tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2764864204879214612024-02-19T19:39:09.002-07:00UNSTOPPABLE STACEYTravel Writer | Influencer | Spiritual Adventurer | 928-699-0696 | wittigwriter(a)gmail.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-24153570846347846342019-04-11T20:28:00.006-07:002019-04-11T20:28:52.665-07:00Solo Female Travel Guide features Advice from UNSTOPPABLE Stacey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Westend61/Getty Images from Bankrate.com</div>
</span><h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">UNSTOPPABLE Stacey tapped for solo women travel expertise</span></h3>
I was excited to be featured in a solo female travel guide recently. The guide entitled “Solo Female Travel: How to Keep You and Your Finances Safe,” was recently published by Bankrate.com.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Safeguarding your money while traveling</h3>
<div>
As we all know, females face unique challenges when traveling solo, and this guide addresses some of those issues. I was pulled in for my unique take on safeguarding your money while traveling. While traveling solo as a corporate businesswoman from to 1981 until 2008 when I became a professional travel writer, I learned a lot about travel safety for businesswoman traveling alone. What I learned then as a businesswoman traveling alone applies to all solo female travel today.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Three stashes of cash, credit cards and ID</h3>
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One of the things I learned, and still practice is what I call ‘Security in Redundancy.’ I keep three separate and ‘redundant’ stashes of cash, credit cards and ID while I travel. The guide quotes me as saying:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I keep one credit card, my passport and a day’s worth of cash in a wallet in my zippered pocket or sling handbag. Another credit card and form of identification, copies of my passport and credit cards and most of my cash are in a cotton money belt that is secure around my waist and inaccessible under my clothing,” says Wittig. “In a third stash, which I keep hidden inside my suitcase or backpack, is another credit card, a small amount of emergency cash and additional copies of my passport and credit cards.”<br />“When checked into hotel rooms or cruise ship cabins, I leave the waist wallet locked in the safe. Then if someone grabs my handbag, the perp gets only one-third of my loot. If they make off with the stash that includes my passport, then I have copies to take to the Embassy,” Wittig says.</blockquote>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Get the solo women travelers guide here</h3>
Read the whole well-researched guide at <a href="https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/female-solo-travel-guide">https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/female-solo-travel-guide</a> It includes instructions on safeguarding your money and identity, and what to do if your information is compromised.<br />
<br />
Get my FREE, full report of ‘Security in Redundancy,’ and other UNSTOPPABLE Stacey’s tips for solo female travel, by signing up for my newsletter. Click here to subscribe.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
About Bankrate.com</h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bankrate.com provides consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life's financial journey. For over two decades, Bankrate.com has been a leading personal finance destination. The company offers award-winning editorial content, competitive rate information, and calculators and tools across multiple categories, including mortgages, deposits, credit cards, retirement, automobile loans and taxes. Bankrate aggregates rate information from over 4,800 institutions on more than 300 financial products. With coverage of over 600 local markets, Bankrate generates rate tables in all 50 U.S. states.</blockquote>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-86090662096827665032018-11-20T05:30:00.000-07:002018-11-20T07:47:24.253-07:00Franz Joseph Glacier Hiking: Not just for kids anymore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Anticipation of a Franz Josef Glacier hike along ominous crevasses woke me up early this morning. Rather than make the usual instant oatmeal in my New Zealand hostel, I slid out of my bunkbed deciding the glacial adventure called for a splurge: a restaurant breakfast, or “breakie,” in Kiwi terminology. Restaurant forays have become an indulgence because New Zealand food costs are shockingly higher than in the US.<br />
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This journey began with a business trip to Auckland. After four days in five star hotels, I shed business attire and donned my fleece hiking wardrobe. It’s November, but in the southern hemisphere, the season is late spring – cool and rainy. I flew to the South Island to backpack the famous Milford Track and lesser known but more beautiful Routeburn Track. Today I am in Franz Josef New Zealand, a small town named after one of the blue New Zealand glaciers that cling from giant Alp-ish mountains on the rainy west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The glacier, in turn, was named after Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria by a German explorer in 1865.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Franz Josef Glacier Tours</h4>
I make my way to the Franz Josef Glacier Guides office with a skip in my 56-year-old step: this is going to be an adventure of a lifetime. Yesterday I was hefting my 40-pound backpack along Robert’s Point Track that overlooks parts of Franz Josef Glacier, but today I will be light as a bird – without my pack – walking on the ice.<br />
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The only way to get on the glacier is to hire a mountaineering guide and get outfitted with crampons – those sharp, metal cleats that buckle to the bottoms of your hiking boots. At the staging area, I ask excitedly, “Where do I get my crampons and gear?”<br />
“First we need to go over this checklist and sign the waiver,” says the young woman who, acting as a Safety Nazi for the Franz Josef glacier tours, brandishes her clipboard in my face. And speaking of young, I’ve already noticed that most of the other clients signing waivers and receiving their crampons ahead of me are twenty-somethings.<br />
“Hey, aren’t there any oldsters trekking the glacier today?” I think to myself.<br />
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The medical history checklist of the Franz Josef glacier walk reads:<br />
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<b>Do you have problems with:</b></blockquote>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Knees?<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
<li>ACL?<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
<li>Joint pain?<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
<li>Headaches?<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
<li>Dizziness?<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
<li>Are you taking medicine for high blood pressure? <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
<li>Are you pregnant? <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<b>I have a sinking feeling.</b> The checklist reminds me that I forgot to bring my orthopedic knee brace – for the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my left knee. The prescription device is lying under the bunk back at my Franz Josef accommodation, the Glow Worm Cottages Backpackers Hostel.<br />
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<b>Joint pain?</b> Oh, buggers, I forgot to take ibuprofen as a prophylactic for the knee pain always brought on by hiking or skiing.<br />
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<b>Headaches? </b>Well, I haven’t had a migraine for three months. Or has it been two?<br />
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<b>Next box: Dizziness.</b> My blood pressure meds do make me somewhat dizzy, if I stand up fast. Maybe I can remember to not stand up too fast after I crawl out of that ice tunnel promised in the color brochures of all the Franz Josef glacier tours. Fortunately, I didn’t take my blood pressure medicine today because it’s a diuretic, and I didn’t think there would be many toilets on the 7.7-square-mile snowfield.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
A sinking feeling is bringing me down like the Titanic </h4>
A sinking feeling is bringing me down like the Titanic. What if I admit to all my afflictions? Will they let this old lady on the expedition? I didn’t train, come this far, and carb up with an expensive breakie to be turned down now. Looking down the list, I think, “Well, at least I’m not pregnant.” I quickly check all the “No” boxes and sign the form. Nazi girl has disappeared so I take the clipboard and stand in line behind the kids, who are waiting in que to get outfitted for the Franz Josef glacier walk.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
I’m not pregnant</h4>
But now I am feeling REALLY bad. Lying is just wrong. I can’t believe that I lied on the form, not once but six times. “You’re not pregnant,” I try to reassure myself again as I get to the front of the crampon line.<br />
“Did you sign your form?” the cute mountaineering gear guy asks.<br />
Like a wounded child, I ask, “If I have one of these conditions, can I still go on the trek?”<br />
“It depends,” he answers, snatching away the clipboard and form. “Whatcha got?”<br />
“I have an ACL problem. I blew out my ACL but it was 20 years ago and I am really careful, that is why I brought my hiking poles,” I babble like an idiot, lifting my poles above the counter to show him. He scratches off the “No” and checks “Yes” in the knees box.<br />
“You’ll have to wait over here,” he points to the corner.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
The first person over thirty that I'd seen </h4>
In a few minutes the first person over thirty that I had seen since I’ve been inside the Franz Josef Glacier Guides office walks over.<br />
“So, you damaged your ACL over twenty years ago?” the man dressed in Search and Rescue regalia asks. “Ever have surgery?”<br />
“No, I didn’t go under the knife, but I keep the muscles around my knees well-exercised – it holds it all together pretty well. I’m an avid hiker,” I add holding up my poles again as if they were health certificates. He makes some notes on my form. I hold my breath. I really want to go on the Franz Josef glacier hike.<br />
<br />
“Go get your crampons,” he says after giving me special instructions on how to take care of my knees while walking with crampons.<br />
I am now issued a Gore-Tex glacier jacket, wool hat and mittens as well as the crampons, and I join the twenty-somethings on the bus. We’re shuttled to a trail where we walk over a mile to the terminus of Franz Josef Glacier. Crossing a rope stretched across the trail that keeps out the “unescorted” riffraff, we begin our climb over the rocky moraine towards the ice.<br />
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As soon as we reach the ice, we sit down and put on our crampons. Michael Rooke, our mountain guide gives detailed instructions on how to put on the metal “claws.”<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Franz Josef glacier hike</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji28TbQrqEVYnkwfLVnPxI5S2AJ901B3eOyvSfOCT3_mPmgjS2urvvbU2OmIaxxXn80bCubZjXzDJ57PVqLRpbn8C5FkcFMIDE1RlSAFacfpjlnHH0cS3hiYKfMbEQKNv66EyyTToy9EQ/s1600/P1000529-Ice+Stairs+down+New+Zealand+glacier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji28TbQrqEVYnkwfLVnPxI5S2AJ901B3eOyvSfOCT3_mPmgjS2urvvbU2OmIaxxXn80bCubZjXzDJ57PVqLRpbn8C5FkcFMIDE1RlSAFacfpjlnHH0cS3hiYKfMbEQKNv66EyyTToy9EQ/s320/P1000529-Ice+Stairs+down+New+Zealand+glacier.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Later, he warns us to stand back as ice chips fly off his hammer as he cuts steps into the glacier. We move slowly up the Franz Josef Glacier in our cumbersome new footwear, but the sun is shining on our smiling faces. Small winds, cooled by the ice field, move around us from time to time. The crisp mountain air is heavenly.<br />
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“When was the last time you had a sunny day like this?” I ask looking at the turquoise skies.<br />
“Oh, about a week ago. But in two days we’re having Biblical rain,” Rooke answers. This is a rainy part of the world and the river flowing from beneath the glacier rises and falls with those torrential rains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFJM0tzJZOcLHanMFRJTYAtuH2IU2m-ZE5da7XkeiBnYkxNDIAuvo5KMT80pxILFD1-xIDn8ZyAvkGHaPbecBPNgFYG-XCW9LDttok1eguyK_S7BdSh97mpiok6BwUkbnxmqjE1HspV0/s1600/_MG_0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFJM0tzJZOcLHanMFRJTYAtuH2IU2m-ZE5da7XkeiBnYkxNDIAuvo5KMT80pxILFD1-xIDn8ZyAvkGHaPbecBPNgFYG-XCW9LDttok1eguyK_S7BdSh97mpiok6BwUkbnxmqjE1HspV0/s400/_MG_0325.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Joel To</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Joel To</td></tr>
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Exiting the ice tunnel, I give no thought to standing up fast or not. No problem with dizziness today. The blue ice is mesmerizing and I am experiencing this world as I never have before. Eventually we reach a height of 620 meters (6674 feet) on our Franz Josef glacier walk and sit to eat our lunch. I drink in the magnificence of one of the most beautiful of all New Zealand glaciers. “Don’t forget to relax in the Glacier Hot Springs tonight – it’s included in your guide fee,” reminds Rooke.<br />
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On the shuttle ride back to town, while exchanging email addresses with new friends from Taiwan, Germany and New Zealand, I think, “This is one of the best days of my life – my knees are fine and I’m not pregnant! That might not be true for all of the twenty-somethings on this bus.”<br />
_____<br />
"UNSTOPPABLE STACEY" Wittig is a middle-aged adventure travel writer. Only one week after she returned from New Zealand, two twenty-somethings were killed while hiking without a guide at Franz Josef Glacier.<br />
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<b>For Franz Josef glacier hikes and Franz Josef heli hikes:</b><br />
Franz Josef Glacier Guides<br />
Franz Josef New Zealand<br />
<a href="http://www.franzjosefglacier.com/" target="_blank">www.franzjosefglacier.com</a><br />
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<b>Glacier Hot Pools</b><br />
Franz Josef New Zealand<br />
<a href="http://www.glacierhotpools.co.nz/">www.glacierhotpools.co.nz</a><br />
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<b>My Franz Josef accommodation:</b><br />
Glow Worm Cottages Backpackers Hostel<br />
Franz Josef New Zealand<br />
<a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/nz/glow-worm-cottages.en.html?aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">www.glowwormcottages.co.nz</a><br />
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<b>To search other Franz Josef accommodation</b> <a href="https://www.booking.com/searchresults.en.html?city=-1509737&aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">click here</a> and you’ll be directed to <a href="https://www.booking.com/searchresults.en.html?city=-1509737&aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">Booking.com</a>.<br />
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<b>New Zealand Department of Conservation</b> (national hiking trails)<br />
<a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation" target="_blank">www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation</a><br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>New Zealand glaciers that cover over ten hectares (25 acres)</b></h4>
Here is a list of New Zealand glaciers that cover over ten hectares (25 acres) each:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fox Glacier<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Franz Josef Glacier<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hooker Glacier<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mueller Glacier<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Murchison Glacier<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tasman Glacier<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Volta Glacier<br />
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<b>This article was first published in Lake Erie Lifestyle magazine </b>after a trip in November/December 2011. Some facts may have aged including the fact that Franz Josef Glacier and other New Zealand glaciers have retreated so much since then that you must now take a helicopter tour to the glacier. You may book Franz Josef heli hike tours from <a href="https://www.franzjosefglacier.com/" target="_blank">www.franzjosefglacier.com</a> and Fox Glacier heli hike tours from Fox Glacier Guiding at <a href="https://www.foxguides.co.nz/" target="_blank">www.foxguides.co.nz</a>. Please call ahead to verify information.<br />
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<b>Disclosure: </b>The travel writer paid for her Franz Josef glacier tours and Franz Josef accommodation. The article contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase, UNSTOPPABLE STACEY will get a small commission to help pay for publication of this blog. Thank you in advance.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0Franz Josef Glacier 7886, New Zealand-43.3873293 170.18328840000004-43.479681299999996 170.02192690000004 -43.2949773 170.34464990000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-48770353271064459852018-11-14T05:30:00.000-07:002018-11-14T14:50:50.022-07:00Escape Adventures Electric Bike Tours <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_AUTv1FEq62AxVeR_2pqwjl32dVdRW0I3cDLkFtLy_MRrK8AHIhY8HUloUsXqNzH5jO8WujGyR3Dw4kZCGnHAmpU2K7HP4uaMfFiRClwcfm1ZEsqMwVv31dky_dwMjO5jf-AWMFvAOs/s1600/Stacey-Wittig-Escape-Adventures-Electric-bike-tour.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_AUTv1FEq62AxVeR_2pqwjl32dVdRW0I3cDLkFtLy_MRrK8AHIhY8HUloUsXqNzH5jO8WujGyR3Dw4kZCGnHAmpU2K7HP4uaMfFiRClwcfm1ZEsqMwVv31dky_dwMjO5jf-AWMFvAOs/s400/Stacey-Wittig-Escape-Adventures-Electric-bike-tour.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
Last month Escape Adventures invited me to join an electric bike tour of the area around Bryce and Zion National Parks. Until then, I thought I was done with cycling. At age 63, it had been almost twenty years since my mountain biking days.* But I’d never been on an electric bike, so I thought I would give it a go, even at my ripe old age and sketchy skill level.<br />
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<b>I have to confess that</b> after I agreed to participate in one of the Escape Adventures E-Bike tours, I was a little worried about my abilities. The electric bicycle tour was billed as an “Electric Pedal Assist <i>Road</i> Bike Tour,” and I was concerned that I would be uncomfortable riding on the road. You see, my previous cycling was done on backcountry trails. I would find out soon enough how my nerves would fare on roadways around Bryce National Park and Zion National Park.<br />
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My other trepidation for the electric road bike tour was that my bottom side was not in shape. Would I be in butt agony after the first 25-mile day? I packed my cycling pants. Then there was the shoe quandary. Should I bring my old cleated, clip-in bike shoes or use the toe cages that typically come with rental bikes? I hesitantly left my cycling shoes at home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadows look like otherworldly petrogylphs on the canyon walls as we climb to Cedar Breaks NM</td></tr>
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<b>Well, I’m here to tell you that none of my fears </b>came to fruition. I fell head over heels in love with my ebike, whom I nicknamed ‘Mr. Green.’ He took me all over the Bryce and Zion area in Southern Utah, making sure that I had a smile on my face the whole way. Escape Adventures provided the equipment, guides and service that helped put me at ease and get my inner child jazzed.<br />
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First of all, the seat on the Specialized® Turbo Como was très comfy. “These are state of the art and designed for comfort,” said Troy, one of our Escape Adventures guides, as he answered my questions before our first ride at <a href="https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/snow-canyon/" target="_blank">Snow Canyon State Park</a> outside of St. George, Utah. Mr. Green sported a cruising seat, or saddle in bicycling terms, which was extra wide for support and cradled my ‘sit bones’ perfectly. The top of the ergonomic saddle had a V-groove that is said to increase blood flow and I guess that it did since I didn’t get saddle-sore on the three-day electric bike tour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIW2mF6q1wZuhLY2zfzeHrAXXLwcSYWFDD0fKC9sAzonporHiAGbRNxWG9U20aqrj0FAorqn_VsUFISYE5KLcYCGq1JBT8k7v5gxh6b6JaUJOQvN8y5j560obQdbE38LWe_4WwNM1-NSQ/s1600/Escape-Adventures-Electric-Bicycle-Tour-Wittig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIW2mF6q1wZuhLY2zfzeHrAXXLwcSYWFDD0fKC9sAzonporHiAGbRNxWG9U20aqrj0FAorqn_VsUFISYE5KLcYCGq1JBT8k7v5gxh6b6JaUJOQvN8y5j560obQdbE38LWe_4WwNM1-NSQ/s400/Escape-Adventures-Electric-Bicycle-Tour-Wittig.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Green in all his electric bike glory.</td></tr>
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<b>The frame of the Specialized® Turbo Como</b> is designed for comfort as well. Mr. Green’s top tube was positioned lower for easy get-on and get-offs. Not as low as a “girls’” bike, but not as high as the top bar on my old “men’s” mountain bike. I could quickly put my foot down when we came to a stop sign. The handle bars were positioned for sitting upright so that I could pedal in a more relaxed position than on a traditional road bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9BVRqKhzIpxXF4b69V5mQjAZkMsTnvi_QEZp8lNu5zGwoHJLnvJIqTP4czIg0SZiKfM1-ef_H5188ui2Df9C2JLLbX1EzOa54BCkYVcR0HtsAosqR4GCVT_eGVoKmtcT-CU_wfnmxEA/s1600/www.missmeghanyoung.com-Snow-CAnyon-Ebike-tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9BVRqKhzIpxXF4b69V5mQjAZkMsTnvi_QEZp8lNu5zGwoHJLnvJIqTP4czIg0SZiKfM1-ef_H5188ui2Df9C2JLLbX1EzOa54BCkYVcR0HtsAosqR4GCVT_eGVoKmtcT-CU_wfnmxEA/s320/www.missmeghanyoung.com-Snow-CAnyon-Ebike-tour.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arizona Travel Writer Stacey Wittig in Snow Canyon, UT<br />
Photo by Meghan Young of <a href="http://www.missmeghanyoung.com/">www.missmeghanyoung.com</a></td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Secret Sauce</h3>
I loved the pedal assist electric bikes, which made each stroke of the pedal feel like a natural pedal, but with just enough added power to help you reach the top of the hill or keep up with the others. The added assist is not “on” all the time like a gas-powered bicycle would be. The battery-powered motor reacts to the amount of force you apply to the pedals. It is only “on” when you pedal – it is off when you coast. The more force I applied to my pedal, the more power the motor put out. It was a real natural, not mechanical, feel. Escape Adventures’ e-bikes made my ride more leisurely and the hilly terrain easier to climb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32bYXZSOHbLI157HvMKMOUrRm0JtgdoyI8VqjJe-59ZMKMobd3wq7gLCnFDFb_lFaiEQXlg-qFpriQseU9_dYoFwa00H5LVx62TJ3jnTUPrIyo7beIOpP9su1WumZOb6lKJrbD0tQ-bE/s1600/Escape-Adventures-Snow-Canyon-Wittig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1453" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32bYXZSOHbLI157HvMKMOUrRm0JtgdoyI8VqjJe-59ZMKMobd3wq7gLCnFDFb_lFaiEQXlg-qFpriQseU9_dYoFwa00H5LVx62TJ3jnTUPrIyo7beIOpP9su1WumZOb6lKJrbD0tQ-bE/s400/Escape-Adventures-Snow-Canyon-Wittig.jpg" width="362" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paved biking and hing path at Snow Canyon State Park</td></tr>
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Additionally, my new love Mr. Green, unlike my husband, had a control device where I could choose the amount of help that I needed from him. I could breeze along under my own power, shifting my rear derailleur when necessary and then, as I approached a hill, press a button for “the secret sauce” – the motor power. There were three power settings from which to choose from a device near the grip on the left handle bar. By the way, the electric assist bike had no front derailleur which actually made the e-bike a little easier for this old brain to use. The ebike’s 9-speed shifter on the right handle bar gave me plenty of options.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Sticky Pedals</h3>
I made a good choice of leaving my cycling shoes behind. Mr. Green came with the latest in bicycle pedals – and, thank God, not the unsightly and embarrassing toe cage pedals. He was quite the fashion plate wearing low profile commuter pedals with grip tape and reflectors. My feet stuck like glue and never slipped off the pedal surface.<br />
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With the extra power from the integrated Specialized motor, a heartier brake system was necessary, and so Specialized outfitted Mr. Green with hydraulic disc brakes. Wow! My feathering finger braking technique came right back from my old days of riding, so I didn’t have any problems with converting to the new technology of the electric bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQHRvQT2vCNEa3WNRSRHzVQHDXpC-MldMif7O5MfO8UoKk45-yjgSnwoFrmCmpxIBRe1e3yBWppbbySFthyphenhyphenzdgCpQS4EdwWZPSnjiav6_nueypjhYJAtojuFgZ7kOYYVoWzdUneUUrtQ/s1600/Escape-Adventures-electric-bike-tour.700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQHRvQT2vCNEa3WNRSRHzVQHDXpC-MldMif7O5MfO8UoKk45-yjgSnwoFrmCmpxIBRe1e3yBWppbbySFthyphenhyphenzdgCpQS4EdwWZPSnjiav6_nueypjhYJAtojuFgZ7kOYYVoWzdUneUUrtQ/s400/Escape-Adventures-electric-bike-tour.700.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Escape Adventures downloading at Snow Canyon Overlook</td></tr>
