Multisport

Exiting out of Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam early Wednesday morning, I was met by the blowing wind and light snow of a not-so-spring-like day in the blustery Netherlands. At the end of March, the weather seems just not able to make up its mind, just as its doing back home in Montana right about now. I search the rows of taxis and busses for my friend and Austin-Lehman’s European Operations Manager, Ron van Dijk. All of a sudden, a familiar voice calls out from across the way. Sure enough, Ron is here, right on time, and we’re ready to drive the 1.5 hours southeast to Nijmegen, his home town.

We had previously decided that it would be a great idea to bring an American over to Europe to attend the annual European spring guide training held at Ron’s office in the middle of town. Our director had popped in a few years before, but otherwise Ron (who’s been managing operations in Europe for decades) had been handling guide training, quite well I might add, with few influences from any “outside forces” for years and years.

Now, I must tell you, I had my qualms about attending our European training. Our operations are run a bit differently in Europe since we feature mostly biking trips in Europe versus more multisport trips in the US. Plus, what other learning’s would I be able to pass on to our most seasoned guides in the business, like Desiree Jansen and Anneke Peelen who’ve been guiding ALA’s (and previously Eurobike’s) trips for more than 20 years each? Wow! I was quite relieved to know that I had guided one of our Austria Family Tours the previous summer, so I at least had an idea about the “behind-the-scenes” magic of a European trip, and the differences between running an Austrian tour versus a Montana trip. Plus, my experience as both a guide in the field and as a member of the esteemed ALA office staff couldn’t hurt me either, right?

I realized as soon as our European guides started filtering into the room one by one, big hello’s and hugs to be had by all, that I had nothing to fear.  These were my fellow guides, even if not on the same continent, and they had nothing but smiles, encouragement, and inspiration to provide. What a team to be a part of! What friends to have across the ocean in a foreign land! I have nothing but good things to say about each and every one of our European guides – what amazing leaders and human beings in general!

Over the next two days, Ron and I would proceed to educate the tourism industry’s finest guides, covering every little detail of customer service, problem solving, and logistical management. Everything from the well-known ALA “WOW” factor to marketing efforts were covered. We jumped on the Austin-Lehman Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr accounts for an online tour, and stressed the importance of communication among fellow guides, hotel and restaurant staff, and our offices in both Nijmegen and Billings.  Van and bicycle safety, food preparation, “sweet dreams”, paperwork, and photography became the focal points of conversation (among many other important items). Most of all, we shared our stories and advice with other guides, new and seasoned alike, providing all with inspiration for the upcoming 2013 season.

Overall, I took the following away: tour guides work HARD, just as hard as anyone I know, to provide Austin-Lehman’s guests with the perfect vacation. Our slogan, “the toughest part is going home” could not be truer in any sense of the phrase. As I sit here typing this blog on my flight home, I can’t help but be excited and motivated for the upcoming season, AND I’m not even done yet! Our domestic (U.S. and Canada) guide training is coming up in May and I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with all of those closer to home. Better yet, Ron van Dijk himself will be flying to Billings to take part in our guide training for the first time. I can’t wait to begin the whole process over again, only this time, at home!

Hope you’re as stoked as I am for the upcoming vacation season. I can personally tell you that because of your guides, it’s going to be a good one…

Tot ziens!

Kasey Austin

Slowly I place one foot carefully in front of the other and moderate my breathing as I chug up the ancient steps walked by thousands of Incans far before my time. “I think we’re almost there,” my brother calls out, pausing to take a sip of water as we both stop to snap a photo of two stones perched at a narrow passage in the crevice of a mountain above us. “Don’t stop now!” our guide calls out, “you’re about to see something very special!” Keeping my head down and stepping upwards, I picture in my mind what I have been imagining for months now – a view of the “Lost City,” Machu Picchu from Intipunku, the Sun Gate.

Capturing your first glimpse of this UNESCO World Heritage site from the Sun Gate is perhaps the most memorable way of seeing Machu Picchu for the first time. Most people take a train into the “town of Machu Picchu,” Aguas Calientes and ride a bus 30 minutes up to the site, their first impression of this special place consisting of crowds, long lines, and bus exhaust (I would know – this is what I did on my second visit!) On our Peru: Machu Picchu Multisport Adventure, you ride a train to Kilometer 104. Upon disembarkation, you’re left with your guide to hike the last 8 miles of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu stopping along the way to visit sites like Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna.

