Colorado High Roads Plowed Out for the Season

May 24, 2013

Winter road closures being lifted

Super-plows work to open Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Super-plows work to open Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Memorial Day Weekend is not the only sign that winter is really over when the high pass roads are open for the season, and where plows do their work, RVs will soon follow. The amount of plow power and man hours to open key routes over the Rockies are really quite staggering. No time to add them here, but a quick search can lead you to the stats and the stories. Here are some key highways of interest to road-trippers. In addition to these paved highways numerous unpaved state, county and Forest Service routes in the high country are not yet open.

In Colorado, the three signature high-country roads are open for Memorial Day Weekend: Independence Pass(CO 82) between Twin Lakes and Aspen; Trail Ridge Road (US 34)  through Rocky Mountain National Park between Estes Park and Grand Lake, opened today with the annual ceremony on the west side, and the Mount Evans Road (CO 5) from CO103 between Evergreen and Idaho Springs is open and once again fee-free. For the first time since 1997, visitors can make the 15-mile drive for free, thanks to the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition which been battling the U.S. Forest Service over what it believes are illegal fees for access to public lands. Don’t expect this victory to extend to units of the National Park Service, which unlike the Forest Service, are not “land of many uses” and rely on visitor fees and concessionaires for revenue.

Other mountain states (Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Montana) also have seasonal road closures — notably Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming and Montana), where openings of Dunraven Pass within the park and the Beartooth Highway at the northeast entrance have been delayed. In northern Montana, Going-to-the-Road in Glacier National Park is still being plowed out.

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Grueling Long-Distance Hike Becomes a Good Read

May 16, 2013

Step-by-step travel from Mexico to Canada

IIPromiseNotToSuffer-cover.jpm Promise Not to Suffer: A Fool for Love Hikes the Pacific Crest Trail is three books in one. It’s an experiential travel book, a memoir and a love story. Author Gail D. Storey weaves these three threads into one immensely readable book.

Since this blog is about travel, bear with me if I don’t write about anything other than travel part. This epic hike on the demanding, commanding Pacific Crest Trail involves 2,663 often grueling miles from the border with Mexico to the border with Canada. Gail writes eloquently and often with humor about the ups and downs — literally and figuratively.

Gail hiked with her husband Porter, a multi-talented physician with much more outdoor experience than she had, who also made their trail gear, cooked meals on the trail, navigated and encouraged his wife whose skill and confidence grew en route. Gail’s tales of the trail (poetic, huh?) recount how challenging, frustrating and rewarding such an endeavor can be. Think of it like Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods but on the other side of the country and with estrogen.

The logistics for the hike are complicated — obtaining a permit; planning, purchasing, packing and shipping supplies; figuring out what will be needed when, given the distances, changing weather and varied terrain. There are deserts to cross, mountains to climb and descend, rivers to ford, snow to navigate and encounters with wildlife from annoying gnats to a mountain lion that turned out to not be as menacing as she had feared. Plus the temperatures ranged from well below freezing to baking. Their goal was to cover 20 or more miles a day. Did I mention that they were not youngsters?

The Storeys planned to be through-hikers, accomplishing the entire trail in one season. Gail hiked nearly 900 hundred miles before exhaustion and the need to be with her terminally ill mother took their toll. Porter completed the hike, but Gail managed much more mileage than many other hikers. Some are segment hikers, clicking off trail sections over the years. Others finally quit — in the case of one Austrian who managed just four days before deciding to take a sightseeing trip through the US instead.

In case a reader is inspired to tackle a long-distance trail or just learn what goes into the prepartion, Gail includes several resource appendices — not enough to get anyone through a hike, but a good start in learning what needs to be done. If Gail were not a friend, I might not have bought this book*, but she is and I did and I’m glad. And I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading narrative travel, memoirs or love stories.

*Signed for me by both Gail and Porter.

