Lots of fun in the “off season” at Lake Tahoe…

Personally, I love “off season” for traveling.  Spring at lake Tahoe means fresh green grass, wildflowers swaying in a soft breeze and less crowds.  You can hear the wind whistling in the pines and the lake lapping on the shore in the quiet.

And my favorite place to stay, the Resort at Squaw Creek at Squaw Valley has some wondrous and fun May activities scheduled.

Skiing:

There’s still time for a few last runs of the year—at Alpine Meadows, which will be open for skiing Fridays – Sundays through May 13.

Biking and hiking:

May can be a terrific time for biking (Resort at Squaw Creek rents bikes).  A twenty-mile long paved bike path meanders through the pines and along the shore of the sparkling blue lake.

Also, hiking to nearby waterfalls in Shirley Canyon at the far western edge of Squaw Valley or Eagle Falls near Emerald Bay should be possible due to the lower than average snowfall this year.

Fly Fishing:

But here’s one of the best things to do in May: head to the on-property Resort at Squaw Creek Fly Fishing Center, led by expert fly fisherman Matt Heron.  Heron, a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor, started fishing at age three and has been going strong for twenty-six years, twenty of those years fly-fishing.

The fly fishing center features private, stocked ponds, lessons and options for guided trips to local rivers.  It also offers a variety of classes to teach you all about this ancient angling method.

The most popular class, called Cast N’ Catch (3 hrs) offers the best of both worlds, casting instruction and fishing. Class begins with an hour and a half casting lesson, which leads into an hour and a half of guided fishing on the private ponds.

Here’s how Heron describes the fishing in May at the Resort at Squaw Creek:

“Most people think that summer is the best time to go fishing, but most

fly fishers know that spring is one of the best times of the year to catch trout in the Tahoe area. And, so far, 2012 has been no exception. Guide trips are fully underway on the Truckee and other rivers, and fishing has been spectacular to say the least.

Watch a video of Heron catching a thirty-pound rainbow trout

With less than normal snow accumulations this year, fishing should continue to get better over the next few months.  We are usually able to stock our ponds at the Resort at Squaw Creek by mid-May with beautiful rainbow trout, and we really start to get busy around Memorial Day.”

The resort offers their popular Creek Creatures class for kids and also special women’s classes this season and can custom tailor classes for a group.

Whether your spring fun is skiing, hiking, biking or fishing, come back at the end of the day and soak in one of the resort’s hot pools, enjoy a massage at the spa and a sumptuous meal at the Six Peaks Grille.

If you are planning to head to Lake Tahoe this Memorial Day holiday, take advantage of the Resort at Squaw Creek™ Memorial Weekend Bed & Breakfast Package.  The package starts at $199 per room, per night, and features daily breakfasts in Six Peaks Grille for two adults and two children (12-and-under), and accommodations in a Deluxe Guestroom.  (Available May 24-May 28, 2012. Resort fees and taxes are additional, and the offer is subject to availability.)

The Resort at Squaw Creek’s Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course is expected to offer 18 holes of play for Memorial Day weekend.  And the water slide will open again for the season, such fun for kids of all ages.

The Memorial Weekend Bed & Breakfast package can be booked at Visit Squaw Creek , or by calling 800.401.9501, using promo code MDAYRSC.

For more information on fly-fishing classes:

• Squaw Valley Fly Fishing
• Matt Heron Fly Fishing

When Tom Vella, owner of Rogue River Valley Creamery visited Roquefort, France in 1955, to learn the secrets of making blue vein cheese, he had no idea that he was sowing the seeds of today’s flourishing artisan creameries in Southern Oregon.

Clustered around sunny Medford, in Jackson County’s Rogue Valley, three artisan creameries are making some superb cheeses and chevres to accompany the marvelous merlots, cabs, syrahs, zinfandels, pinots, and chardonnays produced in the surrounding area.