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<b>The engine on our electric assisted bikes was almost </b>invisible to the untrained eye. The body of the e-bike is slightly wider to house the motor and the battery. Of course that makes the ebike heavier than a standard bicycle, so our guides, Merrick and Troy really got a workout lifting the electric bikes on and off the bicycle rack positioned high on the roof of our Escape Adventures luxury travel van.<br />
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The Specialized battery in Mr. Green’s frame was lockable and easily removable for ease of charging. I didn’t experience charging the batteries as that was done every night by our Escape Adventures guides. Each morning when we pushed the on button, our electric bikes showed a complete charge on the digital LCD display. Another benefit to going on an electric bike tour rather than trying to do it on your own.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch spread after Bryce Canyon NP hike</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Benefits of organized cycling tours</h3>
Having someone else charge our electric bike batteries at night is an excellent segue into the benefits of choosing a tour when going cross-country on electric bikes. My experience was with Escape Adventures, and this is what I found to be the advantages of touring with them.<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
1.) Provides Up-to-Date Equipment</h2>
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Escape Adventures provided the latest in e bikes, the Specialized ® Turbo Como 2.0 650b. And you can tell from what I have said above that I really enjoyed riding new, state-of-the-art electric bikes. If I were to buy this electric bicycle for myself, it would cost around $2,850. Escape Adventures also provided helmets, complimentary water bottle, seatpack and gloves. I didn’t have to pay extra to ship my electric bike or carry any of that gear on the airplane.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
2.) Reduces Planning</h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I loved that our guides knew the national park rules and regs and had all the appropriate fees ready when we drove to the Bryce and Zion National Park gates. We hiked when electric assist bike riding was not allowed, and I didn’t have to read all the confusing government websites to plan the trip. Further, all our lunches were preplanned, and a great lunch spread was waiting for us when we returned from our ride or hike. The Bryce and Zion eBike tours included accommodations at casual inns that were vetted and reserved by Escape Adventures. I didn’t have to worry about making reservations months in advance like you typically have to do at destinations located near national parks.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
3.) Saves Time</h2>
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Not only does an organized tour save time during the planning stage, but it also saves time when your boots are on the ground at your destination. Having the lunches made and waiting saved us the time that we would have to stand in line with the hordes at a national park concessionaire. Furthermore, we didn’t waste time looking for our accommodations as our guides chauffeured us right to the front door.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
4.) Offers Convenience</h2>
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Having someone drive me around beautiful landscapes seems like such a luxury for me. I love to drive, but it was so convenient to have drivers who can keep their eyes on the road while I snapped pictures or ogled at views that I would miss if I were doing the driving. As I mentioned earlier, it was very convenient for me at age 63 to have someone lift my bike off the roof rack, charge Mr. G’s battery at night, and – not previously stated – repair or change flat tires.</div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
5.) Creates a Tribe of Like-minded Individuals </h2>
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I had previously met only one of the others on the Escape Adventures ebike tour. But we all bonded on the first day and were sad to say goodbye by the end of the electric bike tour. I think that was because we all shared the same challenges and adventures which drew like-minded individuals and that the guides were skilled at getting the group to interact.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS1GeYwvphzsL_Vg4L3W42ipbdAHgtaDGnXICegvrLcBGd_EG6A_qZbpylXVwUaL_4cXz6UeudL_Bkqy06ZgK9GKANETlzbJoNe9XbAfV9jOU_POiY7kJM530hMUP7BhXHoAkj69tYOs/s1600/Stacey-Wittig-Escape-Adventures-Ebike-tour.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS1GeYwvphzsL_Vg4L3W42ipbdAHgtaDGnXICegvrLcBGd_EG6A_qZbpylXVwUaL_4cXz6UeudL_Bkqy06ZgK9GKANETlzbJoNe9XbAfV9jOU_POiY7kJM530hMUP7BhXHoAkj69tYOs/s400/Stacey-Wittig-Escape-Adventures-Ebike-tour.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNSTOPPABLE STACEY at Cedar Ridge National Monument </td></tr>
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<b>The Specialized electric bicycle gave me just the </b>boost and confidence that I needed to ride 24.3 miles the first day at Snow Canyon. I loved our later stop at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cebr/index.htm" target="_blank">Cedar Ridge National Monument</a> where we took the most Instagrammable pictures and got our first glimpse of Southern Utah’s hoodoos. Since the park is at 10,000 feet, we experienced snow (in October) and the dark blue skies only seen at high altitude.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwb0LTwO8ZDdGFLEegyupYztZEbu3c0ZTWkQmfzeOjXALHimrrAUfRbIoxBQknuyVHt9kXNVv51TuNbZfbspGI8mOP2YZlWghwWcFjA_VrfVmOBarqZtZxaIHquuFbQcCZYTVO2BnW0I/s1600/Escape-Adventures-electric-bike-tour-red-canyon.700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwb0LTwO8ZDdGFLEegyupYztZEbu3c0ZTWkQmfzeOjXALHimrrAUfRbIoxBQknuyVHt9kXNVv51TuNbZfbspGI8mOP2YZlWghwWcFjA_VrfVmOBarqZtZxaIHquuFbQcCZYTVO2BnW0I/s400/Escape-Adventures-electric-bike-tour-red-canyon.700.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of time to stop and take photos at Dixie National Forest</td></tr>
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<b>The next morning we rode on </b>separate, paved pathways through Dixie National Forest to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm" target="_blank">Bryce Canyon National Park</a>, ditched the e bikes and hiked the amazing Navajo Loop Trail to Queen’s Garden. Merreck said that although he’s trekked and cycled with Escape Adventures all over the world, this was his favorite hike. It had been over twenty years since I visited Bryce Canyon and I was once again blown away by the hoodoo rock formations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bryce Canyon National Park overlook on Navajo Loop Trail</td></tr>
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<b>On Day Three, we rode </b>along Utah State Highway 9 from Mount Carmel Junction to near <a href="https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm" target="_blank">Zion National Park</a>. That was the only section of our ride that had me nervous about the traffic, but I had a grand sense of accomplishment once we ended the leg at the park sign.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strangers became friends on this Escape Adventures eBike Tour</td></tr>
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<b>On this electric bicycle tour, I learned a lot about myself:</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I have the strength and endurance to accomplish a cross-country road bike trip (with a little bit of help from Mr. G.),</li>
<li>It’s easy to travel as a single woman with a tour group, which offers a way to make new friends, and </li>
<li>I wasn’t “done” with cycling, and I’m not too old to ride. </li>
</ul>
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<b>It all came back – just like riding a bike.</b><br />
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This tour is perfect for families, couples or groups with different levels of riding skills. Learn more about the <b>Utah Bryce and Zion Backcountry Electric Pedal Assist Road Bike Tour</b> at:<br />
<a href="https://escapeadventures.com/tour/cycling-bryce-and-zion-ebike-2%C2%A0" target="_blank">https://escapeadventures.com/tour/cycling-bryce-and-zion-ebike-2 </a><br />
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<b>Escape Adventures</b><br />
10575 Discovery Dr<br />
Las Vegas, NV 89135<br />
800-596-2953<br />
<a href="https://escapeadventures.com/" target="_blank">https://escapeadventures.com </a><br />
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*<b>I have to admit that</b> I was quite an experienced mountain biker … <b><i>twenty years ago. </i></b>I rode twice a week with my boyfriend (now my husband Dan) and another couple Mark and Lisa. When Mark’s friends from back East would join us on Flagstaff’s rugged trails, they ended up with chipped teeth, bloody legs or broken arms. Us girls would just keep pedaling.<br />
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<b>"Unstoppable Stacey" Wittig</b> is a travel writer based in Flagstaff. The Arizona travel writer was hosted by Escape Adventures, and although that does not affect her opinions, she believes in full disclosure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com1Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA37.5930377 -112.1870895000000111.458164699999998 -153.4956835 63.727910699999995 -70.878495500000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-85908983843411202712018-10-19T11:38:00.004-07:002018-10-19T12:07:09.930-07:00Five Things to do in Finger Lakes Wine Country for the Outdoorsy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love wine country. And I love drinking wine. I just don't want to do it all day. I'm more the outdoorsy sort, so when I am in wine country, if I can mix wine tasting with some outdoor adventure, then that's what I'd call a perfect weekend. On my recent trip to Finger Lakes Wine Country, I explored the area and found the five best things to do in Finger Lakes for outdoorsy people like me.<script type="text/javascript">
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<b>#1 </b>Best things to do in Finger Lakes<b>: Kayak to Painted Rocks</b></h3>
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Morning is a beautiful time to kayak the waters of the Finger Lakes. The air was still and the light was subdued on the morning that I shoved my kayak into Seneca Lake. Mark Moskal, owner of <a href="http://summittostream.com/" target="_blank">Summit to Stream Adventures</a> and fishing guide extraordinaire gave our group some great instructions -- he is a Captain in the US Coast Guard, btw, so he's got all the safety measures down. </div>
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<b>For this outdoor adventure, </b>we kayaked to Painted Rocks which were said to be painted by Native Americans but historians today believe that they were created around the turn of the century as tourist attractions. The rock paintings were a fun and easy paddle across Seneca Lake from the <a href="https://www.watkinsglenchamber.com/" target="_blank">Village of Watkins Glen</a> and the picturesque Watkins Glen Harbor.</div>
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<b>#2 Best things to do in Finger Lakes: Horseback Ride into Deep Forests</b></h3>
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Another of the best things to do in Finger Lakes is to get into the woods on horseback. I felt like I was in the movie, <a href="https://amzn.to/2J7mwTQ" target="_blank">Last of the Mohicans</a> when we rode into the deep forests of northern New York. The leaves filtered the sun and we headed into a dark, but calming woods. Now this is what I call being outdoors! My horse, Bandit, was well-trained and responsive. I highly recommend <a href="http://www.paintedbarstables.com/" target="_blank">Painted Bar Stables</a> where horse whisperer and owner Erica Eckstrom takes pride in matching your personality to a specific horse's personality. Yes, she is a human whisperer as well as an equine expert. She put me on Bandit, I wonder what that says about me...<br />
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<b>#3 Best things to do in Finger Lakes: Hike Watkins Glen State Park</b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade Falls by (c) <a href="http://www.lisamorales.com./" target="_blank">Lisa Morales Photography</a></td></tr>
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You don't have to hike far to find a waterfall at Watkins Glen State Park. You'll walk up a gorge that sports 19 waterfalls, including Cascade Falls pictured here, within two short miles. Rain or shine the photo ops are spectacular during this outdoor adventure. Another reason that this is one of the best things to do in Finger Lakes is that a trail shuttle takes you up and down the gorge before or after your hike. The shuttle runs on weekends throughout the year and also during the week in summer (June 23-Labor Day.)<br />
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<b>Check the park schedule </b>at <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/142/hours-of-operation.aspx" target="_blank">https://parks.ny.gov</a><br />
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<b>Love this photo?</b> You may purchase fine art prints by clicking <a href="https://lisamorales.smugmug.com/Waterfalls/" target="_blank">here</a>. Browse more of Lisa's waterfall images at <a href="https://lisamorales.smugmug.com/Waterfalls">LisaMorales.smugmug.com/Waterfalls</a><br />
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<b>#4 Best things to do in Finger Lakes: Drive an historic Grand Prix Course</b></h3>
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There's nothing like putting the pedal to the metal on curvy, hilly country roads with the wind in your face! Yes, turn off the A/C and open your driver's window, people! On this outdoor adventure, you can follow the historic Grand Prix course (the first post-WWII road race in the US) that sticks to the public roads and get a nice tour of the area. To find your way along this one of the best things to do in Finger Lakes, download a map at the Watkins Glen Chamber site by clicking <a href="https://www.watkinsglenchamber.com/sites/default/files/Watkins%20Glen%20Grand%20Prix%20Course.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<b>#5 Best things to do in Finger Lakes: Taste the Wine</b></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasting in Hazlitt 1852's vineyards while overlooking Seneca Lake.</td></tr>
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As I said earlier, I love drinking wine and <a href="http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/" target="_blank">Finger Lakes Wine Country</a> affords many opportunities to do just that. With over 100 wineries, breweries and distilleries, you'll probably never be able to visit them all. I suggest that you take the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, one of three distinct Finger Lakes wine trails, and head straight to <a href="http://hazlitt1852.com/" target="_blank">Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards</a>. I tasted their flagship Red Cat Cellars wine and others while standing in mature vineyards overlooking Seneca Lake. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vinifera Winemaker Michael Reidy talks with our group of travel bloggers.</td></tr>
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Although it may not be a typical setting for guests, as a travel writer I was able to talk with winemaker Michael Reidy as we stood outdoors next to rows of Merlot vines. Michael was a great host and really knows his stuff - as well he should after earning a Bachelor of Science in Enology and Viticulture from Cornell University and working at Hazlitt since 2006.</div>
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I truly enjoyed my time exploring the five best things to do in Finger Lakes Wine Country, and I think you will, too. If you have other favorites, please leave your recommendations in the comments below. Cheers!</div>
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<b>"UNSTOPPABLE STACEY"</b> Wittig is an Arizona travel writer based near Flagstaff. Follow her adventures by adding your email to the box in the right-hand column. As is typical in the travel industry, she was hosted by the businesses mentioned, but her thoughts and opinions are always her own.<br />
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<b><u>Need a place to stay?</u></b> On my next trip to Finger Lakes Wine Country, I want to stay at Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel. Book that hotel now on my favorite site: <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/watkins-glen-harbor.en.html?aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1">Booking.com</a>.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-58404796535284727892018-10-02T04:00:00.000-07:002018-10-04T11:48:47.920-07:00Scouting out the Hyatt Regency Rochester<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Genesee River from my Hyatt Regency hotel room.</td></tr>
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Last week I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Rochester in New York, and while exploring the city uncovered more amazing cultural and historical attractions than I expected to find. Rochester, I knew, was home of Eastman Kodak and that huge film and camera empire, and I was familiar with the George Eastman Museum, the world’s oldest photography museum. But I didn’t realize the abundance of other attractions, and that a river flows through the city (duh, the Erie Canal moved by in days before the Iron Horse!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Falls from Genesse Brew House</td></tr>
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The picturesque High Falls on the Genesee River is a dynamic part of the urban landscape. Revitalization of the city has concentrated on river walks and an abundance of pleasant green zones.<br />
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Early city fathers laid groundwork for Rochester’s grand park system and early city mothers were arrested for voting in neighborhoods near the greenways. Yes, Rochester is home of Susan B. Anthony who rallied America’s ladies to fight for the right to vote.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass in park near Anthony's home where she was arrested for voting.</td></tr>
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You can visit the social activist’s home – and I did – as well as the home of George Eastman, the philanthropic industrialist who put affordable photographic equipment into the hands of nearly everyone. (Have you heard of the Brownie Camera?)<br />
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Another unexpected find was the Hyatt Regency Rochester which has just undergone an $18 million renovation. I hadn’t anticipated seeing such a large investment in a city that experienced large-scale deindustrialization in the past. Yet throughout my whole visit I saw a bright and vibrant city, which told me that Rochester has successfully ridden the tides of economic and social change.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKouykfv4Lz08ifW4pnq_-s8H6yLwfIcrV1tOg5u-zdaiMbhkP62IMc5-SdVdfbBOCYqPS8RkQKkZyGKZZEZJORkKaMX-psnap8DL5ju-cT7qB1WlD-mnKl54NTCP7gLVApC5sHw5NzQM/s1600/20180914_173155+%2528Small%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="854" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKouykfv4Lz08ifW4pnq_-s8H6yLwfIcrV1tOg5u-zdaiMbhkP62IMc5-SdVdfbBOCYqPS8RkQKkZyGKZZEZJORkKaMX-psnap8DL5ju-cT7qB1WlD-mnKl54NTCP7gLVApC5sHw5NzQM/s400/20180914_173155+%2528Small%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Rooftop bar, high views of the captivating city scape, upscale dining and convenient central location make this hotel a Rochester must-stay. While there, I participated in a fun scavenger hunt sponsored by the Hyatt Regency team. The attentive staff, proud of the new digs, wanted us to experience all the upgraded features and so created an intriguing quest. I thought it would be fun to take you along on the scavenger hunt with me. Here are our clues:<br />
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What is the smallest of the Great Lakes?</h3>
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The key to the greatest views? The keycard to Room 2509, the Lake Ontario Suite had been given to me along with the key to my guest room on the 20th floor. Hmmm…what could be out of the windows of the Lake Ontario Suite? I grabbed the keycard and took the elevator up investigate. I wasn’t sure what I would find.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpxTml05eg82ueNh17JCdJen620KWsg-PBBEXRCGAPNxDkP832IQP5VwBu2rbCtdqg0GTjZhgRjOyug8hapqxYqucyj7xxnI-nXBF8j9l7ivrVnplgcQYF6tCa7tuYAukOLUgaaTfAsY/s1600/20180916_091303+%2528Small%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpxTml05eg82ueNh17JCdJen620KWsg-PBBEXRCGAPNxDkP832IQP5VwBu2rbCtdqg0GTjZhgRjOyug8hapqxYqucyj7xxnI-nXBF8j9l7ivrVnplgcQYF6tCa7tuYAukOLUgaaTfAsY/s400/20180916_091303+%2528Small%2529.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Lake Ontario Suite: large enough for your family or Board of Directors</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYeGIFbiqoylQA-X7nNj2_WNxVqKiPWK6ANprOOEcmCJ5Ywa3rGvbnSxVRbUJJSgzSw4aI6eJTxY4j084pHhvEurcrl2uGDoBkn7rjfu55MDzvgUU92SdJxWMUPnB6PvGh3Pact7Dh6Q/s1600/Horizon+from+Ontario+Suite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1429" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYeGIFbiqoylQA-X7nNj2_WNxVqKiPWK6ANprOOEcmCJ5Ywa3rGvbnSxVRbUJJSgzSw4aI6eJTxY4j084pHhvEurcrl2uGDoBkn7rjfu55MDzvgUU92SdJxWMUPnB6PvGh3Pact7Dh6Q/s400/Horizon+from+Ontario+Suite.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside on the deck of the Lake Ontario Suite</td></tr>
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What is the name of the internationally renowned artists residing in Rochester? </h3>
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Take a picture of his sculpture on display in the Hyatt Regency’s lobby.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUd7nxXcOWk6UxgZjd7-2YPEvjRBMl93mdxpCNs9EVKZmVjxfuTByfx2B0_PaKuNkxYe61AbxHUikjsWW5WLEp4bf7zXoQ18WEMRzoePihLhKwTt5N4khR7EVhFHV-2PajAoNf7dCz8Yc/s1600/20180917_092843+%2528Small%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUd7nxXcOWk6UxgZjd7-2YPEvjRBMl93mdxpCNs9EVKZmVjxfuTByfx2B0_PaKuNkxYe61AbxHUikjsWW5WLEp4bf7zXoQ18WEMRzoePihLhKwTt5N4khR7EVhFHV-2PajAoNf7dCz8Yc/s400/20180917_092843+%2528Small%2529.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
This is me admiring the piece by Gregory Johnson. <a href="https://www.sculpture.org/portfolio/sculptorPage.php?sculptor_id=1000194" target="_blank">One art expert</a> says<br />
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“Suggestive of the pathways of life . . . the forces of nature . . . human emotion . . . those abstract concepts that are so familiar yet so intangible, like the warmth of sunlight or the crashing of a wave."</blockquote>
Gregory Johnson's contemporary metal pieces are collected by museums, corporations and public organizations from all over the country. I was blessed to see one of his pieces up close and personal.<br />
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What is the name of the tallest building in view from the Center City?</h3>
That was an easy one to solve. While sipping cocktails on the rooftop bar, I simply asked our Hyatt Regency Rochester host, “What’s the name of that building right there?” “The Cosmopolitan,” she answered and all my colleagues laughed and accused me of cheating. Hey, I’m a journalist – I ask the direct questions.<br />
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Make a splash in our renovated pool area! Take a pic of you lounging in our aquatic oasis.</h3>
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I got up early to snag some Instagram shots by the Hyatt Regency Rochester pool, so there was not a soul around when I entered the renovated pool area. I was so impressed by the city views out the expansive picture window and the outdoor sun deck. Since I wasn’t about to take the overused Instagram shot of thong bikini-clad travel writer with head wrapped in towel (hey, you wouldn’t want to see that shot of me either,) I envisioned a shot of my feet up on a chaise, the Rochester cityscape reflecting in the pool in the background and my coffee in the foreground. The aquatic sanctuary was quiet as I snapped my first test shot. Not enough exposure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEysbigUcIrYDjmzMiQK3HtgLSXLcmWjNCPZEauCOtStPtxR_MlsNj_ET-J9FGdMjyXRZuEqWxm5SR8jVNfKa8uqCKzQjJP3T9M_j-HDEMIcHJK9rwk9ol-UGAbzb7_z-thyIjfucGgjI/s1600/In+the+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEysbigUcIrYDjmzMiQK3HtgLSXLcmWjNCPZEauCOtStPtxR_MlsNj_ET-J9FGdMjyXRZuEqWxm5SR8jVNfKa8uqCKzQjJP3T9M_j-HDEMIcHJK9rwk9ol-UGAbzb7_z-thyIjfucGgjI/s400/In+the+shot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I re-posed for a second attempt when the tranquility of the soothing waters was interrupted. The door across the natatorium slammed open and in popped a fellow photographer. He had been walking into my shots for the past three days and it looked like this morning would be no better. It was quite evident that I was shooting at my pointed toes, and sure enough if he didn’t find the exact spot on the other side of the pool to stop and stand. Really? There was plenty of room for a crew of paparazzi in this large pool area. I guess all is fair in love and scavenger hunts.<br />
