- Destinations, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Food & Beverage, Latest News, Lifestyle
Refresh your Soul in the Turquoise Caribbean Sea at S Hotel Montego Bay, Jamaica
Photos, videos and story by Cassie Hepler Doctor’s Cave beach is said to have healing powers which is why it’s the Jamaican gem! S Hotel Montego Bay is an all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica set right on this beach with lounge chairs, trees and drinks to enjoy while you swim your heart out or live your best life relaxing in the shade or soaking up the sunshine. Half of the beach is meant for guests only as well with plenty of lifeguards nearby so you can swim without worry. Located only 5 minutes from the Sangster International Airport, you can be getting your feet wet, sandy and your palate…
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Go Truffle Hunting, Foraging for Flowers & Shopping in Force with Italy Charme
Truffle Hunting in Italy Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Go truffle hunting in Italy! No pigs here at Agriturismo Ramusè but sweet dogs sniffing out the golden mushrooms, Cocker Spaniel mixes of the tan colored Electra and fuzzy Briciola. These pricey pups either come pre-trained at $3,000 to $7,000 Euro per dog or you can hire a Northern Italy truffle dog trainer for about $1,000 Euro a month. Paolo Ciccioli, owner of Agriturismo Ramusè and former truffle exporter to London, led us on a mountainside adventure in the drizzling rain where the black mushrooms were almost popping out of the ground because of the downpour. I thoroughly enjoyed…
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Live like a Queen in an 1,000 Year Old Castle, Castel di Luco in Italy
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Sleep like a queen in a 1,000 year old castle! Castel di Luco is said to be built on a sacred forest where Pagan rites were celebrated because of the magical waters lurking below. Evidence of the castle goes back as far as 1052 and has survived religious rulers, aristocratic families, invasions, liberations, prisoners, murders, births, marriages and no doubt illicit love affairs fit for a modern day romance novel. Throughout all this time, it has maintained its status as one of the rarest and most unique castles in Italy’s Piceno region, with a surprisingly intact appearance as a medieval architectural structure. We…
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Spend 24 Hours in the Mountain Town of Norcia, Umbria in Italy
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Norcia is located in the mountains of Italy at 6,500 feet altitude! About two and a half hours Northwest of Rome, Norcia is a small town in the east of the province of Perugia, in the central region of Umbria. It is smack dab in the center of the Monti Sibillini National Park, with endless rolling mountains, an ideal destination for nature lovers, hikers and skiers. In 2016, a 6.6-magnitude quake hit the small town shaking up the medieval basilica of St. Benedict in Norcia among other structures and was Italy’s strongest earthquakes in decades. The town is very busy bringing itself back…
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Explore Affordable Luxury on the Italian Riviera at Europa Hotel in Sanremo, Italy
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Flying into Nice, France felt like visiting an old friend even though I was just there last fall! The amount of peace and happy giddiness washed over me as soon as I saw that familiar skyline and sunset. With a pretty smooth flight from Phoenix through British Airways, I had a brief layover in London, England and was soon on my way to my first overnight hotel, safely walkable from the airport even at night. A lot of places will say they have an airport shuttle in both France and Italy so be certain that it actually exists and without hidden fees by…
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Explore the Center of the World in Felicity, California
Story, videos and model Cassie Hepler, Photos by Delfin Welcome to the Center of the World in Felicity, California! Located on the Yuma, Arizona border, we ended up spending a glorious day shooting around this quirky place by default as our usual beloved Buttercup Sand Dunes were overrun with weekend RV and buggy traffic. (Hint: only go to the sand dunes on early weekdays for true lost in the desert vibes). But make sure to put Center of the World on your road tripping between states bucket list! We literally drove past it and were like what is that place only to end up there frolicking and having the best…
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How 5 Gyres is Fighting Microplastics: A California Love Story of Activism and Science
Meet Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen: the Environmental Power Couple Behind 5 Gyres Story by Irina Abraham Somewhere among the California hills, there lies a piece of paradise adorned with legends of Steve McQueen’s buried motorcycles, carefully crafted dinosaur sculptures, and breathtaking sunsets. The most fascinating thing about this place is its residents: there is a poet, a gold-bearing athlete, a muralist, and a promising young filmmaker. A power couple runs the place – Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen. They have sailed the roaring seas, unearthed precious dinosaur bone, and were a part of a team that discovered plastic micro beads were taking over The Great Lakes. Lucky to be…
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Exploring The Sedona Film Festival for a Weekend in Sedona, Arizona
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler I’m also a model and actress if you didn’t know by now. And movies are part of my daily existence most weekdays. I enjoy delving into something amazing that can get me off my cell phone the whole time and make me feel something in this American world of growing numbness. I’ve also acted in a few films, check out my IMDB if you like however I didn’t create it and some films are missing. But I find modeling, photography and writing to be the true loves of my life… and now with social media, you can act out your own video snippets…
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Best Hidden Gem Hiking in Las Vegas, Nevada
Story by Cassie Hepler, submitted images Because moving your body is the only way to keep it moving until you’re an old fart… You would think that walking flat – not even up a mountain or hill – would not produce many results. But alas, it does! A body in motion stays in motion and if you can just keep moving forward, that is the key to longevity and life. Currently they say get in 10,000 steps a day however sometimes that is impossible. For me, if I have a goal to reach that seems to motivate me more. That and being a couch sloth for a full day usually…
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Tips and Tricks for Hassle Free Disabled Travel
You might think that this story doesn’t pertain to you or your family because no one is disabled – yet. Key word is yet! Literally in the blink of an eye, you too can be considered disabled from a car crash, a freak accident or through no fault of your own or just age – and we all will get old if we are lucky enough. For me, I have a large rods and screws from a scoliosis fusion right above my hipbones to my chest and I might need to be fully fused to my hipbones someday. I also learned over the summer that if anything further traumatic happens…
