10 Gems of Largely Undiscovered Slovenia, Courtesy of Our Friends

beautiful Lake Bled

Please see the end of the post for discounts on Slovenian apartments and day trips.

We had such low expectations of Slovenia. It is not exactly off-the-beaten-path but neither is it top of mind when you think of going to Europe. But we had had not seen our long-time Slovenian friends for six years and our new American First Lady comes from Slovenia. When we got to Washington DC for our flight to London where we had a connecting flight to its capital, Ljubljana, we were told that Primera Air had just declared bankruptcy and was no longer flying as of that day. Tough luck! We had to shell out $3,500+ for new tickets. Our Slovenian visit just became very expensive!

But as soon as our Easy Jet flight made the approach, we saw how lovely it is: verdant green with purple mountains streaked with white. I was fascinated by the spruce trees of near whitebark I saw as our shuttle made its way. They looked like evergreen brothers of birches or aspens. We started to feel good!

the Central Market

Imagine our surprise when we found out that the apartment our friend Katarina was letting us use from her stable of units is right in front of the massive Central Market whose stall come alive every day at 7 am with all the goodies farmers and other vendors have to offer. Just to the left of her building is the funicular that led to the Ljubljana Grad (Castle) from where you can get the best aerial view of the city. At the Castle grounds, we found an exhibit of Slovenian mythology, front, and center of which is the dragon. To the right of her building is the walking path to the castle, right after her office where she offers day trips. It was good to know that all of Slovenia is reachable in a day.

view of Ljubljana from the Tower of the  Castle

the Fountaiin and St. Nicholas Church at the background

Just a few steps after her building and the Market you will get to the pedestrian, cobble-stoned Old Historic Center. Little electric shuttle cars are available for those who are tired from walking. Just half a block and you get to the yellow St. Nicholas Church and its massive unique doors. The Fountain is not far from the church. If you turn right you will immediately get to the Ljubljana River with the Three Bridges that lead to the Pink Church. The river is punctuated by other bridges, most notably the Dragon Bridge to the right and the Shoemakers’ Bridge to the left.  

To the left of the Pink Church are the shopping areas. Mustering the strength not to buy too much, we found the city’s green oasis, the Tivoli Park, at the end. There are two art galleries at its entrance and the long promenade, lined with Slovenia’s classic paintings, leads to a former castle that had also been turned into a beautiful art gallery up the hill.

the mystery at Tivoli Park

Katarina customized, per my request, a combination of two-day trips to be done in one day, setting aside the tour of the Lippizans which we have seen in Florida. Luckily, an Australian couple loved the idea and joined us in a small van with a guide to visit three unforgettable destinations south of Ljubljana.

Our first stop was the Postojna Jama (Cave). I almost wanted to remove it from the itinerary, too, since we have seen so many caves around the world. OMG, I am glad we did not! All of its 24 kilometers of viewable areas were accessible by trains and short walks and are all very well-lighted. We climbed the highest point, descended to the lowest, of the whole hill inside the cave! We explored the Dance and Concert Halls and were fascinated by gleaming pure calcite pillars, the colorful iron oxide curtains, and white spaghetti sprouts. They were grand formations we have never seen before.

beautiful curtains of Postojna Jama 

Part of the Park and just about fifteen minutes away, is what is called Predjama Grad, a unique castle built onto a smaller cave. We saw the older portions of the castle carved into the cave and the newer parts at the cave’s opening that were built to make the castle more comfortable for the owners. There is a fireplace in the bedroom, a kitchen, a dining room, a cellar, a water collection cistern, a chapel, and servants’ quarters. But it is the defense structures that were unique: a solid entrance with a drawbridge, an armory, shooting holes, and narrow openings for the guns and cannons. What an interesting castle built, not primarily for the luxury like others, but for maximum defense.  

unique Predjama Grad

And we continued south to the 43 kilometers of Slovenian coastline In the city of Piran where the finest sea salt in the world is produced. After a sumptuous seafood lunch, we descended into the spit where the red rooftops made for a beautiful scene, very much like in Croatia. To the left one can see Croatia’s coast, to right Italy’s, and up the hill stands a Catholic Church and a monastery from the 1600s.

ice cream at the tip of the coastline in Piran with  a view of the Italian coast 

That night Katarina drove us to Bled and, on the way, we relished the burgers at the only MacDonalds in Slovenia. Then she brought us to one of the rental apartments of another friend, Jure, for our next tour day. Imagine our thrill when we found out it was right on Lake Bled. We could see the lights of the other castle on the hill but it was In the morning when we were left awestruck by all the beauty around.  