Machu Picchu is one of those sites where #1, you could spend days looking at all the ancient architecture, and #2, you need an educated guide to fill you in on the awe-inducing history of the place and the Incans who lived there. Machu Picchu is made of up of more than 150 buildings ranging from simply constructed houses to intricately constructed temples, the stones fitting so snugly together (without mortar) that not even a playing card can be inserted between the stones – and this was done without modern day tools! To discover the mystery of the site, you need to physically walk up a few of the hundred sets of carved stone stair cases, touch the smooth, precisely carved stone work, or stare wide-eyed at a 300 ton piece of granite that not even scientists can fathom how it ended up at the top of a mountain.

Even though nothing compares to walking in and among the ruins of this awesome Incan empire, I think one of the best (and truly thrilling) ways to take in the site as a whole is to “climb” up Huaynapicchu Mountain. I say “climb” here because you ascend stairs for a whole hour all the way to the summit, grabbing onto “side-of-the-mountain” cables and sometimes scrambling up ancient Incan stone stairs using only your hands on the steep step above you for balance. (Might I mention that you are also over 7,000 feet above sea level?!) The allowance of only 400 hikers a day on Huaynapicchu gives you a special experience that not many who explore Machu Picchu can say they’ve had the opportunity to do.  The view from the top is spectacular and truly rewarding (as long as it’s not a foggy day)! Hiking up this mountain was truly a highlight for me, although I wouldn’t recommend it for those who fear heights!

To summarize, I’ve retained nothing but remarkable memories of my first visit to Machu Picchu – the incredible history of the place as a whole, the mysterious disappearance of the Incas from this well-planned site, and the idea that a past civilization built this masterpiece from the ground up without the use of tools, wheels, or the Internet is completely and utterly extraordinary! The best part about telling you about my trip is that this was only a fragment of our Peru Adventure – between rafting the Urubamba River, walking the colorful streets of Cusco, and mountain biking to ancient salt pools and mines, I wouldn’t know where to begin my story next!

Get out and explore!

Kasey Austin

I don't think excited is a strong enough word for how I feel about my upcoming trip to Ecuador. I will be taking my 66 year old Dad on his first adventure vacation! We've done some hiking vacations before, but they were a long time ago. This will be his first full-on multisport trip at 66! I mention this becuase it is awesome, I have to give the ole man some credit for taking me up on this adventure. 

We are first headed to the Provinces of Cotopaxi, Napo and Pichincha to see our friends at Tierra del Volcán. There we will be doing some horseback riding, hiking and biking around the National Parks, as well as helping with some conservation projects. We will be staying in some real haciendas in the Cotopaxi area. (photo of Hacienda El Tambo) We will spend 3 days treking around this extraordinary ecosystem of the Condor Bioreserve, which has a considerable amount of local endemism.

Next we will be heading to the Galápagos Islands for a sea and land based trip. I think the right word would be "stoked" for how I feel about going to the Galápagos. Day 1 we will head to the National Tortoise Reserve, where we will get to view giant Galápagos turtles in the wild and maybe see some short-eared owls. Day 2 we will be kayaking and snorkling around the islands, followed by a stop at the Darwin Research Center. I am pretty excited about visiting the Darwin Research Center, I'm kind of a fan of Darwins work! Day 3 we will explore North and South Plazas Islands, making a landing on South Plazas, where some of the richest flora and fauna per square foot in the entire Galapagos Archipelago. After that we will be sadly head back to Quito and then on a plane back to the States.

I will be taking a lot of photo and video gear, so make sure you check back and see some of my photos/videos. I will also try and get some travel blogs up while I'm there.

Leave a comment and tell me what you would like to see photos and video of most! I'm looking forward to getting photos of some local boobies... Blue Footed Boobies that is!

Till next time...

Jonathan

Being National Park Week I wanted to share what Austin-Lehman is doing to protect our nation's most valuable treasures. Every year since 2010, Austin-Lehman Adventures has supported US National Park preservation by selecting a recipient National Park program and donating a portion of its profits, this year we have chosen to help Canyonlands National Park. Last year with the help of our amazing guest we raised $5,400 for the Yosemite Conservancy.

In times of reduced Federal funding (National Park programs suffered a $101 million funding cut in the 2011 Federal budget alone), ALA has pledged a $100 per person donation to a designated non-profit organization for each guest reserving a spot on its 2012 small group Arches to Moab Multisport Adventure.

“New guests and our loyal alumni love knowing that a portion of their trip fee helps preserve our national treasures” said Dan Austin.

