Travel

I took a trip up the mountain and down memory lane yesterday to one of the many places I have called home in my life: Show Low, Arizona. The town itself was named by the turn of a card, and how I ended up there was just as much a game of chance. I won't bore you with the details, but I was a single mom back then looking for somewhere to hang my hat and park my boots (I wore the pants and the skirt in the family back then) and a little quiet mountain solitude turned out to be exactly what I needed at that point in my life.   Driving through Show Low was bittersweet. The storefronts are still there. For some, the names have changed. Others have large signs out front that beg, "Space Available!" The old newspaper office where I spent many late nights eating Twizzlers, drinking Diet Mountain Dew and crunching out stories for deadline now has a new stone facade and fresh tar in the parking lot. The hospital where my son received his first stitches is now called something different, and the... More

All You Need Is Your Suitcase Your travel agent has your trip ready for you   Megan Austin wants to help you get away.   She is the owner and operator of Anthem Travel. As a travel agent, she’s somebody you want to know when you’re ready to start planning your next vacation.   Megan and her husband, a Phoenix police officer, moved to Anthem in 2008. They love the great outdoor spaces, the lack of hustle and bustle, the availability of so many family-oriented activities, and that it is such a great place to raise their son, Daniel, and daughter, Gabrielle, ages seven and three, respectively. And with travel always in mind, they enjoy the access to Northern Arizona for weekend excursions.   Prior to opening Anthem Travel, Megan used her travel and hospitality degree from Rhode Island’s Johnson and Wales University to work in Phoenix hotels and resorts. She then worked for a travel agency for several years where she found her love of helping people plan their vacations.   “I... More

We returned last week from Ghana, where we had the opportunity to set up some great volunteer opportunities with some wonderful people. Check out our video to see one of those projects. We need teachers, agriculture specialists (farmers, etc.), doctors, paramedics, nurses and people with big hearts to volunteer abroad!   Visit us at www.compassionatejourneys.com!... More

It's been a few weeks since I last wrote, and I apologize. We have been in Ghana, and I had high hopes that internet access would be a little more readily available. That, and we were BUSY! It's been a whirlwind trip, but we're back home and in "processing" mode.   So many things happened on this trip, I don't really know where to begin. We got photos and bios for nearly 200 children for two different sponsorship programs, one in an orphanage near the capital city of Accra, and the other in a place that it seems time forgot. We visited two orphanages, a set of remote villages, the beach, the desert, the rainforest, a tropical waterfall, and a lagoon. We met old friends and new, saw beauty and tragedy, and when all the thoughts finally settle down in my brain like flakes in a snowglobe, I know parts of me will once again be changed forever.   I have so many things to write about, but I woke up this morning with something very painful on my mind, so I think I'll start there.   A... More

I'm excited to announce that our organization, Compassionate Journeys, is now an Omprakash partner! Omprakash is an amazing network of volunteers and charitable organizations doing work both here and abroad. We were chosen after a pretty intense application process, so it's quite an honor!   Here's a link to our page: http://omprakash.org/partner_profile/p/204... More

In an ode to Chris Farley, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be writing this blog from a van down by the river very soon. Let me explain. We're getting ready to take off on a trip to Ghana in mid-February to build teacher and volunteer housing in a set of villages on Lake Volta. I'm pretty excited because my husband and youngest son are coming with me this time. This is the first time I'll have traveling companions whose laundry I have done. It will be great family time, but also an incredibly worthy project. Lake Volta is huge. It's located in eastern Ghana (in West Africa), and it's formed by a large dam that walled off a series of rivers. When the lake formed, valleys full of trees and other shrubs were filled with water. Villages were relocated to its banks, and fishing has become one of the biggest industries in the country. This has been a boon and a bust: a boon because it's provided economic opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people, and a bust because it also provided a... More

This is the season for miracles, and I'm still holding on to hope! Join Compassionate Journeys in giving hope to women and children in Ghana. Even a thought or a prayer helps! Visit us at www.compassionatejourneys.com!... More