Jure picked us up the next day and the three of us began our slow walk around the six-kilometer perimeter of the lake. We stopped several times so we can take many photos at different angles of the famous church on the island in the middle of Lake Bled Colorful boats regularly brought tourists to and from the castle. We also stopped for coffee and to admire the work of a painter which were different perspectives of the famous scene. Jure bought me a small one and the painter proceeded to paint the three of us at the back of the painting, signed it, making permanent our “moment in time.”

the twin falls at the end of Vintgar Gorge

After lunch at the oldest local dishes restaurant in town, Jure took us to Vintgar Gorge, a 1.6-kilometer gorge created by the Radovna River. The stream is so clear you can see the fish, logs, and rocks in the not-so-deep waters. As we walked the long, narrow boardwalk, we saw the boulders that punctuated the waters, creating gushing little waterfalls. Towards the end, you will find the larger twin falls, crowned by a tall arch bridge where trains ran. It was such a pretty scene.

By that time we had walked 9.2 miles and were tired but Jure wanted us to see the largely unexplored, more pristine, and the bigger lake known as Lake Bohinj. On the way and back, he happily told us about the Slovenian countryside and rural life: the identical little churches in every village, the unique kozolecs or hayracks for drying hay and corn or even store wood, and the small garden each Slovenian home nurtured from where the family gets their own favorite vegetables. 

   

Lake Bohinj

We saw so much more in three days than we had ever planned. Having Slovenian friends host us was our definite advantage. As a matter of fact, we were also able to sample many local dishes. My next post is a deeper look into Slovenian cuisine and why they are so delicious and healthy. There is a reason obesity is nonexistent in the country. But for now, $3,500 seems so small compared to the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual satisfaction we found on this short but comprehensive trip of the largely undiscovered gem that Slovenia is!

IMPORTANT NOTE

For those who want great rates on Katrina's centrally-located  Ljubljana apartments featured in Airbnb, please click CENTRALLY-LOCATED LJUBLJANA APARTMENTS. For discounts on the day trips she organizes, please go to her website TRIP YOUR DAY. Mention “Carol Colborn Blog” in your inquiry for both apartments and day trips and get the 10% discount for any booking(s) you make.

For those who want to rent any of the six sought-after lake view apartment units of Jure on Lake Bled, please click LAKEVIEW APARTMENTS ON LAKE BLED. 

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MEETING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHILE TRAVELING

And I’m not talking about beauty contest winners, gorgeous glamorous celebrities, or as-yet undiscovered alluring beauties. My definition of “beautiful” in this post is “of a very high standard; excellent.” As travelers, we get exposed to many unfamiliar, uncomfortable, unnerving situations. During such trying times, when you meet people whom you don’t even know but step up to help with a kindness of the highest order, consider yourself lucky. You have just come across a beautiful person.

Nine years ago, Bill and I had just gotten married and we flew to the Philippines to introduce my home country to my new groom. On the way back, we passed by Taipei, Taiwan to visit his friend for a couple of weeks. The small country island was easy to visit with the High-Speed Rail System that can take you from Taipei, the northernmost capital to Kaohsiung, the southernmost urban center in just 2 ½ hours.  One of our day trips using the system was to Tainan on the southwestern side.

Taiwan’s capital for 200 years during the Koxinga and Qing dynasties, Tainan boasts of many old fortresses, historic temples, and rich folk cultures.  After visiting Fort Provintia, the old Dutch fortress, and the oldest Confucian Temple of Taiwan, we took the bus to the Taiwan Salt Museum in the Qigu suburban district. The bus driver did not speak a word of English but took pains to help us understand that we better be on the same spot where he let us off at 3 pm, the last bus back to Tainan. 

