These Montana Cliffs Are Home To One Of The World’s Rarest Roses

24/6/2020

In Western Montana's "Gates of the Mountains" wilderness area, a rare rose keeps company with bats, birds, and legends.

My tours, meals, drinks, and accommodations were part of a press trip in conjunction with the TBEX conference. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission.

Two toddlers with yellow stripped shirts look out at the water on a boat tour, looking for Kelseya Uniflora Picture

Keeping our eyes peeled for Kelseya Uniflora sightings along the shore!

At first glance, Kelseya Uniflora doesn’t look like much to get excited about, but botanists know better. These petite, low-lying pink and white blossoms don’t look anything like the classic roses you’d find at a flower shop. They’re quite the opposite, as their limited territory makes them one of the world’s rarest members of the Rosaceae (rose) family.

Finding them in nature is no easy task. The Kelseya Uniflora is fond of the volcanic and limestone cliffs of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Using the fine hairs on the underside of their branches, these tenacious little blooms can gain a foothold in small cracks on high cliffs. These rocks, which are so inhospitable to other plants, are Kelseya Uniflora’s ideal habitat. The tiny hairs gripping the rocks can also draw up moisture from small crevices. Once established, their semi-evergreen foliage forms mats of silvery green leaves that look like moss to novice horticulturists, such as myself. But up close, intricate leaf patterns are visible and the delicate tiny bright pink and white blossoms are lovely – that is, if you can find them.

5 Handy Hotel Hacks With Ironing Boards

12/6/2020

There's an easy way to make your hotel room feel more organized and homey. Here's why your ironing board is a travel hero.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission.

Grey ironing board and a white iron, with an white shirt on the board.

Ironing boards are hotel heros! Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash

Have you seen the movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”? There’s a great scene in which the lovelorn Peter gets some unusual advice. Family members tell him to iron his shirts—even his t-shirts!—in order to feel better. I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say it takes more than sharp creases to turn Peter’s vacation around.

Though their advice didn’t help Peter, it has worked for me—albeit under less dramatic circumstances.

Whenever I’m feeling a bit rundown on the road, I know that some serious laundering and even the occasional ironing session will help put a spring in my step. Since those occasions are few and far between, I usually ignore hotel room ironing boards. However, a recent podcast had me rethinking ironing boards in general—and how handy they can be for travellers.

Here are five great reasons to set up your hotel ironing board on each and every trip, even if you’re not trying to rebound from a broken love affair!