I just recently finished a nine-day trip in Tennessee where I wore my Skechers Jump Start Shape-Up shoes each day.  First I was surprised by how many comments the shoes drew.  Several other writers on my trip came up to me to get my feedback on the shoes, telling me they had just looked at them in the store.  In fact I was in a shoe store and the sales woman grilled me on my footwear.  Clearly, the buzz about these shoes is pretty high.

I normally don’t wear tennis shoes on my trips, but after suffering through several trips in the recent past with a throbbing pain in my hip, I was convinced to keep wearing the Skechers when after the first day of the press trip I had no pain in my hip.  When this continued throughout the trip, I was sold on the shoes.  I still don’t’ know if the shoes will really blast weight and fat, but I am betting they will tone calves.  Walking up very small inclines I feel my legs muscles kicking in much more than I would in a normal shoe.  My husband also confirmed that my posture was better in the shoes than it normally is.

I’m going to take the shoes on my next trip to Toronto (tomorrow)…stay tuned.

On a recent trip in Tennessee I had the opportunity to tour the Mayfield Farm and Nursery.  Located between Knoxville and Chattanooga this family farm is run primarily by 31-year old Michael Mayfield. 

As I roamed through his produce shop, my mouth dropping open at the quality of the vegetables on display and the prices, I learned that the local residents have no idea about this gem lying in their midst.  $1.25/pound for heirloom tomatoes!  Back home, I pay nearly $5 for these mouth-watering morsels.  But Michael tells me he can’t convince locals that heirlooms are best.  Despite sampling the product, his customers want “pretty” yet bland, large red slicing tomatoes.  Tennessee, wake up—ugly tomatoes rock.  Don’t hold their ugly exterior against them; heirlooms are like the girl with a great personality.  In the long run they’re the ones that win your heart and taste buds.  Michael told me that economics would force him to scale back production of the heirlooms next year.  As Knoxville and Chattanooga are going through a culinary revolution, it would be a damn shame if this source of a great local product dries up.

As any traveler knows, comfortable shoes are key, especially for active travelers.  I have hard to fit narrow feet so finding shoes has always been a personal challenge.  When I read about Skechers Shape-Ups shoes, I was intrigued.  The shoes promise to help improve posture (something I need), increase glute strength (what girl doesn’t want buns of steel?), strengthen the lower back, tone my leg muscles and abs and increase circulation.  These shoes sounded like I could give up my gym membership by simply slipping them on my feet.  Oh, and did I mention that a six-week study done by Skechers showed that the average wearer lost a bit over three pounds and one percentage point of body fat?

I’m currently testing out the Skechers Jump Start model on a trip in Tennessee.  I put them to a quick walk around the neighborhood before tackling a pretty easy hike in Cade’s Cove.  The shoes feel different the minute you lace them up and stand up.  With the large rocker sole designed to make you stride in an ideal heel to toe pattern,  I did feel my body position was changed, hopefully putting me in a better natural posture.  While the shoes are different, they don’t take very long to get used to and were quite comfortable–something that surprised me since I’m so hard to fit in shoes.  I was also thrilled that they don’t look bad.  With the huge bottom, I thought they’d be clown shoes in my size 10, but they actually look much smaller than my current gym and running shoes.  An added bonus.

Stay tuned for more updates as I wear the shoes around town.

- By John T. Braun

What to consider when camping from a motorcycle?  Well, like backpacking, you want gear that is light and compact.  However, there are some slightly different considerations, as I’ve found.  In researching this story, I found some aspects of the motorcycle that would assist in selecting my camping gear.

Tent – MSR Hubba
The MSR Hubba tent is a small, light single person structure.  It packs incredibly small, and is only about three pounds.  A small tent like this has minimal storage for other gear.  In fact, the storage is in the vestibule which is outside of the tent, but under the rain fly.  With the hard cases on the motorcycle to store gear, you can opt to use this valuable space for living/comfort instead of filling it with gear, thus crowding you into your space.

