Kayak.com Nominated for Prestigious Web Award

The film industry has the Oscars, television has the Golden Globes, theater has the Tony Awards, and the internet has the Webby Awards. Nominees have just been announced for this year’s Webby Awards, which celebrate and honor the top websites out there in over 70 different categories.

I am happy to announce that my employer Kayak.com has been nominated in the field of Travel! The public has until April 30 to cast their votes, so be sure to check out all the Webby Awards nominees at http://pv.webbyawards.com to learn about some of the best sites on the internet, and to fill out your ballot.

I know, I know... Crusingwilbert.com was not on the list of nominees, but there's always next year.

Great Bay Area Snow Trip - By Keith DeVey

About a month ago I went on a ski expedition in Tahoe with the folks over at Bay Area Ski Bus. For all of you people out there that appreciate the snow, but hate all the headaches of a ski trip (risking totaling your 2 wheel drive car, putting on chains 4 times, driving for 8 hours, and packing equipment into your car trying to fit everything in like a skilled Tetris player) I highly recommend planning a trip with the Bay Area Ski Bus.

I woke up at the crisp hour of 4 am and slumbered over to the pickup spot in Sunnyvale. Once onboard I quickly hit the snooze button on my internal clock. I woke up to the buses loud speaker announcing that we were 30 minutes from Kirkwood. I was treated to a complimentary breakfast and some Redbull, so I could have the adequate energy to shred the mountain (unbeknownst to them that this was my second time snowboarding.)

After a full day of snowboarding, a happy-hour was hosted in front of our bus. After guzzling down a beer or two, we made our way back to the Bay Area as we were treated to movies on the in-cabin tv’s. Overall the experience was great, and sufficiently eliminated all the usual drawbacks of a Tahoe snow trip.

The ski season is winding down this year, but there are still trips planned to Heavenly, Alpine Meadows, Squaw, Sugar Bowl, and more the coming weekends. I highly recommend the Bay Area Ski Bus!

Dale Dwelle's Experience Running a Marathon in Antarctica

I asked Dale Dwelle(who took Wilbert to Antartica with him) to share his experience with us Cruisingwilbert fans, about traveling to such a remote place and running a marathon. Thank you very much for contributing this blog post!

....WRITTEN BY DALE....
Mentally grueling and physically exhausting, the run took me through different scientific research bases, up and down a glacier twice, and through the deepest mud imaginable. I returned this past week with a renewed sense of endurance and a thirst for more.

My training had taken me a little over 300 miles in twelve weeks. Days before the race, I found myself travelling alone to meet up with other adventure-bound runners in Miami for a 9-hour flight to Buenos Aires. The plan included travelling through South America, hoping on board a Russian scientific vessel in Ushuaia, and taming the 54-hour voyage across the Drake Passage (some of the most horrendous water in the world due to the competing currents from both the Atlantic and Pacific). We spent 4 days exploring the highlights of the capital of Argentina before taking the southernly flight to the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. It was at the “fin del mundo” (end of the world, as they claimed) that we first met our boat for what would be our floating home for the next 11 days. We boarded, said goodbye to land, and embarked for the trip to King George Island, the sight of our marathon.

Chosen for its rolling geography and glacial highlights, we managed to reach the island after a relatively smooth voyage. The race prep crew disembarked the day before the marathon and set up the course. As prepared, the race would start us at the Russian research base, jet towards the Uruguayan base, up a glacier, and beyond the Chilean and Chinese bases before reaching the start. This was the first half of the course; a second time around would create the full 26.2 mile adventure. I managed to start very strong. The weather was calm, with sun in the sky and a comfortable temperature of 33 degrees. Quickly I would find the weather turning ugly and providing 40mph head winds in certain areas of the course. The mud field before the ascent up the glacier would prove to be most challenging, as it would sink 8-12 inches, mirroring the effects of quick sand. A stop by the Chinese base at mile 11 for a beer was the most unexpected, yet diplomatically positive, experience of the run, albeit not as sensitive to the stomach. Overall, the run was relatively straight forward up until mile 20. At this point my legs were moving out of instinct, rather than energy. The last 6 miles of the run would prove to be an out-of-body experience stemming from the will to complete my journey, and challenging my every inclination to slow down and rest. As I crossed the finish line, with a finishing time of 4hr56min (43rd out of over 150 runners), my mind was filled with multiple emotions including joy of completion, the pain of throbbing legs, and the sheer reality of having run a marathon in the most desolate part of the earth. Success had arrived and I broke down during the celebration of it all.

The four additional days on the Antarctic Peninsula would include zodiac rides to penguin colonies, excursions to glaciers and cruises in the calm waters of the protected harbors. It was true paradise on earth, in a very barren, untouched sort of way. The local wildlife only solidified this notion with their curiosity and lack of fear of humans. It was blissful and I felt lucky to have experienced it. We left for the 100-hour trip back home, after completing several feats which few humans get a chance to experience. I look back on the journey and view it as a blur, almost as a fainted dream that seemed too good to be true. The raw beauty was unexpected, but a true blessing to have witnessed. Frederick Albert Cook summed it up perfectly when he declared, “we were the only pulsating creatures in a dead world of ice.” To see it is amazing, but to have run a marathon on it, crazy. I was elated to have been a part of it all.

Top 5 Cities for St Patty's Day - By Keith DeVey

It’s time to pull those green suspenders out of your closet and start planning your St. Patty’s Day festivities. The corn beef and cabbage meal is a must, but there are also some parades I found across the nation that will have you green with envy.

Boston, MA – In 1737, Boston held America’s first St. Patty’s Day Festival, and today continues to host one of the largest St. Patty’s Day events in our nation. After the event you may want to walk Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail, which highlights famous politicians, artists, war heroes, and more, that personifies the Boston Irish.