Our Arches to Moab proram lets you explore Canyonlands National Park. See the amazing Colorado River by raft and pedal between burnt-orange sheer-walled canyons and enormous white-rimmed sandstone towers on a road snaking through Colorado National Monument. Marvel at how itty-bitty you feel as you traverse looming, crimson rock formations at Fisher Towers. Hike by ancient petroglyphs remains etched in stone, a glimpse into the rituals and beliefs of the Fremont, Anasazi, Navajo and Anglo communities of thousands of years past.

It is our privilege to be the stewards of these natural wonders and to protect something that has given us so much. Helping to make sure that these natural treasures are around for future generations. Austin-Lehman offers family adventure vacations and adult advenutre vacation packages to see Canyonlands National Park.

Your friendly nature lover,

Jonathan

In an effort to help preserve and protect our National Parks Austin-Lehman started the Preserve a Park Program . Every year since 2010, Austin-Lehman Adventures has supported US National Park preservation by selecting a recipient National Park program and donating a portion of its profits. In times of reduced Federal funding (National Park programs suffered a $101 million funding cut in the 2011 Federal budget alone), it is now more important than ever to help protect our National Parks. Last year we selected our Yosemite National Park Tours  and was able to raise $5,400 for the Yosemite Conservancy with the help of our amazing guest that booked our Yosemite tours.

The money raised will help fund 27 projects in the park this year from supporting trail crews in the Tuolumne and Merced watersheds, to restoring historic trails originally built in the 1800s, to saving bears through an expanded electric monitoring project. In addition the donations also benefit the youth in Yosemite, by brining a diverse group of young people into the park through educational, leadership, and career programs developing the next generation of stewards for Yosemite.

This year ALA has pledged a $100 per person donation to a designated non-profit organization for each guest reserving a spot on its 2012 small group Arches to Moab Multisport Adventure.

So if you want to see how our Preserve a Park Program has helped, check out our hiking vacations in Yosemite National Park or if you want to help protect and save a National Park check out one of our adventure vacation packages on our Utah Arches to Moab Adventure

Your friendly nature lover,

Jonathan

Canal in Harlem

Today I met up with Anneke (one of our European guides) and our guest in Haarlem (located in western Holland) to check out the tulips on our Haarlem to Odoorn tour. Holland is a breathtaking country, where biking is the standard mode of transportation. There are almost as many bikes as there are people in Holland, 16 million and counting! Everyone bikes here and since the country is so flat, it makes for an ideal location for a biking tour. Not to mention it’s home to the Kuekenhof, the worlds largest flower expo. Today was the first day of biking on the trip, so we set out through the streets of Haarlem and along the canals that run through the city.

Once we got out of the city there are fietspads (dedicated trails for biking and walking) everywhere. We headed out to the countryside and through the woods. All of a sudden you find yourself in the dunes just outside Zandvoort. The dunes are part of a nature reserve, with a fietspad going through it all the way to the beach in Zandvoort.

We made it to Zandvoort where our guide Anneke was waiting with bananas and apples served up on a silver platter (the ALA way) we enjoyed our WOW moment while overlooking the beach and taking in the sea breeze.

Once we left Zandvoort and headed back inland, the tulip fields started popping up left and right. That’s when we knew we were getting close to Lisse, home to the Kuekenhof. The Kuekenhof was almost overwhelming to see; there are over 7 million hand planted flower bulbs each year, including 4.5 million tulips in 100 different varieties. Needless to say it smelled wonderful there and they had flowers that I couldn’t have dreamed up.

After we got our dose of tulips we rode back into Haarlem where they were still displaying the floats from the flower parade. The theme of the floats was musicals; there were floats from the Sound of Music and Mary Poppins.


Sound of Music float in Haarlem

Holland is great choice for a biking tour: easy rides, plenty of fietspads (bike paths) and an amazing diverse landscape. I don’t know any other country that you can stroll by canals, play in the sand and frolic through tulip fields, all in the same day! That’s it for my first Austin-Lehman adventure, it started in Holland and ended in Holland. But along the way I got to drive on the autobahn though Germany, see the Austrian Alps, cycle through Tuscany, save the leaning tower of Pisa and smell the tulips of Holland.

This has been a trip of a lifetime, a big thank you to my boss Dan Austin for sending me on this adventure. With a 35-year legacy as an adventure travel company and specializing in multi-sport, hiking, biking and family travel experiences that are immersed in history, wildlife, culture and geography’s natural beauty. It’s no wonder why Travel + Leisure ranked us #1 in 2009 and #2 in 2010. The service and experiences that our trips provide is extraordinary. With guides who go the extra mile to make each and every moment special to offering adventure vacations all over the world. I got to see first hand that ALA is the real deal and I can’t wait for my next adventure!

Never stop exploring,

Jon