Taiwan Salt Museum

The Museum consists of a huge salt mountain, salt spas, and the building housing the exhibits built on the site of what was once the country’s largest sea salt field after the salt mines ceased operations in 2002. As luck would have it, we missed the bus! After anxious moments with the non-English speaking staff, the Manager came and ordered a taxi for us. It came an hour later by which time I was already hungry. We could only find a cup of coffee for Bill. Inside the cab, the driver noticed me, stopped the cab, got out, opened the trunk, and handed me the best crackers I have ever tasted!

After the Taiwan trip, we decided to extend our honeymoon by driving an RV all over North America. We bought a 24-foot Class C and traveled from Seattle to Boise, to Calgary then to Alaska through the Alaska Highway up to the Arctic Circle, down the West Coast to the US Southwest. Then we got ready for our three-week tour of Mexico from Nogales, Arizona through Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Mazatlan, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Saltillo, San Luis Potosi, Monterrey, and Laredo, Texas. Actually, many friends were convincing us it wasn’t safe to RV in Mexico but no one could stop us from this next adventure.  We felt we were on a roll!

our RV at the hotel parking lot

From Nogales, Arizona, our first stop was Hermosillo, Mexico. Our RV Park was right along the highway; it was easy to find. It was quite unnerving, however, that we were the lone RV in the Park. The next night, we had a more difficult time looking for our Park.  We stopped at a gas station to fill up and, in broken Spanish, asked about where the Los Mochis Trailer Park could be. Two rough looking young men in the beaten-up car in front of us looked at the address I had scribbled on a piece of paper and quickly motioned us to follow them. The next twenty minutes were agonizingly uncomfortable. But they did lead us to Hotel Los Mochis.  It turned out our RV Park is the hotel’s back parking lot! The young men refused the pesos we offered for their help. That night we may have been again the lone RV but no fear settled in. We had just met two beautiful people. We would meet many more in Mexico. 

In 2014, we were on a UK road trip on the way to my youngest daughter’s wedding at the Guthrie Castle in Scotland. I was with my husband, my eldest daughter, and her daughter.  The road trip was to take us from London to Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, Wales back to the Windsor Castle and London before the flight to Edinburgh. With plenty of sight-seeing planned, our hotel stays were going to be just sleeping time. Our first night was at the Farmers Hotel, between Stonehenge and Bath in the town of Warminster.

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Farmers Hotel

The building was 300 years old. It was difficult getting our luggage up the narrow, convoluted stairway. But the beds were comfy. We quickly went down to the Italian Restaurant on the premises. Our pasta and pizza dinner was delicious, but it was the company that was remarkable. The hotel was run by a small Italian family. The father was the Manager, his three sons, the Chef, the waiter and the butler, and his daughter, the cashier. That evening our families became one. The Chef was so happy he gave us tons of free dessert. The father invited us to watch the World Cup Championships on TV. Although England lost, it was such a fun night. My granddaughter got up early the next day to buy a potted plant as a gift to the family. Lots of souvenir photos were taken before we headed out for Bath.

the family of beautiful people with my family

Luxurious facilities, excellent location, wonderful amenities may make the most popular lodging options, but places like Farmers Hotel are one in a million. My daughter thanked me profusely for selecting the hotel.  Today, my daughter and I still keep in touch with the daughter through Facebook. This small Warminster family, the two Mexican young men, and the Chinese taxi driver are some of the most beautiful people we have ever met. When you travel, you get the chance to meet many! 

Note: Headline Photo is from the "Top 12 Most Beautiful People in The World" post of Sarah Salman in the WondersList Blog

MAKE YOUR ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME DREAM LUXURY RETREAT A REALITY

Ever dreamed of a vacation that would give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience? For me, it would be a family reunion in a luxury dream house at a wildly extraordinary setting. We are an international family. My eldest daughter, her husband, and three children are in San Francisco; my second, her hubby, and three boys make Calgary their home; and my youngest, her husband, and a toddler-son have just migrated to Melbourne.  My husband and I live in Phoenix so when it gets too hot, I visit my daughters. On the other hand, when it gets too cold for them, they visit us.