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Can you find the mermaid? Take a picture of her, she considers herself a wall flower at our fave place to get caffeinated.</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1IG0sqYwMae6anQkA-TUZ8wCJ98ffdrVYvW92dmLyYH5khvwfQql7xoONFv9oVWrTxSprpBrB7YvyJTwib8Wpz2PZAWnkbRsUlyfg8BhXh97PPAHBh94ZkF5AWhha3r-fgOHMRp1xNE/s1600/Starbucks+Rochester+Hyatt+%2528Small%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="319" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1IG0sqYwMae6anQkA-TUZ8wCJ98ffdrVYvW92dmLyYH5khvwfQql7xoONFv9oVWrTxSprpBrB7YvyJTwib8Wpz2PZAWnkbRsUlyfg8BhXh97PPAHBh94ZkF5AWhha3r-fgOHMRp1xNE/s320/Starbucks+Rochester+Hyatt+%2528Small%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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“Clever deduction, Sherlock,” I said to myself as I headed on down to the street level where the Starbucks was conveniently located for locals as well as hotel guests. The on-site Starbucks is part of the Hyatt Regency Rochester and a great place to pick up coffee, tea, smoothies, light breakfast items or snacks when you are in the go.<br />
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Can you find the water feature? Take a picture of it! Hint: It’s the best place to get a draft beer.</h3>
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I followed the clues to the bar, but the mysterious water
feature was not so easy to find. I did not see it, but when I stopped to
listen, I could hear the tinkling of water. I finally traced the sound to the
bar’s sign behind the beer taps. The unique sign is a wall fountain with water pouring
over the face of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2eIC3yjNFWFRtnBoD9g2-539Alq2yg71Vhvdt4CVRcjP7QCnAUS-fC0_VwgatuNZKnDtiDw-AJwHXpt1b6A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Why wait? </b>Plan your getaway to Rochester now. Book your Hyatt Regency Rochester room <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/hyatt-regency-rochester.en.html?aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">here</a>. Check out room rates at the Best Hotels Rochester at <a href="https://www.booking.com/searchresults.en.html?iata=ROC&aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">Booking.com</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/new-york/hyatt-regency-rochester/roche" target="_blank"><b>Hyatt Regency Rochester</b></a><br />
125 East Main Street, Rochester, New York, United States, 14604<br />
Tel: +1 585 546 1234<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Unstoppable Stacey</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Wittig is a an Arizona travel writer who writes from her home in Flagstaff, Arizona. Although she was hosted for her getaway to Rochester, NY, her opinions, as always are her own.</span><br />
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#DiscoverHyattRoc @hyattregencyrochester<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-53894240958274143312018-08-21T17:34:00.001-07:002018-10-01T13:42:31.538-07:00How to Harvest and Prepare Prickly Pear Fruit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ever since I saw Billy Crystal in the movie, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101587/" target="_blank">City Slickers</a>, I’ve wanted to experience a real-life dude ranch. The comedy flick also made me aspire to run with the bulls in Pamplona, but that will wait for another story.<br />
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<b>Last weekend I lived out my dude ranch dream</b> at Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, where I rode well-trained horses, ate gourmet cowboy grub and harvested the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. Late summer is prickly pear harvest season and I thought I’d share some tips about foraging the colorful fruit that you can use in cocktails, desserts or even BBQ sauces.<br />
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<b>At Tanque Verde Ranch, </b>we used long, stainless steel utility tongs that you would find in the kitchen. They helped us reach across the prickly pear plant and avoid the menacing needles. I searched for the fruit – also called tuna – that had a deep, dark magenta color with no green remaining. The color indicates that the prickly pears are sweet and ready for harvest.<br />
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Prickly pear cactus grows throughout the Tanque Verde Ranch, but you’ll see more vibrant color on the prickly pear fruit on the grounds near the front lawn and surrounding buildings. That’s because those plants get more water.<br />
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<b>The fruit grows on the highest paddles</b> (or <i>nopales</i>) of the prickly pear and these were the size of small kiwi fruit. White spots on the prickly pear look like fungus, but it’s actually the residue of a small bug that burrows into the green cactus paddles. A natural dye is made from the tunneling insects and is used in textiles, pharmaceuticals and other products. The bug dye produces crimson and scarlet colors. We had to be careful not to touch the fruit in an effort to avoid the annoying cactus spikes, but also to dodge staining our fingers with deep reddish purple.<br />
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Although the micro spines that cover the fruit and paddles are extremely irritating, they will eventually work themselves out of your skin if you happen to get a few in your fingers, arms or legs while harvesting. Of course, long pants and sleeves would help protect you from the irritation. It is also wise to watch for snakes and bring water, a hat and sunscreen when going out to harvest prickly pear fruit.<br />
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<b>We picked the ripe fruit by</b> twisting the <i>tuna</i> slightly with the tongs to break it off the paddle. We picked one fruit at a time to fill our galvanized buckets that we carried with us as we meandered around the ranch situated in the Sonoran Desert.<br />
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<b>In about one hour </b>our buckets were full and heavy and we were ready to get out of the sun. Just before noon the other prickly pear foragers and I reconvened in one of the ranch’s commercial kitchens to help Executive Sous Chef Janet Hoogasian prepare the raw fruit pods.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Executive Sous Chef Janet Hoogasian </td></tr>
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<b>“Here at the ranch, we’re well known for our Prickly Pear Margaritas, so</b> we have to pick a lot of prickly pears,” said the chef. “It takes about 35 pods to get one-third of a cup,” she said. Only one to two ounces of prickly pear juice will give you the vibrant color a margaritas or other drink.<br />
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<b>Chef Janet prepares the juice</b> and sauces and freezes them for the rest of the year. Prickly pear's taste is slightly sweet and fruity, but sugars – agave, honey, or cane sugar – are typically added to sweeten the wild food that is high in vitamin B, iron, amino acids and magnesium.<br />
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<b>First, we placed the prickly pear pods </b>into a large colander and sprayed all the bugs off with water using the sprayer on the sink. Then we rinsed the fruit under the water faucet and repeatedly swirled the heavy batch to take off the micro spikes. The fruit knocking against each other in the colander helps to rub off those prickly micro fibers.<br />
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<b>This process doesn’t remove</b> all the spikes, so we donned leather gloves over the typical disposal food service gloves so we could handle the spiky fruit. On the cutting board, we sliced off the tips of the pods and then made a short incision into the tough skin to cut a slit from end to end. That allowed us to peel off the thick skin with the edge of the knife. Since the interior flesh is slippery, we had to take caution while extracting the juicy pulp.<br />
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Breaking down the fruit like this takes a lot of detailed knife work, but the end result is a ranch-made sauce or juice made without additives or preservatives. “You know exactly what went into it: time, effort and love,” smiled Chef Janet, who is part of the Gastronomic Union of Tucson.<br />
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<b>The skinned fruit went into</b> a large pot, where we added a little water and set it on low heat to simmer. Soon, the aroma of plums rose from the simmering concoction while Chef Janet skimmed off cactus spikes that floated to the surface and stuck to the sides of the pot with a strainer ladle.<br />
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Besides being used as an important ingredient for margaritas, prickly pear juice is also used in the Tanque Verde Ranch’s BBQ sauce. “You can do all kinds of flavor profiles with prickly pear because of its mild flavor,” the chef explained. That day she added honey, a cinnamon stick and cloves to the cooking fruit to be used in the evening’s desert. “You can use it in shaved ice, a glaze for pork chops or an icing for a dessert that will have that awesome color. Prickly pear has a very light flavor, so you can add other things and take it up a notch.”<br />
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After simmering the fruit pulp, Chef Janet put it through a sieve and returned it to the pot to simmered some more. She repeated sieving several times to remove prickly pear needles and seeds. In the final stage, chef poured the reduction through cheese cloth. What she didn’t use for the evening’s desserts was frozen for later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanque Verde Ranch's signature Prickly Pear Margarita</td></tr>
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<b>“We always think we have enough, but</b> every year that I’ve been here, we run out by January,” laughed Denise, a banquet bartender who has worked at the ranch almost five years. Denise and another mixologist were demonstrating how to use prickly pear juice in cocktails in a session at the on-site Dog House Saloon after lunch. We sampled a Prickly Pear Mimosa, a Prickly Pear Whiskey Sour, a Cosmo that substituted the cranberry juice for what else, prickly pear, and of course the ranch’s signature Prickly Pear Margarita.<br />
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<b>Take part in the second harvest happening August 23-26</b>, 2018. Rates starting at $435/night includes:<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Arizona accommodations with three hearty meals daily<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>specialty prickly pear menu items<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>harvest prickly pears<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>learn and partake in prickly pear processing<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>prickly pear cooking demos<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>prickly pear t-shirts for all guests<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>supervised children’s program (ages 4-11)<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>horseback trail riding and lessons<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>scheduled breakfast rides and cowboy cookouts<br />
•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>fishing, guided hikes, nature programs, mountain biking, bingo and many other family activities<br />
<br />
<b>For Tanque Verde Ranch's BBQ and margarita recipes</b> go to <a href="https://www.tanqueverderanch.com/prickly-pear-recipes/" target="_blank">www.tanqueverderanch.com/prickly-pear-recipes </a><br />
<br />
<b>Have you used Prickly Pear in any of your recipes?</b> Or have you tried Prickly Pear fruit, which is considered a super food? Has this article inspired you to go out and do some desert foraging? If so, leave you comments below. I’d love to hear from you.<br />
<br />
<b>Tanque Verde Ranch </b>14301 East Speedway, Tucson, AZ; 800-234-3833<br />
<a href="http://www.tanqueverderanch.com/portfolio-item/prickly-pear-harvest/" target="_blank">www.tanqueverderanch.com</a><br />
<br />
Why wait? Check out room rates on <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/tanque-verde-guest-ranch.en.html?aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">Booking.com</a> and book now by clicking <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/tanque-verde-guest-ranch.en.html?aid=1433940&no_rooms=1&group_adults=1" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>"Unstoppable" Stacey</b> Wittig is a an Arizona travel writer who writes from her home in Flagstaff, Arizona.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Arizona Trail, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA35.244026041845473 -111.64061649062534.414999541845475 -112.931509990625 36.07305254184547 -110.34972299062501tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-36366232103818225032018-07-31T21:56:00.000-07:002018-08-02T13:45:55.812-07:00Quebec: Adventures in Nature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Parc national Fjord-du-Saguenay, Rivière-Éternité (c) <br />Charles David Robitaille</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Last week I was a very “happy camper” in Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The area is located in the woods north of Montreal and Quebec
City known for the Saguenay Fjord, one of the ten longest fjords in the world.
I have to admit that I didn’t actually camp in a tent. The adventure was more
of a “glamping” experience where I engaged in camping-type adventures like
hiking up the glacier-carved granite and gneiss hills, sailing down the salty
waters of the fjord and zigzagging into gorges gouged into the rock by the huge
ice flows of the Pleistocene Era. But instead of roughing it, this “glamper”
had the luxury of dining at glamorous restaurants and sleeping in comfy
chalets and hotels.</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Adventures in
Nature #1: Hiking</b></h3>
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The challenging Statue Trail started near sea level on the
shores of Saguenay Fjord. At dinner the night before, I’d learned that a fjord
is a long, narrow glacial carved valley that is filled with salt water. After dinner, we attended the Saguenay Wine Festival,
the largest international wine fest I’d ever experienced. I tasted Zonin
Proseccos from Italy, French rosés and Spanish Riojas as well as Canadian
wines, and rubbed elbows with Spanish wine maker, Roberto Alonso, who promised
to show me around <a href="http://www.valdemar.es/en" target="_blank">Bodegas Valdemar</a> vineyards the next
time I’m in Logrono, Spain.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Annual Saguenay Wine Festival in Chicoutimi, Quebec</span></td></tr>
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<div>
Chicoutimi’s historic downtown is open to foot traffic only
during for the annual street party. Vintners from across the globe, as well as
spirit distillers, draw a cosmopolitan crowd made of locals and visitors from
Montreal and Quebec City with over 40K people attending the three-day event.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Statue Trail at Saguenay Fjord National Park</span></td></tr>
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The next morning in the Saguenay Fjord National Park, I
hiked up through the lush boreal forest past green spruce and white-barked
birch up an enchanting pathway of rock stairways, redwood decks and glacier-polished
bedrock. The many overlooks of the fjord disappearing below me tempted me to
the edge of the fiords’ vertical cliffs. National Geographic named this trail
network through Saguenay National Park as a “<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/walking-tours/" target="_blank">Top 10 Walks & Hiking Tours in 2010</a>.” The trail is a three- to four-hour
out-and-back trek up to a statue of the Madonna who overlooks the water.<br />
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The huge sculpture was financed by a Quebec City merchant,
who went through the ice with his horse and load of merchandise on a sales trip
to Chicoutimi in 1878. After praying to the Virgin, he pulled himself from the
icy mire, vowing to give back to her. Years later after a series of further
misfortunes, the statue was finally installed on the high Cape Trinité
overlooking the Fiord.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Adventures in
Nature #2: Boating</b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYkJ0xW5YRHJnx0HoRkff4hVZkTK919k9CVKSS5XFX2y2erZtLpduhZPBRZGTlUGDiuA-Mya8TgQnMRHaWWw40lDWf19q9RVMpPuGANvtZsiS89h1gjn_acq3KwI3biBNg2704Bb4uHFw/s1600/20180714_104721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYkJ0xW5YRHJnx0HoRkff4hVZkTK919k9CVKSS5XFX2y2erZtLpduhZPBRZGTlUGDiuA-Mya8TgQnMRHaWWw40lDWf19q9RVMpPuGANvtZsiS89h1gjn_acq3KwI3biBNg2704Bb4uHFw/s400/20180714_104721.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because of the dangers associated with thirteen- to 20-foot
fluctuating tides and the wind tunnel created by the high rock formations
lining the fjord, canoes and river kayaks are not allowed on the big waters of
Saguenay Fjord National Park. But a really convenient feature in the national
park is the marine shuttle, <a href="http://www.navettesdufjord.com/en" target="_blank">Les Navettes maritimes du Fjord</a>, which is a hop-on, hop-off water taxi that services trailheads to wilderness overnight
backpacking trails, charming villages and
marinas. I loved being on the water, that’s just who I am. I kept a lookout for
beluga whales (even though I was told they did not come up this far in the
fjord) as I enjoyed the storyteller who told tales of the north woods as we
sailed to the remote village of L’Anse-St-Jean. Other experiences for water adventures
include with Zodiac boat excursions, guided <b>Fjord en Kayak</b> sea kayak trips and
sailboats. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That evening, we ate like foodies at <i>Chez Montagner</i>, a new restaurant by Quebec City restaurateur,
Frédérick Montagner and slept like babies in the comfy <i>Chalets du le Fjord</i> motel.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Adventures in
Nature #3: Via Ferrata</b></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWP9Wb5yiMk4JShTR3QIcaPRvrqi-EFdEuu4BGAcKce-04TYUGT0icLOX9_4GOe6HaCcrm6cVPEP2qhISOHTR4vMlT3xfqbX6i01OAmpGRCv3jYFBAgng4CAKz5K-l5TqgRnI6u9xDN1C/s1600/13082152275_055d9aba97_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWP9Wb5yiMk4JShTR3QIcaPRvrqi-EFdEuu4BGAcKce-04TYUGT0icLOX9_4GOe6HaCcrm6cVPEP2qhISOHTR4vMlT3xfqbX6i01OAmpGRCv3jYFBAgng4CAKz5K-l5TqgRnI6u9xDN1C/s400/13082152275_055d9aba97_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Parc Aventures Cap Jaseux, Saint-Fulgence (c) Charles-David Robitaille<br />Tourisme Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Via Ferrata is a course that aids people in climbing
steep terrain with fixed cables, suspended walkways and inverted ladders
embedded into cliffside walls. The term is Italian for “Iron Path,” and adventurers can take part in the
adrenalin rush at Saguenay Fjord, but I opted for its kinder, gentler brother
at <i><a href="http://www.cavernetroudelafee.ca/en/index/" target="_blank">Parc de la Caverne Trou de la Feé</a></i>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEPct3g316woP1yc9JVDytrT_RJ3nnDErKQVqFwFa_fLP2_nMEiT61hVMVeXmevBAVqpIDCQjLfFemg774Ed8dG57qoS2yheD3L-1FE-ODrmXfVo_mKB13FOcfJwvqn1YvvlTii-Qa8oR/s1600/Parc-de-la-Caverne-Trou-de-la-Fee-bridge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="965" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEPct3g316woP1yc9JVDytrT_RJ3nnDErKQVqFwFa_fLP2_nMEiT61hVMVeXmevBAVqpIDCQjLfFemg774Ed8dG57qoS2yheD3L-1FE-ODrmXfVo_mKB13FOcfJwvqn1YvvlTii-Qa8oR/s400/Parc-de-la-Caverne-Trou-de-la-Fee-bridge.jpeg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Parc de la Caverne Trou de la Feé</span></span></td></tr>
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</o:p></div>
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There I walked swinging suspension bridges over whitewater
as it raged through a narrow canyon. I didn’t know whether to close my eyes or
leave them open. I enjoyed the wooden walkways were bolted into the canyon walls but skipped the zipline. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHERos5J99YrplqxkOqNLrDLzq5FvLLcnV732Hvekm2JaNLaQ8cvCPXlmvtmvq3-T5_jZsfwrWTdJXZ8AAwRo-T__k2mS9DlrCIXQC8T_4mIfpXHwwEQCmgUs5y4lQrLOCbp38P1UYVAn/s1600/Winery-Wittig-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="914" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHERos5J99YrplqxkOqNLrDLzq5FvLLcnV732Hvekm2JaNLaQ8cvCPXlmvtmvq3-T5_jZsfwrWTdJXZ8AAwRo-T__k2mS9DlrCIXQC8T_4mIfpXHwwEQCmgUs5y4lQrLOCbp38P1UYVAn/s400/Winery-Wittig-500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">Domaine Le Cageot</span><span style="text-align: left;"> winery </span></span></td></tr>
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In keeping with our glamping motif, we lunched at <i>Domaine Le Cageot</i> winery where we were
led through a wine tasting during the outdoor <i>le déjeuner</i>. Later at <i>Val
Jalbert</i>, a restored “company town” where we spent the night in upmarket,
renovated townhouses, we experienced nature by riding a gondola along a
powerful waterfall.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocTTA317fNtO05RRMFfdK-LBnHdc931Tb1-PxvO5vQah7bFTibPivG1h4KHrbQXR5q-Ax_LOC9nNulPdBbDA_9V7D_KdBX87_eVr4QlxUu3VX_UEu2U78GzcHzcpRvcU4niYpOBlgufTX/s1600/Val-Jalbert-Wittig-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="763" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocTTA317fNtO05RRMFfdK-LBnHdc931Tb1-PxvO5vQah7bFTibPivG1h4KHrbQXR5q-Ax_LOC9nNulPdBbDA_9V7D_KdBX87_eVr4QlxUu3VX_UEu2U78GzcHzcpRvcU4niYpOBlgufTX/s400/Val-Jalbert-Wittig-500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The river and falls, higher than the Niagara Falls
generated hydraulic power that once ran the pulp mill. The pulp from this
company town deep in the forest was shipped down the fjord to the St Lawrence
Seaway to New York and London. <a href="https://www.valjalbert.com/en/" target="_blank">Val Jalbert </a>is now a living museum full of activities and fun for the whole
family. Reenactors live out the days of old, autos are not allowed, but you can
spend the night “in the museum.” Rooms are upscale and full of modern
amenities. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLekZMhfVYkgdjV90_o2aBrX9GgSIWcnjJLteguEPNuG7HEbBPfz7V4YcBZZkkO5WNlha6Mr7WgNnuwrgo8KAKeTml5uWgdqoU_gSMCBmW5K-zEEyWxGjgyTlWCIApKCxpLF3XKFO9tGD0/s1600/Val-Jalbert-Wittig-room-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="1600" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLekZMhfVYkgdjV90_o2aBrX9GgSIWcnjJLteguEPNuG7HEbBPfz7V4YcBZZkkO5WNlha6Mr7WgNnuwrgo8KAKeTml5uWgdqoU_gSMCBmW5K-zEEyWxGjgyTlWCIApKCxpLF3XKFO9tGD0/s400/Val-Jalbert-Wittig-room-500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Make plans to for your own adventures in nature by
going to <a href="http://www.saguenaylacsaintjean.ca/en">www.saguenaylacsaintjean.ca/en</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>"Unstoppable Stacey" </b>Wittig is a travel writer based in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Arizona travel writer was was hosted for her stay in Quebec, and although that does not affect her opinions, she believes in full disclosure. </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-74865998471924323982018-07-05T14:39:00.001-07:002018-07-05T15:06:39.729-07:00Camino Guidebook by Stacey Wittig and Johnnie Walker recently released<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifk7Sftge_f-NH3hyphenhyphensFs7BEgwdEyRJ9Yen38VtcE8197ue0DLE2GdTG5-uC50YVgOrv1hiDpw4jEbHq4xZ33AnpueEyBKb-3tHXruaw0upxeGQjdVgjiPH4rGSbuFhm6jGNlwjvtft32JE/s1600/CSJ-GuideCover_PkS-CPrim_2017_2018-118_165-_Kindle_FC-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifk7Sftge_f-NH3hyphenhyphensFs7BEgwdEyRJ9Yen38VtcE8197ue0DLE2GdTG5-uC50YVgOrv1hiDpw4jEbHq4xZ33AnpueEyBKb-3tHXruaw0upxeGQjdVgjiPH4rGSbuFhm6jGNlwjvtft32JE/s400/CSJ-GuideCover_PkS-CPrim_2017_2018-118_165-_Kindle_FC-page-001.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
A London publisher, the Confraternity of St James, recently released their latest Camino guidebook, Camino Primitivo Villaviciosa-Oviedo-Melide, by Stacey Wittig and Johnnie Walker.<br />
<br />
This new, pocket-size edition of the Confraternity of St James (CSJ) guide to the Camino Primitivo brings together<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>up-to-date details for walkers and cyclists, </li>
<li>elevation profiles by Sean Hampton, and is </li>
<li>sprinkled with intriguing background information </li>
</ul>
about this historically-significant route.<br />
<br />
