My Secret Getaways

A dinner cruise starts by being escorted onto a luxury cruise ship or yacht about an hour before the ship is set to leave port. You may take a leisurely walk around the deck, or visit the shops that are on the ship. Or simply laze around and sample the cocktails and exquisite appetizers served throughout the ship.

Different dinner cruise operators may take you on different routes. The one that I went on recently cruised the Hudson and East Rivers, offering a mesmerizing view of some of Manhattans most famous landmarks like the Empire State Building, Chelsea Piers, Brooklyn Bridge and the World Trade Center Site.

The buffet dinner is naturally the highlight of the New York dinner cruise. You will be spoilt for choice, whether you are a seafood lover or a vegetarian. From the tangiest Japanese sushi, freshest lobster salad, roasted lamb rack to the grilled vegetable lasagna, every dish is a culinary creation of master chefs ranked top in their field.

A dinner cruise will not be complete without live performances of Americas best music - Blues, Jazz, Soul, R&B, Boogie and Swing, all can be played at your request. To add to the atmosphere, a vocalist is also usually invited onboard to croon melodies, songs of Broadway and romantic ballads at different points of the cruise.

A dinner cruise usually lasts about three hours. However, if you want to have a private party or prefer a longer cruise, you can rent a yacht for as long as you want and cruise the open waters of the ocean or harbor.

Those who tend to have motion sickness need not worry too much because a cruise travels at a slow and stead speed (otherwise, how would you be able to have your dinner?). Sometimes, you may not even realize you are on water! Nonetheless, if you wish to play it safe, do bring along some travel sickness medication.

All in all, a New York dinner cruise is an experience unparalleled by other activities. The extraordinary views, exquisite dinning and spectacular live entertainment all make the dinner cruise a perfect evening that will stay in your memory for a long time.

The restaurants cater to different tastes and preferences. To determine what restaurant is right for you check out pictures and menus of restaurants before finalizing your booking arrangements. The Disney World website is a good source for restaurants and menu information. You can also get a feel of the ambience of the restaurants by the looks of the exterior and the interior decoration through its pictures posted on the site.

Travel agents specializing in Disney trips and packages can give you excellent tips, especially when bringing children along. While almost all of the Disney World restaurants are children friendly, there are Character Dining Locations, or special spots where your favorite Disney character will be appearing that you might want to bring your children to see.

Not all of the restaurants offer Advance Reservations. The restaurants that do, will ask you to check in at least 10 minutes before your seating time. Plan well ahead when you are going to WDW, as dining reservations may be taken as much as 180 days in advance. Some reservations at the Walt Disney World restaurants must be guaranteed by a credit card.

Special dinners and dining events are also held regularly. Examples of these are: Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian Christmas Easter Epcots International Food and Wine Festival Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue Mickeys Backyard BBQ Mothers Day My Disney Girls Perfectly Princess Tea Party New Years Eve Spirit of Aloha (Polynesian Luau) Dinner Show Thanksgiving Valentines Day

No matter what your preference, its almost a guarantee that Disney World will have something that suits your tastes. The list of restaurants crosses all boarders, covering foods from American to French, and German to Mexican. With hundreds of places to choose from, finding the one you like may be a little daunting, but itll be worth the effort!

Whatever you choose, keep in mind: You arent just getting a meal, your getting an experience. As such, expect prices to be increased from what you would normally pay (and this goes all the way to the little stands that sell popcorn). Be adventurous, and dont be afraid to try something that may seem foreign…you might just be surprised at how much you like it!

