Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Travel: Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Travel
by maribeth
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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.
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Colorado Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Spring Skiing, Spring Shopping
Spring Skiing, Spring Shopping
Finishing Out the Season with My Ski of Choice: Volkl Kenja
It’s hard to believe we are just over a week away from the close of the ski season here in Telluride. We’ve had many super warm days and the base is melting fast although there’s still lots of fun to be had, especially if you love snowsporting on corn snow beneath sunny, breezy skies. This is the time to kick back with your skiing and riding—have a big, late breakfast, enjoy the mountain for a few hours, break for a frosty beverage, then get in a few more runs before the lifts close. This scene—punctuated with the usual springtime panoply of colorful garb and flowered shirts—gives new meaning to Margaritaville. Although Telluride closes April eighth, this festive tableau will be played out at other resorts across Colorado well into early May. Be prepared for all kinds of weather during this period, since a spring storm can bring with it all the ferocity of winter and much to our delight, leave a pile of powdery fluff in its wake at the most unexpected moments.
Spring also marks a fantastic time to take advantage of killer deals on clothing and gear. Most ski shops are looking to move their inventory fast to make room for their summer goods which typically focus on biking, hiking and rafting. Shopping for everything from base layers to puffies will set you up in grand style for next season at prices that will astonish even the most seasoned shoppers.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Springing Forward on Fresh Snow Beneath a Colorado Blue Sky
Springing Forward on Fresh Snow Beneath a Colorado Blue Sky
Life Can Be a Cakewalk, Especially in Telluride on Such a Glorious Day
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I posted a story. Where does the time go? It flies by as fast as the ski season itself, every year. This week heralded the arrival of spring, however, I’d be just as happy to be plunged into the depths of winter where the snow varies from fluff to buttery soft. Oh well, can’t turn back time. So for now, I’m embracing the soaring temperatures and highly changeable ski conditions while my anticipation for the next fabulous spring snowfall lingers.
We’ve had a great winter here in Telluride, particularly since mid-January when the storms began to roll in one after another right up through early March. I guess this largely explains my eclipsing from my blog. I’ve been teaching skiing a lot, so much so, in fact, that I was clobbered twice with horrific colds that set me back on all fronts. Yes, that’s the bane of most ski instructors, getting sick during the season, yet it happens with great frequency. We’re out there putting on hopefully a super cheery face and attitude—carrying a class or even just one person—throughout freezing temperatures and sun scorching days. Day after day after day. It’s not unusual to work fourteen days in a row during busy times—that’s bell to bell, making sure that our charges are safe, happy and achieving their goals. Our throats take the biggest beating since we are required to use them often, sometimes to the point of excessive strain such as when we have to yell TURN, TURN, TURN or the dreaded STOP!!!
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Telluride Women’s Week: Skiing and Fun for the Ladies
Telluride Women’s Week: Skiing and Fun for the Ladies
Telluride Women's Week: Giving "Girls' Ski Trip" New Meaning
Rebecca and Me
It’s Women’s Week in Telluride this week, a super program of ski instruction and special events designed specifically for women. I taught skiing to three lovely ladies during the January Women’s Week and we all had a most memorable time. There’s one more Women’s Week program this year in March, so act fast and sign up for the time of your life.
Telluride Women’s Week was the first program of its kind in Colorado when it was founded thirty years ago. If you like the idea of girl power and fun, this is a great way to embrace skiing in one of the most spectacular resorts of the country.
Here’s what some of the ladies from the January program said they like about Telluride Women’s Week:
“The camaraderie.” Sandy, from Flagstaff, Arizona
“Skiing with a wonderful group of female instructors—it’s a fun way to learn.” Lee, from Flagstaff, Arizona
“The actual skiing part that pushed me to challenge myself.” Natalie, from Weston, Massachusetts.
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.
Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping: Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping
by maribeth
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Valentine’s Shopping Recommendations
Telluride Truffle’s Velvet Heart
Austrian Gem Heart and Chain from Alpen Schatz
Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, it’s time to focus on love. Yes, that’s right I’m talking about Valentine’s Day and you still have time to order a special something online for your sweetie, your mom or dad, your daughter who’s away at school, your mother-in-law or that dear friend you want to remember. There’s no need to fuss, just go ahead and let my handpicked selection of purveyors send the package off for you.
Telluride Truffle has earned my affection with their medium velvet heart filled with incredibly beautiful and delicious hand painted, glossy chocolates. Ruth’s Toffee, another local favorite, continues to rate as my all-time favorite for toffee. Type in promo code Bonjour in the coupon box for Telluride Truffle and mention Bonjour Colorado to Ruth to receive a 10% discount on online orders.
Looking to really make a statement? Select an Austrian Gemstone Heart from Alpen Schatz, a European-styled boutique and online shopping emporium based in Telluride. Colorado. These precious gem hearts come in three different sizes in a variety of stones including rose quartz, crushed crystal, onyx, turquoise and more. Handcrafted by a master jeweler in Salzburg, Austria, these heirloom-quality treasures surely show your love for this Valentine’s and forever. If you’re working off of a smaller budget, consider Alpen Schatz’s Italian silk scarves and alpine scarf ornaments, also offered in a variety of colors and styles. Type in Bonjour upon check out to receive a 10% discount on online orders.
Podcasts Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books: Podcasts Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on Dr. Pepper Schwartz on Sex, Travel and Fun
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.
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Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Travel: Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park: A Refuge in the Storm
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.
