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Exploring The Grand Canyon…On A Mule!!!
December 29th, 2011
If you have ever been to the Grand Canyon, you can understand the feeling of awe that the glorious red and orange walls inspire in even the least sentimental person. The tall majestic spires and swooping eagles that inhabit them often leave poets and writers speechless, and artists are never fully capable of portraying the grandure that the Canyon is named for.
There are many ways to enjoy yourself while visiting, including river rafting on the mighty Colorado River between the Canyon walls; wandering the rim via a hike; and riding mules down out of the wind into the shelter of the ravine, which I recently enjoyed.
There are many different types of trails to ride, depending on what you’d like to see and how much time you are willing to spend. If you only have a few hours, I would recommend taking the three hour Abyss Overlook Mule Ride. This spectacular ride will take you through a magnificent Ponderosa forest, as well as a piñon and juniper woodland. However, it does not actually enter the Grand Canyon. The mules will bring you within five minutes walking distance to the rim before you dismount and hike to a perfect location for viewing the Canyon. These excursions depart twice daily through October, and once daily through mid March from the Historic Mule Barn near Bright Angel Lodge.
It is also possible to ride down into the Canyon, but you will need to stay overnight. These overnight rides include accommodations and meals at Phantom Ranch, an enchanting lodge at the bottom of the canyon near the Colorado River. Reservations are required for almost all canyon rides, especially overnight rides. Expect to pay $400 to $500 dollars per person for a two day ride, or $40-$80 for day rides.
Despite the high price, many have found the experience well worth the money. The adventure involved in riding a mule 2,300 feet down into America’s largest canyon is unsurpassable.
The Enchanted Castle: Neuschwanstein
January 27th, 2012
Possibly the greatest tourist attraction in Germany is Neuschwanstein castle. Its construction was started in 1869 by King Louis II of Bavaria, commonly referred to as Mad King Ludwig. Across the valley is Hohenschwangau castle, where he grew up with his parents. Neuschwanstein is styled after castles that you would find in fairytales.
Ludwig was obsessed with the stories told in the operas by composer Richard Wagner, and built rooms in the castle to appear like different settings from the plays, including one incredible room replicating a cave or grotto. This was one of several castles built by Ludwig in similar fashion, at the expense of the depletion of the country’s treasury. Ludwig was found dead, drowned in the shallows of a lake. It remains a mystery whether he was murdered, or committed suicide. Neuschwanstein in itself is a magnificent piece of architecture. Huge towers and spires lift up into the air.
When you park, it is a short walk into the town. There, a building for getting tickets, both for Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, is not hard to find. After this, you can either hitch a ride on a horse-drawn carriage, or walk up to your destination. Up at the top, you may have to wait for a short while until it is time for your tour, available in many languages. Tour numbers are shown in red on a sign. Remember, this is a large tourist attraction, so be prepared for huge crowds of people.
Inside the castle, the design and splendor displayed are staggering. The ceilings and most of the walls are painted elaborately, most often relating to Richard Wagner’s plays; and everything, down to the smallest object, is the very picture of expensive craftsmanship. His wooden bed took thirteen carpenters seven years to make! Look out for the symbol of the swan… you’ll see it everywhere you look. This is because the swan was part of the royal crest of Ludwig’s family, and also a key figure in a Wagner play. There are many carvings and designs all around.
There is an interesting room with the walls covered in mirrors, arranged at peculiar angles. As the guide will tell you, this was the room where the King might play cards with other guests. The king’s place was arranged so that he could look in a specfic mirror to see the cards his opponent had in his hand. In the large room where the tour ends, you may want to spend a couple minutes studying the beautifully painted stage. There are many small forest animals and creatures hiding in the picture. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside of the castle. However, at the gift shop they sell a disc of pictures of Neuschwanstein’s interior.
The royal kitchen is on the way out.
Neuschwanstein is a fantastic place to visit, and it is little wonder that this castle draws so many visitors from around the world. If you are ever in Bavaria, this place is a must-see. Also, the best view of the castle is from the Marienbrucke bridge, which is a small hike away from the castle.
Winter Fun at Rocking Horse Ranch, N.Y.
January 21st, 2012
I recently wrote about my family’s summer visit to Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY. In this article I will be instead discussing my wintertime experience at the all-inclusive family resort, Rocking Horse Ranch, which is about 1 ½ hours from New York City. Of course, the true summertime activities (waterskiing, banana boat rides, kayaks, etc) are shut down at this time but the resort offers snow skiing and snowtubing in their place. Horseback riding still takes place during the winter with the same riding schedule (6 times per day with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels). Be prepared to bundle up because it gets really cold on the hour long trail ride in the mountains!
If you have never skied before, this is definitely the place to learn. Your ski lift ticket and ski rentals are included with your stay at the resort. All you have to do is walk a short distance from the main lobby to the rental shop, have your boots and skis fitted and walk right onto the slope. It really is that simple! There is a bunny hill for beginners with ski instructors ready to assist you in addition to a bigger hill for the more experienced skier. If skiing is not your thing, you can move on over to the other half of the bigger mountain to snowtube. There is one lane for single riders and one lane for a group/family of 4 riders. There is something for everyone at the Rocking Horse Ranch.
But if skiing or snowtubing have you wiped out or made you cold, you can go swimming in the indoor pool. Other indoor activities include minute-to win-it and trivia games that everyone can participate in. Your family can challenge another family to games in the Wii room or the arcade.
