A view from the Apache Trail.

The Apache Trail – officially designated as AZ Rt. 88 – is forty miles of steep, winding, and mostly unpaved roads that connect the Arizona towns of Apache Junction and Globe, through the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest. It was developed in the 1800’s as a stagecoach trail running through the mountains, and named after the Apache Indians who originally used the trail.

The hike up to Tonto National Monument

Traversing the Apache Trail is tricky and not for the faint of heart, but travelers are rewarded with magnificent views of the mountains and local flora and fauna. It is along this route that some of the most dense forests of saguaro cacti in the state can be seen. There are several large lakes along the route for boating, picnicking, hiking, and swimming – Saguaro Lake, Canyon Lake, and Apache Lake all lead up to the Theodore Roosevelt Lake and Roosevelt Dam. Other attractions along the route include the Goldfield Ghost Town and Mine Tours, the Lost Dutchman State Park, Tortilla Flat (population six!), Fish Creek, and the Tonto National Monument, before finally reaching the town of Globe.

The Theodore Roosevelt Dam.

To get to the Apache Trail, take U.S. 60 east all to Apache Junction, to the turn-off for AZ88/Idaho Road. Follow the signs through Apache Junction toward Canyon Lake. Once in Globe, the ride back to the Phoenix metropolitan area is a quick drive north on I-10. It is NOT recommended to drive large vehicles or RV’s along the Apache Trail due to very narrow roads and switchbacks.

Photo Credits (in order of appearance):
- “Apache Trail” by eflon on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “The Hike up to Tonto” by randwill on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “Theodore Roosevelt Dam” by randwill on Flickr Creative Commons.

Metallica - James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich & Kirk Hammett

There’s no denying the longevity and magnetism of Metallica, and they’re proving it yet again by packing in the crowds for a marathon 2-year Magnetic World Tour.

On this tour, which started in 2008 and continues well into 2010, Metallica is promoting their ninth album Death Magnetic. Their December schedule includes sold out shows in Vegas and Anaheim, along with shows in Boise, Idaho and Sacramento and San Jose in California. As of now, Metallica tickets are available for these shows, on a limited basis.

If it isn’t possible for you to be on hand at see Lars Ulrich punish his Tama signature snare drums and watch Hetfield shred his larynx, Metallica has a backup plan for fans who miss out on the live shows.

In fact, the tour – which started off as an effort to promote Death Magnetic, has now taken on a life of its own.

Metallica has taken to having a film crew tagging along for the tour, and creating DVD and CD sets for all the important shows along the way.  

They just released the DVD of their show in France, called Francais Pour Une Nuit. On Nov 30, Metallica is releasing another DVD set of the three shows earlier this year at the Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City.

Metallica - Mexico tour DVD set

The set, titled Orgullo, Pasion y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad de Mexico, captures all the frenzy and mayhem generated during a heady weekend in June by the 155,000 fans who couldn’t get enough of Metallica hits like Enter Sandman and Creeping Death.

In case you missed out on the Mexico shows, you have the chance to make up for it in March 2010, when Metallica performs at Guadalajara and Monterrey.

In addition to Mexico, Metallica’s 2010 schedule includes shows all over South America including Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia and Puerto Rico. The South America tour is followed by shows in Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and then Moscow.

If you can’t travel to any of these concerts to see Metallica live, you can still follow along by visiting Metontour.com.

Lars Ulrich & James Hetfield photos by Kreepin Deth; Kirk Hammett photo by Flowkey

Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle

If you’ve never been to Disneyland during the winter holiday season, allow me to submit that a visit to the park at this time will cure your “been there, done that” blues.  The enormous Christmas tree, the holiday music piped in, the lights over Main Street USA, the LED icicle-draped Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle at the center of the park – all conspire to melt the heart of the Scroogiest among us.

