Colorado Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Shopping Travel: Colorado Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Shopping Travel
by admin
leave a comment
Bootdoctors Offers Further Adventures
Rollicking on the River with Further Adventures
Did you know that most of our mountain towns attract more visitors in the summer than in the winter? Heck, yeah. As the saying goes, “I came for the winter and stayed for the summers.” Our hills are alive with all kinds of great outdoor activities. Actually our mountains, valleys and streams furnish glorious backdrops for fair weather fun of every stripe.
I chatted with Bob Gleason, owner/operator of Bootdoctors and Further Adventures, in a recent Travel Fun interview and he provided me with a fantastic overview of the rafting, fly fishing, hiking and biking in Telluride, Colorado and the outlying area. Between the lush alpine landscape and the rugged red rock of southwestern Colorado, the whole region offers many stunning experiences both on the water and off.
“I like to play on those H2O molecules all year round,” Bob says. It’s true that as the snowpack melts, the level of fun rises on our rivers and streams. This year’s flow will be rather thin, yet there are still good times to be had. Further Adventures arranges rafting trips on two different rivers in southwestern Colorado: the San Miguel and the Uncompahgre. This year the season is super short on the San Miguel (only through early June), although most years you can run the river through the end of July. Bob and his band of river guides will be conducting float trips on the Uncompahgre all summer long.
“There’s nothing like floating thru a river canyon to see the geology of the area,” Bob says when talking about some of the highlights of river rafting in the West. “Any time you spend on a body of water is a time of peace. The Native Americans called the river system the veins of our mother,” he adds.
Fun for All in Florida at Tradewinds on St. Pete’s Beach
Tradewinds Island Grand Waterway on St. Pete's Beach
Off-season is drawing to a close in most of our mountain towns here in the Rockies. Locals are heading home after trips to all kinds of exciting hot spots. Most appear tanned and well-rested and eager to take on the busy summer season in our resort communities. I rarely travel far in the spring since there’s so much catching up to do at my desk after the busy ski season. I do, however, enjoy hearing everyone’s tales about their time away.
Many head to exotic locales in Central and South America, others opt for more genteel destinations, such as Florida, within the United States. I’m more of a fan of the latter, especially when it comes to enjoying fun and relaxation at a resort in a safe, scenic part of my own country.
Tradewinds Island Grand, on St. Pete’s Beach in Florida, appeals to me the most out of all my friends’ sun-soaked travel tales this off-season. First of all I love the sugar-sand beaches of the Gulf Coast of Florida and with twenty acres of beachfront playground, Tradewinds Island Grand ranks as one of the best.
DC Hotels Restaurants Shopping Travel: DC Hotels Restaurants Shopping Travel
by admin
leave a comment
Appreciating Tea in D.C.
Park Hyatt Washington D.C.: Where Proper Tea Pouring Reigns Supreme
If you’re a tea drinker, you know what it means to delight in a perfect cup of tea. Whether you’re alone or in the company of one or two special people, at home or out, the perfect cup of tea occurs when both taste and ritual come together to create a memorable moment.
That moment is taken to new heights at the Tea Cellar at the Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. Here the centuries-old custom of sipping tea may be savored by connoisseurs and amateurs alike. Case in point: This die-hard aficionado and daily tea drinker took her brother to teatime, a guy who has never consumed a cup of tea (or coffee!) in his life. Yet Frank, my oldest brother, embodies an adventuresome spirit and I was certain he’d enjoy sampling tea with me in such a renowned establishment. And that he did!
Colorado Mountain Living Podcasts Telluride Travel: Colorado Mountain Living Podcasts Telluride Travel
by admin
leave a comment
From Telluride to Maui: Alan Bradbury’s Garden of Eden
Where Water and Sky Create Lovely Waterlilies
A Special Kind of Paradise
With off-season officially underway here in Telluride, there’s a stillness that hasn’t been felt in this world-renowned resort since before ski season began. Empty parking spaces, a smattering of closed restaurants, hotels, bars and boutiques punctuate the landscape both in town and in Telluride Mountain Village. Needless-to-say the mountain is no longer illuminated at night with snowcats, snowmobiles or slopeside condos. It’s so windy and dry today that we’re apt to see tumbleweed blowing across the Valley Floor, a Western image that would not seem out of place in our now emptied out mountain town.
Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Travel: Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Travel
by admin
leave a comment
MedjetAssist: A Smart Way to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
MedjetAssist Arranges Medical Transfers
As ski season winds down, many people in our mountain towns are hurriedly formulating their travel plans for off-season. Whether you’re planning to heli-ski in Canada or loll on the beach in Florida, you definitely should consider what kind of protection you have in case of accident or illness when away from home. All travelers should pay attention to this post, in fact, since no matter your age or your level of adventure, you never know when you might be knocked down with some unfortunate medical emergency.
Valentine for a Lovely Lady One Hundred Years Young
Aunt Rose and Me During One of Her Many B-day Celebrations
“Work hard. Be busy doing something. Keep your mind going. Keep interested in things.”
Rose Cronin, on the eve of her 100th birthday
I’ve been thinking about these words of wisdom a lot lately. I believe on some level, we’re all looking for the secret to life, the magic formula that will help us to live long, happy and productive lives. So these days if I feel a bit woeful or underwhelmed by what I’ve accomplished in my day, I think about my Aunt Rose, my Dad’s older sister. I consider what has been motivating her all these years.
