Backpacking on Maui

Blue Pools Waterfall in Hana - photo by Ron Dahlquist courtesy Hawaiian Tourism Authority

Would waking in the cool pacific breeze to the voices of native birds appeal to your traveling senses?  How about hiking up to a pristine waterfall or along rocky volcanc coastlines?  In spite of its celebrity and high-end appeal, Maui makes for an ideal backpacking adventure as only twenty-five percent of its land is developed. And there's plenty left to expolore and discover.

Though there are quite a few hostels available on Maui, the rates are still fairly high, in some instances not any less than selecct hotel/motel rates, so the best option for backpacking Maui may be tent camping at Wai‘anapanapa State Park in Hana at the end of Wai‘anapanapa Road off Hana Highway (Highway 360).  Of the two state parks on Maui, only Wai‘anapanapa offers showers and drinking water.  Services/Facilities: Restrooms, camping and lodging, outdoor showers, trash cans, drinking water, payphone.

Air service is available into Hana and connects from Honolulu.  Step off the plane in Hana and you are ready to go.  And if you're not ready to go it alone, check out Maui Hiking Safaris at http://www.mauihikingsafaris.com/ for safe, friendly, guided hikes.  But no matter how you decide to go about it, backpacking Maui could be the most scenic route to take.

Cheryl Bruedigam, Editor Guidebook America
www.guidebookamerica.com

Southern New Mexico Spring Trip

Spring Greetings from Southern New Mexico!

The Organ Mountains - view to the southwest from the Bataan Memorial Highway

We have just returned from our spring road trip through Southern New Mexico! The weather was beautiful; sunny most of the trip. Destination Silver City was quiet, refreshing and full of the beauty of the nature of the southwest. Bedecked with its usual array of multi-cultural characters, the sleepy city and its citizens quietly went about their business as we buzzed the community and surroundings. A fourteen-mile mountain bike ride from Boston Hill across the Continental Divide offered previously unexplored terrain and a few sore muscles for our technical director as well as plenty of ravens, javelinas, and even an eagle sighting.

Other stops included a tour of the campus of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. With a student population of 25,000, this relatively small, quiet campus of southwestern Aggies offers a wide range of study as well as newly built housing and all the comforts of home for its students.

Ruidoso was beautiful, the roads were clear. It did cloud up on us one day which actually added to the magic of the enchanting mountain village. The River Ruidoso was running full and fast this time of year. A slight mist offered a refreshing breath of clean air scented with magnificent pine.

Note that just about the only restroom in town available for public use is at the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway Visitors Center, though if you go, you may have to share with the locals!

Roswell was clean and decorated in its alien attire ready and willing to serve those stopping through and offers a wide selection of services, restaurants and shopping for visitors, all with friendly attitudes.

This tour of southern New Mexico includes many fabulous stops such as White Sands National Monument, The White Sands Missile Range, The Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and the Inn of the Mountain Gods, The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site and Recreation Area and the New Mexico Museum of Space History near Alamogordo, Lincoln National Forest near Ruidoso, Ski Apache, rock-hounding near Deming, the City of Rocks just outside of Silver City, the Catwalk at Glenwood, the Gila National Forest, as well as the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

All in all, it is a glorious drive, with unending vistas, snow-capped peaks and beauty ranging from the desert sands to mountain pines. You can’t beat this trip!

For more information visit these areas at www.guidebookamerica.com/nm/ www.guidebookamerica.com/nm/

Cheryl Bruedigam, Editor
Guidebook America
www.guidebookamerica.com

SANTA BARBARA BOWL 2010 SEASON OPENS

Live music venues simply don’t get much better than the Santa Barbara Bowl. The 4,562-seat amphitheater is nestled in Santa Barbara’s foothills and there’s not a bad seat in the house—some even grant ocean views.

It’s a long-standing favorite of music fans and international rock stars alike. Case in point: Radiohead front man Thom Yorke chose Santa Barbara as one of five cities on his eight-gig Atoms for Peace (Yorke, Flea, Mauro Refosco, Joey Waronker and Nigel Godrich) mini-tour. Tickets for the sure-to-sell-out April 17 show go on sale March 6.