Camp Stove – Primus OmniFuel
Let’s say you’re camping, and there’s no convenient REI store nearby.  Pretty typical right?  Well if you’ve run out of the special white fuel, how do you heat your coffee?  If you’ve chosen the Primus OmniFuel stove, you can simply siphon a little unleaded from your motorcycle’s fuel tank.  The stove comes with three different jets that allow you to use just about any type of fuel from diesel to jet fuel.  Never go without a warm meal or a hot cup of coffee!

Cookware – Primus Litech Super Set
I selected the Primus Litech Super Set for the camp cookware.  Made from aluminum with a non-stick titanium inner suface, the set is light and functional.  With the stove (using unleaded), I got a pot of water to a full boil in about a minute.  Very impressive.

Sleeping Bag/Pad – Big Agnes Fish Hawk/Insulated Air Core
Once in a while, you come across an idea that really makes sense.  Consider the fact that insulation looses it’s insulating value when it’s compressed, and you’ll understand why sleeping pads are so important.  When you’re in the bag, the insulation beneath you is compressed to the point where it does little in the way of actually insulating.  That’s one important reason for sleeping pads…they help with insulating you from the cold ground.  Big Agnes has developed a sleeping bag/pad system where the bag has no insulation on the bottom, but rather a sleeve for an air pad.  Slide the air pad in, inflate and you have a sleep system where you will stay warm, and never roll off the pad.  If you’re like many adventure motorcyclists, you likely have a 12v pump in your saddle bag to inflate tires.  Save your lungs, and use this to inflate the bag.

Water Purification – MSR HyperFlow Microfilter
Fresh water is always important, however, it’s often unreasonable to carry enough water to last for an entire trip.  With a water purification system, you can use just about any water source to create your own “bottled” water.  The MSR HyperFlow is incredibly small, light and efficient.  It’s rated at three liters of water per minute.  I can attest that it’s fast.  I filled my 32 ounce water bottle in less than 30 seconds.  That’s fast.

As you can see, selecting camping gear for adventure motorcycling can be a bit different from standard camping.  Although the differences might seem slight, they can make a world of difference when you’re on the trail.

- By John T. Braun

Get ready everyone.  We’re about to have a slight departure from the norm for Fit Globetrotter here.  Now, as you all know, we’ve diligently covered luxury travel, spas and restaurants for some time.  We also have covered some adventure stories such as luxury African safari, zorbing in New Zealand, and skeet shooting in Aspen.  Well, time to diverge just a bit from the luxury part, and do some off-the-beaten-path adventure. 

I’ve enjoyed motorcycles for a few years now.  I also enjoy camping and the outdoors.  Yes, this tends to mean just the opposite of luxury, but we’ll deal with that in a moment.  For a while now, I’ve wanted to merge these two activities.  The answer?  Adventure, or dual sport, motorcycling.  In a nutshell, pack your gear on the bike, find a trail, and ride till you’re tired.  Pitch your tent, light a fire, and enjoy the serenity.

In reality, it’s not quite that easy.  First, you need the right equipment.  Second, and more importantly, you need the right training.  Without good training in several areas, you’ll be taking a considerable risk in participating adventure motorcycle riding.  Let me explain.

The equipment is easy.  Bike? Check.  Riding gear? Check.  Camping gear? Check.  It’s the experience that’s important.  Many of us started our motorcycle riding careers at a motorcycle safety course where professional, seasoned riders will teach you how to crawl, walk, sit on a bike, then actually ride it around a course.  Easy enough.  Go out, and enjoy.  However, the first time you hit the dirt, and grab a lot of front brake, you’ll figure out that off road riding is dealing with an entirely different set of physics than the black top alternative.

Also, don’t think that camping is as simple as pitching a tent, and cracking open some Dinty Moore stew.  You need to know where you can camp.  Where it’s safe to camp.  Where you can have a fire.  How about a water source?  First aid?  Navigation?  Yep, it can get pretty involved. 

However, like anything in life (well, most things anyway), you can take it slow, and with groups of other seasoned people who will gladly show you the ropes.

Over the next month or so, I will be chronicling my own training and preparation for adventure motocycling.  I’ll participate in training at Rawhyde Adventures in California, and will test some gear chosen specifically for this type of riding.  In the end, we’ll all be grounded well in what to expect with adventure motorcycling.

