Archive for Destinations

Deer Valley – enjoy that famous Utah powder.

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

 Special Feature by Diane Covington

Silver Lake Lodge at Deer ValleyWe’d heard about the famous Utah powder and decided to check it out for ourselves.  It was an easy flight into Salt Lake City and then just 36 miles up the mountain to Park City.  If you show your boarding pass, you can even get a free lift ticket on the day you arrive.

We chose Deer Valley because it was voted the number one resort by readers of Ski magazine for the fifth year in a row and we wanted to see what all the buzz was about.

Our first impression was the remarkable guest services. Friendly people in green outfits directed traffic, then helped us get our skis off our car.  There was even someone standing by the map when we got off the lift to help us know where to go. This level of service spilled over even into the lessons I signed up for during the trip . The lessons I took had four maximum in the class, with lots of individual attention.  Since I was starting over after a thirty-year hiatus so that I could ski with my grand kids, I was grateful for all the help.

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Everyone’s Wild About Harry!

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Special Feature by Bob Kelley

Sipping ice cold butterbeer inside the boisterous Three Broomsticks, Ed St. Amour pondered his dilemma:  Which was the better investment: Dumbledore’s wand or fashionable (especially at Halloween) Gryffindor class robes?

A pre-teen mulling over how to spend his weekly allowance?  No, actually St. Amour is a 50-something human resources manager from Atlanta trying to decide on the better bargain for his hard earned dollars.

From the moment the first of J.K.Rowling’s series hit the bookstands, the adventurous story of the youthful wizard and his quest to vanquish He Who Must Not Be Named has transcended generations, appealing to Muggles of all ages.  (For the unitiated, Muggles are non-magical folks like you and me.)  Quicker than you can say wingardium leviosa, parents preferring to read the books before allowing their children to do so were soon hooked themselves.

Word of mouth spread the news to childless adults who love a good read. The books were entertaining and rekindled wonderful lifelong lessons in friendship, loyalty, bravery and, above all, the choices one makes and the consequences of those choices.

For young and adult fans, Pottermania reached its zenith with the opening in 2010 of Universal’s $265 million Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHP).  The 20-acre park within a theme park is credited with boosting Universal Orlando’s attendance 36 percent (more than one million visitors) in its first three months. Visitors who journey to the WWHP are rewarded with state-of- the-art attractions, a restaurant and shops that bring the wonder and magic of the heavily-detailed Potter books and movies to life.  As a testament to its popularity, within six months of opening the attraction sold its one millionth mug of butterbeer, the drink of choice for Harry and his friends.

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Juneau: Alaska’s Frontier City

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

By Roy Stevenson
Photographs by Linda Popovich

tourist shops in downtown juneau

Locked between mountains and the Gastineau Channel, Juneau is a great portal for visitors to be introduced to the rugged and beautiful “last frontier” state of Alaska. With a population of 31,000, Juneau is a cross between a city, a frontier town, a cruise ship destination, and small town America, and you will experience all of these within minutes of each other here.

Juneau’s cornucopia of natural splendor is really its stock-in-trade. You’re never far from an awe-inspiring glacier, rivers teeming with thousands of spawning salmon, or mammoth humpback whales breaching violently from the ocean. Or you can paddle across peaceful lakes, and ride a tramway up a steep mountain for a spectacular view of lush rain forest and shimmering fjords.

Juneau’s man-made attractions also pack some serious weight for their punch; sampling delectable amber ales at a renowned brewery, panning for gold on a river which hard bitten prospectors worked over a century earlier, walking through a historic gold mine, and wandering through some interesting museums are all part of the Juneau experience. And watching the locals who emerge after the tidal wave of cruise passengers has receded back into their luxury liners is always instructive.

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View along the Enchanted Zyberliland Trail Credit Roy A Barnes

The city of Luzern is just a 45 minute train ride from Zurich, one that I found more than worth the effort when experiencing much enchantment and stunning views of the waters and mountainous regions surrounding it.

The Entlebuch’s Enchanted Plums

Residing west of Luzern is the Entlebuch, about 35 minutes by train at the stop called Schupfheim.  It’s made up of eight villages and spans some 154 square miles and contains many of the Alps’ rolling foothills:  roughly one per cent of Switzerland’s land area.  One fourth of this area is now protected moors (highland marshlands), which exuded a pleasantly eerie feeling amidst the fog, making me wonder if any monsters were lurking there.

The first settlers here came in the 11th century, but for the last two centuries, one passed-down fairy tale has captivated the locals involving a plum-like fruit called the Zyberli.  It’s featured in a five year old-plus German book Zyberli-Gschicht.  As a big fan of children’s stories, I got to visit this land, where, according to the story, little people known as the Bargmandli used to pan for gold for their valley masters (Talherrens), and in return for making the latter rich, they would receive the Zyberli fruit.  But this would end as the egotistical Talherrans chopped all the fruit trees down so they could build bigger thrones for themselves, making the little people leave, leaving the Talherrans without more gold.

I started out on the three mile circular trail in the town of Romoos at the Hotel Kreuz, and soon came upon a newly planted Zyberli tree on a lawn.   My path then took me outside the town center to the Forest Gate, where I would then embark on long and winding dirt roads that were wet with dead leaves from a steady drizzle, which I navigated with my walking pole, opening and closing many gates.

Little feet symbols were plastered along the trail to make sure I didn’t get lost, leading me to such places as the school for the Bargmandli, where actual kids convene to get lessons on acting responsible in the forest amidst beautiful and peaceful surroundings that include a natural babbling brook soundtrack.

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Special Feature by Roy Stevenson

Photography by Linda Popovich

Haines lies at the base of the fog shrouded takshanuk and chilkat mountains

The small town of Haines nestles peacefully overlooking the remote shores of Alaska’s pristine, 90-mile Lynn Canal—the longest Fjord in America. Haines lies at the base of the fog shrouded Takshanuk and Chilkat Mountains, glistening glaciers crawling down their steep black granite canyons. A belt of foothills covered in Pacific Northwest evergreens is all that separates the town from these towering massifs.

Haines is a quiet little harbor town of 2,400 souls. They’re mostly flannel-shirted fishermen, loggers, artists, retirees, and a sprinkle of gold miners, all sharing two things in common. They love the spectacular natural vista of fjord, forest, and mountain that greets them each morning when they open their curtains, and they have no desire to live the city life anymore. They’re here to get away from it all. Some might call them reclusive, and they’d be proud of this.

There’s no rush hour traffic in this isolated village and the residents all know each other, perhaps too well. But they’re genuine and friendly and look you in the face when they talk to you. Their hands are calloused hands from hours of hauling in heavy gillnets laden with struggling salmon, or working outdoors. Bears scavenge through garbage cans in back yards, and the occasional moose strolls through the streets. Visiting Haines is like time traveling back to the 1950’s, and, sadly, it’s not something you’re likely to see in the lower 48 anymore—it’s a remnant of America that has been lost to iPhones, MTV and urban sprawls.

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