I’ve been to the park twice in just a few months, after a very very long spell of not ever visiting at all.  My first visit was on my birthday, a Wednesday in September that, besides being my birthday, was just another day in the life of the happiest place on Earth.  Since it was my two young sons’ first time there, I looked at everything with a critical travel blogger’s eye.  We all had a great time, but for the ticket price of $72 for adults and $62 for children, I expected perfection and that is not what I found.  The first castmember we encountered was snarky and rude.  Several bathrooms were closed, a display was malfunctioning, and the moat around the castle was murky and still, with garbage floating in it.  Not exactly a sight to behold.  True to form, I sent a summary of my disappointments to the PR department of the park.  A representative responded soon after, apologizing and explaining some of the circumstances, assuring me that each of my criticisms would be forwarded to the correct departments and thanking me for my valuable feedback.  I appreciated the response.  It demonstrated that indeed, the park staff does pay attention to guests’ needs and that reactions are considered going forward.

So when I headed to Disneyland again last weekend for a Holiday Parent Blogger event, I was excited to bring my son along and I was ready for the park to show me what’s it got.  Dazzle me, I said to the park.  Fix what was broken.  Sure enough, they had.

With a party to attend and a Studio 365 makeover scheduled for my boy, there was not enough time to fully explore the park all over again, but I did make a point to visit the attractions where I noticed imperfections back in September.  Everything had been addressed and I was happy to see it.  In fact, an extra air of magic seemed to infuse the environment.  Maybe it was because I was a guest this time.  Maybe it was the holiday atmosphere, or the slight touch of cold in the weather as the sun started setting.  Either way, this longtime amusement-park-phobic was fully won over when she saw the light in her son’s eyes as he said hello to Silvermist in Pixie Hollow, an expression of starstruck amazement on his face.

If you’re schlepping your own children around Disneyland and the holiday decorations or the presence of Santa Claus aren’t enough to  get you in the spirit, stick around for the fireworks show, aptly titled “Believe in Holiday Magic.”  Beautifully choreographed to original music, the show is breathtaking, capped off by a surprise snow flurry at the end.  (Just don’t eat the snowflakes.  They aren’t real.)  Be sure to catch the holiday-themed “It’s a Small World” attraction before the fireworks show, because afterwards the line is simply ridiculous.  Oh, and get a churro.  To die for.

Other holiday touches include:

• “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade
• Santa Claus and his reindeer in Big Thunder Ranch
• “The Nightmare Before Christmas” theme at The Haunted Mansion
• Holiday decorations and the Electrical Parade at Disney’s California Adventure park
• A big celebration on New Year’s Eve in both parks

Holiday magic at Disneyland continues through January 3, 2010.

[Photo credit:  Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland]

Poinsettias at Garfield Park Conservatory Holiday Flower Show

Grab some green during your holiday excursions and visit Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory  for the annual holiday flower show, which runs through January 10.   Nestled in a historic building on Chicago’s west side, the  Garfield Park Conservatory is the nation’s largest “glass house”  in the country and offers tons of earth-centered, family-friendly activities.  Start with the holiday flower show, which features an explosion of color highlighting poinsettias, Jerusalem cherry plants, ornamental peppers, Christmas trees and more.      

Next, explore the Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden and let kids trace a giant vine from root to blossom, touch a sensitive plant, which crumbles up when touched and help a jumbo-sized bee pollinate a flower. Children can also search for plant clues with the Sugar from the Sun Fold & Find Scavenger Hunt or learn to build a tropical habitat.  Stop by the gift shop and browse through potted plants, botanical arts and handcrafted, gourmet honey.  Head to nearby MacArthur’s Restaurant, a west side institution and Obama favorite, for a filling meal of  smothered chicken, collard greens and macaroni and cheese.  Make it a leisurely holiday weekend and stay at The Silversmith Hotel & Suites, located close to Michigan Avenue and public transportation.

Photo courtesy of Explore Chicago

A ski lift up the mountain at Sunrise.

I recently posted about Arizona Snowbowl, the ski resort in Flagstaff, Arizona. However, Flagstaff is not the only Arizona town that boasts a great ski resort.

The Sunrise Park Resort is located in the town of Greer, in the White Mountains of Central-Eastern Arizona – 218 miles from Phoenix and 230 miles from Tucson. Folks can travel 250 from Albuquerque New Mexico, and 299 miles from El Paso Texas. Three mountains (Sunrise Peak – 10,700 ft; Apache Peak – 11,100 feet; Cyclone Circle – 10,700 feet) with 800 acres of skiing offer 65 runs for all levels of expertise, as well as separate areas for snowboarding, cross country skiing, tubing, and sleigh rides. There is an on-mountain equipment rental shop, ski school, and child care.