Sometimes, when our schedules conflict we get together somewhere else in the world. Once we rented a 4 BR home in Calgary. Another time we spent in two 2 BR units at our Phoenix timeshare. Most recently, we booked four rooms at a Las Vegas Hotel. We like to step our reunions up a notch each time. This year, turning seventy, I am reminded of the average lifespan of an Asian-American female in America is eighty-nine. It’s absolutely time for an unforgettable upgrade.  

That’s when this link to twenty-one exclusive villas gave me a great idea.  I am sure my family would love a well-deserved holiday in one of these grand homes at the fabulous Lake Como in Italy. I have been to Italian vineyards, coastal towns, and culture hubs but not to the Italian Lakes District that stretches across Northern Italy in the Lombardy Region. I heard it is quite spendy so I previously thought it may be out of our league.

The most famous of the lakes is Lake Como which begins relatively flat at its southern end, becoming more mountainous as you head northwards into the Alpine foothills. Views are dramatic with some peaks towering slightly above the tree-line. It is one of the deepest lakes in Europe since its bottom is more than 660 feet below sea level. The absolutely charming town of Bellagio is at the intersection of the three branches of the upside-down Y that is the shape of the lake.

Bellagio at nighttime

Lake Como’s beauty has been loved since Roman times when Europe’s privileged few started setting up castles and villas. These are now the settings for films like Casino Royale, Star Wars, Julia & Julia, Ocean’s Twelve, and Man on Fire. Many of them are now owned by heads-of-state, wealthy businessmen, and celebrities like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Helen Mirren, Woody Allen, and Donatella Versace.

Villa Oleandra, George Clooney's villa

In 2014, The Huffington Post called Lake Como the most beautiful lake in the world for its microclimate and environment with prestigious villas and villages. The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote in 1818: "This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty, with the exception of the arbutus islands of Killarney. It is long and narrow, and has the appearance of a mighty river winding among the mountains and the forests." Indeed this is the extraordinary setting I have been looking for.

Bellagio at daytime

I imagine the whole family going up the funicular in Como, marveling at the spectacular view, going up to the beautiful mountain town of Brunate, and hiking over to the Volta Lighthouse for an even better view. The men will have a round of golf at the Monticello Golf Club, play tennis at the Villa D'Este, engage in other water sports or even rent boats to fish. My pilot husband can even fly a seaplane over the scenic lake. The women can take a leisurely walk on the 10km walkway on the west side, stopping for outstanding mountain vistas, fabulous lake views, and picturesque hillsides covered with elegant villas. I see us stopping at every little town to sample each gelateria we find (and every shop, of course).

Villa Carlotta

Old villas like the Carlotta in Tremezzo are must-sees with their views, sculptures, and artworks. They have admirable gardens that thrive in a climate that can even host tropical plants. But of all the twenty-one luxury retreat villas I looked at, Villa Bianca is ideal for my family. It is 60 minutes from the airport, a short drive to Bellagio, and a 3-minute walk to the local Catholic Church. Como, Lecco, Milano, and other resort towns are within an easy 90-minute drive or less. Superb location.

Villa Bianca

The formal dining table seats twelve so the three kiddos can just have their meals at the small table nearby. There is an ensuite master bedroom for my husband and me. Three other bedrooms with double beds would be perfect for the three couples, sharing three bathrooms with the three rooms equipped with twin beds for the grandkids, except for the two-year-old who'll sleep with Mom and Dad. There is a heated pool on the large terrace with fantastic views of the lake. We can also gather in the living room with a fireplace and a large satellite TV with Sensurround sound. Wifi is available throughout the house. There's a fitness room with a treadmill, ping pong, and billiards tables.