Tom Vella had been making cheddars since 1935, but his Oregon Brand Blue Vein Cheese (later shortened to Oregon Blue) launched the platform that would make the Rogue Creamery renowned globally. At the time this was a bold move, and Tom’s Blue Vein was the first produced west of the Missouri River. His son, Ig, continued in the same vein, producing a zesty Gorgonzola, appropriately named Oregonzola, in 1988, using an Italian recipe, even using proprietary molds from Italy.

After purchasing the creamery in 2002, David Gremmels and Cary Bryant, have continued to offer the creamery’s two traditional blues, adding a third generation blue, the Crater Lake Blue. Named after one of the area’s most beautiful natural attractions, Crater Lake, because of the intensity and variety of blue shades in the lake’s deep waters, this rich, broadly profiled blue, has great depth and creaminess. A mixture of several strains of blue molds from France, Crater Lake Blue has added a new dimension to the company’s selection.

Now renamed Rogue Creamery, the former Rogue River Valley Creamery has become an institution for blue cheese lovers, winning 4 trophies and 30 medals and awards around the world, from London to New York.

Different and tasty artisan blues have been added over the years, and Rogue Creamery now boasts Caveman Blue, award winning Smokey Blue, and some creative hand-milled cheddars including Sharp, TouVelle, and Dry Jack, plus some herbal-infused cheddars with Rosemary and Lavender. Still operating out of its original concrete façade building, fronted by bushes and flowering shrubs, on a busy commercial strip, Rogue Creamery has managed to keep the personal touch on a creamery whose product has become virally popular.

Mookie Moss and Stu O’Neill have operated the 64-acre Siskiyou Crest Goat Dairy in nearby Jacksonville since 2007. They hand milk their herd of 50 goats, with 20 milking in any season. The two participate in a herd-share coop program and are dedicated to helping rural economies and community service. The high butterfat content of their goats encourages a nice variety of feta, fresh Chevre and aged cheddar cheeses.

Gabe and Robin Clouser, owners of Mama Terra Micro Creamery, located in the small Applegate Valley town of Williams; use Nubian goats for their cheeses for their high milk butterfat content. Producing fresh and aged farmstead cheeses, they manage the dairy using local organic hay and grains for feed, and are rated a grade A goat dairy.

In these creameries, Southern Oregon has set a uniformly high standard for cows and goat’s milk cheeses. A visit to these farms or storefronts is recommended and cheese aficionados will not be disappointed.

Lillie Belle Farms Artisan Chocolates

Right next door to Rogue Creamery, Lillie Belle Farm’s award-winning artisan Chocolates are completely hand-made using time-honored European techniques, but with a true American twist.

With almost 2 acres of organic raspberries, strawberries, and marionberries, Lillie Belle Farms utilizes abundant crops to make delicious fruit filled bon bons and truffles. Almost all of their ingredients are organic, from the nuts, to the nibs to the sugar. Lillie Belle chocolatiers pride themselves on their organic ingredients.

Pennington Farms

In a renovated rustic barn on their 90-acre berry farm, the Pennington family all work together to produce a wonderful variety of berry jams and “old school” style baked goods, as well as their fresh berries in season.

The well-known Pennington Farms products include Jams, syrups, breads and pastries and are well known always sell-out at the farmer’s markets throughout the Valley. Jams are the Pennington’s biggest hits: Tayberry, Olallieberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Loganberry, Marionberry, Strawberry, Rhubarb, Wild Blackberry, Cascade Berry, and fig conserve.

Looking for a fun spring get-away or spring break vacation?  Don’t want to pay for expensive flights to Hawaii or face the long flight?  Well, here’s a beach in California that rivals any Hawaiian beach:  La Jolla, California.

The Spanish word, “la joya”, means the jewel and San Diegans call La Jolla the jewel of San Diego.  I’m a native of San Diego and can vouch for its charms.

La Jolla is close to all the famous San Diego attractions:  Sea World and the San Diego Zoo, 15 minutes away, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, 40 minutes, Lego Land, 30 minutes.  The Birch Aquarium and Museum, part of Scripp’s Institute of Oceanography, is just a few minute drive up the hill.