Northwest Montana is one of the most beautiful and scenic places in the western Rocky Mountains, and if youre planning a visit here are six things that you should check out. Obviously, most of these things revolve around the outdoors, mostly because Northwest Montana is all about the outdoors. As you can probably imagine, if you dont like the outdoors, Northwest Montana probably isnt the place for you. In any case, here are six things to do if you do decide to visit this magical place:
1) Hiking - Northwest Montana is a virtual hikers paradise. There are hiking trails in every direction and Northwest Montana boasts one of the most scenic National Parks in the country, Glacier National Park. Glacier is full of hiking trails and is a hikers paradise in and of itself. Any local outdoors shop can point you to maps and such or simply do a search on the Internet.
2) Camping - With campgrounds littered throughout the area, camping is a favorite activity of many visitors to Northwest Montana. Again, a search on the Internet will point you as many campgrounds as you may need. There are full service campgrounds as well as campgrounds with little more than a fire ring. Theres also plenty of room for you RV. Northwest Montana gets inundated with the RV crowd during the warm months.
3) Fishing - For the angler, there are plenty of opportunities. Whether youre a stream and river angler or prefer fishing on a lake, Northwest Montana can accommodate you. Flathead Lake is in Northwest Montana, and it boasts one of the best lake trout fisheries in the country. The Area Rivers produce rainbow, cutthroat, brook, and even a few brown trout, with rainbow trout being the most abundant. If you like to fish, Northwest Montana is for you.
4) Water Sports - Whether it be boating, skiing, tubing, swimming, or just relaxing in the water, Northwest Montana can accommodate you. Anyone with a boat will be amazed at the amount of privacy that can be obtained while boating in Northwest Montana. In most areas of the country boating can be a congested mess. Thats not the case in beautiful Northwest Montana. Lakes can be found where youll be lucky to see another boat all day.
5) Hunting - For the hunter, Northwest Montana is the place to be as well. Some of the most popular animals to hunt for would include: White tailed deer, Mule deer, Elk, Moose, and Bear just to name a few. Being a very mountainous area, the hunting is obviously better than average. And as with most things in Montana, there is much less hunting pressure than you may be accustomed to.
Sight Seeing - The sights may not be what youre used to such as museums, theaters, monuments and such, but being a mountainous area, some absolutely amazing views can be discovered. Whether youre walking or in a vehicle, views can be found almost everywhere. Some of which can literally bring a tear to your eyes.

These six things should get you started and there are many more things that you will discover when you start poking around. No matter what you decide to do, you will find that Northwest Montana has plenty to keep everyone busy.

This is Day 2 of a 3-day “road trip” our bicycle club took to Moab Utah. This day was “just a little bit” more difficult than Day 1. We went fewer miles, but…

Cyclists left the B&B, crossed the Colorado River bridge into a hellacious head wind, with dirt and grit hitting your face like tiny bullets.

Arriving at Arches park a few miles west on the highway, you were more sheltered from the wind, but the climb … OMG.

Leaving the highway (left-center above) you had to peddle skyward into the park. Growing old is NOT for WIMPS.

After a couple of miles, things began to level out a little. Here you got the payoff for the climb. I was not prepared for the magnificence of the scenery.

This is one of those things that you just cannot represent with a mere photograph. The size of these monoliths is staggering and the expanse of this particular view just took our breath away.

We continued a few more miles, until we came to a place where the grade started steeply downward … VERY steeply downward for as far as the eye could see. Realizing we would have to pull ourselves out of this if we went down it, we devised a plan. My wife and I would go back to get the car and our friends would continue on down the seemingly endless, steep hill.

I don’t remember quite how long it took us to climb up to this turn-around point, but it was at least a couple of hours. It took my wife and I only 27 minutes (I timed it) to get back. We had to hang on to the breaks to keep from becoming airborne.

We loaded our bikes onto the car and headed back up to meet our friends at a designated rendezvous point, thus saving them the climb back out of the deep valley into which they had decended after our retreat.

We met at the trailhead for “Delicate Arch,” the icon arch that appears in all the Utah travel books. The arch doesn’t look all that big above, does it?

Wrong! Here’s a little better perspective, with my friend at the base of the arch.

Rock — Mountains — Snow … from our vantage point at Delicate Arch

See Day 1 of our Trip: Road Biking around Moab, Utah

Moab is known for its mountain biking. But there’s great road biking to be had too.

In early April, 2007, 60 some-odd members of our bicycle club from Tucson, Arizona loaded up and headed for Moab. We stayed in the Gazebo Inn, a comfortable bed and breakfast located conveniently in downtown Moab.

Day 1 was the easiest ride. We rode south along the Colorado River. Total trip length was about 50 miles.

I was expecting lots of good scenery, but I wasn’t really prepared for how beautiful it actually was.

Right along the side of the road up high on the wall are petroglyphs dating back to the time of the Hohokam around 700-1450 A.D. They were known to have ball courts. It looks like this might have been a depiction of a ball game.

What are these? Snakes, maybe? Click image for larger view…

The Hohokam peoples occupied a wide area of south-central Arizona from roughly Flagstaff south to the Mexican border. They are thought to have originally migrated north out of Mexico around 300 BC to become the most skillful irrigation farmers the Southwest ever knew.