Other 2010 shows recently announced include Alicia Keys (April 7), Sugarland (April 25) and Carole King/James Taylor (May 18). The 2010 season will run through October and acts will continue to be announced as summer approaches. sbbowl.com

Cheryl Bruedigam, Editor
Guidebook America
www.guidebookamerica.com

Hotel Hana-Maui Sparkles with Distinguished Crowns and Natural Baubles

And speaking of Hana and Hawaii . . .

Diamonds (and Gold) are a Hotel’s Best Friend
Hotel Hana-Maui Sparkles with Distinguished Crowns and Natural Baubles

With its jeweled backdrop of golden sunrises, a sapphire ocean, garnet and onyx hued beaches, and emerald green rolling lawns, Hotel Hana-Maui has once again proven itself to be a true jewel tucked among the trees on Maui’s eastern coast. Indeed, the start of 2010 is off to a dazzling start with a fresh collection of honors for the heavenly gem in Hana, Hawaii.

Respected industry leader, Condé Nast Traveler, has once again named Hotel Hana-Maui to its celebrated Gold List – chronicling the world’s best places to stay. But the real crown jewel for the legendary hideaway was being named the #1 hotel in the United States in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of The Best by Location.

No treasure chest of jewels is complete without a few diamonds and for the seventh consecutive year, Hotel Hana-Maui was honored with the celebrated Four Diamond Award by AAA.

With such a luminous bounty, it’s no wonder that for TravelAge West’s 2010 WAVE [Western Agents’ Vote of Excellence] Awards, Hotel Hana-Maui was selected as the Best Resort for a Romance Vacation in Hawaii.

Hotel Hana-Maui – www.hotelhanamaui.com – 808.248.8211


Cheryl Bruedigam, Editor
Guidebook America
http://www.guidebookamerica.com/

Paradise in the Pacific: Haleakala Crater

Haleakala Crater - Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ron Dahlquist

Searching for Paradise? You will have to travel a good distance to get to it but it is well worth the time. Where? To the top of Haleakala Crater. Located on the east side of the island of Maui, in the Hawaiian Islands, Haleakala Crater rises 10,023 feet above sea level below and was aptly named the House of the Sun by early Hawaiians.

The crater is approximately seven miles across, two miles wide and twenty-six hundred feet deep. It is an amazing sight and feeling to stand on the very top, looking both down to the depths below and out to the horizon beyond surrounded by nothing but pristine Pacific ocean for as far as the eye can see. One does truly feel that one has reached the ends of the earth (or perhaps the beginning of Earth).

My trip began with a morning at the beach followed by a drive up to Haleakala. An unsuspecting tourist, after my morning at the beach, I was clad only in a bikini and a towel for a wrap. As our rental car made the climb to the summit, the temperature began to drop lower and lower. Though down below we knew that on that August day, it was a lovely, if not overly warm in-the-nineties day on the beach. Not so on the road to Haleakala. Higher we climbed. And definitely not so at the top. So traveler be warned, if you plan to venture up, throw something long sleeve or long legged at least, in the car, though I can assure you it is the only time in Hawaii that you will need it, or just brave the cold in your skivvies.

Our arrival at the top was greeted by a lone but very friendly, park ranger. He quickly gave us our guidelines and as many know, at 9,740 feet, the Haleakala Visitor Center is the best place to watch the Haleakala sunrise. We however arrived in early afternoon but were not short-changed. It felt like we were standing in heaven, standing right among the sky and the beautiful white puffy clouds, so close you try to touch them. It was awe-inspiring and has always remained the very top vacation spot on my list. Little can compare to the view and experience of standing high atop Haleakala Crater; feeling both special and isolated, yet completely connected to all that is.

If you want to get away from it all, including the crowds, stay in Hana, it's a charming coastal Hawaiian village. Rates are lower and you cannot ask for a more romantic ambiance.