New York, NY – Over 150,000 marchers each year parade down the streets of New York City in full Irish garb. Many regard this parade, which has occurred since 1762, as the largest and most famous parade that the city holds.

Chicago, IL – Each year the city dyes the Chicago River green (pictured above), which is a site that must be seen to be fully appreciated. After the morning dye, onlookers then focus their attention on the long parade of floats and marching bands.

Savannah, GA – Over 400,000 people are expected to visit this parade celebrating its 185th year of celebration. Plenty of events are scheduled during days leading up to the parade, such as the Irish heritage dance, on March 13.

St. Louis, MO – This parade, which features huge character balloons, encourages participants to show their best as they march along. The top-voted participant will receive the grand prize of a trip to Ireland.

Jaws and Mavericks: Everest’s of the Ocean - By Keith DeVey

(Click image to see larger photos)

There are a couple surf breaks around the world that get pummeled with massive waves about once or twice a year. Teams of surf junkies flock to various websites to check off-shore buoy readings, tropical storm charts, and other measurements to see if the “perfect storm” of waves is just over the horizon. All conditions have to be perfect for the waves to reach their 40+ foot potential. When all the computer readings look ideal, a call is placed to the top surf riders around the world, and they immediately book the next flight out.

I was lucky enough to see the surf break known as Jaws (on Maui) breaking a few Christmas‘ back. The Maui News’ front page that morning said “They’re Coming!,” and everyone knew to head to remote North shore cliffs to watch the world’s best surfers in action. The locals on Maui like to keep the whereabouts of Jaws somewhat a secret, so I will too, but let me tell you this… you have to meander through a pineapple field for a good mile to finally make it to the scenic overlook. The waves were incredible that morning. The sound of the Pacific Ocean crashing down on itself shook the ground, and the whitewash formed by the tumbling waves left a constant mist in the air.

This weekend, I decided to check out Mavericks, another world famous big-wave surf break. Mavericks happens to be located in Half Moon Bay, about a half hour south of San Francisco, along Highway 1. Unfortunately the waves were not breaking when I visited, in fact locals told me they think the annual surf competition may not happen this year. You can read about all the updates about the tournament here, and even sign up to receive a text on your phone when “perfect storm” is coming.

Surprisingly, getting to the beach at Mavericks is almost as adventurous as walking through the pineapple field in Maui. First, you must park your car before you enter a restricted U.S. Air Force facility. You then walk about a half mile hike along the bottom of ominous sea cliffs to a sandy lookout point/beach. I would recommend a trip to Jaws or Mavericks to anyone looking for a unforgettable adventure.

Save Money at Hotels, Cool New Tool - By Keith DeVey

Kayak.com has a new tool that I think is pretty sweet, and could save you big bucks on hotel stays. The tool allows you to view nightly rates found by customers at a specific hotel, over the course of the month. So if you are planning a night stay at a classy hotel nearby, you can use the tool to see what nights are the cheapest. A stay on March 6th could be $150 cheaper than a stay on March 7th.

In the image above, you will see I perfomed a search for the Hilton San Francisco. Nighlt prices range from $129 - $303 depending on what night you stay. So, you can see how this tool can be useful.

How to use the tool?

1. Perform a hotel search at Kayak.com.
2. On the results page, find the hotel you want and click the “rate calendar” link.
3. View the monthly calendar of fares found by other customers in last 48 hours.

Maybe you will find this tool cool, maybe you won't... but just keeping you informed on ways to save money on travel!

When Dogs Fly - By Keith DeVey

One of the last flights I was on turned into a comedy of errors, as I waited at the departing gate for what seemed to be eternity. T.V. sitcom writers may want to pay close attention to my tale for possible inspiration.

I was sitting in my aisle seat, as the standby passengers began to board the plane. About 98% of the seats had already been filled and passengers were getting anxious to start rolling backwards, and disconnect from the extendable walkway (the tell-tale sign that progress is being made).

The last standby passenger began to come parading down the aisle with a busy and anxious look on her face, scanning the plane for that one vacant seat that the computers say is available. This lady also happened to be carrying with her a small lap dog in a carrying cage. As she walked down the aisle, you could hear the gasps of “aaaaawe,” from all the dog lovers. It was a cute dog.

As soon as the lady found her seat, assumedly middle, this little dog began barking like a 215 pound wolf. Needless to say a stewardess was there to deal with the problem. The whole plane could hear the conversation that occurred, as I hopelessly gazed out my window to see if we were moving backwards yet.

Seconds later, a stewardess came walking to the front of the plane holding the dog cage, with the woman passenger following close behind. The whole scene reminded me of a race car anxiously tailing the slow moving pace car during the opening laps of the Indy 500.

The dog was going to be put in the cargo hold, and the lady passenger refused to be separated from her companion, as she picked this airline specifically because of their pet rules.

Time passed and passengers began to look at one another gauging each other’s reaction to the ruling. Then out of nowhere, the woman passenger returned down the aisle with a huge smile and look of triumph. She was holding the dog in her hands and displaying him to the passengers much like a hockey player winning his first Stanley Cup. She had won, and would be allowed to keep her dog for the duration of the flight. Passengers actually began to applaud, as she returned to her seat. She had fought the system and won.

All right! All that was left to do was to reverse. I had finished all my complimentary reading materials and was growing anxious. I guess I could look at the pictures on the safety card? As I grabbed for it, a stewardess came rushing back up the aisle. The words she whispered into her walkie-talkie were piercing. “We have a passenger on the plane that is very allergic to dogs, and will not fly.”

I quickly focused my attention back to the safety card in my hand and began to look for the nearest emergency exit.
TRUE STORY