Aunt Rose turned one hundred early this month. She still lives alone although an array of devoted family members and friends look in on her daily. And when I rang her up on the eve of her milestone birthday, she informed me that she planned to go back to work at the hospital a few days a week come March. (She takes a breather during the dead of winter since driving in the northeast where she lives can be dicey during this time. Rose gave up driving two years ago yet is still considerate of others.)
Since 1978, Rose Cronin (née Clemente) has devoted more than 83,500 hours of community service to St. Mary’s Hospital in Troy, NY, mostly at the hospital’s gift shop which was recently renamed Rose’s Gift Gallery. She worked more than twenty-two years as the shop’s manager and now enjoys a hopefully less stressful position selling raffle tickets to passersby outside of the Gallery. Who could refuse a sweet, little old lady? In the last ten years, my Aunt Rose has raised over $100,000 to help with the purchase of much-needed equipment for the hospital’s emergency room from the sale of raffle tickets alone.
Podcasts Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books: Podcasts Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books
by admin
leave a comment
Dr. Pepper Schwartz on Sex, Travel and Fun
Dr. Pepper Schwartz
I interviewed Dr. Pepper Schwartz on my Travel Fun radio show a few years ago. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d post this program here as a podcast, especially since most people I know are still looking for ways to spice up their lives at home and while traveling. As the co-author of “The Great Sex Weekend” and a nationally-recognized authority on sexuality, Dr. Pepper Schwartz knows how to speak intelligently about finding a healthy combination of sex, travel and fun. And if you tune in to our interview below, you’ll learn that romance plays a big role in a couple’s connection as well. (Did you hear that guys?)
“Every couple needs to get away to refocus on each other,” Dr. Schwartz emphasizes. “It’s important to remember they’re lovers and that they can surprise and delight each other,” she continues. If you go away, it’s a way of saying you’re going to focus on each other, Dr. Schwartz explains.
In our interview you learn that just getting away isn’t enough. (Sorry guys.) No, there’s so much more to a getaway including planning, packing and well, a bit of teasing. Anticipation plays a big role and if you do this right, you’ll reap the benefits from your getaway tenfold. Here are some of Dr. Schwartz’s recommendations:
-Figure out TOGETHER what is right for you in terms of hotel and destination choice. (Maybe that charming B & B—with thin walls—might not be such a good choice after all.)
-Discuss what you want to do together (and maybe separately) before you go away. (One round of golf for him might be O.K. as long as she can hit the spa.)
-Consider visiting a sex shop or lingerie boutique together before you leave town. (This gives packing new meaning!)
-Talk, plan, titillate to give your eventual trip added zest.
“Plan it so that there are no false notes,” Dr. Schwartz says.
In the below interview, Dr. Schwartz also mentions some favorite hotels and resorts that she recommends for especially romantic getaways and how you can create their special ambiances at home. She gives “eye-gazing,” for example, new meaning.
Definitely tune in.
Click on the play button below to listen to my interview with Dr. Pepper Schwartz.
Note that Dr. Pepper Schwartz is in the midst of writing a romantic travel book for Frommer’s and AARP, so I’ll be sure to do another story on her when that book is published.
Colorado Denver Hotels Travel: Colorado Denver Hotels Travel
by admin
leave a comment
Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park: A Refuge in the Storm
Radiant Warmth at the Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park
Talk about walloped. Wow, Denver was hit hard with this last snowstorm that pummeled Colorado. Here in the mountains, most of us were lucky to eek out a few inches from this major dump. But Denver and the outlying region was buried in up to two feet of snow in some areas.
I can’t imagine the mayhem at Denver International Airport (DIA) where over six hundred flights were cancelled. And just because it’s Colorado, don’t think they’re any better equipped to deal with such a storm than other major airports. I’m sure people were holed up in airport hotels for days. That’s if they could find a room in the first place!
It’s in anticipation of these circumstances and others that I’m forever recommending people spend a night or two in Denver, or at DIA, when traveling to Colorado, especially in the winter. Why stress out? Also, I think it helps a lot to stay in the mile-high city—or at DIA—one night before reaching elevations of over 7,500 feet in the mountains. If you’re on your way home, it’s nice just to relax and catch your breath before flying out, particularly if you have an early morning departure.
Soothing Calm Away from the Fray
The problem is that some of these airport hotels feel stale and dated, not the sort of atmosphere you want to take in at either the beginning or the end of a trip. This is certainly not the case at the Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park, an inviting property that truly inspires relaxation and calm. Style-y guest rooms exude luxury in everything from deluxe bed linens to sleek and efficient work stations. Dining at the hotel’s Gateway Bistro also offers a superlative experience above and beyond typical airport hotel restaurants. (Even folks from the surrounding area come here to dine either for a night out or for events such as a Mother’s Day Brunch.)
Yesterday I began to hear rumbles about a “mother of a storm” off California that some are claiming will bring some significant weather to Colorado within these next ten days. The snow dance drums have begun to beat once again. Let’s hope the Rockies get hit hard this time and that Denver is spared. Although if you want to play it safe, reserve a night at Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park—one on your way in for acclimatization and one on your way out to avoid any potential upsets. Remember that out snowiest weeks of the season are yet to come and it’s no fun to be stranded out in the cold.
For hotel recommendations within Denver, go to my Faves Page where you’ll find some of my favorites.
