Bonjour Colorado

Great Deals for Public Radio: Winter 2010

It’s winter fundraising at KOTO, one of the few entirely community-supported radio stations in the country. It has been six years that I have been doing my Travel Fun talk show on KOTO, a program that has allowed me to deepen my ties with Telluride and to forge travel connections with a variety of people and places all over the world. I’m thrilled to be a part of such a family!

As in recent fundraising campaigns, I’ve obtained some very exciting premiums that you can win in exchange for a pledge to KOTO.  Fellow D.J. Chuck Burr has helped me with these efforts and together we have pulled together a show that will surely tantalize your trip planning ponderings.  Tune in today at 6:20 p.m. mountain time to this special live program at KOTO.org.  Here’s a preview of what we’re offering:

Ashland, Oregon Package

Chuck lives most of the time in this lovely northwestern destination.  He’ll be talking about Ashland’s allure and why its stunning scenery and charming town are worth checking out.  This package includes a two-night stay at Ashland’s Black Swan Inn, a soak for two at Chozu Bath and Tea Gardens and two tickets to the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the oldest and largest professional nonprofit theaters in the country.  The value of this package is $420.; it can be yours for a pledge in the amount of $250.

Telluride Temptations

Rustic Elegance/$200. pledge: Two nights in a one-bedroom condo at the handsome Mountain Lodge in Telluride. Approximate value:  $500.-750.

Valentine’s Day Treatment/$100. pledge: Delight in an organic Belgian chocolate and Kona coffee scrub, followed by a luxurious massage with organic dark chocolate body butter, valued at $189., at The Himmel Spa at The Fairmont Heritage Place Franz Klammer Lodge.  That sounds like ninety minutes of yum, yum to me. Read about my take on this charming spa here.

Exciting Dining Experience/$75. pledge: Receive a $100. gift certificate to the new Palmyra restaurant at The Peaks Resort & Spa.

Perfect Turns/$75. pledge:  Join an adult group lesson, valued at $130., at Telluride’s most awesome Ski & Snowboard School.

Magnificent Massage/$75. pledge: A ninety-minute massage, valued at $150., with Darren Miller, from Rolling Relaxation Massage, to be provided at Mountain Lodge Telluride.  You may contact Darren at 970-369-5193, 303-257-6070 and rollingrelaxation@hotmail.com.  Read more about this expert healer here.

Rosa Lea and Jackson from Salon 7

Lady’s Locks/$35. pledge: A woman’s haircut, valued at $50., by Rosa Lea at Salon 7, my favorite stylist in town.  You can reach Rosa Lea at 970-708-1266 and rosalea_davis@hotmail.com.  I also wrote about her here.

Peaks Pampering/$30. pledge: Receive a Spa Access Day Pass to The Peaks Spa.  Four passes have been donated.  Approximate value:  $45. each.  Read more about The Peaks Spa here.

Voulez-Vous/$30. pledge: A one-hour French lesson, valued at $50., avec moi! Go to my About page to learn more about me.

Gorgeous Guy/$20. pledge:  A man’s haircut, valued at $30., by Rosa Lea at Salon 7.  (See contact info. above.)

Some Original Ideas

Your Own Tour Guide/$30. pledge: As the author of four books on France, I know a fair amount about Paris and the provinces. This pledge, valued at $50., will grant you a one-hour travel consultation with me on Paris and/or the French provinces.

Blah-Blah Blog/$100. pledge: You, your product or service (or maybe all three) get to star in one of my many postings at BonjourColorado.com.  Approximate Value: Priceless.  Let me spin you and/or your goods into a fun story!

Please note that certain restrictions may apply.  All pledges will be taken on a first-come basis.

Call the studio (970-728-4333) as of 6:25 p.m. mountain time today to make a pledge for any of the above offers.  You may also write me a note on my Contact Page.

Thank you to the above individuals and establishments for your geneous donations.  I encourage my readers to support these fine businesses.  Thanks to all for showing your love for Telluride’s unique public radio station!

