Cowgirls Invited to Be Big Sky Pioneers from October 28-November 1, 2010
Saddle up, girls. The luxurious, Montana-based, Triple Creek Ranch has announced its first annual Klicks for Chicks, a one-of-a-kind, women-only 100-Km horseback riding adventure, created and led by Triple Creek Ranch owner Barbara Barrett. Klicks for Chicks is an all-female upgrade of the all-male 100-mile Los Caballeros and Bohemian Grove endurance horse rides. With a decidedly Triple Creek Ranch twist, the ride is for women only, and cowgirls will ride rugged all day but return to the luxury of the Rocky Mountain resort at night. Riders will venture into deep canyons, over mountain passes, past crystal-clear lakes and through open meadows to discover the ‘last frontier’ and wilds of the Rocky Mountain West. Gourmet evening meals followed by crackling fires in Triple Creek’s luxurious cabins and a relaxing outdoor hot tub will be the reward for a long day in the saddle.
The “100 Klicks for Chicks” program is priced starting at $650 per night, per couple and features three-and-a-half days of riding, concluding with a fireside roast and awards presentation. All meals, beverages, and activities are included. Participants will also receive a personalized fleece vest. Traveling companions not participating in the ride are welcome to enjoy the luxurious accommodations and varied activities that Triple Creek Ranch has to offer while the cowgirls ride off into the sunrise. Husbands and compadres are invited to join the cowgirls for dinner each evening during the program
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Every once in a while a travel hunch pays off. Such was the case during a recent stay at the Santa Fe Sage Inn. I’ve had the Inn on my travel steals and deals radar for awhile. To keep abreast of their latest news on special savings and vacation packages, I subscribed to their newsletter and followed them on facebook and twitter, but up until now, I hadn’t had a reason to book a visit.
I love a good deal as much any traveler on a budget. And finding one in trendy Santa Fe, especially in the heart of the summer high season, can take some sleuthing.
The Sage Inn promised affordable downtown lodging with a slew of tempting freebies - complimentary continental breakfast, free wireless high speed Internet, comfortable renovated rooms, free parking, and free Plaza shuttle. So when my husband’s college-aged granddaughter came to visit and wanted to spend a few days in Santa Fe before heading back to our place in the southern mountains of New Mexico, the Sage Inn sounded like just the ticket.
And it was. It was also clean, convenient, and super friendly. Imagine that.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I’ve always wanted to see the polar bear migration in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. With regret, I’ll be off adventuring in Scotland in October when space is still available on The Great Canadian Travel Company’s fall migration tours. Perhaps you can make it. Hope so!
Better still, if you do go, I hope you’ll share your experiences and photographs in a guest blog. Read on for details…
Every autumn, polar bears gather along the water’s edge near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of the Hudson Bay, about 650 miles north of Winnipeg, anxiously waiting for sea ice to form. Once the bay freezes over, hungry bears move out onto the ice where they will spend the winter months hunting seal.
photo courtesy of Great Canadian Travel Company
The Great Canadian Travel Company, which has been operating polar-bear observation tours to this area since 1980, reports that there is still limited space left on its 2010 polar bear tours.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
The Town of Taos is not only a great destination for art, outdoor recreation and culture, it’s also one of the most pet-friendly towns in the Southwest. The famed artsy enclave boasts at least 20 lodging facilities and a number of restaurants with outdoor patios that are Fido-friendly.
“Travelers come to Taos to relax, but worrying about leaving their four-legged companions behind can be stressful, especially since many of us consider our pets as part of the family,” said San Geronimo Lodge owner, Charles Montgomery, whose Taos bed and breakfast (B&B) permits dogs. “We love dogs, as we have two of our own, and understand the importance of sharing a great experience like Taos with a canine companion.”
Prior to booking a hotel or B&B, travelers should first contact the hotel or B&B to understand what the individual policies are when staying with a pet. Depending on the facility, some hotels may require the owner to be secured in a crate when left alone in the hotel room. Dogs need only have the appropriate vaccinations for rabies, DHLPP/Parvo and Bordetella. For cats, leukemia shots must also be current.
