skirling close to the cliffs. 

Turn off the road a few miles before the town of St. Anthony and head west -- you're now only a few miles from L'anse Aux Meadows, a World Heritage Site where the Vikings first landed on North America 1,000 years ago.

Hang a right and head north to the sleepy fishing village of Quirpon (pronounced kar-poon). Here you may get your first spotting of icebergs, floating in the protected cove, two years removed from drifting off Greenland. 

You'll also meet Angus Simpson, co-owner of the Quirpon Island Lighthouse Inn. Think Viggo Mortensen with tall rubber rain boots, wool sweater and Siberian husky by his side. He'll introduce you to a local fisherman named Hubert, who will ferry you by boat across a channel to Grandmother's Cove on Quirpon Island, off the northwest tip of Newfoundland. 

It's a 3 mile hike to the lighthouse from Grandmother's Cove, across a treeless landscape of moorish hills and rocky cliffs. Madonna and Mariah, locals from Quirpon who have worked at the inn since it opened 18 years ago, greet you at the front door atop the porch.

"Hello, dear, come in and get warm," says Madonna. They're both wearing old-fashioned, flowery aprons and in the middle of cooking supper. Have some coffee and cookies in the meantime. Take a look around...

Built in 1922 as a light keeper's home on the shores of "Iceberg Alley," the inn was restored by Angus and his partner Ed English of Linkum Tours and features 10 rooms at the base of the still- operating lighthouse, a Registered Heritage Building. 

Supper is served at a communal table, where you meet travelers from all parts of Canada and around the world. Angus sits at the head of the table and over wine he introduces newcomers to this special place at the edge of the world. 

"The currents here are so unique because they move in both directions," he says. "Sometimes you sit at the table here and you can see an iceberg float by the window one way, an then it turns around and floats past the other way.

"That's what draws all the herring and mackerel and seals, and that's what brings the whales, it's a smorgasbord for them." 

After a dessert of apple pie, go outside to catch the sunset as a rainbow arches its way across the barren landscape, the inn and wild northern sea. There are humpback whales in the protected cove below the lighthouse, maybe two dozen, and they've corralled a school of herring into the dead end and are feasting. This will go on for days, a performance that resembles a ballet, slow and rhythmic, their deep breaths bouncing off the cliffs as they breach the surface of the sea.  

A surreal day in the day is almost over but not before a nightcap in the inn's cozy den, where maps and photos and books on Newfoundland satisfy the curious. Share a few stories with your new friends. They now feel like old friends.

"This is what Newfoundland is all about," says Emma, a native Newfoundlander who now lives in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. 

"It reminds me of how amazing nature is," says Pam from Newcastle, England. 

"This is something you'll never forget," says Ross from Montreal, a red Habs cap on his head. 

Outside the fog is rolling in and the wind is blowing, here at the edge of the world. 

If you go: Deer Lake (YZE) is the closest international airport to the Quirpon Inn Lighthouse Inn. WestJet flies there from the East Coast. The inn is run by Linkum Tours (http://www.linkumtours.com/), based in Steady Brook, Newfoundland. 

Cuba Through a Photographer's Eye

Book Review: "The Cubans" by Jay Seldin

Photographer Jay Seldin made his first trip to Cuba nearly a decade ago, at the end of the Bush administration.

"I came with a group of artists on an exchange program," Seldin said. "There was no real program for us. We just wandered the streets. When I got home and looked at my work, I realized that Cuba was really a haven for photographers. And I thought other photographers would like the same opportunity I had."

"The Cubans."

Seldin, who lives in Montclair, New Jersey, and spent decades in the NJ School System as a teacher, started organizing photography trips to Cuba under the people-to-people tour license.

When I traveled to Cuba on one of his trips in 2014, it was obvious that Seldin had become a Cuban insider, maintaining close contacts in the Cuban community, which afforded him great photo opportunities -- in dance halls, private homes, boxing gyms and tobacco farms, wherever the Cubans lived, prayed and worked. 

Now, Seldin has published a new photography book called "The Cubans," which is the culmination of years of discovery and the fruit of those labors. The book was inspired by Robert Frank's "The Americans," a highly influential photography book published in beat-generation 1958, which itself was influenced by the work of photographer Walker Evans.