At the turn-around point, we met up with our club support wagon … LUNCH!

On our return trip we were hit by what was to be the trademark of this entire trip … WIND! And of course, it was always a headwind.

A paceline helped us plow through the wind.

See Day 2 of our Trip: Road Biking in Arches National Park

An abundance of festivals and special events also take place throughout the Smokies during the autumn months. For example, the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival, which runs until October 31, 2007, features live entertainment, old-fashioned hayrides, local crafts and more. Dollywoods National Gospel & Harvest Celebration, which takes place from October 5 to November 3, 2007, offers the best in Southern gospel music, along with the talents of more than 100 craftspeople. Named as one of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeastern United States” by the Southeast Tourism Society, the 32nd-annual Gatlinburg Craftsmens Fair (October 11-28, 2007) boasts over 200 talented artists and craftspeople in the areas of pottery, woodworking, broommaking, stained glass, basketmaking and more. Old-fashioned Hayrides depart approximately every 45 minutes from the Mountain Mall at Traffic Light #6 in downtown Gatlinburg Sunday through Thursday from 5 PM to 9 PM until December 1, 2007.

In addition, fall is the perfect time to drive through the 8-5-mile loop that comprises the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community, which contains numerous studios, shops and galleries. Founded in 1937, the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community has evolved into the countrys largest organization of independent artisans. Mountain crafts that can be purchased here include woodcarving, pottery, quilting, painting, weaving, candlemaking, broommaking and more. The Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community lies just 3 miles from downtown Gatlinburg on U.S. 321 North.

The fall traveler can choose from either resorts, hotels and motels convenient to downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, or rustic cabins and chalets nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains. Most cabins provide spectacular views, along with such amenities as bubbling hot tubs, fully equipped kitchens, vaulted ceilings, outdoor decks and wood-burning fireplaces.

“With great weather, colorful foliage, a multitude of lively festivals and a diversity of accommodation choices, the Great Smoky Mountains provide the perfect fall vacation destination,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing for HotelsCorp.com. “And by purchasing discount vacation packages, hotels and attraction tickets online, you and you family can enjoy substantial savings on your fall getaway to the Smokies.”

Every sport has its “ultimate” challenge. Golf has the Augusta National - host of the Masters tournament, Tennis has the grass courts of Wimbledon, car racing has the Daytona International Speedway, home of the Daytona 500.

Mountain Biking has the Slickrock Bike Trail in Moab, Utah.

The Slickrock Bike Trail is a 9.6 mile trail which most experts consider to be “the ultimate mountain biking experience.” Theres plenty of “easy and scenic” bike trails as well, but for the ultimate ride, Slickrock is it.

Moab is located in eastern Utah, about 230 miles east of Salt Lake City, or 350 miles west of Denver, Colorado. The origin of the name of Moab for this once small town (incorporated in 1902) are unclear, but now the name is iconic for great mountain biking.

Moab isnt a big city - only about 5,000 people live there, but they get plenty of tourist traffic - so much so that youll find over thirty hotels and motels, ten bed and breakfasts, two resorts, 26 guest houses, and fifteen privately owned campgrounds. There are also over a dozen public campgrounds in the national parks nearby.

Tourists dont just come for the mountain biking, of course. Theres off-road jeep trails, hiking, camping, and motorcycling…theres even the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail, on which you can walk and see traces of dinosaur bones of a variety of species.

The first thing any visitor to Moab should do is visit their Visitors Center, which will have brochures for every activity under the sun, trail maps and more. If youre new to Moab you do not want to go anywhere without a selection of trailmaps, and you should never go anywhere without letting someone know where youre going and when you plan to be back. Better still, always hike or bike with a buddy who can help you out in case of trouble.

If youre a beginner, there are plenty of tour operators - mountain biking, white river rafting, skydiving - who can take you to the right places and ensure you have a good time.

As you ride along on your bike you may see others littering or misbehaving, and wonder why you are supposed to have the “least possible impact” on their environment…but thats just the way things are. Be responsible for your own personal “footprint”, even if you cant control what other people do.

Moab biking trails consist of whats called “Slick Rock.” Ill get to that in a little bit. For now, heres the list of good practices.