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Udi’s at Denver’s Airport

May 10, 2013

Cross-posted to Culinary Colorado.

Denver International Airport’s food scene improves with addition of Udi’s

Udis-logoUdi’s Café & Bar is the newest food-service outlet at Denver International Airport’s busy Concourse B. It is Denver-based Udi’s ninth café location, and the only Udi’s at DIA,which is committed to improving eating options.The deal was struck with Mission Yogurt, Inc. (aka, Mission Restaurant Group), which appears to be the main (only?) food service concessionaire at DIA. As far as I can tell, it develops and operates terminal locations for various restaurant brands. I don’t understand the intricacies of the arrangement, and I don’t really care. What counts is more quality cuisine at the airport that I use whenever I travel.

And Udi’s is all about quality with a commitment to providing people with simple, healthy cuisine. Udi’s Café & Bar utilizes fresh, natural ingredients in its made-to-order salads, paninis, burgers and sandwiches. Like all Udi’s locations, only fresh artisan breads, baked daily in Colorado, are served, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available as well. So are fresh fruit, yogurt and desserts. For those in a hurry, a wide array of freshly made “grab-and-go” items such as gluten-free couscous, fruit cups, salads and sandwiches are available too.

The full-service bar at Udi’s Café & Bar features beers on tap and by the bottle, many local of them or gluten-free, plus signature cocktails and 10 varieties of absinthe from around the world. The initial media information didn’t mention wines, but I am confident that they will be served too.

Rod Tafoya and Udi Bar-On cut the ribbon for the new Udi's at Denver Internatonal Airport.

Rod Tafoya and Udi Bar-On cut the ribbon for the new Udi’s at Denver Internatonal Airport.

Mission Yogurt, Inc.’s DIA operations started with the Sara Lee Sandwich Shop/Colombo Yogurt, followed by Que Bueno! Mexican Grille, developed by the company’s president Rod Tafoya. Then came the busiest Einstein Bros Bagels franchise location in the nation, and Timberline Steaks & Grille, DIA’s highest grossing restaurant measured by sales In June, Mission Yogurt is opening an outlier of Root Down, one of Denver’s most innovative and distinctive restaurants.

These new restaurant brands are a departure for Mission, whose website also includes such run-of-the-mill airport brands as Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut — the kinds of places that cause many of us to bring food to the airport of go hungry. I am optimistic that the founders of the distinctive restaurant that are somehow being licensed for DIA will keep a large measure of menu development and control — and that Mission is OK with that.

Note: After this posted, a spokeswoman clarified, “Mission is one of the biggest concessionaires at DIA (I saw in your post you weren’t sure). The menus will remain true to the brands!” Good news indeed.

 

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Isle Royale NP Gets Set for Summer

May 9, 2013

Archipeligo in Lake Superior comprises distinct national park with short season

IsleRoyale-locatormapIsle Royale National Park, an archipelago of more than 400 islands in Lake Superior had been described as “the last nearly untouched American northern wilderness eco-system left in the United States.” Forever Resorts, which operates more than 70 resort and recreational properties in the United States, Europe
and Africa, is the concessionaire that operates at Rock Harbor Lodge and Windigo Harbor, the only lodging, dining, shopping and visitors’ services  in the Park.

Even more than most high-mountain national parks, Isle Royale’s is a short season from mid-May to Labor Day that provides a total disconnect from everyday life, and that’s what travelers treasure. Rock Harbor Lodge now offers regular experiential workshops and getaways on workshops on kayaking, photography, botany and more.

Rangers lead intepretrive waks on Isle Royale. (NPS photo)

Rangers lead interpretive walks on Isle Royale. (NPS photo)

There are four ways to get to the Park is half the fun, which many visitors think is half the fun. There are four options for public transport: The Ranger III, a custom-built boat commissioned in 1958 and now owned by the National Park Service transport visitors to the remote Park; ferries from   Houghton, Michigan and Grand Portage Minnesota, and  sea plane flying out of Houghton, Michigan. Cars are prohibited on the islands, but canoes and kayaks. Visitors traveling by ferry must make advance reservations.