Seldin's photos of everyday Cuba are presented simply -- in black and white -- with only brief captions: "Waiting for the barber." "Jesus and dominoes." "The handshake." There are funeral processions, kids walking to school, car mechanics, military men, worshippers, baseball players, Che posters and lots of candy-colored apartment buildings with bright paint, much of it peeling and disintegrating in the salty sea air of Havana.

Jay Seldin, right, with Cuban photophers Alain Gutierrez, left, and Eduardo Garcia, center.

One of my favorite photos in the book is titled "Stairway to the Home." Three people share a narrow staircase leading to their apartments. A little girl in a school uniform scurries past a shirtlesss man in flip flops. There are no guardrails and the whole thing looks like it's about to come crashing down -- which, sadly, happens a lot in crumbling Havana. A tangled mess of electrical wires frames the image perfectly. (As anyone who has been to Cuba knows, you could do a whole photo book on electrical wires!)

The opening of Cuba to travelers from the United States makes this the perfect time for "The Cubans" to be published and reviewed. Americans are curious to see this country that has been forbidden for the last six-plus decades, since Fidel Castro's Revolution in 1959.

When I visited Cuba with Seldin in December 2014, we were lucky to be in the tobacco country town of Vinales when Presidents Raul Castro and Barak Obama announced their agreement "to move on a path towards the future, and leave behind some of the circumstances of the past that have made it so difficult" and restore diplomatic relations. Our state appointed guide, upon hearing the news via a text message, was equally shocked and excited, as were we.

"That was a great moment," Seldin said. "For Obama to say the embargo didn't work was a victory for the Cubans. He was correcting a wrong, which is what I think democracy is all about."

"The Cubans" is Seldin's testament to this changing country, a snapshot of a place and time, and a bittersweet work of art that does a thoughtful job of capturing the island and its people. -- Andrew Tarica

For more information or to purchase "The Cubans," visit www.thecubansphotobook.com.

Travel Thoughts On A Snowbound Weekend

Winter storm Jonas said hello to New York City this weekend, and I've been snowbound in my apartment. 

Truth be told, I spent much of the time wandering through the lonely streets of Manhattan, knee deep in powder, enjoying the snowpocalypse that delivered about 30 inches of the white stuff. Indeed it's a good day in NYC when you can wear your ski pants and goggles to your local pub for dollar beers. 

Still a snow day in January is a great time to start plotting future adventures later in the calendar year. For me personally, as of now I only have a couple of long weekend trips planned -- Spring Training in Florida and my annual guys ski trip to Alta -- and nothing else. Where is my big trip going to be in 2016? 

Each year I attend the NY Times Travel Show for some travel inspiration. The show is a bit geeky and not for everyone but it's basically a huge trade show for tourism bureaus and tour operators from around the world. 

At last year's show I picked up some information at the Japan booth on Kanazawa, aka "the real Japan," and a few months later I was there, staying at a ryokan, eating insane sushi and tenkara fishing in the local river. You never know what will spark an interest.

Here are 5 places that I found most intriguing at this year's show: 

1. Newfoundland -- I met Ed English, who owns an operator called Linkum Tours, at the Canada pavilion. English's Quirpon Lighthouse Inn, located on a tiny island off the north coast of Newfoundland in the Strait of Belle Isle, is a prime spot for viewing icebergs and whales. Also nearby is hiking in Gros Morne National Park and fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon in the rivers of the Northern Peninsula. English can help a weeklong trip combining a few days at the lighthouse with a few days near the best fishing and hiking. Seems to me like the perfect place for a writing retreat!

2. Spain & Portugal – These are really two separate trips but for the purpose of this list I am combining them, mainly because I can’t decide which interests me more now. I traveled to Spain in 2014, and I would love to return and explore more. The food alone (tapas!!!) makes a trip worthwhile. At the show, I picked up a road map of Basque Country and was amazed at how vast the region is – hundreds of tiny villages along the coastline and in the mountains. As for Portugal, a trip to culture capital Lisbon and the nearby province of Sintra is enticing. Cabo da Roca, situated at the very end of the Sierra de Sintra, is the westernmost point of the European continent.