The European feel of the village of La Jolla, chock full of interesting boutiques, restaurants and art galleries invites fun strolls.  Scripps Park winds along the coast for playing and walking.  The clear water of the nearby cove offers great swimming and the chance to observe sea life for snorkelers.

In the center of the village, The La Valencia Hotel, known as the “Pink Lady“, has been an icon since it opened in 1926.  Stop in for a drink or a meal or just to admire the great views and enjoy the tiled courtyards, hand painted murals and Spanish mosaics.

Also in the village, San Diego County Museum of Modern Art offers a culture break from the sun and sand.  Want to flash back to the past? Then stop in at Harry’s Coffee Shop, a “sixties décor” coffee shop that serves breakfast all day.

Head over to La Jolla Shores Beach, one of the very best beaches in Southern California—a long, wide stretch of white sand, good waves for swimming, surfing, body surfing and kayaking.  Divers also love the beach because there’s a deep shelf just offshore for exploring.

My favorite hotel is the La Jolla Shores Hotel, right on the sand of La Jolla Shores beach.  Even with all the activities nearby in San Diego, the beach is so lovely, you may never want to leave the hotel.  Or after a busy day of sightseeing, relax in the heated pool and Jacuzzi, or in your ocean view room, with free wi-fi.  The hotel’s ocean front restaurant, The Shores, serves breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Check out their spring specials, with rooms starting at $199.

And just next door at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, the legendary Marine Room restaurant sits right on the sand, so close to the incoming waves that on a stormy night or during a high tide, the waves put on an exciting and wondrous wave dance as they splash against the windows.

During a low tide, explore the tide pools just north of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography Pier at the north end of the beach.  The University of California at San Diego and Scripps Institute of Oceanography sit on the hilltop above.

In the village at La Jolla Shores, you can rent surfboards, wet suits and kayaks or join a group kayaking expedition.  Or join a surf camp and learn to surf, during spring break or summer.

You can also rent a mountain or road bike, kayak or snorkel or go on a bike, kayak or snorkeling tour.

All the fun attractions San Diego offers are right there, yet you’re on a gorgeous beach.  Instead of costly airfares to Hawaii, just drive or fly to San Diego and enjoy the same fun, as the Beach Boys crooned ‘in the warm California sun’.

Fun highlights:

• La Jolla Shores Hotel
  8110 Camino Del Oro, La Jolla, CA 92037
  (877) 496-6063
• Harry’s Coffee Shop
  7545 Girard Avenue La Jolla, CA 92037
  (858) 454-7381
• Birch Aquarium
  2300 Expedition Way La Jolla, CA 92037
  (858) 534-3474
• Surf Diva Surf Shop
  2160 Avenida De La Playa # A La Jolla, CA 92037
  (858) 454-8273
• La Jolla Bike and Kayak
  2158 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037

Ó Diane Covington 2012

The country of Wales may only be the size of Massachusetts, but just like its counterpart across the pond, every nook and cranny is full of history.  500-plus castles can be found in this part of the United Kingdom, in various degrees of disrepair and/or restoration, often seen on the hillsides as one speeds down the busy motorways.   I explored four unique castles, and came away amazed at the history and atmosphere of each venue.

A sense of déjà vu at Conwy Castle

The coastal city of Conwy, about 45 minutes drive from Manchester’s airport, proudly displays its old medieval walls, many of which can be walked on like that of the Great Wall of China.  And more conspicuous than the walls is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Conwy Castle.

It was built by Edward I from 1283-1289 at great expense (some £15,000 – equivalent to £15 million today) to help serve as one of his “Iron Ring” castles that helped to keep the English safe in Wales while fortifying his new empire there. The exterior and interior walls remain relatively intact, and I found them to be quite an experience walking through the various rooms from the king’s chamber, dining hall, kitchen, and prison.   I felt as if I were back in medieval times, especially when I went inside the castle chapel, where the soundtrack of Gregorian monks was playing in the midst of displays about Christianity’s role in that time.  I also was fascinated by the countless arrow slits carved into the walls, expecting a shooter to be taking aim.