A two- to four-hour crossing of Lake Superior terminates at Rock Harbor Marina or Tobin Harbor, billed as a “world apart” with many possibilities for hiking, boating, touring. Since this is such an unusual place, it is worthwhile to take a ranger-led talks and interpretive guided tour to fantastic historic sites and lighthouses in the Park.

Campers need to obtain backcountry/camping permit when staying overnight in a campground, at as dock or even anchoring out. Reservations are recommended for groups of more than seven. The Lighthouse Restaurant and Greenstone Grill are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee breaks and happy hour. Lodging options include comfortable lakeside motel-style rooms with picture windows and porches or inviting cabins in forested settings, all with kitchenettes and some with lake views. And, of course, there’s always camping options. Camper cottages are available at the Windigo/Washington Harbor Marina; other campsites are found throughout the park.

Water taxis take visitors to fish one of the remote inland lakes or hike on an island that’s not part of a typical tour on the Park’s main island? Two fully operational marinas are available for boaters and day trippers. Also, rental canoes, kayaks and motorboats and fishing charters are available for full-or-half-day excursions.  Up to  four buddies and buddyettes  can take off with an expert fishing guide into  some of the best angler-!

FoMoInfo about this exceptional National is found in the Isle Royale National Park’s 2013 Greenstone Newsletter or by  here.

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Frontier Airlines’ Ridiculous New Policies

May 3, 2013

Frontier-logoDoes Frontier Airlines really hate its customers? If not, why do they institute regulations designed to keep people from flying with them? New policies seem designed to coerce travelers into using their own website, effectively cutting out travel agents and independent booking sites.

  • Passengers who buy Frontier economy tickets purchase from travel agents or online booking services will have to pay between $25 and $100 to stow a carry-on bag in the overhead bin. Those who use the airline’s own website will be relieved of these charges. This ridiculous and unfriendly policy is to be put in place at some unannounced date this summer.
  • Frontier will start charging $25 for bags checked in at the airport but “only” $20 for checking in via the website. This goes into effect in June.
  • Frontier is also going to start charging $1.99 for non-booze beverages (soft drinks, coffee, tea or juice) for low-fare fliers. Water? I don’t know. Those who fly purchase on fully refundable tickets or pay for a Select Seat upgrade to the front of the cabin will still get free drinks. Whoopie!
  • But wait! There’s more! Mileage earned on low-fare tickets purchased any way other than Frontier’s website will be valued at 25% of miles flown, down from the current (and hardly generous) 50%. All tickets bought via the Frontier website continue to earn 100% of miles flown with bonus miles for upgraded economy seats and elite fliers, who might well be a diminishing group thanks to these new draconian policies.

And Frontier’s loss could well be Southwest’s gain — no matter how many7 cute animals appear on the aircraft rudders.

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Rockies Snowstorms Predictors of Good Rafting

May 2, 2013

Late-season snowfall benefits include roaring rivers for recreation

CROA-logoColorado’s late-season snowfall is giving the state’s whitewater enthusiasts high hopes for a successful rafting and kayaking season. We have been reading that each snowfall is a benefit to farmers and ranchers, and the snows of April and even May 1 snow boosted snowpack across the state and delayed the start of seasonal runoff. The Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA) is predicting a normal start to this year’s rafting season, which typically runs mid-May through mid-September.

“In 2012, Colorado saw virtually no snow after March, and that situation was compounded by a warm spring and several devastating wildfires that garnered national attention,” said CROA Executive Director David Costlow. “The state’s [spring] weather patterns give plenty of reason to think that more moisture will be in the forecast, thus adding to the snowpack and overall water levels. This puts outfitters on track to offer rafting throughout the typical rafting season.”