The Camino Primitivo is so historically relevant to early development of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage phenomena that this year the Confraternity of St James crafted a guide that devotes segments to the history and culture of the route in addition to the walking notes and accommodation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVv88PnHEGCaE4i9RTKCNFc4RAScNF7JKW0dy4r7mUMn8xm_U8qB_0cPpRNEr36o_Prh1Iti9HwvrJRksO1cHyQcNmRu4DkCfBEXMPik_mjW2Q0jXxJcmWOefwQXOEuUxRC991nVC2CP_/s1600/Camino-Primitivo-Lugo-Wall-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="900" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVv88PnHEGCaE4i9RTKCNFc4RAScNF7JKW0dy4r7mUMn8xm_U8qB_0cPpRNEr36o_Prh1Iti9HwvrJRksO1cHyQcNmRu4DkCfBEXMPik_mjW2Q0jXxJcmWOefwQXOEuUxRC991nVC2CP_/s400/Camino-Primitivo-Lugo-Wall-900.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman wall in Lugo on Camino Primitivo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Camino Primitivo sprinkled with historical and cultural info</h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b>EXCERPT: </b><i>In the early 9th C, some say 814 AD, the tomb of St. James was discovered in north-western Spain by a hermit named Pelayo. Pelayo seems have been a popular name in medieval times, so don’t get this Pelayo confused with the Pelayo (Pelagius in Latin), who begat the tiny Kingdom of Asturias after leading Christians into battle against the Moors almost 100 years prior to the discovery of the saint’s remains. Legend has it that the hermit reported his findings to the bishop of Iria Flavia, Teodomiro, who in turn communicated the miraculous discovery to Alfonso II, the Asturian king ruling from Oviedo.</i></div>
<i>The king and his entourage journeyed to Iria Flavia (modern-day Padrón) to view the crypt. That being so, Alfonso II is often referred to as ‘the first pilgrim’ to make the trek to honor the relics of the saint. His route from Oviedo to Iria Flavia (18km from what is now known as Santiago de Compostela) was the first Camino route. Hence the name, Camino ‘Primitivo’ or ‘original’ road. </i></blockquote>
The Camino Primitivo guide was originally written and mapped by CSJ stalwart <a href="http://www.camino-norte.co.uk/pages/pilgrimwalks.htm" target="_blank">Eric Walker.</a> Edits were made by CSJ fellows until 2013 when editor Chris Lennie updated all the route and accommodation information. This year CSJ again walked the route, brought the information up-to-date, added maps elevation profiles by Sean Hampton and Stacey Wittig enhanced the guide book with the intriguing historical and cultural background of Camino Primitivo.<br />
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<b>Stacey Wittig’s </b>life was transformed by her first Camino in 2005. Since then the writer has walked more than 4300km on Camino routes in France, Italy and Spain. She is author of the “Spiritual and Walking Guides” series of Camino devotionals for Christians yearning for deeper spiritual journeys.<br />
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<b>Johnnie Walker</b> is a former Chief Executive who found new life and new meaning on the Camino to Santiago. The Camino author has walked thousands of kilometers on pilgrim routes in Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan. Learn more about Johnnie Walker <a href="https://johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Camino guide available in KINDLE and PAPERBACK</h3>
Buy the pocket-sized paper edition at the Confraternity of St James website at <a href="https://www.csj.org.uk/product/pilgrim-guides-camino-primitivo-2017-2018-villaviciosa-oviedo-melide-pocket-size-edition/">https://www.csj.org.uk/product/pilgrim-guides-camino-primitivo-2017-2018-villaviciosa-oviedo-melide-pocket-size-edition/</a><br />
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The Kindle version is available on Amazon at <a href="https://amzn.to/2KK3d6b">https://amzn.to/2KK3d6b</a><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-43275096779006627452018-03-16T18:07:00.000-07:002018-03-16T18:07:31.695-07:00Mazatlán Recognized by Forbes, American Express Travel and Live and Invest Overseas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mazatlán was recently recognized by three heavy hitters -- Forbes, American Express Travel and Live and Invest Overseas -- as the place for North Americans to vacation, retire or invest.<script type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unstoppable Stacey in Mazatlan</td></tr>
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I visited Mazatlán, Mexico, not long ago and ran into quite a few people from the US and Canada. Some were vacationing, while others were expats who had moved to the lovely beach-side city. It got me thinking, with the amount of money being poured into the infrastructure of the already comfortable, historic town, Mazatlán might just be the place for <b><i>me </i></b>to spend my retirement years. I surely enjoyed vacationing in the “Pearl of the Pacific” over the last two decades and I easily envisioned myself living there as I roamed the colorful historic district.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mazatlan or New Orleans? Authentic architecture in the historic district.</td></tr>
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After returning, I did a little research and found a Forbes article entitled, “The Surprising Top 10 List of Best Places to Retire Abroad,” that features high praise for Mazatlán from both ‘Live and Invest Overseas’ and ‘International Living’ authorities. The insider list was surprising to me as it named four places that I have visited: Lisbon; Portugal's Algarve Region; Valletta, Malta; and Mazatlán. Even more unexpected was that Mazatlán placed third on the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2017/08/06/the-surprising-top-10-list-of-best-places-to-retire-abroad-from-live-and-invest-overseas/#2797e59a1d12" target="_blank">Forbes top ten list</a>, behind the Algarve Region and Valletta. </div>
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1. Portugal's Algarve Region*</div>
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2. Valletta, Malta*</div>
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3. <b>Mazatlán, Mexico*</b></div>
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4. Abruzzo, Italy</div>
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5. Saint-Chinian, France</div>
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6. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</div>
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7. Lisbon, Portugal*</div>
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8. Budapest, Hungary</div>
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9. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico</div>
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10. George Town, Malaysia</div>
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* <i>Been there, would like to go back.</i></div>
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<b>Home to more than twelve miles of golden shoreline,</b> Mazatlán offers idyllic year-round tropical weather, first-class amenities and infrastructure, and an active lifestyle for older adults who embrace a "young at heart" mindset. </div>
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Many expats embrace living like a local, enjoying the laid-back living and city life surrounding the Historic District's <b>Plaza Machado,</b> which offers magnificent sidewalk cafes, up-and-coming gastronomy, local arts and crafts, and a diverse theater culture.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ángela Peralta Theater</td></tr>
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Forbes reported, </div>
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Known for its North American expat community, this Pacific coast beach resort has, according to <b>Live and Invest Overseas</b>, “a little bit of everything” — 20 miles of beaches, world-class fishing, historical attractions, delicious street food and an international airport. Climate? Tropical, with a wet season and a dry season.</blockquote>
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Mazatlán, a city in transformation</h3>
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Earlier I mentioned a large amount of money being poured into Mazatlán. I didn't reveal how much. The amount is approximately 2,085,000,000 Mexican Pesos, or 111.5 million US Dollars. I saw evidence of many new amenities and improvements and especially enjoyed: </div>
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<li>the renovated Malecón (they’re adding new bike paths to this longest boardwalk in the world,) <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Malecon (Boardwalk) where locals meet and visitors stand in awe</td></tr>
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<li>a restored Centro Histórico that preserves the French, Italian and German architectural roots of the fascinating and Instagrammable historic center, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>the refreshed Ángela Peralta Theater and Cultural Center, the gathering spot for the renown opera and theater culture,</li>
<li>the renewal of the tallest, working natural lighthouse in the world and </li>
<li>the creation of new parks and city centers for both families and visitors to enjoy. </li>
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“Mazatlán is enjoying a renaissance, and many are returning here to savor a burgeoning culture scene rich with the arts,” said Rafael Lizárraga Favela, Undersecretary of Tourism for the State of Sinaloa. “Whether you are an empty-nest couple looking to slow your pace of life, or a prior snowbird visitor looking to make a permanent change to our incredible year-round tropical climate, you can find value and a quality of life here in our colonial city on the beach that includes luxury living, endless activities, and a booming culinary scene,” he added.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvr59Z9MxR6LXq-sA3ncHyj0pMq6QwSqeg3GuhmhUxCE2TOOVcmhJC9g2n4KUMcxAywTnsLjsutFnDpsoJIeHpFvqUgtpc_C2nOwWA1qVOqHJEkvfW9Q17fjAUCvK-Y0y512g-TIUl5ONc/s1600/20171101_083610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvr59Z9MxR6LXq-sA3ncHyj0pMq6QwSqeg3GuhmhUxCE2TOOVcmhJC9g2n4KUMcxAywTnsLjsutFnDpsoJIeHpFvqUgtpc_C2nOwWA1qVOqHJEkvfW9Q17fjAUCvK-Y0y512g-TIUl5ONc/s400/20171101_083610.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Translation headphones provide by Fiesta Amigos</td></tr>
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I was honored to hear the tourism official speak at a gathering of the 23rd annual Fiesta Amigos, a unified city effort to educate and celebrate Mazatlán’s tourism partners from the U.S. and Canada. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mazatlan's International Convention Center</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://vagabondinglulu.blogspot.com/2017/12/mazatlan-stories-are-best-souvenirs.html" target="_blank">Fiesta Amigos</a> was held at the beautiful and modern International Convention Center, which showcased the state-of-the-art multi-use facilities that businesses, conferences and meeting organizations utilize year-round. </div>
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My research also uncovered that American Express Travel ranked Mazatlán one of the hottest worldwide destinations last fall, and <a href="https://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/real-estate/why-mazatlans-historic-center-is-the-ideal-second-home" target="_blank">Live and Invest Overseas</a> called Mazatlán’s historic city center ‘The Ideal Second Home.’ Maybe I’ll just have to start shopping Mazatlán real estate. </div>
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<b>For more information</b> about Mazatlán, visit <a href="http://www.gomazatlan.com/" target="_blank">www.GoMazatlan.com</a>.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
About Mazatlán </h3>
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Mazatlán is a Mexican resort town along the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1571, its Historic District, 19th-century landmarks include the performance hall Teatro Ángela Peralta and the towering Immaculate Conception Basilica. Sandy beaches line its four mile-long malecón (boardwalk), the newly developed Nuevo Mazatlán area where two marinas and two professional golf courses sit, and the modern district of Zona Dorada which is known for nightlife and hotels to suit any budget. Old villages with unique charm such as El Quelite, Concordia, Copala and El Rosario surround Mazatlán, and guided tours are available from all hotels. Direct air service is available to Mazatlán from most U.S. and Canada markets.</div>
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<b>Arizona travel writer Stacey Wittig</b> was hosted for her stay in Mazatlan, and although that does not affect her opinions, she believes in full disclosure. </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-38019915693302617692018-02-28T11:58:00.001-07:002018-02-28T11:58:32.136-07:00Two New Dramatic Destinations Open in Bangkok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bangkok’s contrasting sides of its hip social scene were reasons that I fell in love with this Thai city. I called it the “Two Faces” of Bangkok in an article that I wrote soon after my return. Since then, two new dramatic destinations have opened their doors, proving once again that the Thai metropolis is ever-changing and intriguing to returning visitors.<br />
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<b>The first new destination is ABar</b> on the 37th floor of Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, high above the bustling city streets. The trendy bar opened on New Years Eve, and I can’t wait to go back to the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park to experience the new destination bar, an attraction in its own right. One thing that I learned while I was in Bangkok was that the Victorian Era was alive and well in the city back in the late 1800s. This bar harkens back to that era with classic dark wooden décor, wingback chairs and leather-bound books.<br />
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Its library-like, book lined walls also have the feel of a “Speak Easy” that is making such a strong comeback in the US right now. A recent media release describes the cool, sophisticated cocktail bar as blending “the mystery and magic of Victorian London with the gritty edge of 1930s America.”<br />
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The comfortable venue that reminds me of a London gentleman’s club makes <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/bkkqp-bangkok-marriott-marquis-queen%E2%80%99s-park/" target="_blank">ABar</a> the perfect spot in which to unwind and enjoy hand-crafted cocktails in a warm ambiance overlooking the spectacular Bangkok skyline.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Prohibition-Era Cocktails, Craft Spirits and Rustic Mixes</h3>
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Capturing the spirit of the venue, ABar specializes in dark spirits including whiskies from around the globe, dark rum and cognac. An extensive selection of drinks is available, including vintage and prohibition-era cocktails, craft spirits and rustic mixes.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Sanctuary of High-End Relaxation</h3>
I can imagine unwinding with my new favorite beverage or one of the reimagined classics in this sanctuary of high-end relaxation with cool jazz playing in the background. ABar seats 76 guests indoors and 32 on the semi-al fresco terrace which overlooks Benjasiri Park.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
ABar Rooftop</h3>
The second recently-opened destination bar is <b>ABar Rooftop,</b> also located at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Perched on the 38th floor just one floor above ABar, its rooftop location delivers a real wow factor.<br />
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The stylish open-air bar features one of the largest selections of gins in the city, with more than 50 different varieties including many craft labels.<br />
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The exquisite gins are used to create an extensive range of signature G&Ts and innovative cocktails, which can be enjoyed in the ultimate intimate setting while gazing out over the sparkling Bangkok cityscape.<br />
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ABar Rooftop seats 60 people. No reservations are taken at either venue and seating is assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. Both ABar and ABar Rooftop will open daily from 5 pm to 1 am.<br />
Access to the bars is via a dedicated elevator from Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park’s South Tower Lobby.<br />
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<b>For information and reservations</b>, call +66 (0) 2 059 5999 or email <i><a href="mailto:restaurant-reservations.bkkqp@marriotthotels.com">restaurant-reservations.bkkqp@marriotthotels.com</a></i> or visit <a href="http://www.bangkokmarriottmarquisqueenspark.com/">www.bangkokmarriottmarquisqueenspark.com</a>.<br />
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<b>About Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park</b><br />
The largest and the first Marriott Marquis in Asia Pacific, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is the city’s new landmark completed with ample amenities and facilities, including 1,360 guestrooms and suites and over 5,000 square meters of function space across 37 venues. The hotel also offers two outdoor swimming pools, Quan Spa and several restaurants and bars on prime location on Sukhumvit Road, surrounded by business centers and entertainment. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is truly an ideal choice for travelers visiting this vibrant and colorful city.<br />
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<b>Read more:</b> <a href="http://vagabondinglulu.blogspot.com/2018/02/bangkok-posh-three-hotels-worth-splurge.html" target="_blank">Bangkok Posh: Three Hotels Worth the Splurge</a><br />
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Common to the travel industry, writer Stacey Wittig was hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. While that has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure. #ThailandInsider</i><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-40352203902376546642018-02-21T11:49:00.000-07:002018-02-21T11:51:47.076-07:00Thailand Celebrates 1M Annual Visitors: Vagabonding Lulu goes to Hollywood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Vagabonding Lulu joined the Tourism Authority of Thailand to celebrate 1M visitors during the 2017 tourist season. The celebratory party aptly named "A Million Thanks" brought Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) partners together for an extravaganza party at Wanderlust Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, where the venue was transformed into a Thai Street Market.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvxVBuYlcuzOqEDE-QHgjsW35rGGjciR5-wPwAJQOb6cBl9u4_ufPb_AtpN8EVY6-ow1B9Wlf1VwUS048JsX0iMFLXGPwAbLd4zKQDdpJzDmfwqD2S9wrtpflaAAm9w4DwyeJ9iCFapak/s1600/Thai-Food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1067" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvxVBuYlcuzOqEDE-QHgjsW35rGGjciR5-wPwAJQOb6cBl9u4_ufPb_AtpN8EVY6-ow1B9Wlf1VwUS048JsX0iMFLXGPwAbLd4zKQDdpJzDmfwqD2S9wrtpflaAAm9w4DwyeJ9iCFapak/s400/Thai-Food.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"I was so excited to finally eat authentic Thai food after my trip to Thailand last November," said the Arizona travel writer. "I was in seventh heaven eating and talking to the Thai street food vendors that TAT brought in for the party." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Authentic Thai massage at Hollywood Party</td></tr>
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"I also got a Thai massage, danced with the other fabulous travel writers that I met on the TAT Thailand trip, and posed for Instagram photos in a real Thai tuk tuk. It was almost as much fun as traveling to Thailand," Vagabonding Lulu stated.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travel writers Bella Graham, Stacey Wittig and Pat Bailey Russo in Thai Tuk Tuk</td></tr>
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<h3>
Travel Disaster Averted</h3>
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Vagabonding Lulu almost missed the party when her airplane was delayed out of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. "I'd flown in from Flagstaff and was waiting for my connection in Phoenix for my next flight to Burbank," said the seasoned traveler. "Fellow travel writer Suzanne Stavert [of <a href="https://www.adventuresofemptynesters.com/my-epic-adventures-in-bangkok-ten-reasons-to-visit-thailand-a-must-see-in-2018/" target="_blank">Adventures of Empty Nesters</a> blog] was picking me up at the airport and then driving me to her home in Pasadena to get primped for the party. The plane that was to take me there was delayed in Albuquerque. As my flight continued to be delayed, I texted Suzanne and told her not to leave for the Burbank airport."</div>
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"I was pretty much freaking out that I was going to miss the party... I wasn't so sure how long it would take to drive the LA freeways to Hollywood. I calmed myself by Googling the distance and traffic -- only 25 minutes from BUR to <a href="http://wanderlusthollywood.com/" target="_blank">Wanderlust Hollywood</a>." Unfortunately the late plane didn't allow time for Lulu to go to Suzanne's home to change. And it was a <u>LITTLE</u> 76-passenger tube-like CRJ9. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr1W3jNzFrn0RstQzf9-Ptm98d22YbJcdlyaiUaGMrJcktlN9F44fRIXhPAKpBf2PGeNgZNQ5bUAPbGXL1iSwpaK9XcCQgcvxAq7h9MvO_i5kijy03U5G7y4nO867-h2M6lZmGNpZr6WT/s1600/IMG_20110918_190653.adj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="900" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr1W3jNzFrn0RstQzf9-Ptm98d22YbJcdlyaiUaGMrJcktlN9F44fRIXhPAKpBf2PGeNgZNQ5bUAPbGXL1iSwpaK9XcCQgcvxAq7h9MvO_i5kijy03U5G7y4nO867-h2M6lZmGNpZr6WT/s400/IMG_20110918_190653.adj.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The CRJ9 was similar to the on depicted here</td></tr>
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The regional jet has a toilet in the tail where the ceiling curves over the occupant's head making them crouch. "I am glad that I have hidden talents; like a crouching tiger," laughed the travel writer. "I ended up changing from my Flagstaff fleece and yoga pants into my evening gown in the tiny toilet of the plane."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz55INTDR9Ic0DawJQbopLvY7DazkKrIXXoUb5sdNIijxgcrgTOknWQQTD6lPry1TvB82jAR-jrYsHRB80XrSa4rCMLcsZSHZ_kXOG-wcQMGVSN3nwpgD-TyUEj88YJyx8S0eoimCLhGuz/s1600/Stacey-Wittig-Before-After.900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz55INTDR9Ic0DawJQbopLvY7DazkKrIXXoUb5sdNIijxgcrgTOknWQQTD6lPry1TvB82jAR-jrYsHRB80XrSa4rCMLcsZSHZ_kXOG-wcQMGVSN3nwpgD-TyUEj88YJyx8S0eoimCLhGuz/s400/Stacey-Wittig-Before-After.900.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEFORE and AFTER the mini-toilet dressing experience</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Vagabonding Lulu makes debut Hollywood appearance</h3>
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Check out the exciting TAT party on this YouTube vid. Can you spot Vagabonding Lulu in her debut Hollywood appearance?</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0Pahc5p6JbQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Pahc5p6JbQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b>Tourism Authority of Thailand </b><a href="https://www.tourismthailand.org/">https://www.tourismthailand.org</a></div>
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<b>Wanderlust Hollywood</b> <a href="http://wanderlusthollywood.com/">http://wanderlusthollywood.com</a></div>
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<b>Stacey "Vagabonding Lulu" Wittig</b> is a travel writer bbased in Flagstaff, Arizona. Like this story? Then "Follow" this blog from the box in the upper right.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-31861238074536780492018-02-14T18:19:00.000-07:002018-02-14T18:19:59.267-07:00Don't Miss the Desires of Your Heart: Tips for Traveling Solo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Many women travel alone successfully. Especially those who have lost their husbands, are retired, or like me can’t pry their hubbies away from the home front. Other ladies are terrified just thinking about traveling solo and so miss the desires of their hearts. Wherever you are on this spectrum, one of the following five tips is sure to grease the wheels on your travel buggy:<br />
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1. Hook up with Others</h3>
If you are unsure of traveling by yourself, book a group adventure with companies such as Road Scholar, formerly known as Elder Hostel. Promoting lifelong learning, their trips to faraway lands -- or around your region -- offer chances to meet others of similar interests. As I told my parents when I headed off solo to Spain for the first time, “Don’t worry. I’ll be with my friends – I just haven’t met them yet.”<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Didier Weemaels on Unsplash</td></tr>
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2. How to keep your Money Safe While Traveling Solo</h3>
Keep your money safe. I am always surprised when well-traveled girlfriends return from trips and announce that ALL their money and credit cards were stolen. Then they begin the saga of how difficult it was to replace passports, get cash and reissue credit cards. This won’t happen to you with a system I call “redundant security controls.”<br />
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Divide your credit cards and cash into three piles. To the first pile, add a copy of your passport and stash it inside a cotton money belt. As your least accessible stash, it’s the place for larger bills and your backup credit card. Put the second pile into a passport-sized wallet that hangs around your neck and goes in your handbag as a wallet when you don’t want to look so geeky.<br />