Laughing All The Way: Humor and Travel

A smile is the shortest distance between two people.    —Victor Borga

Karyn Ruth White: Motivational Comedian/Author and Twenty Year Road Warrior

Motivational Comedian/Author and twenty-year Road Warrior Karyn Ruth White shared the above quote with me in a recent Travel Fun interview.  I met Karyn Ruth in November when she gave the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association.  She had all those hospitality folks in stitches and I’m sure she’ll have you laughing all the way when you hit the play button below.

“Humor allows you to see your world in a much more postitive, enthusiastic way,” Karyn Ruth says.  She emphasizes how humor can be a valuable tool in dealing with all kinds of situations.

Karyn Ruth encourages everyone to pack their sense of humor with them on their travels and to make a conscious decision that your journey is going to be fun.  Think about what attitude you’re taking on your trip and see how that effects your travels.  Just look around airports to see how many people are smiling.  ”How we travel is a great metaphor for how we live our lives,” she says.  ”If you watch someone in the airport it sums up how they live their lives.”

When was the last time you really expressed enthusiasm about traveling?  Do you remember how it was for you as a kid?  I can recall the night before the first time I was to take the train to New York City when I was about eight.  I couldn’t sleep all night!  And that wasn’t about stress—it was due to excitement.

Karyn Ruth points out that we are presented with humor opportunities every day at home and away. Her book, “Your Seventh Sense:  How to Think Like a Comedian,” helps people to see the world in a funnier way. ”Life is hysterical if you’re looking for the hilarity,” she says.

Karyn Ruth White Suggests You Ask Yourself the Following Questions on Your Travels, Especially in Stressful Situations

-Can I find anything to laugh about?

-Am I going to let this ruin my day?

-Would this be funny if it were happening to someone else?

Celebrating the Holidays with the Animals

Winter Wildland at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

I recently had Allen Nyhuis, co-author of “America’s Best Zoos:  A Travel Guide for Fans and Families,” as a guest on Travel Fun.  That’s when I learned about the many glittering light displays that take place during the holidays at zoos around the country. I had heard about Boo at the Zoo (which takes place during Halloween) but didn’t realize that so many zoos also offer a festive setting for celebrating the dark evenings of winter—what a terrific idea! Many of you have perhaps already enjoyed the twinkling light show offered at your local zoo.  If not, know that at most major zoos, you have a few days left to take in this joyful winter fun.

Allen Nyhuis: Animal Lover Extraordinaire

Now about Allen.  This guy surely ranks as America’s top zoo aficionado.  Did you know that some 150 million people go to zoos every year?  That’s more than the number of people that attend professional baseball, basketball, football and hockey games combined.  And visiting a zoo is one of the most affordable means of entertainment in our country, yet surprisingly most people don’t go much on vacation; they mostly just patronize their local zoo.  Well, I think it’s a great thing to do on your travels and I’m more convinced about this than ever after having connected with the giraffes, elephants, hippos, tigers, apes, Rocky Mountain wildlife and much more on a recent visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.  I was lucky enough to experience the fantastic natural setting of this mountain zoo (the only one of its kind in the country) after a fresh snowfall.  This not only enhanced the beauty of the zoo but it also drove the crowds away and kept many of the animals indoors where they were easier to view.  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I encourage you to tune in to listen to Allen’s excellent interview.  You’ll also hear how he responds to my question regarding the happiness of animals in a zoo.  Just hit the play button below.

Thank you to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Allen Nyhuis for the above photos.

This is It: MJ and The Black Legend

No Words Can Describe this Black Legend

Leave it to the French. They’re always on the cutting edge of what’s hot. They’re usually the harbingers of the next big happening, the next thing with which we should be consumed. Just think of Louis XIV and the role he played in ballet—it’s largely thanks to his interest in this dance that ballet gained such prominence in eighteenth century France, a notoriety that has grown throughout the centuries. He did the same for hairdressing. And how about American jazz? Nowhere has jazz been so revered as in Paris.