Surprisingly, it is affordable at five thousand dollars for 3 days and two nights.  This luxury retreat in Lake Como is only a couple of hundred dollars more than the regular increases we have convinced ourselves to pay each time we stepped up our reunions from the Calgary house to the two 2br timeshare condos in Phoenix, and then to the four Vegas hotel rooms. This time, however, the step up in quality would be huge. We will become an aristocratic family for once!

It was Mark Twain who said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.” I may not even have twenty years left in me. It is time. Whether you are a couple, classmates, officemate, friends, or a big family like us, it is time to make your dream come true. The luxury retreat you've been dreaming of is out there. Realizza i tuoi soani!

Note: Photos lifted out of Wikipedia and Wikitravel

3 TOP PHOENIX LANDMARKS THAT WILL CAPTIVATE YOU

The day after Bill’s daughter and granddaughter left, my friend from the Philippines, June came to visit me. She arrived in the early afternoon. It was her birthday so we immediately took her to a posh dinner hosted in her honor by her former classmate at the UP College of Medicine in Manila and now a successful pediatric cardiologist in Phoenix, Dr. Ernie Alboliras.

Wrigley’s Mansion

Ernie treated us to a classy night at the Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, Arizona, a landmark building constructed between 1929 and 1931 by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. It sits atop a 100-foot knoll with views of greater southern Phoenix. In July 1992, Geordie Hormel bought the mansion and, due to zoning regulations, made it available for private functions as a private club.   

It was built in a mix of styles, including Spanish Colonial, at a cost of $1.2 million. With 24 rooms and 12 bathrooms in over 16,000 square feet, it is the smallest of the Wrigley houses used for only a few weeks a year. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, it has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. Unfortunately, in 1932 shortly after its completion, Wrigley died. 

We have celebrated Christmas or New Year’s Eve at the upscale Arizona Biltmore (also owned by Wrigley) and the high-end Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel. But we should have chosen the Wrigley Mansion, too. It has the unbeatable trio of location, food and service par excellence plus glorious history to boot.  We were captivated by the experience especially after we sat with the glorious Phoenix sunset from the picture window at Table 101.

Musical Instrument Museum

June had said that she wanted to see museums and nature. So the following day, we took her first to one of the Top 20 museums in America and the top Phoenix attraction, the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). Luckily, Sunny, a colleague from the UP Alumni Association-Arizona Chapter which we had founded, is the Museum Writer/Editor. With her 50% discount, we only had to pay $10 per person. Even without it, the Museum is worth every penny.

The MIM was opened in April 2010. It is the largest museum of its type in the world with a collection of over 15,000 musical instruments. There are examples from every inhabited continent and almost 200 countries. Former Chairman/CEO of Target Robert Ulrich and his friend Marc Felix were inspired when they visited the Instrument Museum in Brussels. They were then guided by the Musee de la Musique in Paris during its construction. The three hours we reserved for the tour was woefully inadequate. MIM is huge at 200,000 sqft in two well-lit floors built at a cost of $250 million.

The Lower Galleries include The Artist Gallery which features world-renowned musicians and music innovators such as John Lennon and Elvis Presley; the Experience Gallery where guests can touch, play, and hear different instruments; the Mechanical Music Gallery with musical instruments that “play themselves;” the Target Gallery for special exhibitions (closed when we went); and the Conservation Lab. A Café, a Museum store, and a concert hall, the Music Theater, complete the floor.

The Upper Level is composed of Geographical Galleries that focus on five major world regions: Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Oceania, Europe, Latin America, and United States/Canada. Larger countries like the United States, Mexico, India, China, and Brazil have multiple displays with subsections for ethnic, folk, and tribal music. But the Philippine collection was disappointingly small.

MIM is a unique musical experience. Exhibits are accompanied by flat screen high-res videos. We listened to the performances by great artists and local musicians through a wireless guidePORT and headphones that are activated automatically when you are near the exhibit. MIM, alive with the sound of music, captivated us. The entrance sign, “Music is the language of the soul,”didn’t disappoint.