- By John T. Braun

We were on our way to Cherry Creek when the driver asked about our dinner the night before. After telling him that we had eaten at Rioja, he asked if it was our first time. Hardy laugh from Dena and I. Those of you who know me know that Rioja is pretty much my favorite restaurant. Ever. Right there in downtown Denver. When I worked for Qwest, Rioja was were I ate dinner. Each night. I had my own chair by the kitchen. Yeah, over the top? Maybe. I’m biased and not in a position to diagnose myself.

I first met Jennifer Jasinski when she was chef at Panzano. She left to open Rioja. To explain how much of a fan I am of Jen’s food, I received no less than four emails from friends in Denver when the local paper announced that she was opening her own restaurant. I was thrilled.

So, last night saw us walking to Rioja. What a joy. It had been three years or more. Happily, walking in, I was immediately greeted by Niko. Throughout the meal, we also were happy to catch up with Neil and Dana too. Like old times. Niko remembered my standard libation…Diet Coke, no ice (it pretty much pairs well with everything). The bread was as good as I remembered, and the atmosphere upscale and comfortable.

We started the night with salads. Dena had a new chopped salad featuring hearts of palms, and I had my other stand by…the Rioja House Salad. Yum. Another piece of bread? Yes, thank you. Can you see me smiling?

The restaurant was filling up by now. It’s funny how the laughter, chatter and sounds from the kitchen all combine to create a perfect symphony of sound. Like I said before, upscale and comfortable. The background noise simply completed the ambiance.

For our main course, Dena chose one of the most innovative gnocchi dishes I’ve ever witnessed. The menu calls it Paella Gnocchi. Jen has literally figured out how to crust potato gnocchi with rice, and then pair it with mussels, Hawaiian blue prawn (think small lobster), calamari and chicken sausage, all in a fantastic smoked paprika tomato broth.

Me? I’m a sucker for tuna. Jen has never disappointed either. I ordered the seared Big Eye tuna dish with baited breath. Served with a coconut crusted plantain cake in a tomato red curry sauce, I found it so good that the bottom of the plate appeared before I knew it. The tuna was seared just right so that it was rare inside. It cut like butter.

I did recognize some other perennial favorites on the menu including the tuna sashimi and tuna tartare, hand made mozzarella and Rioja “picnic” (a sampler plate of wonderful meats, cheeses, olives and more). Jen’s handmade pasta always represents Rioja’s talents in pasta making. They are always unique and outstanding.

Often, after a meal like this, we politely decline desert, but I simply couldn’t pass it up. We did need something a little lighter though, and two selections fit the bill just right. First, we selected the trio of sorbets. Granny Smith apple, mango and peach flavors served on a delightful cookie plate was my selection. Dena enjoyed the angel food cake with strawberry sorbet. Both deserts were light, flavorful and perfect endings to our meals.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait another three years this time. I may have to find a position with Qwest again so that I won’t have to! Thanks for a great meal, Rioja.

Today is the last day to head to Denver’s Civic Center park and attend the free Taste of Colorado.  The 26th annual festival features music, shopping and food from nearly 50 local restaurants.  Foghart takes the stage at 5:30 p.m.  The event closes at 8 p.m.

Dining at the St. Regis Aspen’s new restaurant, simply called The Restaurant, I discovered a great tea.  Produced by T, the vanilla rooibos is like a dessert in a cup.  The tea is organically grown in South Africa and rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  It’s also caffeine-free.

When you think of Aspen you likely think of skiing, hiking and jet setters, but not safari.   But yesterday tourists were treated to a mini safari courtsey of the large black bear that decided to make the tree next to the tourist infomation kiosk his resting place for the day.  Yep, a bear in the heart of downtown.  Crazy.

If you’re like me and less is more when it comes to food, then Milos is your place.  Considered the best Greek restaurant in the city, Milos does fresh fish and produce the best I’ve had in the city.  Preparations are light, no butter,, no crème sauces,, just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a chef who knows how to bring out the best of the quality food he buys.