So I should have intuitively sensed something last spring when I received a press release announcing the creation of The Black Legend Monaco, a new nightspot on the French Riviera that pays tribute to Motown Music. It captured my attention since it’s part of Groupe Floirat, the same family-owned company that’s behind the celebrated Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez and its legendary nightclub, Les Caves du Roy. Oddly enough Michael Jackson died tragically as the finishing touches were applied to this ultra swanky hotspot in the tiny Principality of Monaco. Was it providential for the French to place such a heavy accent on Motown Music or was it just a sure bet?

It doesn’t matter. I’m left thinking of that club tonight. I wish I could beam myself in to it and dance the night away to the music of Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5 and, of course, Michael Jackson. You see I just returned from the last showing of “This is It” from our historic Nugget Theater of Telluride. (Movies typically arrive here four to six weeks after they open nationally.) And I want to dance, I want to groove to MJ’s beat.

I pitied the poor person behind me in the theater since I didn’t stop moving my head throughout the almost two hours of the film. Tapping my foot wasn’t enough. Then when the movie ended I felt that I could sit back down and watch it all over again; now that’s something that never occurred to me before. I felt the music and dance in my bones and I just wanted it to keep on going. I felt somewhat consoled at the end of the film by these lines: Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Love Lives Forever. His music is love and that’s what will keep his memory alive.

The Black Legend Monaco opened October 29th with Prince Albert II and some 1800 privileged guests in attendance including The Supremes and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. What a party they must have had. I’m guessing the scene has been going off ever since. MJ would surely approve, especially since nobody does a nightclub like the Europeans.

I know what’s on my travel wish list for 2010. You just might want to put it on yours. And if you haven’t seen “This is It,” I suggest you do.

Visit This is It and The Black Legend Monaco to begin to get your groove on.

Interior of The Black Legend Monaco

Cape Cod, Cranberries and the Creation of Ever-Lasting Memories

Cranberries: The Most Festive Holiday Fruit

Over the weekend I made a cranberry bread to finish off the package of cranberries left over from the cranberry relish I whipped up at Thanksgiving. Both the bread and the relish were made from my mother’s recipes; although tasty, sadly neither turned out as good as hers. I’ll blame it on the altitude, at least for the baking. The not-so crisp relish was more a result of the equipment. (How can a blender do as good of a job as a Cuisinart anyway?)

None of this really mattered though, since these roundish red berries transported me back to my mother’s kitchen, to my mother’s love and to an especially memorable trip I took this fall with my mom and dad. We had decided to take a three-day, two-night road trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts from Troy, New York, a 240-mile journey that represented a considerable jaunt for anyone but even more so for our little group since the necessity of snack and bathroom breaks required frequent stopping. Mom did all the driving, a notable feat because the first part of our travels was marked by torrential rain and relentless fog. I surveyed the road from the backseat, providing little navigational input since my mom had traveled this route countless times before.

The purpose of our journey was twofold: to visit Eleanor, my mother’s best friend, and to have fun together. This was to be my first ever road trip with just my parents and me. I think we all secretly wished it would be special.

We decided to go low-budget with our lodging and spare no expense with dining out. We checked into The Santuit Inn toward the end of the afternoon the first day, hauled my dad’s 50-pound sleep apnea machine into his room and carefully settled him in so that his plethora of toiletries were close at hand. Mom and I bunked in farther down in this boutique motel that had recently been spiffed up with a cheery cottage-like decor. We nodded approvingly to each other about the striped and flowered bed coverings and took time to admire the Cape scenes that adorned the walls. I had already met Peter (pronounced Pee-tah here), the owner, upon arrival and felt confident we were in good hands.