Tortilla Flat

For the nature part, we took June for a drive to the Superstition Mountain area. Just like Bill’s family, she also got brief visits to the Superstition Mountain Museum, the Elvis Chapel, and the Goldfield Ghost Town. But we reached only up to where Dolly Steamboat was docked on Canyon Lake. We did not go to Tortilla Flat, just ten minutes more of driving farther into the mountain, at the far end of the lake. We took June there and she got a lot of desert scenery, like the yellow mountains I love!

Tortilla Flat is a small unincorporated town on the last surviving stagecoach stop along the Apache Trail. It is the smallest community, with a population of 6, that has a U.S. Post Office and a voter's precinct. Once a camping ground for gold prospectors, the town later became a freight camp for the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. A 1942 flood pushed many residents away. In 1998, an Indiana farmer bought the town and today, there are a small store and a restaurant serving great Southwest cuisine. Many hiking trails of the Superstition Mountain area start there.

This little place oozed with the West: the hanging man, the saddle bar stools, the old jukebox, and the food! There was even a good selection of ice cream at the store so we had the desert’s great dessert. $1 bills covered every single inch of the walls and June signed and stuck one of hers to the littlest empty spot she could find. But the best experience was saved for the last. All those we met advised us to not miss the restrooms when we told them we were going to Tortilla Flat. Let me tell you that, If you weren’t captivated by the end of your meal, this one surely will.

June was enthralled by these three landmarks. She also loved the pace we followed: a stark contrast to the time Bill’s family was with us. For an accomplished member of the Committee on Torture of the UN High Commission on Human Rights, a practicing psychiatrist, and a speaker/teacher, she had been on a two-month trip and welcomed the change in pace.  We just went to one place a day and lounged around the rest of the day, playing a bit of tennis, or moving a little at the Fitness Center. In fact, she was so captivated by the resort lifestyle and inquired about how to buy a place in Viewpoint.

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Here Are 10 Day Trips from Phoenix You Won't Regret Doing

One of the biggest benefits of settling down to a home is you get visits from family and friends. We just had two in the first week of June. The first was Bill’s second child and first daughter Suzanne who arrived from Denver with her daughter, Cassie on June 1. Suzanne’s birthday was on June 4 so we were even able to celebrate it at home, right before their flight back home that evening.

the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel

Cassie had enjoyed Yellowstone National Park so much as a summer volunteer so she has made it a life goal to visit as many national parks and monuments as she can. Bill gladly obliged and drove them to ten-day trips around the city, six of them down that alley. Right after picking them up from Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, Bill took them to the Desert Botanical Garden before going home to Vietnamese lettuce wraps I prepared for dinner.  I didn’t go so I can’t write about it. But they were oohing and aahing about it.

The next day, Bill drove east towards Apache Junction on State Route 88. Not even thirty minutes from our home is the Superstition Mountain Museum, a 12-acre compound where many western movies were filmed, including those of Elvis. In fact, an Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel is onsite. The whole area is set against the beautiful Superstition Mountain. Just around the bend is the Goldfield Ghost Town, with authentic remnants of a mining town. There is a small train that goes around for tours. During winter when the snow birders are around, a gunfight is staged every hour in the afternoons. There is a Bordello, a chapel, a bakery, and even a Reptile Museum. We had lunch at the Saloon.

Tonto National Monument, Lower Cliff Dwelling

But we knew Cassie’s interest so we took her to the other side of the mountain, to the Tonto National Monument.   The Salt River runs through this area as a precious year-round source of water. Well-preserved Lower and Upper Cliff Dwellings were occupied by the Salados who produced some of the best polychrome pottery and intricately woven textiles during the 13^th to early 15th centuries. Their cliff dwellings now look out to the Roosevelt Dam recreational area.

Canyon Lake from the Dolly Steamboat

We got back to State Route 88 to continue on to Canyon Lake where the Dolly Steamboat is docked. We had reserved seats on the evening cruise with dinner. Two years ago, this was how we celebrated our eighth anniversary. Back then we saw a lot of desert wildlife but this time around, we only saw a blue heron. Still, we loved Canyon Lake with the magnificent rock formations surrounding it, its many coves, and the toys of the big boys speeding on the lake. Dinner consisted of tri-tip steak and grilled chicken breast with lots of salad, roasted veggies, pies for dessert, and wine and lemonade for the beverage.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

More national monuments beckoned to the south/southwest of Phoenix. The following day, we visited Casa Grande Ruins near Casa Grande City. It consists of Hohokam ruins surrounded by a compound wall built in the early 13th century. "Casa Grande" is Spanish for "big house," referring to the biggest structure, the remains of a four-story building. After being abandoned by 1450, it has managed to survive extreme weather conditions for about seven centuries. A modern roof protects it now.