Two fortified gateways and eight towers help make up the grandness of this place.  Four of them contain high towers where I got stunning views of the city, sea, and Conwy Mountain.   And as I walked up the spiralling staircases to get those views with only the help of ropes to keep me from falling, I could feel a sense of “home sweet home” in each part of the structure.

Stand where Prince Charles once stood at Caernarfon Castle

If you want to know just how hard life was for people long ago, just visit a medieval fortress like Caernarfon Castle  (pictured abobe) on a cold and rainy morning like I did.  As I walked through its long passageways and explored the interior rooms whose walls are still intact some 700 years after being built, the chill and drafts went through my layered clothing to my bones.   Much of the castle walls, both interior and exterior, remain intact from the time they were constructed between 1283-1330.

Charles I fashioned the polygonal and colored band walls (some twenty feet thick) after those of Constantinople to serve as the “capital” of North Wales, even creating a new town, destroying the old Welsh settlement.  Locals were conscripted as manpower, and were paid in silver pennies.

Despite all the expense, many of the plans for it never materialized.  Normally, the castle  had 20-40 people defending it in its early days.   What made the castle easier to defend were the ingenious way that three soldiers with bow and arrows could be stationed to shoot through what appeared on the inside of the castle to be three arrow slits, but in effect, those three arrows would come out through just one slit in the outer wall of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which survived demolition orders in the 17^th century.

Caernarfon was once a motte and bailey castle (castle on a mound surrounded by a courtyard).  This mound still resides within the courtyard as a dais made of Welsh slate, and was the scene of two Princes of Wales getting their official titles, that being Edward VIII in 1911 and then Prince Charles in 1969.  The northeast tower has an extensive exhibit of those two investitures, including Prince Charles’ BBC telecast.   Prince Charles walked through the Queen’s Gate to greet his subjects, something which I got to do, as a special balcony still remains for photo opps.

Those two investitures have roots of the aftermath of the English conquest.  Edward I helped to stymie some of the resentment by Welsh locals by presenting his firstborn son, Edward II, to them as a prince born in Wales who couldn’t speak any English.  Ironically, the little baby wasn’t given his Prince of Wales title there, but at the Parliament of Lincoln.

In the Eagle Tower, the king would reside when he was in Caernarfon, which was protected above by a cluster of high turrets that can be explored.   The King’s room itself was grand, and did contain a personal chapel and fireplace to help fend off the chill.   The Queen’s Tower also has remnants of nicer accommodations, and it’s here where many artefacts and exhibits on the history of Welsh armies are featured.

Two Awesome castles in Denbighshire 

While the Vale of Clwyd is at the bottom of some incredible footpaths with steep angles going up hundreds of feet in the Clwydian Hills that’ll challenge any hiker, the town of Ruthin (an hour’s drive from Manchester) has a castle with the same namesake Ruthin Castle  that’s located just above the base of the valley.  It sits on grounds once allegedly housing a fort where King Arthur kept a little “love nest” for one of his mistresses dating before the Norman conquest.   But its confirmed date for a standing edifice dates back to 1277, when Edward I secured it for his kingdom against the rebellious Welsh.

Though much of the castle walls remain intact despite the 11 weeks of shelling it withstood during the English Civil War in 1646 along with neglect, improvements were made during and since Queen Victoria’s reign, and which I found not only showed outdoors, but with the décor on the inside that tries to imitate the Victorian Era, especially with the as “trompe l’oeil” wallpaper jobs that can be found in the spacious rooms that contain all the modern conveniences medieval kings would deem as sorcery: big screen TVs, free internet access, and electronic heat control.

I explored what was left of the medieval fortifications by walking around the old walls, and was greeted by some of the 16 peacocks who live there and wail away while the sun is up.  I peeked through the old cooking area, one of the places where apparitions have been spotted, including the “grey lady.”  I went to her creepy gravesite, where she was buried after being executed for killing the lover of her husband, one of the commanders of Edward I.   Unfortunately (or not), I didn’t see any ghosts.