Dad had little time to settle into his evening news programs, since my mother and I whisked him off to the historic Dan’l Webster Inn in nearby Sandwich for dinner. Here we opted for the Tavern, the more charming part of this renowned establishment distinguished by a huge fireplace, low ceilings, wood floors and paneling. We cozied up into the red leather booths and feasted on specialities such as seafood chowder and lobster pot pie. It was the end of the tourist season and the place was jamming, surely not an uncommon experience for this inn any time of the year, particularly if you arrive for their early evening special. We had missed the discounted dinners, however, since even at this stage of their lives, my parents were never big on dining early.

Mom and I were sure we’d zonk out for a big night’s sleep after such a day of travel. But as soon as we turned off the T.V. and found ourselves in the quiet of our room, we were astonished by the loud drone emanating from my dad’s room two doors away. “My God, is that his sleep machine?” I asked my mother. Neither of us could imagine that it sounded so loud. We were horrified.

“It sounds like we’re on a tarmac with jet engines idling,” I added. “We’re going to be kicked out of here. What if the other guests hear it like we do?”

“We’ve traveled before with it and it’s never gone off so loudly,” my mom said.

“I can’t believe dad can sleep through that,” I remarked.

“Oh, he’d sleep through anything,” my mom replied.

Both my mother and I laughed hysterically and then finally miraculously fell asleep. I awoke several times throughout the night fearful that someone was going to rap on the door and complain. Thank goodness Peter appeared so kind. I was also glad it was slow season and their weren’t many guests at the inn.

Day two was to be our big day. Dad and I began early next door at Persy’s Place, one of the best breakfast and lunch spots on the Cape. They have locations throughout the region and each is known for their homemade baked goods, in particular their famous cornbread. Mom was ready to go by the time we returned, perfectly turned out in her pumpkin-colored coat and autumnal scarf. Although we drove a seemingly endless amount of miles the day before, she was all set to slip behind the wheel again today. Fortunately the sun shone brightly.

Fall Reflections on a Cape Cod Pond

We took the scenic route to West Dennis where we pulled up to a little house at the edge of a pond once occupied by Maureen, another one of my mom’s dear friends. My mom had spent many visits here with her, sitting and chatting on the dock and also shopping and dining out in the area. Maureen had recently passed away, so it seemed fitting that my mom would make this pilgrimage to walk the grounds, gaze out upon the water and reflect fondly on the memory of her friend.

Dad sat in the car reading his papers while I accompanied my mother. I couldn’t help wondering what it must be like to reach an age when so many of your friends are gone.

Not one to let much get her down, my mom shepherded us through the wooded, windy roads of the Cape, pointing out her favorite haunts along the way. Neat little houses covered in weathered shakes displaying seemingly every shade of grey dotted the roadsides. Waning hydrangeas in a spectrum of faded blues, purples and pinks flaunted the last glimpses of summer, the golden light of fall casting shadows on their once exuberant bursts of color. We passed candle shops and Christmas stores galore, eateries named Captain Frosty’s and Seafood Sam’s. Large neon signs were clearly not allowed and I was delighted to see that even Dunkin’ Donuts sported a trim, wooden sign. Street signs such as Wysteria Lane, Cranberry Knoll and Pheasant Lane conjured up distinctly American fairy tale images. And there was no shortage of Native American names such as Pocahasett, Chapoquoit and Mashpee. Marshy wetlands separated brief stretches of low-lying houses trimmed with split rail fences.

Cranberry Bog

“Oh look, there’s a cranberry bog,” I shouted as I spotted a sea of bright red berries floating on a small body of water off to my right. “It must be harvest time.”

My mother and father didn’t comment but I sensed that they were marveling at this quintessential New England landscape as much as I. We had not seen any coastline yet but I was beginning to realize that all these meandering roads were most typical of the Cape where shoreline drives were in short supply. (At least at this part of the Cape; you’ll find more coastal roads on outer Cape Cod near Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown.)