View from the top of Sunrise Peak.

The Sunrise Park Lodge, located near the base of the ski resort, is a 100-room hotel offering dining, an indoor pool and whirlpool, a lounge and a game room. Visitors of the area can also enjoy lodging and casino entertainment at nearby Hon-Dah Resort Casino, which also offers ski and snowboard equipment rental and package deals for rooms and lift tickets.

Sunrise Park Resort is celebrating its 40th year in business. Every Tuesday starting January 5th, 2010, purchase one full price adult lift ticket and get the second lift ticket half-off. Every Thursday, ladies can purchase their lift tickets for $10 off regular prices. Regular all-day lift ticket prices are $49 for adults, $42 for youths, and $28 for juniors (12 and under). Half-day lift ticket prices are $39 for adults, $34 for youths, and $23 for juniors. Half-day lift ticket prices apply for all-day skiing every Sunday. Night skiing is also available, check the rates page for dates and times.

Photo credits (in order of appearance):
- “Ski lift up to the top of Sunrise Peak” by Marisa U on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “View from the top of Sunrise Peak (10,700 ft)” by Marisa U on Flickr Creative Commons.

Mexican folk art

Don’t think you’re stuck shopping for the same old gifts and stocking stuffers this holiday season.  A visit to  Chicago’s  National Museum of Mexican Art’s Mercado Navideno holiday market will reveal all the colorful options to spice up your shopping.  The Mercado Navideno runs November 27-29 and offers an array of authentic Mexican folk art gifts. Choose papier mache figurines, pottery, vividly-colored textiles, paintings, carvings or silver jewelry to thrill your friends and family. Don’t miss a visit to the overflowing gift store, Tienda Tzintzuntzan.

As the nation’s largest Latino arts institution, the National Museum of Mexican Art supplies lots of engaging historical art exhibits to browse through.  Located in the thriving and culturally rich neighborhood of Pilsen,  the museum is the anchor for exploring the areas galleries, restaurants and boutiques. Stop by the Pilsen landmark, Cafe Jumping Bean, to grab their famous mango licuado and a black bean burger while watching local chess players battle it out.  Continue shopping at Knee Deep Vintage  for funky accessories, fashion and housewares.  Top off your experience at the trendy Nightwood,  for a hip dinner of   braised rabbit ravioli or whatever else is on the daily changing menu. Stay at nearby Chicago South Loop Hotel and make a weekend of holiday shopping and nibbling. 

Photo courtesy of National Museum of Mexican Art

Lady GaGa - Bad Romance

In one year, Lady GaGa has hogged 20 awards and 61 nominations, including a Grammy. She has sold over 20 million digital singles and 4 million albums. 

And now, in Nov 2009, The Fame has morphed into The Fame Monster – Lady GaGa’s second album. The new album includes 8 songs, including Bad Romance, which focus on the dark side of fame, as experienced by Lady GaGa in the past year.

This next chapter in the meteoric rise of the Haus of GaGa kicks off with The Monster Ball tour on Nov 27 in Montreal, exactly 4 days after the release of the new album.

Montreal is quickly followed by 21 more pit stops spread all over North America, with the final two performances on Jan 20 & 21 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

And what’s on the menu for electro-pop fans who land up at one of these concerts?

Fans don’t travel to Lady GaGa concerts just for the music. A Lady GaGa concert is more of a performance in the mold of Madonna and King of Pop Michael Jackson. The visual feast on-stage and the passion of thousands of crazed fans hits you hard in the gut.

According to a posting on her blog, ‘The Monster Ball’ is a multimedia artistic experience in the style of the first-ever ‘pop electro opera.’

Lady GaGa’s fans seem to be extraordinarily passionate, but that could be because she takes better care of her ‘little monsters’ – as she calls her fans.