One of our favorite things to do at the ranch, which occurs all year round, is to watch the horses complete their work day and head home to their stables across the street from the ranch. The wranglers rope off a section of the road so the horses can cross safely. Since there are more than 100 horses, they divide them into groups of 20 and do this crossing task 5 times. It is really cool to watch the horses run freely across the street after a hard day’s work. I have so many wonderful memories from the Rocking Horse Ranch with my family and hope there will be more to come!
Check out their year-round activities for families at: http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/
Rocking Horse Ranch, NY: Summer Fun
January 17th, 2012
My family has been going to the all-inclusive family resort called The Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY for the last 5 years. It is located about 1 ½ hours from New York City.
The resort is located on 150 acres and is easy to find your way around. My parents feel comfortable letting my sisters and me walk to and from activities by ourselves. We have vacationed with a different family each time we have gone to the ranch, which makes it feel like a different experience every time. We have visited the resort mostly in the summertime but one of our visits was in the wintertime. I will be telling you about my summer experience in this article.
From the moment you arrive at the ranch, your vacation begins. You can start off (and we always do) with one of the resort’s one hour long horseback ride on a trail in the mountains. There are 3 different levels that you can ride (beginner, intermediate and advanced) with 6 different time slots during the day to ride. They are basically every hour from 8 am to 3 pm with a break for lunch. During our 3 day vacation, we usually ride between 8 and 10 times because we love it so much! There is also an indoor and outdoor pool with a waterslide. They have many scheduled daily events such as a morning bingo game, an afternoon family softball game and nightly family entertainment.
Other activities that you can do are waterskiing, banana boat rides, kayaks, mini golf, rock climbing and bungee jumping. If you have never waterskied before, this is the place to learn! You can try it the traditional way with a long rope to pull you up or they have a learning bar. This metal bar is attached to the side of the boat (no rope) that you hold on to so you can get the idea of how it feels to waterski. In the event of rain, they have an indoor “fun barn” to play ping-pong, volleyball and rock climbing. The bungee jumping was new this year and of course, very popular. You bounce on a trampoline while harnessed in around your waist and do flips in the air. This was a thrilling experience!
All of the meals are included during your stay and they are awesome! You can order and eat as much as you want. They seat you with other families so you get a chance to meet new people. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style while dinner is a sit-down waiter service. The desserts are the best part of every meal! We hope to go back this summer and I wonder who will be joining us this year?!
You and your parents can find out more about Rocking Horse Ranch by going to: http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/
The World’s Only Corn Palace
January 17th, 2012
Have you ever seen a building made entirely out of corn?
No? Well, believe it or not there is a “palace” that has its entire exterior and interior decorated with corn. The world’s one and only Corn Palace can be found in Mitchell, South Dakota.
The original Corn Palace was actually called the “Corn Belt Exposition” and was founded in 1892 by early settlers. In order to display the fertility of their land, they attached the fruits of their harvest to the building. Soon it became a local attraction, and then one of the most interesting sites for sightseers around the state.
Every year, the corn palace is stripped down both inside and out, and completely remodeled. The new theme is selected by the Corn Palace Festival Committee, and local artists design the fresh murals. 
One of the interesting things about the corn palace is that it is not only an attraction. This building also serves as one of the community’s multi-use centers. Stage shows are performed inside, as well as the towns sports events. The Corn Palace is available for rent, but it is quite expensive. I would recommend taking a quick visit, as there is no entrance fee for tourists.
The Mitchell Corn Palace is an interesting and somewhat weird place to while away an hour or two with your family. If you ever happen to be passing through the area, you should definitely take an afternoon to visit and look at the world’s only building made out of corn.
Cake Boss…Is Boss!
January 16th, 2012
The first time I went to Carlo’s Bakery, I was so excited because I have seen the show on TV and I always wanted to experience what it was like in person. The bakery is a famous bake shop in Hoboken, NJ featured on the very popular TV show called “Cake Boss” and “The Next Great Baker” on the channel TLC. It is in close proximity to New York City (about a 10 minute drive). It is definitely worth the trip if you are in the area because this is where they actually film parts of the show.
When we got there, we saw the store and it was packed to the brim with people! Luckily, we were able to squeeze in and get a ticket and wait inside until they called our number. As we were waiting on line, a man came out of the group of people and handed us his ticket, which was 30 orders closer to the current number on the screen! We were so thankful for that man because if he didn’t give his ticket it us, we probably would have been waiting for at least another hour!
When our number was called, I was anxious to see all of the goodies in the cabinets. There were so many choices! There were cupcakes, cakes, chocolate covered strawberries, lobster tails, crème puffs, cookies, and so much more! I got a lobster tail, my two sisters got chocolate covered strawberries and my mother got a red velvet cupcake. Man, they were delicious! The lobster tail was so delicate and so sweet.
We even got to see the owner’s sister, Mary, who is one of the characters on the show. I was hoping that Buddy Valastro, the owner ( AKA “The Cake Boss”) would have come out of the kitchen but no such luck.
On our second visit to the bakery in the summertime, we wanted to order a cake for my sister’s birthday. This time the line to get inside the bakery was around the block with a 2 hour wait. Unfortunately, we had to leave. My mom called to see how we could order a cake without waiting so long. When you are ordering a cake, you can simply go to the front of the line and let them know that you want to place a cake order. We went back the next day and were escorted effortlessly through the front door. We had a little consultation with a bakery employee just like they do on the show and picked up the cake the following week. The cake was the best cake I have ever had and was the highlight of my sister’s party!