1) Ride only on open roads and trails 2) Learn to recognize and preserve cryptobiotic soil crusts. Okay - thats going to be tough. Wait until you get to Moab and then have someone point them out to you. 3) Avoid skidding your tires 4) When its wet, avoid clay- like surfaces. Stay on the rocky, slickrock or sandy areas 5) Dont ride along the sides of streams 6) Dont pollute the water resources

Mountain Bike Trails 1) Over 100,000 people a year ride on the Slick Rock Trail - so named because its a trail of “naked” sandstone - stone that can hold onto your bikes tires at “gravity defying angles.” The trail is rated a “Class 4″ - 4 being the hardest class.

The trail is twelve miles long, and if you werent concentrating on the ground in front of you youd see that it crosses an elevated platform of sandstone surrounded by cliffs - cut by the Colorado River over millions of years. Youll be able to view canyons, see Arches National Park across the river, and the La Sal Mountains on the eastern skyline.

The trail is a 12-mile long loop (if you dont take any side trips) and will take at least four hours. Make sure you bring a lot of extra water with you. You can bike on the trail from mid-February through November, but of course is most popular through spring and fall.

The trail is in the Sand Flats Recreation Area, and there is a small fee enter. The fee pays for the maintenance of the entire area.

2) The Porcupine Rim Trail, also located in the Sand Flats Recreation Area, is also rated a Category 4. This is a one way trail and takes about half-a-day to ride.

However, if your family is full of both skilled mountain bikers and beginners, dont despair. Theres plenty of other easy mountain biking trails in this beautiful area.- such as the Bar M Loop.

Just on the other side of the Mason Dixon line from Maryland, is Adams County, Pennsylvania, which was at one time a Quaker stronghold and a place where the Underground Railroad was active. William and Phebe Wright were two Quakers in the area who figured prominently in the Underground Railroad activities. They worked closely with sympathetic people in and near the town of Biglersville to help slaves find their way to freedom.

Student travel groups interested in exploring black history, the Civil War period, and the way in which in slavery has affected the fabric of the United States, will benefit from the Underground Railroad Tour of Adams County near Gettysburg. This tour works well with a student group travel tour of Washington D.C., Philadelphia, or New York City, because Gettysburg is just a two to three hour bus ride from these student travel destinations.

Here are some of the highlights of the Underground Railroad Tour:

Yellow Hill (church and cemetery) Yellow Hill was a central location for the Underground Railroad. Nearby resident Basil Biggs guided many fugitive slaves there. At Yellow Hill, slaves were given refuge until other residents and Quakers in the town hid and cared for them, protecting them from harm. Yellow Hill Church was burned at one time as a racist act. The Yellow Hill Cemetery contains the remains of many who lost their lives due to the tense circumstances of their time.

Quaker Meetinghouse (1880s) The Quaker faith proclaims an aversion to violence and a peaceful resistance to oppression. The Quaker Meetinghouse in Adams County served as a place to publicly voice opinion about the Abolitionist movement, and to organize effective acts against it. Throughout U.S. history Quakers have always been conscientious objectors to war. Student travel groups will learn about the Quaker perspective on Civil Rights and violence while touring the Underground Railroad and how their viewpoint directly impacted the Abolitionist movement.

U.S. Colored Troops Adams County was a central location between North and South, and Yellow Hill Cemetery is a historic site where many mysteries of that era are buried. Many students are unaware that U.S. Colored Troops who served in the Civil War are buried at Yellow Hill as well. This site serves as a reminder to student group travelers that there were indeed many casualties of racism in the United States and they date to the earliest periods in this country’s history.

Mathews Family The Mathews, an African American family who lived near Yellow Hill during the Civil War era, were destined to be involved in the secretive Underground Railroad. Student tour groups will listen to stories about many of the local families, including the Mathews, who helped over 1,000 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad in this area of Pennsylvania.