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I find that the neck wallet works well in airports, train stations and ferry ports when I need both hands for baggage but also need access to travel docs at a moment’s notice. The second stash is most accessible, so keep only one-day’s supply of small bills and your passport here. The third pile goes into an envelope with driver’s license and second copy of my passport. I hide the envelope inside my carry-on bag (not my handbag) in a zippered compartment.<br />
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When checked into hotel rooms or cruise ship cabins, leave the waist wallet locked in the safe. Then if someone grabs your handbag, the perp gets only one-third of your loot. If they make off with the pile that includes your passport, you have copies to take to the Embassy.<br />
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3. Don't Leave Home Without - <i>Making Copies of</i> - It</h3>
Before leaving home, make two copies of both sides of each credit card. Credit cards have the “Lost or Stolen” phone number right on them, so if any card is stolen, you can access that information along with credit card numbers from your copies. I kept the copies hidden in separate bags on my trip to Kerala, India.<br />
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4. Single Travelers Share Experiences on Escorted Tours</h3>
Lisa Cappabianca, of <a href="http://www.cappabiancatravel.com/" target="_blank">Cappabianca Travel</a> in Erie, PA, recommended escorted tours for single travelers going overseas. “You get to share your experiences with other people. …cruises are a good fit for singles because they are safe and activities are planned.” I loved my experience with <a href="http://www.hedonistichiking.com/" target="_blank">Hedonistic Hiking Gourmet Hiking Holidays</a>. I traveled solo to Nice, France, but met up with a group of Aussies that soon became fast friends while we hiked over the Alps into Italy. Read more about that adventure <a href="http://vagabondinglulu.blogspot.com/2017/10/la-taverna-degli-orsi-gourmet-feast.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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5. Luggage Tag Saavy</h3>
When on tours or cruises where your address changes daily, put your itinerary in your luggage tags. That way, if luggage is lost, the airline can deliver it to the appropriate address. I learned this one when my luggage followed me around the Mediterranean during a 12-day cruise. Without the itinerary, my bags didn’t catch up with me until day seven.<br />
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So girls, get started today by filling out that passport application and making your bucket list.<br />
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<b><i>Reprinted from </i>Her Times<i> magazine, Erie, PA.</i></b><br />
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<b>Stacey “Vagabonding Lulu” Wittig</b> is an Arizona travel writer who loves solo globetrotting and boomer travel. Read more about her adventures here or at Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stacey.wittig" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/stacey.wittig</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Disclaimer: Vagabonding Lulu was a guest of </span><a href="http://www.hedonistichiking.com.au/" style="background-color: white; color: #cd3778; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Hedonistic Hiking</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> gourmet hiking holidays, yet all opinions are her own.</span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Flagstaff, AZ, USA35.1982836 -111.6513019999999935.094458100000004 -111.81266349999999 35.3021091 -111.48994049999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-78884753189311387902018-02-02T14:43:00.000-07:002018-02-02T14:43:03.470-07:00Bangkok Posh: Three Hotels Worth the Splurge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bangkok is a cosmopolitan city where posh hotels share the same space with a gritty yet accessible street culture. It's intriguing that all live together to provide a robust visitor experience. This #ThailandInsider loved sticking her toe into each side of the doings and particularly enjoyed these three luxury hotels worth the splurge.</div>
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Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park</h3>
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The Thai-inspired elements of the public space and my 33rd-floor guest room let me know that I was in Bangkok, Thailand's capital city. However, the luxurious accommodations of the flagship Marriott Marquis property also made me, with my American sensibilities, feel quite at home. The 5-star hotel offers a rooftop bar in their M Club Lounge on the 27th floor, but their new rooftop restaurant, Akira Back and A Bar, on the very top of the hotel opened January 2018. I can’t wait to try them out.</div>
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The view from my room on the 33rd floor of the <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkqp-bangkok-marriott-marquis-queens-park" target="_blank">Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park</a> was fascinating and I felt as if I were right in the middle of the city's hubbub - but I could watch from my own restful, quiet sanctuary. </div>
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The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok</h3>
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I adored the sophisticated style and service at The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok where I learned the story of Princess Valaya Alongkorn, who once lived on the grounds where this magnificent hotel now stands. The 2018 redesign of the space was inspired by the princess and her refined love of chess, reading and blending Western clothing with Thai styles. </div>
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I loved exploring the grand hotel and grounds, and finding bits of the princess's royal legacy incorporated into the modern refinement. Do you see the nod to her obsession with the game of chess in the topiary at the rooftop pool area above?</div>
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The <a href="http://www.theatheneehotel.com/" target="_blank">Vimarn Siam Suite</a> is inspired by the summer residence of the Princess's royal family. The spacious two-bedroom suite that sleeps six is worth the splurge. </div>
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Banyan Tree Bangkok</h3>
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The thrilling rooftop bars and restaurants atop the Banyan Tree Bangkok hotel are a must-do when you are in the capital city. After the elevator deposited me on the 60th floor, I bravely teetered up two flights of outdoor stairs to the rooftop bar. With wind teasing my hair, I sat on the edge of night and sipped an <i>Aroi Mak,</i> the hotel's Thai-inspired signature cocktail that included basil, ginger liquor and coconut water. </div>
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Later, I stepped inside to the award-winning <b>Saffron</b> restaurant at the <a href="http://www.banyantree.com/" style="text-align: justify;">Banyan Tree Bangkok</a> to enjoy the finest dining experience of my 16-day trip. The four-course meal provided an explosion of tastes that mixed traditional Thai cuisine with a contemporary presentation. Each taste was multi-layered like a fine wine, yet each flavor was exact and didn’t have the stewed characteristic of some Asian food.</div>
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Each of these posh Bangkok experiences are worth the splurge. Check out the details here:</div>
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<b>The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.theatheneehotel.com/" target="_blank">www.theatheneehotel.com</a></div>
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<b>Banyan Tree Bangkok</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.banyantree.com/">www.banyantree.com</a></div>
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<b>Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkqp-bangkok-marriott-marquis-queens-park">www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bkkqp-bangkok-marriott-marquis-queens-park</a></div>
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<i>Common to the travel industry, writer Stacey Wittig was hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. While that has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure. #ThailandInsider</i></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-37617394001457061462017-12-19T20:06:00.001-07:002017-12-19T20:44:27.155-07:00What is it like to fly Business Class with China Southern?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: WikiCommons-Airbus A380-841,China Southern Airlines</td></tr>
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After my non-stop flight from LAX to Guangzhou, many ask, “What is it like to fly Business Class on China Southern?” The first thing I say is, “China Southern’s business class is a real game changer for people who can’t sleep in Economy.” Then I tell them how I sprawled out in a 24-inch Business Class seat that -- with the flip of a switch -- reclined into a flat bed. Of course, I had to try it out -- before the flight attendant came by with beverages -- while waiting on the ground for the wide-body jumbo jet to fill with the Economy passengers. Hey, I’d been one of those poor Economy saps just the week before.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Business Class: Remedy for Claustrophobia</h3>
This was my first flight on the acclaimed Airbus 380 (A380), the largest passenger airliner on the planet. The A380 has been in commercial service since October 2007, but this was my maiden voyage on the massive craft. I’ve read that the A380-800’s cabin has 40% more usable floor space than the next largest airliner, the Boeing 747-8. No wonder the cabin feels open and spacious; it would be difficult to get claustrophobic here. In addition to my two-foot wide seat, I had a large storage compartment next to the window (I scored a window seat) and another 24-inches of table-top-like space for work files, magazines, scarves or other travel essentials.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fnqVKXV65jIP67cw9UbdVoW8vsQ3sk21AnUe7iOu4JVKSMr2LeLCgnAo3XSiVExWsqoiVVwK2eNxrLIRJIXP1_MzuEN5q7R-AH9SkF-EYsA71qd9JEyI5AQuGBCUjQ9gxKx8-RmupOZ7/s1600/1-LAX-CAN-space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="889" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fnqVKXV65jIP67cw9UbdVoW8vsQ3sk21AnUe7iOu4JVKSMr2LeLCgnAo3XSiVExWsqoiVVwK2eNxrLIRJIXP1_MzuEN5q7R-AH9SkF-EYsA71qd9JEyI5AQuGBCUjQ9gxKx8-RmupOZ7/s400/1-LAX-CAN-space.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With China Southern's 1-2-1 configuration you can get a window seat AND an aisle seat, all in one!</td></tr>
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China Southern, a state-owned airline, flies daily direct flights from LAX, SFO and JFK to Guangzhou (CAN) in southern China. I was delighted to take my first A380 flight on a long-haul Business Class ride from LAX to CAN.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXUFzNAz6S6YdN5i7UMWVmhMYMLIrSRGK3rLEi1zP4RoNwB-qytbBN9JDEsvWd16_XsxOP3eT8UZJBt50AhLBL2dqT5HlpKC8wshSo8PYMUNvm4zWA5aqwHyocznBLidvBtrpInyml4c8/s1600/Stacey-Wittig-Southern-China-Business-Class-menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXUFzNAz6S6YdN5i7UMWVmhMYMLIrSRGK3rLEi1zP4RoNwB-qytbBN9JDEsvWd16_XsxOP3eT8UZJBt50AhLBL2dqT5HlpKC8wshSo8PYMUNvm4zWA5aqwHyocznBLidvBtrpInyml4c8/s400/Stacey-Wittig-Southern-China-Business-Class-menu.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Business Class menu offers your choice of Chinese or Western</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
China Southern Business Class Boarding </h3>
Earlier while walking from the boarding gate to the A380, I was directed to the elevator and gangway that took me to the upper deck. With Business Class, I’d been welcomed with Priority Boarding, so I was one of the first passengers onto the jetliner. “Oh boy, the upper deck!” I smiled. I always wondered what the ride felt like from the upstairs section. And I couldn't wait to get the upper level views of LAX at night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LyX_GMQLlzzfb3LQvR218f2rurTL0bG5xnfsohyjZ8rvOL44WlODd-BneSMcgbktIyBsONxBe-PEBZuSyL7a5VgLprw2D5D5d1ziYUPScFlfhIkSWhhVrwyzxuAjWjA4wIICVYILlSYZ/s1600/By-Suzanne-Stavert-China-Southern-Business-Class-touchup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="560" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LyX_GMQLlzzfb3LQvR218f2rurTL0bG5xnfsohyjZ8rvOL44WlODd-BneSMcgbktIyBsONxBe-PEBZuSyL7a5VgLprw2D5D5d1ziYUPScFlfhIkSWhhVrwyzxuAjWjA4wIICVYILlSYZ/s400/By-Suzanne-Stavert-China-Southern-Business-Class-touchup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ordering dinner before take-off - check out that window right behind my head.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
What does it feel like to fly on a China Southern A380?</h3>
We took off at 10:20 pm LA time. From my perspective in Business Class, the giant craft felt like a hotel taking off. From the upper level, the sensation of lift-off seemed different than the feeling I get during take-off in narrow-body airplanes. The cabin of the A380 is one of the quietest in the world, so maybe that’s why it felt more like the quiet, calm bridge of the Starship Enterprise than Luke Skywalker’s rattle-y and bouncy X-Wing Starfighter.<br />
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Speeding down the runway just before the plane becomes airborne is always my favorite part of the flight, and I pay careful attention to my body’s sensations during each take-off. You see, I’m an acceleration junkie; the sensation of taking off in an airplane is now the closest I get to the feeling of accelerating a race car. Yes, I loved racing automobiles and miss the adrenaline rush of 0-60 mph in three seconds.<br />
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The large plane seemed to lumber down the runway, hardly picking up speed. When the giant bird finally let go of the ground, we began our ascent. Throughout the duration of the 15-hour flight, I experienced a very smooth ride. Only at one point in the night was I awakened by the feeling of motion. And that sensation can best be described as the motion you would get if you were laying on the back of a large whale or dolphin. Just a comforting, gentle, gliding, streamlined motion. I went right back to sleep.<br />
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<br />Why you should upgrade to Business Class?</h3>
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I slept more than seven hours on my China Southern Airlines flight from LAX to CAN. That alone should have you upgrading to Business Class. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak6_mBTGRIJs52eObsyaBidytXPa0w7SnVZgCv4WnzvsOxXq3GTHSw7b4fXzlJ1P9njWX_F02jFzA5ackA3fqYs9bGT2XYfcTAj6E7E1swRZxqIx_qMWkgrvIGQTXhDoQfUkiHTJBMmtK/s1600/Stacey-Wittig-China-Southern-Business-class-this-big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="889" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak6_mBTGRIJs52eObsyaBidytXPa0w7SnVZgCv4WnzvsOxXq3GTHSw7b4fXzlJ1P9njWX_F02jFzA5ackA3fqYs9bGT2XYfcTAj6E7E1swRZxqIx_qMWkgrvIGQTXhDoQfUkiHTJBMmtK/s400/Stacey-Wittig-China-Southern-Business-class-this-big.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of room - a window seat with an aisle.</td></tr>
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I would have slept more except I wanted to experience the exotic cuisine, free alcohol and larger individual video monitors for on-demand television, movies and audio stations. After I put my shoes in the special and out-of-the-way shoe compartment, I slipped on the China Southern slippers, went to the roomy Business Class bathroom to use the Italian body products provided by the airline and unfolded my in-flight quilt and in-light mattress bag (sheet.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My feet can't even touch the end of the pod and I'm 5'7"</td></tr>
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I hit the switch to unfold my 24-inch-wide seat into a flat bed (I was already relaxing in ‘cradle mode’ after the sumptuous dinner.) I grabbed my choice of pillow (two sizes), then put on the ear plugs, eye mask and calming facial mist found in my Business Class amenity bag and finally curled up to sleep. I found that I could lay flat on my back or curl up on my side just like I do in my own bed at home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi91U2ehaSsNAZPzLFUdCsh3EXmxHBbrisfNc16JdGAg0MY01l254ersGv6BSdpGxc823NaLd3E0IMWsWUSwsKC1nQ_thAdn412HxCebcGUAfDAyUkdDOu_0C-DyuhG9vzeVcSg9RAVsM/s1600/20171123_001116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi91U2ehaSsNAZPzLFUdCsh3EXmxHBbrisfNc16JdGAg0MY01l254ersGv6BSdpGxc823NaLd3E0IMWsWUSwsKC1nQ_thAdn412HxCebcGUAfDAyUkdDOu_0C-DyuhG9vzeVcSg9RAVsM/s400/20171123_001116.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't beat seven hours of sleep...</td></tr>
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I was awakened from a deep sleep by the flight attendants who had asked at dinner time if I wanted to be roused for breakfast. Of course! The bed was so comfortable and I slept so well that I think I am spoiled to ever return to Economy seating. However, I do now have the experience to write the next article, “How to Make Economy feel like Business Class.” I’ll try my best.<br />
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<b>Read more...</b><br />
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<br /><b>China Southern Airlines </b><a href="http://global.csair.com/US/GB/Home">http://global.csair.com/US/GB/Home</a><br />
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<b>Stacey "Vagabonding Lulu" Wittig </b>is an Arizona travel writer who loves calling the Grand Canyon State home. She was hosted by China Southern Airlines for this trip that continued onto <a href="http://vagabondinglulu.blogspot.com/2017/11/-five-joyful-experiences-Bangkok-Thailand.html" target="_blank">Thailand</a>. Enjoy this article? Then sign up to receive email notification so you don't miss her next travel tips.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4Guangzhou, Guangdong, China23.12911 113.2643849999999521.261595 110.68259799999994 24.996625 115.84617199999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-83521023298773909622017-12-01T13:26:00.000-07:002017-12-01T13:26:02.290-07:00Mazatlán: Stories are the Best Souvenirs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been years since I've visited Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Maybe twelve. Up until that point, I'd traveled to Mazatlán at least five times. The tropical getaway was one of my favorite affordable beach destinations. It's actually close – only a two-hour and eleven-minute flight from Phoenix on American Airlines. And you can typically score some great vacation packages.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Updated Travel Advisory Earns Mazatlán Another Chance</h3>
But the first thing that I did when I got the invitation to visit the Mexican “Colonial Town on the Beach” was check the US State Department advisory for the fair city. You see, ten or so years ago drug cartel activity earned bad press for Maz. One of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations is based in the state of Sinaloa. Yet the current advisory updated on August 22, 2017, states:<br />
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Defer non-essential travel to the state of Sinaloa, except the cities of Mazatlán, Los Mochis, and the Port of Topolobampo.</blockquote>
Since my travel in Mazatlán, as far as I knew, would be limited to Zona Dorada (the golden coast where many of the hotels are situated), the historic town center and direct routes to and from these locations and the airport, I decided to give Mazatlán another chance.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead</h3>
I was so excited that my visit, hosted in conjunction with <a href="http://www.mazatlaninteractivo.com.mx/arranca-la-fiesta-amigos-de-mazatlan-2017/" target="_blank">Fiesta Amigos</a>, a conference of travel professionals, would coincide with Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead. I'd never attended Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico and was intrigued to learn more. (Read more at my blog post <a href="http://vagabondinglulu.blogspot.com/2017/10/what-is-day-of-dead-or-dia-de-los.html" target="_blank">What is Day of the Dead?</a> )<br />
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I was not disappointed. I felt totally safe the whole week that I was in Mazatlán and swam, body surfed, snorkeled, and did something I'd never done before: go deep sea fishing. But my most favorite experience was the Day of the Dead processional or what is called the <i>callejoneada</i>, or alley stroll. And what is so cool, you don't have to wait til next year to have a similar experience. <a href="http://mazatlanvisit.com/mazatlan-carnival.html" target="_blank">Mazatlán’s carnival </a>is coming up February 8-13, and you’ll find the same awe and appreciation of different cultures that I found on my latest visit.<br />
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Breath in the 'present moment'</h3>
We stood in the heart of the historic district, <i>Plazuela Machado</i>, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. I wore a headband of the colorful flowers typical of the holiday. The balmy night was filled with anticipation, and when I looked at the children's faces, I was reminded of my own youthful ‘nights before Christmas’ hopefulness. The square was filled with families and us, the delegates from the Fiesta Amigos conference waiting for the Dia de Los Muertos <i>callejoneada</i> to start.<br />
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There's something beautiful about the unfolding of unknown rituals. I felt a sense of childlike wonder take over, and I let go of the need to control or understand what was going to happen next. On the other hand, the Americans that surrounded me needed to know what was next, and since they didn't, wanted to make it – whatever it was – happen on their own. There was a sort of culture clash going on.<br />
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“What are we doing just standing here?” pouted one of the American hipsters.<br />
“Just standing here,” I thought to myself. “Really, it’s OK to simply stand and breath in the present moment of anticipation and excitement.”<br />
“Let's just go! Let’s just start walking,” she demanded, pushing ahead. The treasonists in our group moved slightly forward while others held back. I imagined that from above we looked somewhat like an amoeba changing shape as we pushed against the crowd, and as the crowd pushed against us. I was happy to stand my ground and wait for whatever was going to happen next.<br />
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In time, three young Mexican public relations professionals arrived holding placards on long sticks that read, ‘Fiesta Amigos.’ They positioned themselves at the front and back of our group of about 150 people. The association had asked us to dress in white for this occasion and so we stuck out of the crowd as a seemingly amalgamous group between the handheld signs.<br />
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Finally, fireworks and bottle rockets signaled the beginning of the promenade and our big white amoeba started moving forward around the square.<br />
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I expected our group to move with the masses of others that had gathered in Plazuela Machado. But I was astonished to see that those not dressed in white parted to let us through. Parted to let us through? Families with baby carts, grandmothers, <i>ninos</i> and <i>ninas</i> stood on the curb or sat on walls smiling and sometimes waving as they watched us walk by. Waving at us?<br />
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I thought we had come to promenade with the locals, but instead, <i>WE</i> were the promenade and the locals were watching US! I learned later that the Fiesta Amigos had been processing in the Day of the Dead parade for years. Locals reached out to touch my arm and then pointed to the flowers in my hair. “Que bonita,” I heard several times.<br />
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Some of those standing curbside were dressed in Muertos attire, and I stopped to ask if I could take their picture. They would nod solemnly, and I would snap the picture.<br />
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We walked for blocks, snaking through the alleyways of historic Mazatlán until ending up at the <i>Malecon</i>, one of the longest boardwalks in the world. It was an incredible experience and one I am sure to tell stories about for years to come.<br />
<br />
Make your own stories in Mazatlán during carnival. You know, stories are the best souvenirs... Learn more at <a href="http://visitmexico.com/">VisitMexico.com</a><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1679647393"><br /></a>
<a href="http://mazatlanvisit.com/mazatlan-carnival.html" target="_blank">Mazatlanvisit.com/mazatlan-carnival.html</a><br />
<br />