Whether you stay in Hana, Lahina, Kahana or anywhere else on the island, with a visit to Haleakala, your visit to Maui will become magical and will be an experience that will remain with you always.

For information on accommodations and more in Maui, please visit our Maui directory.

Cheryl Bruedigam, Editor
Guidebook America
http://www.guidebookamerica.com/

Shopping in Santa Fe

Shopping in Santa Fe is a helpful artical so I thought I would blog it for some great info on shopping in the City Different. Shopping in Santa Fe is fun, unique, and though a bit on the expensive side, as you will find in our article, the locals know where to go for the best value and southwest style!

A Texas Valentine

If you're in Texas or planning to be in Texas for Valentine's weekend, check out the following special from the Mesina Hoff Winery & Resort in Bryan:

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Messina Hof Winery & Resort

Treat someone special to a gourmet meal and award winning wines

Messina Hof Winery & Resort, the fastest growing award-winning winery in Texas, has planned a special Valentine's Day menu to serve on the evenings of Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb. 14 in the romantic Vintage House Restaurant.

Guests will choose from a variety of options on the four-course menu created and prepared by Messina Hof's expert culinary staff.

Menu:

Appetizer:Tempura lobster medallions with estate-grown Meyer lemon & Sauvignon Blanc dipping sauce

Texas goat cheese & spinach quiche

Salad:Strawberry salad with bleu cheese tossed with a strawberry rhubarb vinaigrette - Marinated artichoke hearts served with a White Zinfandel vinaigrette

Entrée:Nolan Ryan Beef Filet topped with a Cabernet Sauvignon demi glaze -Gulf coast flounder with an estate-grown Meyer lemon Cabernet sauce - Roast duck with orange muscat sauce

Dessert:Chocolate Marquis served with sorbe - Swedish cream with fresh berries in a Riesling marinade

Award winning Messina Hof wines and cocktails will be available. The knowledgeable Vintage House Staff will be available to recommend pairings for each course.

For information and reservations, please call 800-736-9463 ext. 234.

After dinner guests are invited to make the most of the evening by spending a night in the Villa, recognized as "Most Romantic Bed and Breakfast in the USA." Reservations are currently available. To make a reservation, please call (979) 778-9463 ext. 222 or visit www.messinahof.com.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 13, 4-9 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 14, 4-9 p.m.

WHERE: The Vintage House Restaurant

Messina Hof Winery and Resort

4545 Old Reliance Rd

Bryan, Texas 77808

COST: $49.95, plus tax and gratuity.

Messina Hof Winery and Resort was established in 1977 by Co-Founders Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo. Messina Hof was founded on family values, romance and tradition. Messina Hof is the leader in the establishment of the Texas wine industry and ranks as one of the fastest growing, most award-winning wineries in the state.

Four-time winner of the "Top Texas Wine" at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Messina Hof wines are handcrafted at the winery, located in Bryan, Texas. In 2009 Messina Hof was recognized as "Best of Herd" Winery, or best Texas winery, at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition. Messina Hof Winery and Resort boast on their 100 acre property the Vintage House Restaurant, origin of Vineyard Cuisine Cook Book, the Villa, which was voted "Most Romantic Bed and Breakfast in the USA" and the Wine Master's Room Wine Bar, voted best wine by the glass in the Brazos Valley.

For more information on Messina Hof Winery and Resort, please visit http://www.messinahof.com/.

Welcome to Guidebook America!

Greetings and welcome to the Guidebook America Travel Blog!  We are excited to be able to bring you even more information on travel and tourism in the beautiful United States!

It's been a rough couple of years on travelers and the travel and tourism industry but the tide is turning and it is time to look toward those future travel plans so whether you're planning a summer vacation or just to explore your own "backyard" we have everything you need to get started.

If you are looking for something short-term, this week's e-news includes several Valentine's Day specials and packages for the Valentine weekend and it will be coming out tomorrow.  All of our weekly newsletters may be found in the archives.

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