About a 20 minute drive to the north of Ruthin in Denbigh is Denbigh Castle  completed in 1295 for one of the commanders of Charles I, Henry de Lacy.  I found it fascinating to walk around and take in stunning countryside views.  Much of the outer exterior walls exist, including the Grate Gate House (main entrance), kitchen and chamber areas.  I was able to walk on top of some battlements.   A five to ten minute walk took me outside the castle to the Goblin Tower, where some of the castle’s water supply existed, and in which de Lacy’s son fell to his death in, and purportedly haunts it.

——————

Roy A. Barnes attended a press trip sponsored by Visit Wales  but what he wrote were his own impressions without any scrutiny or vetting by the sponsor.  He writes from southeastern Wyoming, and is long time contributor to the Traveler and Traveler Blog.

Diane Covington here, one of TouristTravel.com’s roving reporters, today writing to you from beautiful Squaw Valley, California.

Winter made her fashionably late entrance with a blast of over four feet of fresh snow in the past few days and more is on its way.

I’m staying with my fiancé at the beautiful Resort at Squaw Creek, which Conde Nast Traveler magazine ranked among the top 50 ski resorts in North America.  The resort is known for both family and romantic vacations and when you stay here you can see why.  (AAA also gave it a Four-Diamond rating.)

We love that we can hop on a lift right outside our suite when we’re ready to ski. We skied the fresh powder at Squaw Valley, stopping for lunch at Rocker’s Restaurant at the base—don’t miss the hot spinach artichoke flatbread, topped with jack and Parmesan cheese, real après ski comfort food.

We skied back to the Resort at Squaw Creek in time for a soak in the outdoor hot pools before our massages at the spa.  The heated blankets on the massage table welcome me from the cold and the massage relaxed all the muscles we’d used all day.  I lounged in both the sauna and steam room before heading back to our room.

Our cozy suite looks out over the valley that has transformed into a Winter Wonderland in the last few days.  We can choose between skiing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or ice-skating, not to mention the heated pools and spa or staying by the fireplace in our room, curled up with a book.

Dinner at Sandy’s Pub and Six Peaks Grille

Skiing in fresh snow is fun, but driving in it at night to go out to dinner isn’t.  But we’re lucky to have a choice of excellent restaurants here at the resort to choose from.

Our first night, I enjoyed the best fish taco I’ve ever tasted at Sandy’s Pub, which serves American pub fare and microbrews in a casual and friendly atmosphere with non-stop sports on TVs.

Last night we strolled through the arcade of shops and across the lobby to the Six Peak’s Grille, where chef Chad Shrewsbury uses local organic farm sources to create his trendy and tasty menus.  We began with a rich Butternut Squash Soup, then I enjoyed Wild Salmon on a bed of asparagus paired with a velvety Fransican Estate Cuvee Sauvage 2009 Chardonnay, while my partner sipped a lush Groth 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon with his tender Filet Mignon.

A variety of freshly baked rolls and fingerling potatoes complemented our dinners and the crackling fire next to our table made our dinner memorable not only for the sumptuous meal but also for the romantic ambience.  For dessert, we chose the light and fluffy Lemon Cheesecake.  Yum.  Good thing we’re skiing every day!

Then we bundled up for the two-minute refreshing walk in the crisp night air back to our room.

Squaw Valley now America’s largest ski resort

The local buzz here is the recent merger between Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski areas, which means that skiers and boarders can now access over 6,000 skiable acres, more than 270 trails, forty-three lifts and eight peaks, with one lift ticket and a free shuttle between the two resorts.  That’s amazing.  (Check out www.squaw.com for the latest ski conditions and deals.)

With winter arriving so late, the Resort at Squaw Creek is also offering many early spring romance, ski and family specials.

For example, the Children Ski, Skate, Sled Free Package includes all that fun and deluxe guestroom accommodations for families including two children per room.  Prices start at $299 per night.

Or the Family Spring Break Package, which starts at just $219 per night.

Don’t miss this Winter Wonderland and some amazing deals. For the most up-to-date information, log onto www.squawcreek.com.

Diane Covington 2012