<b>Stacey “Vagabonding Lulu” Wittig, </b>travel writer, was a guest of Reynolds + Associates public relations firm while researching this article. The opinions of the opinionated travel writer are her own. The information here is posted with the best of her knowledge, but there may be omissions or changes over time.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-90812608532309748702017-11-30T05:00:00.000-07:002017-12-04T09:21:46.205-07:00Don’t Miss these Five Joyful Experiences in Bangkok, Thailand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Don’t miss these five joyful experiences in Bangkok, Thailand. Discover why Thailand is called the "The Land of Smiles" when you experience these five "must-see" Bangkok happenings. I was filled with great personal joy at each of these special places, and I bet that you will, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Damnoen Saduak Floating Market </b></h3>
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Take your camera as colorful photo ops abound in this mayhem of Thai vendors and waterborne souvenir hunters. I loved photographing the older Thai women skillfully maneuvering their long, canoe-like boats with just one paddle. The ‘J’ stroke, the ‘Sweep’ and the ‘C’ stroke – these elders, paddling from the stern, knew ‘em all. </div>
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Many were out early to sell vegetables from their gardens to the canal-side restaurants or floating eateries. Later, I was happy to eat a bowl of Tom Yum Lemon at one of the floating noodle restaurants where I’d seen my favorite grandmother selling earlier in the day.</div>
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<b>Tip:</b> Get to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market as soon as possible as the tour buses start arriving at 9 am. Although being part of the <i>khlongs</i> (canals) jammed with boatloads of wheeling and dealing tourists is also an exciting adventure. The market officially opens at 7 am, but many noodle vendors open at 6 am.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Bang Kra Jao Bike Tour </b></h3>
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Oh, what a joy to escape the chaos of the city by cycling Bang Kra Jao, a green zone located adjacent to busy Bangkok. </div>
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We sped through the jungle-like wilderness until arriving at the Emerald Way, a series of pathways, elevated two meters above the marshland. It took some concentration to keep the mountain bike between the hand rails ...and out of the drink. The rustic homes that we rode past were built on stilts to avoid seasonal flooding. </div>
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“When I was a boy before these paths were constructed, I swam to my friends' homes,” said our twenty-something guide. Follow the unbeaten path through the park which is known as the "green lung" of Bangkok.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)</b></h3>
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You’ll be happy to learn that Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha is more than a temple. </div>
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The complex includes the first public university in Thailand. Its school of Thai medicine is known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. As I explored various pavilions, I was delighted to discover medical illustrations showing pressure points used in the traditional massage modalities. </div>
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The complex also houses Thailand’s largest collection of Buddha statues that were brought here by one of the kings after looting of ancient relics became a problem in Thailand. </div>
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<b>Tip:</b> Be prepared to remove your shoes to view the gold-leaf-covered Reclining Buddha, which is 151 feet / 46 meters long. Wear clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.</div>
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<b>Chaopraya River Cruise</b></h3>
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Enjoy a Bangkok sunset while sipping <a href="http://www.taittinger.fr/" target="_blank">French Champagne</a> and cruising the Chao Phraya River. The river, long a trade route, reminded me of the Washington DC National Mall. National landmarks and royal monuments line each side of the waterway making for a perfect – and joy-filled – sightseeing expedition. </div>
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And how easy to just sit back and watch as the Thai world goes by. Supanniga Cruise offers a choice of evening champagne cruises with drinks and Thai snacks or an exquisitely-prepared six-course dinner of Thai cuisine. </div>
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I wondered how they could deliver such fantastically presented dishes from a boat galley. But they did! <a href="http://www.supannigacruise.com/" target="_blank">www.supannigacruise.com</a></div>
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<b>Chatuchak Weekend Market</b></h3>
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Expect to be overwhelmed by Chatuchak Weekend Market, AKA JatuJak or JJ Market, for short. Even the most-seasoned international travelers get a little starry-eyed at the immensity of this place. </div>
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Fortunately, the 15,000 vendor stalls are divided into 27 sections. And maps are provided to this ‘delight for the inner shopper in all of us.’ Although some sections are open on other days (check the website for details), the whole market is open Sat and Sun 9 am – 6 pm. <a href="http://www.chatuchakmarket.org/" target="_blank">www.chatuchakmarket.org</a></div>
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Travel writer <b>Stacey "Vagabonding Lulu" Wittig </b>was a guest of <a href="https://www.tourismthailand.org/" target="_blank">Tourism Authority of Thailand</a> (TAT) and <a href="http://global.csair.com/GB/GB/Home" target="_blank">China Southern Airlines</a> while researching for this article. And as usual, her opinions are her own. All the information provided is accurate and true to the best of her knowledge, but that there may be omissions, errors or mistakes. Yes, this is the disclaimer. Cheers!</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3Bangkok, Thailand13.7563309 100.5017651000000613.2627269 99.856318100000053 14.2499349 101.14721210000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-9187395739055680112017-10-27T17:15:00.001-07:002017-10-27T17:15:51.438-07:00What is ‘Day of the Dead’ or Dia de los Muertos?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
“What is Day of the Dead?” my friends ask when I tell them I am headed to Mazatlán, Mexico, for Day of the Dead, or <i>Dia de los Muertos</i> festivities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8boKScbgWPAAg5lu_nSErMhaY-znLF2vTD7Vhpl143QW09UWlXI1iq94wPlgfts70yHSkvrqoAr3oJ6HLxInGSKYv8Qp2fUv6XIg9aXAp6TGrx7EhjnZOR4Gax6dgUENhEgRSdaQWTY4/s1600/By+Eva+Rinaldi-Wikimedia+Commons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="620" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8boKScbgWPAAg5lu_nSErMhaY-znLF2vTD7Vhpl143QW09UWlXI1iq94wPlgfts70yHSkvrqoAr3oJ6HLxInGSKYv8Qp2fUv6XIg9aXAp6TGrx7EhjnZOR4Gax6dgUENhEgRSdaQWTY4/s400/By+Eva+Rinaldi-Wikimedia+Commons.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Eva Rinaldi-Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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Day of the Dead is perhaps a misnomer since the colorful celebration takes place over two days, on November 1 and 2, rather than on just one day. The name could be also considered misleading by English speakers who typically associate the dead with sadness and maybe even a little macabre fear.<br />
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On the contrary, the traditional Mexican festivity is a time to joyously honor relatives and companions who have preceded us in death. The ethereal scent of crushed marigolds fill the air as altars or <i>ofrendas</i> are prepared in homes and businesses and decorated with flowers and photos of those who have died.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqk7VKfUpUxqXPjOJOnvrkSi8JZvDs1dePaDcQcfrGsIAnTzFjHhyWd2oUnTxdeutSGsM6-rIONJDuwraDNwHwJwBaF-WDDby2Cr-BzNp25rgK7hXXLzL3oHmwZmXc6PVCCXlRWSjml4M/s1600/James_Brown_Ofrenda_Detail_By+carmichaellibrary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqk7VKfUpUxqXPjOJOnvrkSi8JZvDs1dePaDcQcfrGsIAnTzFjHhyWd2oUnTxdeutSGsM6-rIONJDuwraDNwHwJwBaF-WDDby2Cr-BzNp25rgK7hXXLzL3oHmwZmXc6PVCCXlRWSjml4M/s400/James_Brown_Ofrenda_Detail_By+carmichaellibrary.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ofrendas are also made for celebrities. James Brown ofrenda by carmichaellibrary via WikiMedia Commons</td></tr>
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<br />Threshold in time </h3>
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It is believed that this is a threshold in time and space when the dead can visit their families so favorite food and drink, including tequila, mescal and other liquors, are placed on <i>ofrendas</i> to attract souls of the deceased.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Carmichaellibrary at Wikimedia Commons.</td></tr>
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The sacred tradition goes back before the Spanish conquest of Mexico to the time of the Aztecs and other indigenous people who held month-long festivals to honor the dead. The Aztecs celebrated during the ninth month of their calendar (August in our calendar). After the Spanish arrived, the Aztec festival was synchronized with the Catholic holy days of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day. Day of the Dead has been morphing ever since into a truly Mexican experience. It must be remembered that traditions are distinctive in different towns and continue to change to reflect the local culture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTtyAKMs2a2n_n10jUjJH7N6TBJSsUeo84E6MdAgoYy9peWoNKvseBuMM6qOcwp2jsHjBiMXjwP_LzqCpCgvIS4x1Vzx-CHmXo4Y4TACyxKhkuC_QTsKei17t0hBwRhbv7-7zRvsAhyQ/s1600/Mictlancihuatl-public-domain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="364" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTtyAKMs2a2n_n10jUjJH7N6TBJSsUeo84E6MdAgoYy9peWoNKvseBuMM6qOcwp2jsHjBiMXjwP_LzqCpCgvIS4x1Vzx-CHmXo4Y4TACyxKhkuC_QTsKei17t0hBwRhbv7-7zRvsAhyQ/s400/Mictlancihuatl-public-domain.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aztec Queen Mictlancihuatl, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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<i>Mictecacíhuatl</i> the “Lady of the Dead” of Aztec mythology watched over the bones of the dead and presided over festivals honoring the deceased, according to <u>An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya</u>. Today La Catrina, a well-dressed female skeleton has become the symbolic hostess of Day of the Dead. Besides La Catrina, <i>calaveras</i> or skulls have also become icons of the fest. Skull motifs are seen on altars, costumes, special foods and even on tequila labels.<br />
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Life Continues Through Memories of Others </h3>
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During the day, families get together in cemeteries to clean headstones, fondly remember grandmothers and grandfathers and pray for them. The living bring picnics of food and drink and maybe even hire a band to play for this life-affirming celebration.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Jared Zimmerman via Wikipedia Commons</td></tr>
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In many towns, people gather in the evening for a <i>callejoneada</i> or alleyway stroll. Live music and people with painted faces, dressed as La Catrina dancing in the streets lend a Carnivalesque vibe to the promenade. I am looking forward to learning more as I travel to Mazatlán to partake in the celebration and explore the liminal space. Read more at <a href="https://www.visitmexico.com/en/main-destinations/sinaloa/mazatlan" target="_blank">www.visitmexico.com</a><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-29726597173833629652017-10-06T17:47:00.000-07:002017-10-13T12:25:57.858-07:00La Taverna degli Orsi: a Gourmet Feast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After tromping the Alps of Piedmont, Italy, it's always a pleasure to replenish at a typical mountain restaurant. One that serves hearty stews of local vegetables and <i>Fassona alla piemontese</i> the renowned local beef and wine of the region. It's also an added bonus if the proprietor is willing to share amusing stories and sprinkle each course with laughter. Andre Tolasano, owner of<i> La Taverna degli Orsi</i>, is such a host. He calls his establishment in the Italian ski town of Limone "a typical mountain restaurant," but it is anything but ordinary. Every item on the ever-changing menu is skillfully prepared in his kitchen from the best available local foods and then perfectly paired with the appropriate wine.<br />
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I met Andre, who goes by the nickname, Prince, at his restaurant while on a Hedonistic Hiking gourmet walking holiday. We hiked high into the Alps during the day and at night, our small group of sixteen reconvened for gourmet feasts. Dinners always included local fare and this night, Prince had hand-written our menu cards and entitled them "Bear Night." For the name of his restaurant, <i><a href="http://www.latavernadegliorsi.com/" target="_blank">La Taverna degli Orsi</a></i>, means Tavern of the Bear and the mountain restaurant was decorated with the mammal's motif.<script type="text/javascript">
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We munched on homemade sausage and sipped Spumante Brut Rose by Josetta Saffirio, a light-colored bubbly, as Prince told how he made the sausage with garlic brought from his hometown of Caraglio, an Italian village known for the pungent plant. The intense 13.5 % alcohol content of the wine, made from Nebbiolo d'Alba, the quintessential Piedmontese wine grape, said Prince, washed out the garlic taste.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGFZXMNZyfmznvMVpPcWVmrW0HIHp1XRAjfQxW8B8g8f51h-3LMw8ZTJcCx9cU1vS4DimYxp5U5ySGFkH71wCj5YnpQfp6mLPnFlQLqEnbg7UyEaeVhNzwqzmm_SJgopfuH9o-mMtKE0/s1600/Hedonistic-Hiking-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGFZXMNZyfmznvMVpPcWVmrW0HIHp1XRAjfQxW8B8g8f51h-3LMw8ZTJcCx9cU1vS4DimYxp5U5ySGFkH71wCj5YnpQfp6mLPnFlQLqEnbg7UyEaeVhNzwqzmm_SJgopfuH9o-mMtKE0/s320/Hedonistic-Hiking-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the aperitif, we were presented with the first of three appetizers. "In the Piedmont region it is typical to have three small appetizers before the main course," Jackie Parsons, owner/operator of <a href="http://www.hedonistichiking.com.au/" target="_blank">Hedonistic Hiking</a> told me later. The first was a not so small, a crispy walnut, celery and pear salad topped with a generous slab of moist cheese. "It's made with goat cheese of this valley," announced Prince, pouring more of the Rose'.</div>
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Prince then opened a Roero Arneis DOCG Daivej from the winery of one of his best friends. <a href="http://www.deltetto.com/en/" target="_blank">Deltetto winery</a> has been producing wines in the prestigious Piedmont wine area since 1953. The white wine had a smooth mouth feel and its aromas of pear and fruit complimented the salad and the second appetizer, a pastry hand-stuffed with salad and topped with Basne iaido sauce.</div>
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"Much too much food and much too much wine, but who cares?" said one of the hedonists, Guy, who had come all the way from Australia for this adventure in eating. We were watching Prince at a side board prepare the wine glasses for the next course. After uncorking the bottle he conditioned the first crystal goblet with a bit of the wine, swirling the glass with a flourish of his elbow. He poured that bit from the first glass to the second and did the same swirling motion. He repeated the procedure for the next fourteen glasses signaling to us that this next wine was special indeed. </div>
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He then turned to us and announced, "My best friend is Barbaresco, the next wine. It is very tannic, but with a soft taste… It goes very well with the next course, local veal raised by my family. The wine is a bit sweet on the tongue with a subtle licorice taste. </div>
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The main was a roasted veal stew cooked for eight hours and served with potatoes and a finger-sized squash. In Italy, the term 'veal' means meat from calves up to a year old, differentiated by the Italian word for ‘veal milk’ that denotes the younger version, which we in other parts of the world would consider veal.</div>
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A Muscato accompanied the dessert of berry cake finished with French cream sauce. And as if that weren't enough, once we were all finished with our dessert course, we were offered grappa, the grape based Italian brandy digestive.</div>
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Prince knew that it would be a perfect ending to the "Bear Night" and another gourmet feast with Hedonistic Hiking tours.</div>
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<b>Stacey "Vagabonding Lulu" Wittig </b>is a travel writer based in Flagstaff, Arizona. She writes about hiking, food and wine. Disclaimer: Vagabonding Lulu was a guest of <a href="http://www.hedonistichiking.com.au/" target="_blank">Hedonistic Hiking</a> gourmet hiking holidays, yet all opinions are her own.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-84197485969075821252017-08-29T11:20:00.001-07:002017-08-29T11:20:20.471-07:00Least-Known Secrets from Experts at Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This last weekend I attended the Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup high in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. I got to rub elbows with celebrity chefs, taste $80 bottles of wine with international wine experts and learn insider secrets on how to smoke and barbeque. I picked up a lot of good tips at the cooking demonstrations and wine tastings, so I’d like to pass them along to you.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rf8-7FEv7WcZd45lR883gLx2gJB4ZbXWn6eddMrkVtVuwoD9UiewQRY5Yr8i5hgigskghrk2lyQauWSINH6OIPNGc1tZIhDW-0GVBMgVQ3yQTvvruXHv22LyUOCnQAJzDqEOqBpUwEI/s1600/Celebrity+Chef+Harry+Soo+at+Angel+Fire+foodie+fest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rf8-7FEv7WcZd45lR883gLx2gJB4ZbXWn6eddMrkVtVuwoD9UiewQRY5Yr8i5hgigskghrk2lyQauWSINH6OIPNGc1tZIhDW-0GVBMgVQ3yQTvvruXHv22LyUOCnQAJzDqEOqBpUwEI/s320/Celebrity+Chef+Harry+Soo+at+Angel+Fire+foodie+fest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrity Chef Harry Soo at Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Never rub a rub</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters reality show’s head cook Harry Soo speaks, backyard barbecue wizards listen. In the fun cooking demo with Harry, one of the world’s top BBQ contenders, he said “Never rub a rub. You should pat the rub in.” Makes sense! I loved his demonstration about smoking meat because Dan and I just bought a smoker and I’ve been a bit intimidated to use it much. With Harry’s encouragement and tips, I now feel confident. Another lesson learned: shake the bottle of rub before using. “The big particles might have settled to the bottom,” said the founder of <b>Slap Yo Daddy BBQ</b> <a href="http://www.slapyodaddybbq.com/">www.slapyodaddybbq.com</a>. Even coating of the rub is one of the secrets to his success. Others are his personal line of rubs and sauces, available online.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLLfrEwwc8rBY-1J-yWv4Yinxa9jJ1PlTofP4QwZY118oyHehPkepcEI_LjNIYPLpbR7_PvaQgfDDosLyW3_x-3hEyCKVd_0zi9DHkbmAR8maVJGbrpo9rvpLQPVu9GT8qgJEvcH7alA/s1600/Meathead+Goldwyn+at+Angel+Fire.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1312" data-original-width="1250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLLfrEwwc8rBY-1J-yWv4Yinxa9jJ1PlTofP4QwZY118oyHehPkepcEI_LjNIYPLpbR7_PvaQgfDDosLyW3_x-3hEyCKVd_0zi9DHkbmAR8maVJGbrpo9rvpLQPVu9GT8qgJEvcH7alA/s320/Meathead+Goldwyn+at+Angel+Fire.2.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ expert Meathead Goldwyn holds 20 lbs of Texas Waygu Beef</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Trim off the bone</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The bone cannot flavor the meat,” said Chef Meathead Goldwyn, “but what it can do is much up your cooking.” The celebrity chef demonstrated grilling with buttery Texas Waygu beef from A Bar N Ranch. <a href="http://abarnranch.com/">http://abarnranch.com</a> “Bones are a heat shield – perfect for the reentry of the space shuttle, but not for cooking. Boneless allows you to cook more evenly.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meathead Goldwyn is the founder, barbecue whisperer, and hedonism evangelist behind <a href="http://amazingribs.com/">http://amazingribs.com</a> the world's most popular outdoor cooking website, and author of the New Your Times Best Seller<i> <a href="http://amzn.to/2xv9PMp">Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling</a></i>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI9CVz3YB18PgRnXDl_hGkHtEqMIn6Ohse6i24P_RMeTHA99VeefHIqR4beBh-bjdl6TZUBGC3O3cA6ogZgQHD38Ik2_pmja27i6mVBK6tbYcEhIGnc7wQarniUOTtGr6zIpUd-DEpa8/s1600/Stacey-Wittig-Irby-Wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1505" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFI9CVz3YB18PgRnXDl_hGkHtEqMIn6Ohse6i24P_RMeTHA99VeefHIqR4beBh-bjdl6TZUBGC3O3cA6ogZgQHD38Ik2_pmja27i6mVBK6tbYcEhIGnc7wQarniUOTtGr6zIpUd-DEpa8/s320/Stacey-Wittig-Irby-Wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vagabonding Lulu and Irby Wood at Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This wine is a steal!</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the Wine Appreciation Seminar, I tasted eight superb wines with pricing points from $19-82, but the one that blew my proverbial socks off was the 2009 Chateau Lassegue, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France. The Bordeaux blend had an earthiness of mushroom and dark fruit flavors. I tend to enjoy Old World wines best, but why, or why did I have to so love the $82 bottle of wine? The tasting led by Irby Wood, second generation Jackson of <a href="http://www.jacksonfamilywines.com/">Jackson Family Fine Wines </a>(think Kendall-Jackson) was a way for me to experience high-end wines. Insider secret? Wine expert Irby, who travels the world from California to Chile to France with his family’s wine business, says this bottle is a steal at $82. And with my wine sleuthing experience, I think I might be able to find an even better deal. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spook Keller, founder of Atomic City hot sauce</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Spice up your Pina Colada with Radioactive Hot Sauce </b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, us hot lovers have tried hot sauces in Margaritas and Bloody Mary’s, but this is the first time I’ve seen heat added to Pina Coladas. What a taste treat! Because each variety of pepper has different measures of spiciness and heat activation times, if you blend the precise recipe of many pepper varieties, you can come up with a “smooth” heat. You can find this harmonic blend of spiciness in pepper sauces from Atomic City Foods, Los Alamos, NM, <a href="http://www.atomiccityfoods.com/">www.atomiccityfoods.com</a>. The flavor-forward condiments won’t burn out your mouth. Who else but an engineer from the Los Alamos atomic lab could invent such a perfect concoction?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Atomic City </b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Piña</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> Colada Recipe </b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 oz pineapple juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 oz white rum</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 oz coconut cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ tsp Agave syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp Atomic City Caribe sauce</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The annual <a href="https://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/">Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup</a> showcases Western hospitality in a relaxed mountain environment. The friendly and social celebration is ideal for anyone who appreciates the best in exceptional cuisine, cooking demonstrations from top chefs and wine tastings hosted by professional sommeliers. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/">www.angelfirefoodandwine.com</a></span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com1Angel Fire, NM, USA36.3930879 -105.2850091000000236.290834399999994 -105.44637060000002 36.4953414 -105.12364760000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-49871681543878009742017-08-17T21:16:00.001-07:002017-08-17T21:16:19.484-07:00Kindness of Strangers: Camino Angels on the Primitivo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While walking along cow pastures and woody stands, I had not
seen a soul for the past three hours. But I was accompanied by huge
thunderclouds, hanging heavy with the rain that seemed destined to come. The
low clouds refused to release, and I
silently prayed for the showers that would dampen the oppressing heat and
humidity that had been building all afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was walking the Camino Primitivo, an ancient pilgrimage path
that connects Oviedo in Asturias to Santiago de Compostela via Melide in northern Spain.