There are milder flatwater stretches on Colorado rivers and wilder, more treacherous ones as well, but none as adpatable at the Lower Animas near Durango. It is exciting enough for kids and rafting novices but not too boring for experienced rafters.

There are milder flatwater stretches on Colorado rivers and wilder, more treacherous ones as well, but none as adpatable at the Lower Animas near Durango. It is exciting enough for kids and rafting novices but not too boring for experienced rafters.

Colorado’s latest snows mean that the snowpack is approaching normal levels in many river drainages. While snowpack is not the only variable in determining water flow levels across the state, it is a good indicator for a healthy and strong rafting season. I’m not as plugged into other Western states, but hopefully, they too have seen late snows.

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Stanley Hotel Hosts Scary Filmfest

April 29, 2013

Colorado mountain hotel hosts festival of blood-curdling films

StanleyFilmFest-logoThe  inaugural Stanley Film Festival promises four days of horror films and other creepy diversions at the namesake hotel overlooking Estes Park that inspired Stephen King to write “The Shining.” I love the Stanley, but I won’t be there this weekend (May 2-5), because I don’t enjoy being creeped out and therefore avoid horror films — and that’s what the festival is all about. Chiller, the horror/suspense cable channel owned by the parent company of NBC News, is sponsoring the festival, and that seems like a good match– and a fabulous festival for those who enjoy the horror film genre.

Mysterious experiences have been a part of the hotel’s history almost since it opened in 1909. For instance, hHousekeeper Elizabeth Wilson was injured in an explosion just two yuers after the hotel opened while she was lighting lanterns in Room 217. She survived but guests have reported sensing her presence in the room ever since. Others have reported lights flicking on and off, doors opening and closing and laughter and footsteps without apparent source elsewhere in the hotel.

Welcome to the Stanley -- and a weekend of horror (films).

Welcome to the Stanley — and a weekend of horror (films).

Such paranormal antics gave King the idea to write “The Shining.” He and his wife were staying at the hotel in the fall of 1974 at the time that it was being closed down for the winter. As the only guests on site, they ate in the grand dining room alone, walked the empty corridors alone and retired to their room — 217, of course — alone. Except, that is, for the young child they reportedly encountered even though there were no children were visiting the hotel at the time. The rest, as they say, is bestseller, film and TV history.

Back to the festival, it has booked nearly two dozen feature films and a selection of shorts and student movies with such spine-tingling names as “100 Bloody Acres,” “Maniac” and “Here Somes the Devil.” And I promise not to be anywhere near there. But if horror and mystery and paranormal are your thing, you can buy a multi-event package (including lodging), festival pass (no lodging) or individual ticket. Click here for details. I’ll bet a lot of guests sleep with their room lights on thie weekend.

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Bye-Bye to Frequent Flyer Programs?

April 22, 2013

Travel expert and advocate Christopher Elliott thinks so

frequentflyermiles“Did anyone pay attention when Robert Shiller warned about the real estate bubble or Nouriel Roubini sounded the alarm bells about the impending global economic crisis? Probably not as much as they should have. So feel free to ignore this one, too: travel loyalty programs — and particularly airline programs — are a bubble. And it may be about to pop,” so wrote Christopher Elliott in “The Next Bubble? Travel Legacy Programs.”

He predicts the demise (or shrinkage) of travel loyalty programs, discussing unclaimed reward miles, how airline are tightening their programs and why he thinks that miles should be redeemed ASAP. As usual, I feel that when Chris talks, we should all listen — and when he posts, we should all read. My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy, and we are antiticipating using miles to get there (and back). It’s the travel equivalent of “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

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Free Wildflower Walks at Big Bear Lake

April 16, 2013

SoCal resort town shows off endemic (and other) wildflowers

Yellow Lily

Yellow Lily

Visitors who want a break from Disney and Hollywood and the Venice Beach scene can head 100 miles northeast to Big Bear, a resort community that is home to more than 20 endemic wildflowers, which means that these species are not seen anywhere else in the world. This spring, visitors have an opportunity to see these rare flowers up close at the state-run Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve. A botanist and volunteers from the Southern California Mountains Foundation lead these free interpretive wildflower that  depart at 11:30 a.m. each Saturday now through June 29. An option is to follow a half-mile trail, a loop with 11 marked posts that point out key facts about the pebble plains and the rare wildflowers that grace it.

The Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve is east of Big Bear Lake in an open plain covered by small quartz pebbles with low-growing, tufted plants rooted in the crevices. During the Pleistocene era some 10,000 years ago, the area was a glacier lake that formed the clay soil of the pebble plains. The combination of unique soils, thousands of years of the swelling and shrinking of the soils, annual freezing conditions and isolation from other similar areas has the opportunity for the development of various floral species found nowhere else on Earth. Think Darwin’s finches.

The  Baldwin Lake pebble plains area is so unique that it has been compared to coral reefs with more than 20 species in a square mile. Wildflowers such as Cushenberry Buckwheat, Douglas’ Violets, Big Bear Valley Phlox, Ash Grey Paintbrush, Parish’s Daisies and Bear Valley Sandwort can be seen in the pebble plains. The pin-cushion blooms create a landscape with shades of yellow, purple and red. As the season progresses new waves of flowers bloom. Most species are only about one inch high and are nicknamed “belly flowers,” because these plants are best appreciated close-up while lying flat on ones belly. The best time to visit and enjoy the Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve is during April and early May when wildflowers are blooming and the temperature is relatively cool.

The Reserve can be accessed by driving east of Big Bear Lake on Highway 18. Look for roadside signage that marks the entrance. Good footwear is recommended. Parking and restrooms are available.

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The Hotel Jerome’s Latest Snazziest Makeover

April 10, 2013

Aspen landmark’s latest makeover is one of timeless elegance

HotelJerome-logoI moved to Colorado in the summer of 1988, and a very few winters later went to Aspen for the grand opening of the hotel that had been newly renovated in time for its centennial. The restored and massively upgraded Hotel Jerome lifted what was an outdated, even shabby old property into the stratosphere of luxury and high Victorian style. But the luxury bar has been raised in the last two decades, and the most recent renovation that was truly stem to stern was completed in mid-December. I’ve just experienced it — and it is, again, a WOW!

The mechanical systems have been upgraded, some public spaces have been reassigned, the interior design has shifted from Victorian to timeless classic elegance, a spa has been added and the rooms are now technologically up to date. All that has been accomplished with the hotel still maintaining the feel and ambiance that are such hallmarks of Aspen at its best and most stylish. Remarkably, it was all accomplished in four-and-a-half short months.

The guest rooms are all different, but this was mine. It featured the most luxurious bedding -- fabulous linens, huge down-filled pillows and the ultimate down comforter.

The guest rooms are all different, but this was mine. It featured the most luxurious bedding — fabulous linens, huge down-filled pillows and the ultimate down comforter.

Across the room is the tech center -- huge flat-screen TV, personal iPad and controls and outlets for all manner of hotel and guest devices.

Across the room is the tech center — huge flat-screen TV, personal iPad and controls and outlets for all manner of hotel and guests’ devices.

 

Prospect is the stylish breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant.

Prospect is the stylish breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant.

This baked beauty is one of the biggest, flakiest croissants I've had this side of Paris -- served with fresh-butter and house-made preserves.

This baked beauty is one of the biggest, flakiest croissants I’ve had this side of Paris — served with fresh-butter and house-made preserves.

The historic Jerome is new again, but I just can’t wrap my head around calling it “The Hotel Jerome, An Auberge Resort” — although I suppoed the current owners do deserve to call it whatever they wish after a total renovation that ran into many millions.

The hotel is at 330 East Main Street, Aspen; 800-331-7213 and 970-920-1000.

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