The Underground Railroad Tour of Adams County is perhaps one of the best active learning tools available to teach students about Black History. In addition to reading about the Underground Railroad, students may visit the historic sites and learn the stories about real people who helped operate the Underground Railroad. This adds a tangible element to learning about African American history and instills in students a real sense of the diversity inherent in our nation’s beginnings.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware is easily approachable from Washington, D.C. and is situated at the southern coast of Delaware. Sometimes referred to as Summer Capitol, Delaware is closer to New Jersey, New York and Mary land. The stretch of East Coast Beaches where Rehoboth Beach, Delaware is located comprises of plenty of beach resorts. The rustic atmosphere is what is attractive about Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Each year Rehoboth Beach, Delaware attracts thousands visitors. A small town of hardly few thousands manages to entertain the huge crowd with activities which would retain the customer base for the very survival of the town.
The various activities offered at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware include beachcombing, fishing, games and public concerts. The silver sands at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware are just a mile long, enough for a short stroll. You can walk around or rest for a while in the side benches. Enjoy the sand soaked in sun and relax in one of the excellent eateries. The Rehoboth Beach, Delaware is ready to offer you whatever you want. Something short of a heaven on earth is the beach at Delaware.
The fun oriented and useful craft session for the kids is for a week long and is very interesting. Along with the crafts, cookery is also taught and a very idea of learning new things makes the children happy and elated.
The regular restaurants offer verities of ethnic food to appease your hunger. Dos Locos is a specialty of the house which gives Mexican cuisine. Adriaticos offers a platter of North Italian Cuisine. If the kids are after fast foods, many quick restaurants can fill them up with whatever they want like cookies and chocolate fudge.
The lodging facilities along the sea coast are something remarkable. The hotels are designed to have the sea view. The sprawling landscapes along the boardwalk add a picturesque touch to the motels along the coastal line. The resting facilities are at various price ranges.
The eateries offer plenty of food. Many choices of cuisines from Mexican to North American will fill the platter. The shopping malls and the small shops along the side walks display the unusual collection of artifacts. You can choose any item of your choice from the hats to swim wears.

Rehoboth Beach gives you much more than any ordinary beach resort would part for you. Remember to take part in the social gatherings when you are here and the group activities. Do not forget to visit the museum preserving the past for the future generations.

Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canada Rocky Mountain area. As part of the World Heritage site, its environment is well preserved with protected eco systems. What you get to see is its most natural view, with beautiful, spectacular and rugged mountainous scene.

There are so many places of interest to visit within the Jasper National Park that you probably need at least a month to visit each of them, or am I grossly under estimating?

Well most visitors will not have the luxury to stay for a month or more. Mostly will stay for couple of weeks or so. With the limited times, which place should you visit?

To name a few, Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake, the Columbia Icefield and the Medicine Lake are not to be missed.

The Maligne Canyon which is formed some eight thousand years ago. You will get to see how water from the Maligne Lake cuts through the limestone bed, forming layers of crack lines gap. The hiking trail has 6 bridges, each provides you a unique angle to look at the waterfall. The third bridge is the best photo-taking spot.

The Maligne Lake is the largest and deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies. Strolling the lake on the Maligne Lake Cruise is an experience that you should not miss. The cruise will bring you to the famous Spirit Island which is a landmark icon of the Canadian Rockies that has been featured in many post card, travel magazine and publication.

The Columbia Icefield is another great attraction. It is one of the only icefield in the world that is accessible by road. Experience the 90-minute ride on the Ice Explorer and have a walk on the glacier. On average the glacier is loosing at a rate of about 30 meters per year. Every year in summer, the glacier is loosing about 80 meters and during winter, it only manage to replenish 50 meters. That is a typical example of global warming effect.

How can you miss the Medicine Lake? This lake is special because during the autumn, the lake water
disappears and in summer, the water re-appears. In recent years, scientists have discovered that at the bottom of the lake, there are cracks that probably lead to a huge underground cave system. This forms a natural flushing system. During late spring or early summer where the snow from mountains melted and flow to the lake, because the water is filling faster than it drains off from the cracks, water start to fill up the lake. Then in late summer, where most of the snow has melted, water flowing to the lake is lesser and water is draining faster and by end summer, most water would disappear.

Another great place to visit is the Jasper Park Lodge. It is as famous as the Banff Spring Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, as one of the key landmark in the Canadian Rockies. The difference is Jasper Park Lodge is basically cedar log cabins, that is in a rugged and yet a grand heritage resort. There are 3 hiking trails, the Lake Beauvert Loop (3.5 KM), Lake Annette Look (2.5 KM and Lake Edith Loop (4.5 KM). Walking along the trail, enjoying the beauty of the Canadian Rockies is a great experience. You may get to see some wild life like Elk, Deer or Goat.