While trekking, I was also editing and updating a Camino guide book for the route for
a London publisher. I was not surprised how much the lists of restaurants and
accommodations had changed since the last edition in 2013. </div>
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With the growth of
interest in walking the various Caminos that spider web through Europe, there
was sure to be many changes and additions. But I was surprised by the amount of
construction in the backwoods of northern Spain that was changing the actual
route.</div>
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Course changes meant that I needed to document those route deviations
in the Camino guide book. I needed to stop, make notes and maybe retrace my steps to
ensure accuracy. The frustrating search for <i>San
Salvador de Soutomerille</i>, a small 9<sup>th</sup> C church, had me
back-tracking through hot, farm fields. I finally decided that the ancient
chapel must be on the alternative route that, although I was sure I had taken,
I must not have followed. My 23-pound pack seemed twice as heavy as it did that
morning when I left O Cadavo. I spent two extra hours and retraced three miles combing
the remote countryside.</div>
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That was the reason that by 4 pm I was walking alone. My
pilgrim friends would have checked into Albergue Casa da Chanca, the place
where we’d agreed to rest for the night, hours ago. I still slugged along under
the sweaty heat of the pregnant clouds. I was climbing towards Lugo, which lies
on a hill surrounded by three rivers. As I climbed, I got nearer and nearer to
the clouds that were turning black. My prayers were about to be answered.</div>
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I set my pack down under the sheltering arms of an oak,
opened my pack and as I reached to put on my raincoat, the skies opened. Hunching
down, I fit my rainfly around my backpack as the rain pelted down. I was
getting hammered and as I stood up to survey my situation in the thunderstorm,
I knew I’d have to stay in place under the tree on this lonely farm road for a
while. I could see a barn at the intersection ahead of me, but it looked
deserted and locked. I thought of my friends sheltering in the albergue. I was
looking forward to reconnecting with them for dinner; this surely put a kibosh
on that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For some reason, I
looked back up the tree-lined road where I’d just come. Maybe I heard something
that caused me to look. But there, up the lane, were two Spanish people walking
their dog. The country couple huddled under a
big umbrella, which maybe seemed so large because they were so short of
stature. The man held the umbrella in one hand and his wife’s shoulder
in the other. As the rain pelted sideways from the wind, he pointed the
umbrella towards the gusts and steered his wife to another oak on my side of
the road. Their Golden Retriever crouched at their ankles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After an afternoon without seeing anyone, they seemed like
angels to me. They appeared out of nowhere,
and I thought, “They’re old folks, walking their dog. Their home MUST be close
by.” I waved a hand of welcome, and the woman waved back. We stood under our
prospective trees for what seemed like 20 minutes. I had no idea how far I was
from Lugo, but it was already after 5 pm,
and I was giving up hope on meeting my fellow pilgrims for dinner. I felt sad
that after such a frustrating day, I would miss the compassionate companionship
of fellow walkers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When the storm finally let up, the villagers began walking.
I waited, and we trod through the light
rain together. We only smiled and laughed since none of us had a handle on the
other’s verbal language. After about a mile, and the third country
intersection, the wife pointed to the right and said, “Camino.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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I said, “<i>No, yo voy a
su casa. You quiero un taxi</i>.” No, I go to your house. I want a taxi.” They
both smiled and motioned onward. And we kept walking and walking. So much for
my theory that old people take short dog walks. Another twenty minutes, I could
see a line of row houses through the twilight drizzle. We must be reaching the
outskirts of Lugo. “<i>Esta es la casa de mi
amigo</i>,” she smiled. “<i>Llamará un taxi
para ti</i>.” This is my friend’s house;
she’ll call a taxi for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<i>Muchas gracias</i>,”
I cried. The door opened, and the wife
explained in rapid Spanish as I slid, dripping, into the entryway. I was happy
to have the introduction because the friend spoke no English and I couldn’t
understand her Spanish. She left me standing on the linoleum at the door to go
upstairs to get her millennial son to call a cab.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She came returned to ask me a question, which I couldn’t
understand. After repeating it three times, she went back upstairs to retrieve
a huge, thick cotton towel. <i>Toalla</i>!
Towel! That’s the word I didn’t recognize. Then she asked me if I needed a
shirt – I could understand the word <i>camisa</i>.
No, the towel would do, I somehow explained. I felt bad about all the water on the
floor that was dripping off of me, my raincoat and my pack. But I helped her
mop it up. The kindly mother made her son come down to explain that the taxi
would be here soon. His English was about as good as my Spanish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIJgFU-YI4jCkE1uShFunpVsa0U7xb8ljNk8Gy_7fuc7namgUgzYpeUCFf9buGIi3MczWxBUz9vJF8aw4k3GPsm8X_b0x8PAWPbD188X_rYQARRYukeY1KcgoDDbOR8x7ju8cf-f-B54/s1600/Camino-Primitivo-Lugo-Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1600" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIJgFU-YI4jCkE1uShFunpVsa0U7xb8ljNk8Gy_7fuc7namgUgzYpeUCFf9buGIi3MczWxBUz9vJF8aw4k3GPsm8X_b0x8PAWPbD188X_rYQARRYukeY1KcgoDDbOR8x7ju8cf-f-B54/s320/Camino-Primitivo-Lugo-Wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The taxi arrived and whisked me to Albergue Casa da Chanca.
The ride was only five minutes long, and
I realized how close I was to town when the thunderstorm had broken loose.
Rodrigo and Ximena, my pilgrim family from Mexico,
welcomed me warmly. They laughed at my stories
of misfortune and Camino angels, and I had fifteen minutes to unpack and
dry off before we went back out into the rain for a late dinner. There, over
octopus and white wine, I repeated my story of the kindness of strangers to
Lazlo and Peter, our Hungarian friends.</div>
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<b>Stacey “Vagabonding Lulu” Wittig</b>, a travel writer based in
Munds Park, has written three books about the Camino de Santiago. Go to Amazon
at <a href="http://bit.ly/CaminoBook">http://bit.ly/CaminoBook</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-88990851015525594782017-08-16T08:36:00.001-07:002017-08-16T08:36:11.261-07:00Angel Fire Food & Wine Roundup Aug 24-27, 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Angel Fire Food & Wine Roundup is bringing together celebrity chefs, whiskey and wine makers, brewmeisters and musicians to Angel Fire, New Mexico, for your tasting and sipping pleasure. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacCJid3p_CvrjyTnjob4Sj-BKTyVLK9lgNrvEAGPIssS6_t57LOAdhcsu7LTNDEEFUDs5WjlPluYE01uBmgw58mWlxhY3qRaVYcGzOSnSrocC_gz-JfXLOYFsqr5U8BNvc_As_KkVKD4/s1600/AFR_6113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacCJid3p_CvrjyTnjob4Sj-BKTyVLK9lgNrvEAGPIssS6_t57LOAdhcsu7LTNDEEFUDs5WjlPluYE01uBmgw58mWlxhY3qRaVYcGzOSnSrocC_gz-JfXLOYFsqr5U8BNvc_As_KkVKD4/s320/AFR_6113.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Fire Resort courtesy photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
Forage for mushrooms in the surrounding tall-pine forests with culinary masters, listen to music while sipping wine or be part of entertaining cooking demonstrations. It's all happening August 24-27 when foodies, bev enthusiasts and music lovers converge in the southern Rocky Mountains. <div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFZsUQP7MM5XI-m99PyRow9df5btuXzZ5aacA83dNFNCrS12ROYzwxNXWkoLVM7jY_b28ro7sHw29P0re4PLvZK8j1eVWHFqbST8FigVnGfrS1YIO5KA_Ox76Uryac9qRBmIKIWYthyU/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFZsUQP7MM5XI-m99PyRow9df5btuXzZ5aacA83dNFNCrS12ROYzwxNXWkoLVM7jY_b28ro7sHw29P0re4PLvZK8j1eVWHFqbST8FigVnGfrS1YIO5KA_Ox76Uryac9qRBmIKIWYthyU/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Fire Resort courtesy photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'll be there to celebrate this last of summer blast. While I sip and swirl, hubby Dan will be downhill mountain biking at the Angel Fire Resort. What better way to ride the mountains than to get a chairlift ride up? </div>
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We'll both attend the dutch oven cooking demonstration before he heads back to the woods for some zip lining. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGWUB9vrsBFYjI7_m8gSRhFQI89XTcenElS2-1SwP1qDdqeqJPuzgsS1TvtQl3wuX8I-w4qxL5FNyu2TKDuXSP9vgXWVJMAR83pulJbcY16mGCzy6NOENJj00VNgzyK9P0_6l1p0ugAk/s1600/AFR_5383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGWUB9vrsBFYjI7_m8gSRhFQI89XTcenElS2-1SwP1qDdqeqJPuzgsS1TvtQl3wuX8I-w4qxL5FNyu2TKDuXSP9vgXWVJMAR83pulJbcY16mGCzy6NOENJj00VNgzyK9P0_6l1p0ugAk/s320/AFR_5383.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Fire Resort courtesy photo</td></tr>
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I'll hang out near the lake and get one of my favorite cookbooks signed by author and foodie radio show host <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: futura-pt;">Cheryl Alters Jamison. I'm sure to learn a lot at the whiskey tasting and I can't wait to saddle up to some Northern New Mexican cuisine or southwest BBQ. There's something for every one.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdjWffAE2kbwEJEdryx1tBcjuHU6kU6Mj6zvaueebHyIsNnIy6M_XpfixQneurTkEoVExeqoamaIeg1YQx-bgjXlF2eIFJXCor5263TH49j9sprcCIb7NMuG97v4r1bDDVDp4aYM3gtc/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdjWffAE2kbwEJEdryx1tBcjuHU6kU6Mj6zvaueebHyIsNnIy6M_XpfixQneurTkEoVExeqoamaIeg1YQx-bgjXlF2eIFJXCor5263TH49j9sprcCIb7NMuG97v4r1bDDVDp4aYM3gtc/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Fire Resort courtesy photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
For the full lineup of events and guest chefs go to: <a href="http://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/">www.angelfirefoodandwine.com</a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5j984pIs6s2ON3d2wv4b0nhHbwMqPHA93HwlJ0iFfWHXtqYw_REZhZh1SBR3f9jfCrd0zQVrkoxddjoBXa3vPeGwlNyzvFRfJtNfObdE-oybCvvv8qywatBa5WESbpSl1pznhDwjn-k/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5j984pIs6s2ON3d2wv4b0nhHbwMqPHA93HwlJ0iFfWHXtqYw_REZhZh1SBR3f9jfCrd0zQVrkoxddjoBXa3vPeGwlNyzvFRfJtNfObdE-oybCvvv8qywatBa5WESbpSl1pznhDwjn-k/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Fire Resort courtesy photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'll be changing my flipflops for cowboys boots as I head up to the mountains of New Mexico -- a perfect transition of summer into fall. Why don't you join me?</div>
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Purchase tickets here: <a href="https://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/">www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEkRh5V7-jN7k-TZTeV0w3UKjEPuELE6FTcHrXJQwM1oa9AokxusRWo51NmbVHaWAG29XBhdqy0wtI9xf9jUdPwqFemyJmH_1x8jsNgUVdLVYhNbWeKZUdSo8dBpsjvrTjLqqAUlppu4/s1600/download-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEkRh5V7-jN7k-TZTeV0w3UKjEPuELE6FTcHrXJQwM1oa9AokxusRWo51NmbVHaWAG29XBhdqy0wtI9xf9jUdPwqFemyJmH_1x8jsNgUVdLVYhNbWeKZUdSo8dBpsjvrTjLqqAUlppu4/s320/download-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Stacey "Vagabonding Lulu" Wittig</b>, a travel writer, writes about food, wine and walking from her home near the Grand Canyon.</div>
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Wine tasting. wine festival, foodie event, guest chef</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.977753 -93.26501080000002744.7980145 -93.587734300000022 45.1574915 -92.942287300000032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-73845775708707374212017-07-07T12:56:00.001-07:002017-07-07T12:56:46.598-07:00Planning 'Last of Summer' escape? Think 'Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25372WFl6d1QRHZVr8Bg4zE2jAg1Lt7jZopWeNtNuIcKHJyhN88TMirAEVJns20QHFLJx3dCOh1_zTGzcwaPhy23e0hyQEeL5mW4y1CrshM6m1SaX71WhLIOXZSNTgdP9LJq9OHU0OU4/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-RV.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25372WFl6d1QRHZVr8Bg4zE2jAg1Lt7jZopWeNtNuIcKHJyhN88TMirAEVJns20QHFLJx3dCOh1_zTGzcwaPhy23e0hyQEeL5mW4y1CrshM6m1SaX71WhLIOXZSNTgdP9LJq9OHU0OU4/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort-RV.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next month I’m celebrating the last of summer with an escape to the
Rocky Mountains. The end of August can be hot in Northern Arizona, so I’m
looking for a cool retreat in Angel Fire, New Mexico. Some of us in the
Southwest don’t know that the Rockies extend all the way down to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment.
With Angel Fire as your destination, you don’t have to drive as far away as Aspen
or Vail, Colorado, to get to higher, more temperate resort towns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Join me in Angel
Fire, for the <b>Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup</b>, a foodie event which offers us the best in: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2b-UFlDYqx_8K08z7EiZ3mGnhj29lqMTF3SNI1FK12FOkwvSc7pK_IPxTbvjOeC7-r2kQwZjyUNgUxpU0GMyUDptwCa8_FDlMowhBs6vWaXIdMIa7h0DswdfKY4QQn988VoBR15Gg_0/s1600/AFFWR+Logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="356" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2b-UFlDYqx_8K08z7EiZ3mGnhj29lqMTF3SNI1FK12FOkwvSc7pK_IPxTbvjOeC7-r2kQwZjyUNgUxpU0GMyUDptwCa8_FDlMowhBs6vWaXIdMIa7h0DswdfKY4QQn988VoBR15Gg_0/s200/AFFWR+Logo.jpeg" width="110" /></a></span></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Western cuisine,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wagyu beef,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fine wines,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Craft brews,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Artisanal spirits and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Western hospitality with famous chefs,
winemakers, brewers, and distillers.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t wait to hob-nob with celebrity chefs,
take selfies during wine tasting events and snap Instagram photos of the lake
and Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s tallest mountain. Dan will be trying something
new: downhill mountain biking at Angel Fire Resort while I enjoy the food and
wine. It’s not far from his first love, dirt bike riding, me thinks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXlJOHF2j3JoqE9ROo3AFoDdV-pur72wBVTLzcD6om9WOCdyr6w3_6P41tcu5DSQkBqHSllkXV8mgGGmFvi7VJIl2n_dJJAtekCyKiaelVEeX4ZP7AoPWKRFpxILT7vu5xj60hNILbm8/s1600/Courtesy+of+Angel+Fire+RV+Resort.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXlJOHF2j3JoqE9ROo3AFoDdV-pur72wBVTLzcD6om9WOCdyr6w3_6P41tcu5DSQkBqHSllkXV8mgGGmFvi7VJIl2n_dJJAtekCyKiaelVEeX4ZP7AoPWKRFpxILT7vu5xj60hNILbm8/s320/Courtesy+of+Angel+Fire+RV+Resort.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Here’s the insider’s scoop:</b> </span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a special bonus, Angel Fire RV Resort, Northern
New Mexico’s premier year-round luxury camping destination, is offering a Food
and Wine Roundup RV Package. The new package offers RVers a significant savings
when they book a minimum 3-night RV Stay, which includes tickets to the first
annual food festival. The four-day western-themed food and
wine event will take place August 24 –
27, 2017.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The <b>Angel Fire Food and Wine RV Package</b> is for any RVer who loves to
combine their love of travel with their love for food, cooking, wine, and
whiskey,” explains Kate Collins,
director, Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup. “This event will offer a
little bit of something for everyone. From mushroom hunts to chuck wagon
cook-offs, reserve tastings, and private chef in-home dinners. Combining the
Food and Wine Roundup event with our luxury RV accommodations and all the outdoor
activities we offer, it’s the perfect place to take in the last few days of
summer.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along with any 3-night RV stay, the Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup RV Package offers over a $350-dollar savings and tickets to the following events:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2 Tickets to the Thursday afternoon cooking demonstration by guest chefs Wendy and John Hail, from Hail’s Holy Smoked BBQ.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2 Tickets to the Thursday evening wine tasting by Black Mesa Winery.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2 Tickets to the Friday morning Cooking Demonstration with </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">James Beard Foundation award-winner and cookbook author, </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cheryl Alters Jamison, and Harry Soo, the head chef from Los Angeles-based Slap Yo’ Daddy BBQ. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2 Tickets to the Saturday Grand Tasting</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Located at the foot of Carson National Forest, The Angel Fire RV Resort features sophisticated amenities. These include an upscale clubhouse with outdoor firepits, a hot tub, a spa-like bathhouse, leisure games, free wi-fi and on-site laundry set amongst a serene natural wonderland. Guests can enjoy the crisp, cool air and take in the views of Wheeler Peak.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The four-day festival includes:</b></span></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitUnu0qalsi4LkyJvicX4qY3yYn2-CRLj73HZmePabBywcMz4Clt7rASFxpsqL-5jsCf2LVtvD7tUxQ6mChchqGIX1Agrb8izsZTRV3_opkLrdoTfdSfQg7CVeP6HzwqJ6mCqniLQjoc/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-Steak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitUnu0qalsi4LkyJvicX4qY3yYn2-CRLj73HZmePabBywcMz4Clt7rASFxpsqL-5jsCf2LVtvD7tUxQ6mChchqGIX1Agrb8izsZTRV3_opkLrdoTfdSfQg7CVeP6HzwqJ6mCqniLQjoc/s200/Angel-Fire-Resort-Steak.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guest chef
luncheons,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooking demos by top chefs from around the country,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dutch
oven cooking demos,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reserve
tasting,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A
Grand tasting,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wine
seminars,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mushroom
hunts,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guest
chef dinners in private residences,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">silent
auction events and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">artisanal
spirits and craft brew tastings.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAX7oo3oDnA4Dfsi5z8YHnWtFxmcVSZbYgzfEuv1m200o6aUmNtPgBwu2AepVhulsKimFBf0U1jIFv8t8X229v7pJsl5GYUAkI8cMttwCt_z3n_Nx6gNvuuS09KyOU1jiquYHlK30gXg/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAX7oo3oDnA4Dfsi5z8YHnWtFxmcVSZbYgzfEuv1m200o6aUmNtPgBwu2AepVhulsKimFBf0U1jIFv8t8X229v7pJsl5GYUAkI8cMttwCt_z3n_Nx6gNvuuS09KyOU1jiquYHlK30gXg/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In addition to all that</b><b>,
</b>you could opt to take part in a Boot Scootin’ BBQ and
Western Dance at the Angel Fire Resort Country Club, a benefit golf tournament,
a Bloody Good Bacon Brunch and Chuck Wagon Breakfast event - check prices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicago’s, Meathead Goldwyn; Texan Cowboy Gourmet
Chefs, Tom and Lisa Perini; and Harry
Soo, Head Chef at LA-based Slap Yo Daddy BBQ are just a few of the
attending chefs leading cooking demos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Chef</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Goldwyn is the founder, barbecue
whisperer, and hedonism evangelist behind </span><a href="http://www.amazingribs.com/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>www.amazingribs.com</b></a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b> </b>- one of the world’s most popular outdoor
cooking websites, and author of the New York Times Best Seller “Meathead. The
Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling.”</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Chef Tom Perini and his
wife, Lisa are best known for perfecting traditional cowboy cuisine for the
past 40 years at <b>Perini Ranch Steakhouse</b>, a gourmet Cowboy restaurant located
on the working ranch in Buffalo Gap, Texas.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Slap
Yo Daddy BBQ is the love child of <b>TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters Head Cook Harry Soo</b>.