3. Ireland – I’ve never been to Ireland, but everyone raves about it. In fact, it has been on my mind the past few years as a possible destination. Wild West Irish Tours runs small group adventures focused on the West Coast. Note to self: Research the fly-fishing options of Ireland. A trip combining a couple days in Dublin, a side trip to the coast and some Irish fly-fishing would be memorable.

4. Ethiopia – Did you know that Ethiopia is the only African country never colonized? Or that it has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other African nation? From rain forests to grassy savannas to mountains and deserts, Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most diverse places. And it was the birthplace of coffee! Awaze Tours is a privately owned tour operator based in Addis Ababa and runs trips all over Ethiopia. Realistically it may be awhile before I make it back to Africa, but it’s always fun to dream about trips to this continent.

5. Brazil – The big blank spot on my map of travels in South America – my personal favorite continent – is Brazil. Eventually I will travel to this country, but where? It’s a huge place, a world unto itself. How about staying at a place like Araras Eco-Lodge in The Pantanal, the largest floodplain in the world and a prime spot to see wildlife such as the jaguar. March to June is sport-fishing season. I wonder how this experience would compare to traveling to the Galapagos, another place I have yet to visit.

Honorable mention: PyeongChang, South Korea. The site of the 2018 Winter Olympics. It would be fun to visit before it becomes a household name next year. The mountainous region – featuring a ski mountain called Jeongseon Alpine Centre -- is easily accessible by both high-speed train from Seoul. 

So there you have it. It will be interesting to see if I wind up traveling to any of these places this year. Or maybe next year. What do you think? Where are you planning to travel this year? For now, it's back outside to play in the snow.  

Tight Lines, But Not Too Tight

Back in 1993, I was living in the Pacific Northwest and just starting to learn about the sport of fly-fishing.

For my birthday that year, a friend gave me Lefty Kreh's Advanced Fly-Fishing Techniques as a gift. For 22 years, the book sat on my shelf, untouched except when it traveled with me cross-country back to New York.

Recently, I was looking for something new to read and decided to free Kreh's book from its lonely, dusty spot. Surprisingly, It took me only a weekend to devour its 333 pages. Had I read this book back earlier -- say, two decades ago -- I'm 100% positive my life as a fisherman would have turned out differently. (Maybe I would've even avoided the nickname The Fishing Jinx.) 

In the book, Kreh, who is perhaps the Babe Ruth of fly-fishing, lays out the steps necessary for anglers to take their noble pursuit of fish to the next level. He argues that throughout the world, only a small group of fishermen seem to have all the success.

"While they don't always catch a lot of fish, they rarely fail. And even when their catch is slight, other fisherman undoubtedly do worse. Some people would have you think that it's luck. But it's much more than that," Kreh writes.

Advanced Fly-Fishing Techniques may be pedantic but is nevertheless an honest effort to outline the steps necessary to become an expert angler, from understanding the gear of fly-fishing; to casting; to spotting fish; to hooking, fighting, landing and releasing fish; to knowing the most important knots; to even picking the right sunglasses and hats.

One of my favorite tips in the book comes in the chapter titled "Approach & Presentation," and focuses on the importance of shade for both anglers and fish.  Kreh writes that anglers should stand in the shade when casting to fish because they will be less visible than if they were in bright sunlight. (In all the years I've been fishing, I never completely realized this.)

"Fish also seek shade," Kreh writes. "They have no eyelids, and bright sunlight must be hurtful to them, for they seem to avoid it when they can. Given a choice, almost all fish will rest, or even seek an ambush spot, in the shade. The shady side of a stream will produce more fish, if both sides are somewhat similar."

Wow! Had I fully understood just these concepts years ago when I began my chase of fish with a fly rod, there is no doubt I would have landed more fish than I did.

Lefty Kreh's Advanced Fly-Fishing Techniques is packed with hundreds more tips and insider secrets to help anglers of all ages become experts. It may have taken me more than 20 years to finally read this book, but I'm so glad I finally did. Not only will it bring me more pleasure from the sport, but it will also help me become a better all-around fisherman.