Finally we arrived in North Falmouth where we were to see Eleanor, my mother’s oldest and best friend of sixty-two years. I felt so close to her growing up that I referred to her as Aunt Eleanor. The three of us visited with Eleanor and her husband, Jim, for a while at their house before scooting off to lunch. After much discussion, we finally settled on Casino Wharf, an expansive restaurant in Falmouth Heights that furnished wide-open views of the Atlantic Ocean. I had been on the Cape for nearly twenty-four hours and yearned to see the sea. Here I got my fix. We feasted on fresh clam chowder, fish and chips and lobster salad, all delicious and perfectly accompanied by sips of iced tea, white wine and a martini for the bravest of our bunch. We laughed and reminisced until the wait staff re-entered for their evening shift. It had been more than three years since my mother had seen Eleanor, at least ten for me and neither my mom nor I knew when we’d be in the presence of this exuberant, fun-loving gal again. The lunch had been a huge success, the trip was well worth the effort. I had expressed to my mother that I was sorry we didn’t have any pictures to document our time together. She waved me off saying, “It’s just as well. We don’t look that terrific any more. It’s better to just hold on to the memories.”

The Ocean at Last! Viewed from the Falmouth Heights Ocean Road

I think about all this as I nibble on my cranberry bread. I wonder if my cranberries might have come from the many bogs we passed late October. Our little trip turned out to be an ode to fall, an ode to old people, an ode to friendship. Together we had created ever-lasting memories, lobster bisque, noisy sleep machine, slow walking, belly laughs and all.

The Santuit Inn, 6 Falmouth Road (Rte. 28), Mashpee, 508-428-6433, www.thesantuitinn.com; this neat-as-a-pin little place is conveniently located between Sandwich and Falmouth. The property is closed during the winter months, but keep it in mind for your Cape travels April through November.

The Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa, 149 Main Street, Sandwich Village, 800-444-3566 and 508-888-3622, www.danlwebsterinn.com

Persey’s Place, Rte. 28 between Rtes. 130 & 151, Mashpee, 508-477-6633, www.persysplace.com

Casino Wharf, On the Waterfront at 286 Grand Avenue, Falmouth Heights, 508-540-6160, www.casinowharf.weebly.com

The Regatta of Cotuit, 4631 Falmouth Road, 508-428-5715, www.regattaofcotuit.com; we also dined at this lovely restaurant housed in a two-hundred-year-old mansion next door to The Santuit Inn.

More Recommendations

The Coonamessett Inn, 311 Gifford Street, 508-548-2300, www.capecodrestaurants.org; had it not been for my burning desire to lunch with a view of the water, we would have selected this traditional New England inn for our special get-together.

Mashpee Commons, www.mashpeecommons.com; down the street from The Santuit Inn, you’ll find a fantastic selection of mostly high-end shopping and dining in this stylish outdoor mall.

Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, www.premiumoutlets.com; Peter suggested we visit this huge conglomeration of outlet stores, located just off of I 495 (on our way home), sixty miles from Mashpee. This is a great rainy day trip from the Cape and a destination trip in and of itself. It’s one of the nicest conglomerations of discounted stores that my mom has ever seen. And she has done a lot of shopping in her life! We went mainstream here (how can you not?) and had lunch at the Cracker Barrel. I definitely got my east coast fill all around.

Travel Suggestion
I found the traffic on the Cape—at least Upper/Mid/Lower Cape Cod—to be tiresome. (Keep in mind that I live in Telluride, Colorado, a remote part of the country and use the gondola most of the time for transportation.) Still, it is a bit much here and the roads are quite confusing. (Be prepared to get lost a fair amount.) To me, this is one more reason to enjoy this popular east coast destination during off season which runs from November through April or at least before the heavy summer crowds come in July. A lot of the Outer and Lower Cape and smaller properties close for the winter, but most of the Upper and Mid Cape establishments remain open. There’s still plenty open to focus on much of what the Cape is known for: shopping and dining.

For more stories about traveling with parents, go to My Saratoga and Adirondack Day Trip.

And Don't Forget the Turkeys!