Pet-friendly Taos hotels and B&B’s include, but are not limited to:
Adobe and Pines B&B Inn - dog walking yard available; $25 one time pet fee; crates required for pets in rooms alone; dogs must be leashed in common area. 4107 State Road 68 Taos, NM (575) 751-0947/ 1(800) 723-8267 www.adobepinesinn.com mail@adobepines.com
American Artists Gallery House B&B - limited pet friendly rooms available; $25 for up to 2 nights, $10 per additional night; pets cannot be unattended. 132 Frontier Lane Taos, NM (575) 758-4446/(800) 532-2041 www.taosbedandbreakfast.com taosbandb@gmail.com
Casa Europa B&B Inn and Gallery - maximum of two pets allowed in La Casita only; must be leashed in common area; $20 fee per pet, per night. 840 Upper Ranchitos Taos, NM (888) 758-9798 www.casaeuropanm.com stay@casaeuropanm.com
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa - permits well-behaved pets under 40 pounds; dogs need to be leashed in common area.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
THIS JUST IN…
Now you can tap into the travel wisdom of your friends. TripAdvisor(R), the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking “TripAdvisor(R) Trip Friends” feature, allowing travellers to get advice from their Facebook(R) friends on TripAdvisor to plan their next vacation. Supplementing the site’s more than 35 million reviews and opinions from real travellers around the world, the wisdom of crowds on TripAdvisor is now enhanced by the wisdom of friends, delivering personalised recommendations.
“As the world’s largest travel site, we’re thrilled to continue revolutionising the travel industry by providing our community with exciting new access to their friends’ valuable advice about travel,” said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO of TripAdvisor. “With TripAdvisor Trip Friends, our 34 million monthly visitors can tap into their friends’ wealth of travel knowledge with just a few clicks, making holiday planning more fun, social and personal.”
How TripAdvisor Trip Friends Works
When researching a destination, hotel, attraction or restaurant on TripAdvisor, users who have logged in using Facebook will now see a list of their friends who have been to that location, as identified via TripAdvisor’s Cities I’ve Visited (CIV) application on Facebook Platform. Travellers can tap into their network of friends for more details, by directly messaging their friends, or by posting a message to a group of friends, to gain the unique travel insights from those who know them best. CIV has been one of the most popular travel applications on Facebook Platform for nearly three years, with more than five million monthly active users, and highlights over one billion destinations that CIV travellers have visited.
“Travellers using TripAdvisor Trip Friends will be amazed to see all the places about which their friends can offer highly relevant, personal travel advice-from that extra tip about the best place for croissants in Paris (your friends know how much you love croissants), to insights on the best scuba spot in Belize (through TripAdvisor Trip Friends, you discovered that two of your friends recently returned from an awesome scuba trip in Belize). This feature will turn great trips into fantastic ones, with convenient, personal input from people you know best and trust most,” said Kaufer.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Couldn’t resist sharing….
From canine ambassadors to goat adoptions and first-class hospitality, Fairmont Hotels continue to delight and surprise.
Chefs Will Use Signature Goat Cheese for Montreal’s Beaver Club
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal has recently adopted a goat, affectionately named Blanche Neige (Snow White), to make the hotel’s signature cheeses for the legendary Beaver Club. A registered “show goat” with an impressive pedigree, Snow White was adopted from the local Fromagerie du Vieux St-François as part of the property’s ongoing commitment to supporting local cuisine and small artisan producers. While living at the fromagerie, Snow White will produce cheese for the menu at The Beaver Club, as well as for sale at the Fairmont Store.
“Before adopting Snow White, our culinary team decided that we wanted to create a unique and exclusive experience for our guests, while also promoting local, artisan cuisine” said Michel Busch, Director of Food & Beverage. “With Quebec’s reputation for award-winning cheese and the growing demand for locally-produced food, working with an artisan fromagerie here in Montreal was a natural choice.”
The Beaver Club’s Chef Martin Paquet will be using the goat cheese in a variety of dishes to complement the restaurant’s renowned cuisine, from entrées to desserts, including Asparagus Bundle with Goat Cheese and Confited Cherry Tomatoes; Snow White Iced Nougat and Snow White Cheesecake with Red Berries. The cheese is exclusive to the Beaver Club and the Fromagerie, and will include varieties such as La Tour Saint-François, the Peau d’ours and l’Ilot de Blanche Neige. They will also be available alongside a larger selection of Quebec cheeses as part of the gourmet cheese cart.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".