Slap Yo Daddy BBQ, one of the top-ranked Kansas City BBQ Society teams in
America, was chosen among over 5,000 professional teams to appear on TLC’s BBQ
Pitmasters Season One in 2010. In the Season Finale, SYD stunned
the nation by defeating all the teams in the show including two BBQ World
Champions in the winner-take-all Rib Throwdown in Texas.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Angel Fire Resort’s head
chef </b>from Elements Restaurant Kevin </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">McCaffery</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> will be serving the Boot Scootin’
BBQ and the Bloody Good Bacon Brunch.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>
A full schedule of the festival,</b> attending chefs, and tickets can be purchased here <a href="https://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/">https://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #424242;">For more information about the Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup
RV Package and to make a reservation </span><a href="https://angelfirervresort.com/packages/food-wine-roundup-rv-package/">https://angelfirervresort.com/packages/food-wine-roundup-rv-package/</a><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Angel
Fire RV Resort <a href="https://angelfirervresort.com/">https://angelfirervresort.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0Flagstaff, AZ, USA35.1982836 -111.6513019999999935.094458100000004 -111.81266349999999 35.3021091 -111.48994049999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-41885546207977026482017-06-08T12:45:00.000-07:002017-06-08T12:45:22.325-07:00Fire on the Mountain at Angel Fire, NM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">August Festival includes Western Cuisine, Cooking Demos, Wines, Craft
Brews and Artisanal Spirits</span></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65316d9QkfByLPNyiioSdlHF50Kc5khNAG8dnUKJyeMdvL3BeHG_q_8p4npRD8W-TVEbjadWctyNOb8IXAMHmR9pJR_pg8WH9f-YS16XLIrg-5gWZsPFi45V7eeWVgG8NEXWvL3jLttQ/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65316d9QkfByLPNyiioSdlHF50Kc5khNAG8dnUKJyeMdvL3BeHG_q_8p4npRD8W-TVEbjadWctyNOb8IXAMHmR9pJR_pg8WH9f-YS16XLIrg-5gWZsPFi45V7eeWVgG8NEXWvL3jLttQ/s400/Angel-Fire-Resort.tiff" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo compliments of Angel Fire Resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I’m planning my annual road trip to New Mexico. In August I’m headed
to the <b>Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup</b>
where I hope to see some fire on the mountain. <i>Fire on the mountain</i>, <i>Alpen
glow</i> or <i>angel fire</i> are all terms
that describe the out-of-this-world colors of dancing sunsets on mountain
slopes. You know, some people travel to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, but
I’m here to tell you that Alpen glow on the mountain is even better. And you
don’t have to buy an expensive air ticket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Angel Fire, New Mexico, was named after the astonishing display of
light that can be experienced in the mountains and on the clouds, so that’s the
place that’s on my bucket list to view such spectacular light displays. The
icing on the cake is that I have planned my trip to coincide with a four-day
western-themed food and wine event, sponsored by Texas-based A Bar N Ranch, taking
place August 24 – 27, 2017. Famous chefs are coming from all over the country, and winemakers, brewers and distillers
will be pouring their best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISaVPfxT7Cfrx3jrLuMXwQNFcU4573L7XuRBi5Rt7p-PHIDv0OdwMk-UGpGp9CyK4N-rh0Mf-H7LGvqtQK-wIDHw2AbFikqMjMIwZExK8sHnpfZfWioIZLY7XUo55OxorfyXYjrFujG8/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-Steak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISaVPfxT7Cfrx3jrLuMXwQNFcU4573L7XuRBi5Rt7p-PHIDv0OdwMk-UGpGp9CyK4N-rh0Mf-H7LGvqtQK-wIDHw2AbFikqMjMIwZExK8sHnpfZfWioIZLY7XUo55OxorfyXYjrFujG8/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort-Steak.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo compliments of Angel Fire Resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The mountain festival includes </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">guest chef luncheons, cooking demos by top
chefs,<span style="color: red;"> </span>Dutch oven cooking demos, Reserve tasting, a Grand tasting,
wine seminars, mushroom hunts, guest chef dinners in private residences, silent
auction events and artisanal spirits and craft brew tastings. Additionally, the
event includes a Boot Scootin’ BBQ and
Western Dance at the Angel Fire Resort Country Club, a benefit golf tournament,
a Bloody Good Bacon Brunch and Chuck Wagon Breakfast event. I can’t wait!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Chicago’s, Meathead
Goldwyn; Texan Cowboy Gourmet Chefs, Tom and Lisa Perini; and Harry Soo, Head Chef
at LA-based Slap Yo Daddy BBQ are just a few of the attending chefs who will
lead cooking demos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chef Goldwyn is the founder, barbecue
whisperer, and hedonism evangelist behind <a href="http://amazingribs.com/"><span style="color: #660033; text-decoration-line: none;">AmazingRibs.com</span></a>, one of the world's
most popular outdoor cooking websites, and author of the New Your Times
Best Seller "Meathead. The Science of Great Barbecue and
Grilling."<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chef Tom Perini and his wife, Lisa are
best known for perfecting traditional cowboy cuisine for the past 40 years
at Perini Ranch Steakhouse, a gourmet Cowboy restaurant located on the
working ranch in Buffalo Gap, Texas.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Slap Yo Daddy BBQ is the love child of
TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters Head Cook Harry Soo. Slap Yo Daddy BBQ, one of the
top-ranked Kansas City BBQ Society teams in America, was chosen among over
5,000 professional teams to appear on TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters Season One in
2010. In the Season Finale, SYD stunned the nation by
defeating all the teams in the show including two BBQ World Champions in
the winner-take-all Rib Throwdown in Texas.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Angel Fire Resort’s head chef from
Elements Restaurant Kevin McCaffery will be serving the Boot Scootin’ BBQ and the Bloody Good Bacon
Brunch.</span> </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBOQ3TrjSnKh2C1wQIzS-LN1mM-F7p83LFmoDycITD4d-i1W2S36kk3VxxTqKOSKOHRJg7P_bzhPgW8I323hYG589THS_wA7B9w8DI_Lch55QHuafHp9Nh4-6TFRZRAssyMBbRQ7MxYQ/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-Dancing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBOQ3TrjSnKh2C1wQIzS-LN1mM-F7p83LFmoDycITD4d-i1W2S36kk3VxxTqKOSKOHRJg7P_bzhPgW8I323hYG589THS_wA7B9w8DI_Lch55QHuafHp9Nh4-6TFRZRAssyMBbRQ7MxYQ/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort-Dancing.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo compliments of Angel Fire Resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Additionally,
nationally acclaimed artist, Jennifer Cavan and food writing expert, Cheryl
Jamison will be at the four-day event. I have one of Cheryl’s cookbooks in my
Arizona kitchen, so I am excited to meet her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Santa
Fe-based pastel artist, Jennifer Cavan, has been commissioned to produce
an original piece of art for the event which will be auctioned at the Reserve Tasting, with proceeds benefitting
Make-A-Wish New Mexico and The National Veterans Wellness and Healing
Center of Angel Fire.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Four-time
James Beard Foundation award-winner, Cheryl Alters Jamison is a cookbook
author and food journalist and the host of the weekly food radio show
“Heating It Up.” She has written about Southwestern cooking for Saveur,
Cooking Light, New Mexico Magazine
and Bon Appétit. She will emcee cooking
demonstrations and sign copies of her cookbooks, including “Smoke and
Spice,” <i>"The Border Cookbook,” "The 50th
Anniversary Rancho De Chimayó Cookbook,” "American Home
Cooking,”</i> and "<i>Tasting New Mexico: Recipes Celebrating
100 Years of Distinctive Home Cooking.”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5bn2od0JaDe2TCz4OWMQU2cmkedfYMqPfV1t56_07EgbBgGDluKyQ6FYSY8IPOCwPI038fpt0uhjtIIsn1OZP6eKjhBhsgHVQpW7_cL3tcFeB0otzz2nTgfJ5XV1xOZvsDxLEXoDYKU/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-Concert.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5bn2od0JaDe2TCz4OWMQU2cmkedfYMqPfV1t56_07EgbBgGDluKyQ6FYSY8IPOCwPI038fpt0uhjtIIsn1OZP6eKjhBhsgHVQpW7_cL3tcFeB0otzz2nTgfJ5XV1xOZvsDxLEXoDYKU/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort-Concert.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo compliments of Angel Fire Resort</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">“The <b>Angel Fire Food and Wine Roundup</b>
showcases our Western hospitality in a beautiful and relaxed mountain
environment,” explains Kate Collins, Director, Angel Fire Food and Wine
Roundup. “This friendly and social celebration is ideal for anyone who
appreciates the best in exceptional cuisine, cooking demonstrations from top
chefs and wine tastings hosted by professional sommeliers.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkL5wpQl3psVogkfzoGIF9HX7EmvvOHDQTYlXmYHSxSIYdUHoknnVNk2XE7LqazF7Fe3I-o7Qz3HcHoAiRGMJI_aHUfOYwU8v1Au0dkPk1D0XZi7I5rOewR2WYixI-MJuj_juRbGKA6-Q/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-Golf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkL5wpQl3psVogkfzoGIF9HX7EmvvOHDQTYlXmYHSxSIYdUHoknnVNk2XE7LqazF7Fe3I-o7Qz3HcHoAiRGMJI_aHUfOYwU8v1Au0dkPk1D0XZi7I5rOewR2WYixI-MJuj_juRbGKA6-Q/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort-Golf.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo compliments of Angel Fire Resort</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Angel Fire, located in the
beautiful Moreno Valley in the Southern Rockies of New Mexico, will host the event,
which is expected to draw thousands of visitors, feature</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">restaurants and world-class winemakers, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">breweries</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> and distillers. Take your RV, or stay at the hotel where
hubby and I will be camped out. Come along it will be good fun and maybe we’ll experience
some Fire on the Mountain for another check off the ol’ Bucket List.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ExhRSGPJldQs6CSQ-1cSiXyr1Fc_s6tdjaPLtfKYYUFfJn0Dd-00SD60ynxCr5xIajzh4BF8wE4Ef3T9Ang3kA_RZOzhhtqRZsWgT69p9QiCfPAsQjWaoucKGmdmLUCVeRZTe3wawNU/s1600/Angel-Fire-Resort-RV.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ExhRSGPJldQs6CSQ-1cSiXyr1Fc_s6tdjaPLtfKYYUFfJn0Dd-00SD60ynxCr5xIajzh4BF8wE4Ef3T9Ang3kA_RZOzhhtqRZsWgT69p9QiCfPAsQjWaoucKGmdmLUCVeRZTe3wawNU/s320/Angel-Fire-Resort-RV.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo compliments of Angel Fire Resort</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">For additional
information about the <b>Angel Fire Food
and Wine Roundup</b>: <a href="http://www.angelfirefoodandwine.com/">www.angelfirefoodandwine.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Stacey “Vagabonding
Lulu” Wittig is a travel writer based near Flagstaff, Arizona. Find more free travel tips by subscribing to this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0Flagstaff, AZ, USA35.1982836 -111.6513019999999935.094458100000004 -111.81266349999999 35.3021091 -111.48994049999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-42348846821631138392017-02-27T16:18:00.000-07:002017-02-27T16:18:24.000-07:00X-treme Canyoneering in Grand Canyon of Jordan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thrill seekers looking for extreme canyoning experiences are
turning to the Mujib Gorge known as the Grand Canyon of Jordan. Located in the Mujib
Biosphere Reserve adjacent to the Dead Sea, the Mujib Gorge offers hiking and
canyoneering in one of the most extreme environs the world has to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOHi3JmJMlBgboZ5hNQg2SmtxFkrtWFLa3huQ3aaKKGW-SqYpVDeCtZOhqQM8vw2nDn8S1_iBGlyIXC-m5f8DtHyo4TJS5EUROk0ypoWHBWSmWvHbrr1HpUk91ME7ENcW_TCazD7uMic/s1600/wild-Jordan-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOHi3JmJMlBgboZ5hNQg2SmtxFkrtWFLa3huQ3aaKKGW-SqYpVDeCtZOhqQM8vw2nDn8S1_iBGlyIXC-m5f8DtHyo4TJS5EUROk0ypoWHBWSmWvHbrr1HpUk91ME7ENcW_TCazD7uMic/s400/wild-Jordan-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mujib Gorge AKA Grand Canyon of Jordan. Photo courtesy of Wild Jordan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Called <i>torrentismo</i> by the Italians, <i>kloofing</i> by South
Africans or <i>barranquismo</i> by the Spanish, the extreme sport of canyoneering
involves hiking, scrambling, swimming and repelling. Depending on seasonal
rainfall, the Mujib Gorge may contain pools deep enough for swimming. A
20-meter (67-foot) tall waterfall meets enthusiasts near the mouth of the
canyon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r9BX1C_NUlYF7ul71waxOef9e0DgovLaUBv4d-Lats_oU3U6RMZz6KaK6efOrj0YDaKNk-qkLN6vf0mPxX3jAeBXyk2v4RXPWiqv_5J6bRjlKpBfzJZzsQvHUSflLNFEn0fRnpH34ag/s1600/Wild-Jordan-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r9BX1C_NUlYF7ul71waxOef9e0DgovLaUBv4d-Lats_oU3U6RMZz6KaK6efOrj0YDaKNk-qkLN6vf0mPxX3jAeBXyk2v4RXPWiqv_5J6bRjlKpBfzJZzsQvHUSflLNFEn0fRnpH34ag/s400/Wild-Jordan-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrambling the water falls in one of the lowest places on Earth.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Adventurers chose between wet and dry trails at the Mujib
Biosphere Reserve formerly known as the Wadi Mujib Reserve before the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the
extraordinary place a biosphere reserve in 2011. One of the most popular, the
</span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Siq Trail</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> is open April 1 – October 31 for guided or self-guided hikes. The trail starts at the Visitor Center near the
Mujib Bridge, where hikers scale a dam by use of a cantilevered walkway and
follow the river flanked by towering sandstone cliffs to the base of the large
waterfall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Other hiking trails such as the <b>Ibex Trail</b>, where you can
view the famous rock “statue” of Lot’s wife and perhaps glimpse Nubian Ibex,
require official guides. The Dead Sea below this highline trail provides a
startling backdrop during the whole hike.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcuPJ-HJxGdyAyAvskd2Qj9kbS3RQZ5gZ04j0QFrdWQ6-Y8RQbXRZGBwmSuSM-0JjEVnANAOmw6MYbzlJqpNyRP-68j07FZ5l-6pf33K9xDje4_XNxc9vxQd_3ri6OSl-IzCMQ89ceGk/s1600/Lots-Wife-formation.800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcuPJ-HJxGdyAyAvskd2Qj9kbS3RQZ5gZ04j0QFrdWQ6-Y8RQbXRZGBwmSuSM-0JjEVnANAOmw6MYbzlJqpNyRP-68j07FZ5l-6pf33K9xDje4_XNxc9vxQd_3ri6OSl-IzCMQ89ceGk/s400/Lots-Wife-formation.800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lot's Wife hoodoo. Photo by Stacey Wittig</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Near the lowest elevation of the planet, the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is the lowest reserve on earth. The remote desert environ is bisected</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> by the Mujib River that cuts deep through rough geologic formations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Mujib Biosphere Reserve is about one and a half hours
from Amman, the capitol city of the Middle Eastern nation. The desert area gets
an average of 330 days of sunshine per year with less than 100 millimeters (3.9
inches) of rainfall, so bring hats, sunscreen, first aid kits, drinking water
and dry bags. Stay on the trails and camp only in official sites. Take only
pictures, leave only footprints.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOLeqQWoeZdhYLA1MYlFopJj3wQZ1-BwUljiEr8BPdW6CAZQVqsIMQVZtARDyenWPufKtNYyTcxRn-MTpcqe7VSbUeMa5D4Igwn5KKTcVGjgEfGJRfMBL5tjT5PnP_mMpz0Le-Yiz7_I/s1600/Mujib+Gorge-Jordanian-Grand-Canyon.800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOLeqQWoeZdhYLA1MYlFopJj3wQZ1-BwUljiEr8BPdW6CAZQVqsIMQVZtARDyenWPufKtNYyTcxRn-MTpcqe7VSbUeMa5D4Igwn5KKTcVGjgEfGJRfMBL5tjT5PnP_mMpz0Le-Yiz7_I/s400/Mujib+Gorge-Jordanian-Grand-Canyon.800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mujib Gorge and trail ramp. Photo by Stacey Wittig</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">The Mujib Biosphere Reserve is part of Jordan’s progressive
national park system that is administered by the
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Explore more about the Jordanian Grand Canyon by clicking
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://rscn.org.jo/sites/default/files/publication/Mujib-EN.pdf">http://rscn.org.jo/sites/default/files/publication/Mujib-EN.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">See more </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">at:</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://wildjordan.com/eco-tourism-section/mujib-biosphere-reserve#sthash.7jMx8tvu.dpuf" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://wildjordan.com/eco-tourism-section/mujib-biosphere-reserve#sthash.7jMx8tvu.dpuf</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Travel journalist Stacey Wittig</b> was the guest of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Jordan Tourism Board North America (JTBNA)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">. This article first appeared in Grand Canyon Examiner in Spring 2016. #LearnJordan #MyJordanJourney</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276486420487921461.post-13331115356730500272017-02-20T08:39:00.000-07:002017-02-27T10:24:30.457-07:00Spring Spree: Santa Fe Celebrates Spring Break With “Kids Eat Free”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lqtH0RD0M5JjYJ9swlaQBTPg9r6s6uMBkrw2QGJfeePqOS-LfW-wfvAoxgaxecbxiKEbSV_-lcTGRqbOacc8h6FAzA5d0K1wOwN7o6fwYrA_Kwa9M93U0CSX2UolF3B85BCPPaE9Fk8/s1600/Spring-Break-Santa-Fe-New-Mexico.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lqtH0RD0M5JjYJ9swlaQBTPg9r6s6uMBkrw2QGJfeePqOS-LfW-wfvAoxgaxecbxiKEbSV_-lcTGRqbOacc8h6FAzA5d0K1wOwN7o6fwYrA_Kwa9M93U0CSX2UolF3B85BCPPaE9Fk8/s400/Spring-Break-Santa-Fe-New-Mexico.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AAA Four Diamond Resort Offers Fun Perks & Experiences For Tourism Santa Fe’s “Kids FreeFest”</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Resort, the AAA Four Diamond resort located 15 minutes north of downtown Santa Fe, is welcoming the youngest of spring breakers with special perks, freebies and VIP experiences as part of Tourism Santa Fe’s “Spring Break 2017 Kids Free” Promotion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>As part of the city-wide promotion</b> targeting family spring break travelers, Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Resort will offer plenty of fun for the little ones, including:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Free goodie bag at check-in</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kids 12 and under eat free </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Free <b>kids manicure</b> with paid adult manicure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Free <b>kids golf lesson</b> with paid adult lesson</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Free putting and driving range with paid adult</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Free candy samples at Senor Murphy’s candy shop</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Additional family activities and attractions in Santa Fe include</b> "cork art" projects at Estrella De Norte Vineyard, complimentary entry at the Museum of International Folk Art, free kids admission to Wildlife West Nature Park, treasure hunts at Shiprock Santa Fe and much more. Located just 15 minutes from historic downtown Santa Fe, Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder offers an ideal location for families looking to explore Santa Fe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The promotion is available February 26 through April 20, 2017. Click <a href="https://secure3.hilton.com/en_US/hi/reservation/book.htm?execution=e1s1" target="_blank">here</a> to book this package or visit <a href="https://secure3.hilton.com/en_US/hi/reservation/book.htm?execution=e1s1">www.hiltonbuffalothunder.com</a> for additional resort information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out the new daily flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport to Santa Fe. Quick and easy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">American Airlines: <a href="http://www.aa.com/" target="_blank">www.aa.com</a></span></div>
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Stacey Wittig is a travel writer based in Flagstaff, AZ. This month she was a guest at the Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Resort and is writing about her fabulous stay for upcoming travel articles.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Today I can't stop exploring the world (I blame it on my father's Viking blood) and write about my adventures – many as a solo woman traveler. Life isn't always rosy; I lost my firecracker reasoning skill to head injury in a horrific rollover accident that should have taken my life. Brain injury hasn't stopped me from traveling, although it sometimes makes for amusing travel antidotes that I hope you will enjoy. That's why they call me "UNSTOPPABLE!"</div>Vagabondingluluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024945374701310314noreply@blogger.com0Flagstaff, AZ, USA35.1982836 -111.6513019999999935.094458100000004 -111.81266349999999 35.3021091 -111.48994049999999