Biosphere 2

Before she found out about the many national parks and monuments of Arizona, Cassie’s main interest was Biosphere 2, an American Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona, about an hour south of Casa Grande. The 3.14-acre complex was originally built to be an artificial, closed ecological system meant to prove the viability of such systems to support and maintain our lives in outer space. Today, it still is the largest closed system ever created.  

Seven biomes were created: rainforest, ocean, mangrove wetlands, savannah grassland, fog desert, agricultural system, and human habitat. The two-year experiment involved eight humans called "biospherians". Below ground is an extensive technical infrastructure that supports Biosphere 2.  During the middle of the second experiment, the managing company, Space Biosphere Ventures, was dissolved, and Columbia University assumed management of the facility from 1995 until 2003. The University of Arizona took over research in 2007 and full ownership in 2011.

crested saguaro

Just an hour from Biosphere 2 stands the Saguaro National Park. It consists of two separate areas—the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about 10 miles (16 km) east of the city. Both preserve Sonoran Desert landscapes, fauna, and flora, including the giant saguaro and its unusual variant, the crested saguaro.

Tumacacori National Historical Park

We barely had time but Cassie wanted to go farther south, forty-five minutes from Tucson, to the Tumacácori National Historical Park.  We arrived fifteen minutes before close time but it was all worth it. It became her favorite stop! There are three separate units in 360 acres. Established in 1691, Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori and Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi, are the oldest missions. In the 1750s, the Franciscan Mission San José de Tumacácori replaced the San Cayetano Mission and is the one open to the public. The third mission established in 1756, Mission San Cayetano de Calabazas, and the Guevavi Mission can only be visited on reserved tours by the Park staff.

Montezuma Castle

On their last day, Bill drove for two hours north of Phoenix on Interstate 17 to the Montezuma Castle National Monument. The best-preserved dwellings were built and used by the Sinaguas, a pre-Columbian culture between 1100 and 1425 AD. The “Castle” has five stories and twenty rooms, built over three centuries, about 90 feet up a sheer limestone cliff, facing Beaver Creek. This ideal location inside a natural alcove also made it difficult for enemy tribes to penetrate their defenses. Almost 4,000 square feet of floor space are accessible most likely through portable ladders. At the next exit lies Montezuma Well, a natural limestone sinkhole also containing Sinagua dwellings perched on the walls. It is a mystery how so much water, 1.5 m gallons daily, can collect in the desert sinkhole.

Tuzigoot National Monument

As the last stop, Tuzigoot National Monument was a unique place. It preserves a 2- to 3-story pueblo ruin on the summit of a limestone and sandstone ridge. Situated near Clarkdale, Arizona, the ridge stands 120 feet above the Verde River Valley. The Tuzigoot Site is an elongated complex of 110 stone masonry rooms that were built along the spine of this outcrop. The central rooms stand higher than the others, maybe for public functions. The rooms incorporate few doors and use, instead, trapdoor type openings in the roofs with ladders for entry. Tuzigoot is the largest and best preserved of all the Sinagua ruins.

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Cassie was so happy. Her US Passport Book collected six stamps during this trip. She also collected tokens from each one. She will surely come back to finish the rest sometime in the future. That will be the other ten-day trip she will not regret going to!

USEFUL SPREADSHEET+RESOURCE LIST FOR MAXIMIZING FUN ON THE GO

with the Naked Cowboy in New York City

These are the words I found in dictionary.com that define FUN:  what makes you smile/laugh/feel happy; not necessarily free-spirited or structured, ordinary or out-of-the-ordinary, just lighthearted or deeply intense, simply the first time and pioneering or repetitive and memorable, or alone or with someone.  This string of contrasting words led me to create a spreadsheet to remind me of ways to have fun whenever and wherever I am. This would be useful so I don’t do the same things again and again and later find I've been forgetting others.  