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

On Monday, just as The Fame Monster was being unleashed in stores, Lady GaGa landed up at West Hollywood’s Best Buy and in addition to signing for her fans, she also had $1000 worth of free pizza delivered to all those waiting in line.

If the Haus of GaGa’s Monster Ball is going to roll into your town, or nearby, it would definitely be worth it to invest in some Lady GaGa tickets.

Consider this - if you haven’t ever seen Michael Jackson performing live on stage, and you could go back in time to buy tickets to an MJ concert, wouldn’t you take it?

One day, not so long from now, Lady GaGa will likely be just as big and iconic a star as MJ and Madonna, and you might be kicking yourself for not going to the concert when you had the chance.

Lady GaGa takes The Monster Ball tour across the Atlantic in February, starting with Manchester on Feb 18, followed by 11 more concerts in the UK and Ireland.

Bad Romance pic by Jose Javato

Pies!

Left – apple pie recipe
Right – pumpkin pie recipe

Photo by Laura Charon

Geese Gratitude

Photo submitted by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, courtesy of garlandcannon via Flickr Creative Commons:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/garlandcannon/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Warmest wishes from America's Heartland for a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday and by all means, if you happen to be traveling designate a driver.

Photo by Ed Lamaze

There's no better place to travel for Thanksgiving than home to family and friends. Here's to some good eating!

Photo by Phil Corless

Free-range turkeys enjoy their short-lived ability to roam at Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Sterling, CT.

Photo submitted by Kim Tracy Prince, courtesy of Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm

Vacationers visiting Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Photo submitted by Darren Farrington, courtesy and copyright of Plimoth Plantation.

Use every part of the turkey - even the box the roaster came in.

Photo submitted by Whit Honea, courtesy of Tricia Honea

Is that a turkey in your pocket?

You know what this is.  This is where we remind you to be careful out there.  This is where we tell you that everyone and their former president are traveling today and to allow yourself ample time and good humor to arrive in a safe and timely manner.

When you’re stuck in airport security behind some clown with a roaster pan and gravy in his carry-on luggage think of this post and these special Thanksgiving moments (via SNL):

Be safe, be happy, be thankful.

Love,
Uncle UpTake

The Arizona Snowbowl

When people think about Arizona, they tend to picture hot arid deserts and Saguaro cactus. However, there ARE portions of Arizona where the elevation is high enough to enjoy four seasons. Flagstaff is one of those places. The town itself is at an elevation of 7000 feet, and enjoys between 16 and 22 inches of average snowfall between the months of December and March.

The San Francisco Peaks, just north of downtown Flagstaff, top out at an elevation of 12,633 feet, and get much heavier snowfall than the town below. The Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort resides on the San Francisco Peaks, just fourteen miles outside of downtown Flagstaff (2 hours from Phoenix, 70 miles from the Grand Canyon). Base elevation is at 9,200 feet, and summit elevation is at 11,500 feet. There are 32 runs spread out over 777 acres, fairly evenly distributed between beginner, intermediate, and advanced trails. The ski season usually runs from mid-December through mid-April, depending on snowfall (which averages at 260 inches).

The slopes of Arizona Snowbowl.

There are two lodges on the mountain, and two more lodges at the base of the mountain, to provide food and beverages and a place to warm up. Snowbowl is fully supported with equipment rentals and repairs, ski schools, first aid, BBQ pits, picnic areas, banquet facilities, ATM’s, and many other amenities available through Guest Services.

The Sunset Terrain Park features obstacles, spines, rails, and fun boxes for snowboarders and skiers. The fun boxes include a 24-foot flat box, a 24-foot flat down box, a 20-foot C-box, and a 24-foot house box.

Lodging is plentiful in nearby Flagstaff. People can also stay at the base of the mountain at the Ski Lift Lodge & Cabins.

Full day lift tickets are $49 for adults, $26 for children ages 8-12, $26 for seniors aged 63-69. Children under the age of seven, and seniors over the age of seventy, are free. Lower rates apply for half-day passes. Special group packages and season passes are also available.

Photo Credits (in order of appearance):
- “AZ Snowbowl” by Willow Monk on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “AZ Snowbowl” by Willow Monk on Flickr Creative Commons.