Colorado France Paris Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books: Colorado France Paris Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom
Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom
Me and Mom Early Spring 1990ish Having Tea in the Garden at the Normandy Country House
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Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Shopping Travel: Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Shopping Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Dana Crawford Chats About the Opening of Denver’s Restored Union Station and The Crawford Hotel
Dana Crawford Chats About the Opening of Denver’s Restored Union Station and The Crawford Hotel
Denver’s Union Station
I rarely write about a place without having visited it, however, in this case, I can do it with the utmost confidence. I’m talking about the newly restored Union Station in Denver and a splendid hotel housed within: The Crawford. Both have been a labor of love of for Dana Crawford and Sage Hospitality, and Colorado is abuzz about the reopening of this landmark station and the unveiling of this unique hotel. Listen to what Ms. Crawford has to say about this enormous project, her passion for restoration and future plans in the works in my Travel Fun interview below.
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France French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts Writing & Books: France French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on The Good Life France
The Good Life France
Paris Celebrating Bastille Day Last Night
Ahhhh, la France. I never let le quatorze juillet go by without celebrating France. Even though I’ve been busy bopping around Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, this year was no exception. I’ll let you know soon what I did in this hot, desert land to toast the richness of my beloved France on its Fête Nationale, but first I’d like to share with you a slice of The Good Life France. Before I left Telluride, I interviewed Janine Marsh, founder and editor of this terrific website/blog for my Travel Fun radio show.
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Colorado Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Telluride Telluride Festivals Writing & Books: Colorado Mountain Living Mountainfilm Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Telluride Telluride Festivals Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on Talking Wild with Cheryl Strayed
Talking Wild with Cheryl Strayed
Cheryl Looking Down at Crater Lake During Her Trek on the PCT
I consider a movie to be good when I find myself thinking about it the next day. My barometer is the same for a book although with most good reads I find myself thinking about them while I’m reading them as well as in the days or weeks after I finish them. That’s been the case with Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed, a superbly crafted memoir that dazzles your senses every step of the way. Her story moved me so much that I plan to read it again, something I never do. Although why wouldn’t I? From beginning to end, I was gripped by this powerful tale of transformation, this raw account of one woman’s life-changing journey both literally and figuratively. Plus, as I learned in Wild, Cheryl often reads books more than once, so I’m eager to crack hers second time around.
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Colorado Durango Four Corners Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Podcasts The Rockies: Colorado Durango Four Corners Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Podcasts The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Embracing Colorado Wilderness with Over the Hill Outfitters
Embracing Colorado Wilderness with Over the Hill Outfitters
The Great Colorado Outdoors: Where Life is Best Experienced from a Horse
Spring has finally sprung—full-on—here in Colorado and despite the fact that it snowed about ten days ago, this week the thermometer has been registering summertime temps. Roadways over the highest mountain passes are being plowed for passage and outfitters of all sorts are preparing for the influx of summer visitors. There’s still some snow to be cleared from the steep mountain trails, however, with the warmth of our southwestern Colorado sun, all our glorious wilderness will soon be open to locals and vacationers alike.
My fellow ski instructor buddies have taken up their summer posts as guides, landscapers or in my case, as a full-time writer, to name a few. Mother nature and all of us fortunate enough to live in this beautiful country are transitioning nicely into summer. At the end of ski season, I sat down with Dennis Huis, a top ski instructor at Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, to hear about his flip side, the job he’s been doing every summer for about as long as he’s been in ski school world.
Dennis talks about his work as a guide on pack trips with Over the Hill Outfitters in Durango, Colorado in my Travel Fun interview below. Click on the play button to listen to what he has to say about life on the trail. People from all over the world learn about the true definition of “getting away from it all” on these five-day horse trips into the Weminuche Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in Colorado which encompasses a significant part of the rugged San Juan Mountains, some of the most spectacular peaks in the United States.
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Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on The Joy of Nordic Skiing
The Joy of Nordic Skiing
Steve Hindman on His Skinny Skis
I sat down with DeAnne Gabriel and Steve Hindman, two professional nordic ski instructors, back in February to do a Travel Fun interview. They shared a wagonload of tips about cross country skiing from how and where to do it in and around Telluride, Colorado to recommendations for first timers.
As we approach the end of the alpine ski season here in Telluride, I thought I’d post the interview below as a podcast since April and May provide many great opportunities for heading out to embrace the glide.
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Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on More Expert Ski and Snowboard Instruction and Fun in Telluride
More Expert Ski and Snowboard Instruction and Fun in Telluride
André Koslowski: Ski Instructor/Yoga Teacher Extraordinaire
Annie Vareille-Savath with Her Women’s Week Ladies
Instructor Patty Lowe and Her Lady on Top of the Telluride World During Women’s Week
Telluride Ski Instructor Vince Boelema Skiing Fresh Pow (photo credit: Tommy Pyatt)
There hasn’t been much of a January lull this year—at least not for me—and it’s been hard carving out time at my desk. I’ve been busy teaching and training with the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School and have also managed to eke out some “free” ski days to enjoy the wonderful snow we received mid month. Lately we’ve been blessed with super sunny days, glorious, near March-like weather which has left visitors and locals grinning.
People lucky enough to travel to Telluride Ski Resort outside of the busy vacation weeks feel like they have the mountain to themselves and, of course, never wait in a lift line (a rarity at this ski resort even during busy times). Now with Telluride Ski & Snowboard School’s new Multi-Day Camps, there are new benefits to coming outside of peak times. These clinics offer several days of instruction on a variety of themes including Ski Biomechanics, Nastar Race Camp, Ski, Ride, Yoga!, Intermediate Breakthrough, Heli Ski Camp and Women’s Week, a long-standing program that has existed for over three decades. The others are new yet hopefully they’ll become part of the regular lineup in Telluride as word gets out about all there is to learn and experience on the mountain with the assistance of T-ride’s professional ski and snowboard instructors. (Some of these camps include fun and relaxation off the slopes, too.)
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Food & Wine Podcasts Writing & Books: Food & Wine Podcasts Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on Selective Sipping: Mark Spivak and His Iconic Spirits
Selective Sipping: Mark Spivak and His Iconic Spirits
Mark’s Book: A Delicious Holiday Gift Idea
I’ve always felt that you can appreciate something more when you know the story behind it. This is the premise behind my books The Riches of France: A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces and The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide. There’s always a lot of imbibing during the holiday season, so why not know the history behind some of the world’s most beloved elixirs?
I chatted with Mark Spivak, author of Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History, during a Travel Fun interview which you can listen to below. He tells some fascinating tales behind the twelve spirits featured in his book. You can learn all about Chambord, gin and tequila, to name a few. He talks about Campari, a bitter concoction formulated by an Italian around 1860, considered to be one of the sexiest beverages on earth as well as the connection between Nascar and moonshine, a surprising association which has remained hidden from the general public over the years. “Most of the early (Nascar) drivers were all bootleggers…Then in 1947 they all got together and formed Nascar,” Mark explains.
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