There are two columns: Alone or With Someone. There are four categories on horizontal rows, each one with contrasting perspectives, each one with a different color of text: 1) free-spirited or structured, 2) ordinary or unordinary, 3) light-hearted or deeply intense, and 4) first-time or repetitive. The only criterion I had for filling up each cell is FULL ENJOYMENT, not wealth production, not knowledge generation, nor reputation building.

MY SPREADSHEET FOR FUN

       

                                               Alone                                            With Someone

1.   Free-spirited               Writing a blog post                           Tubing, canoeing or kayaking

                                   Taking photos                                    Hiking a little-known trail  

Structured                  Attending a local talk                         Playing cards, local games, etc.

                                   Hearing a good homily                      Local dancing

2.   Ordinary                     Planning/cooking meals                    Local dining,  Having cocktails

                                   Reading a book                                 Dogs & s’mores around a campfire

                                   Working out at the gym                     Watching a movie

Unordinary                 Planning trips/parties                        Going to a local theater  

                                   Finding a bargain                              Visiting a museum    

3.   Light-hearted              Riding a carousel                              Having a picnic

                                   Learning to Cook a Local Dish         Karaoke/jam session

Deeply Intense           Playing video games                        Managing a complex project 

                                   Sketching/painting                            Dining potluck style

4.   First-time                  Flying a kite                                     Posing at the Arctic Circle

                                   Riding a bike                                   Riding a motorcycle or helicopter

Repetitive                  Looking for yellow things             Visiting family and friends

                                   Processing Photos                         Calling family and friends

MY RESOURCES FOR FUN

 

riding the Cadillac at the Ranch

You may say that the list is the same whether you    are on the go or not.  There is a big difference, though. You can definitely work on this list a lot faster while on the go because you are already in places that have the resources and facilities and the people around are most probably like-minded. The following paragraphs list three not so obvious resources that may be available wherever you go. They do not include sights and landmarks nor the amenities around your lodging of choice. In RVing, we wrote about the resources around campgrounds here.  

Anywhere you are, you'll find public institutions like libraries that are full of DVDs, CDs, books, and magazines to use. Visitor Centers are sources of info and discount coupons, great for outlying areas. Good substitutes for activities are community centers or senior centers (once we admit it)!  Colleges and universities are also great resources.  At Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, for example, we discovered the Bing Crosby House that stored much of the singer's memorabilia. Churches, from the small Quonset huts in remote areas to the massive cathedrals in large cities, have functions other than Sunday services.  An added benefit is that you will probably get more taste of the local culture in these places.

And, of course, countless commercial establishments fight for our dollars but let me cite those that are not so obvious ones. My favorite is to treasure hunt at thrift and antique stores, especially those that are found near affluent communities. Farmers’ Markets also give us valuable produce like big, juicy watermelons for just $1. We love to window-shop at sprawling malls that become great treadmill substitutes. Wide open drive-in theatres let you do your thing in the privacy of your car. When you run out of time to cook a meal, go into a Costco for some needed staples and have a round of the free food samples for lunch!

flash mob dance in old Vegas

But the resource you can always count on is your family or friends. Bill went back to his hometown in Pittsburg, Kansas where we found the best spot to camp in the whole wide world. Jack Dock, the husband of Rosemary (Bill’s sister), cleared out space on his driveway and extended an electrical outlet for us from his garage. In short, we were close neighbors for almost a month, reliving childhood times, sight-seeing together to nearby towns, alternating cooking meals, and playing lots of games.

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So what more can I ask for? There should absolutely be no more time for boredom.  The axiom ‘More for Less’ which I lived by in the corporate world, also applies in the cruising lifestyle. You don’t have to spend tons to enjoy any place. That makes Cheapskate Carol a happy girl and when I am happy, so is Bill. What are your definitions of and resources for fun?