Life is so full of surprises! Each day when I wake up, I never know what the day will hold. I don't know if it's always been like that, or if I'm just now, in my approaching middle age years, starting to notice these things. I woke up this morning and rolled over to check my BlackBerry, which unfortunately for my husband, has become a big part of my morning ritual. I had an urgent message from Ghana. The orphanage we work with Christ Outreach Orphanage and School was desperate. The school term is ending, and the school had no money to pay teachers. If the teachers were not paid, they would not return to school in January when school resumes. This has happened many times in the past. The orphanage often runs out of money for teacher pay because the orphans do not pay for education, and the poor children who come to school there often don't have money for school fees. The director of the orphanage, Madam Rose Abekah, has a kind heart, though, and they are often allowed to come to school... More

By Stephanie Maher Palenque   Flagstaff is so much more than a cool retreat for the summer and a winter wonderland during snow season– it is a community rich in history and culture. It is an historic landmark that served as a first stop for travelers on horseback along the pioneer trail, then by rail, then by car on Route 66, and later on Interstate 40. The San Francisco Peaks, the remainders of an ancient volcano, served as an important landmark to travelers. As in most towns of the West, the railroad marked a turning point in the history of Flagstaff. It gave shepherds, loggers, and cattlemen access to markets for their products and those industries soon began to thrive. Flagstaff continues to thrive till this day. Today it is a quaint, but forward-thinking, college town with Northern Arizona University sitting at its epicenter. Its residents are socially-conscious and seem to demand a more eco-friendly, authentic experience, whether it is in restaurants and eateries,... More

Writer: Paula Theotocatos     “Dan, can ya see that big, green tree? Where the water’s runnin’ free, And it’s waitin’ there for me and you? Cool, Clear, Water.” Frankie Laine   Cool water and hot summer days just naturally go together like Brad and Angelina. Luckily, the desert state of Arizona has many lakes and man-made water parks to help chill our warm flesh and ease our dampening spirits. One fun place for getting away from it all to picnic and cool down while “surfing” down a natural water chute is Slide Rock State Park in nearby Sedona. Situated within the grandeur of the famous Red Rocks, just off Highway 89A in Oak Creek Canyon, this natural swimming hole has been a favorite with day-trippers and vacationers for years.   You don’t actually ‘swim’ at Slide Rock; it’s more like you slip and slide down the rapid current shooting over the slick rocks of Oak Creek. As this section of Oak Creek descends in a series of steps from the higher elevation, it... More

By Stephanie Maher Palenque   The town of Durango bills itself as “the kind of town you dream about” and it’s easy to understand why. Its’ people are genuine, authentic, and friendly. It’s a short six-hour drive from Phoenix, but it’s far enough away to have a completely different weather pattern and temperature index – seldom higher than eighty degrees in the summer. The recreational opportunities extend all year long, and if you’re a train lover or railroad history buff, you’ll love the annual Railway Fest coming up in August.   Break out of the Sedona/Flagstaff pattern when you’re looking for cooler temperatures, and make Durango your next family destination!   Make Tracks to Durango This Summer     The railroad, and paying homage to it, is big business in Durango. Heck, the town was founded because of the railway in 1879. The railroad arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881 and construction on the line to Silverton began in fall of the same year. By July of... More

By Stephanie Maher Palenque     Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Mark Twain   In the history of my young family (my eldest daughter is six years old) we have shared many vacations and good times together, but one of the most memorable, exhilarating experiences we have shared is our first day on a rented Pontoon boat on Lake Havasu.   Our trip to Lake Havasu was based on business, but quickly turned to pleasure as we decided to go outside of our immediate comfort zone and experience something we had never experienced before. After a few misgivings, worried looks, and a quick trip to the local convenience store for a sunscreen and a cooler packed with sandwiches and drinks, we set out onto the Lake with the theme from Giligan’s Island playing as theme music in the recesses of my brain. Not only did we create a lot of... More

Writer Paula Theotocatos Besides Tony Bennett, how many of us have left our hearts in San Francisco ? Many of us, it turns out. If you were to ask well-traveled individuals what they're favorite cities are, you will find the cities they mention often are Paris , Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro , New York City, London , and San Francisco . My first trip to San Francisco was on a business trip many years ago and I will never forget the exhilarating feeling I had when I first walked up and down its hilly streets and viewed the sparkling San Francisco Bay in the distance. There was something about the streets, the people, and the neighborhoods that was so reminiscent of a European city to me.   I have been back many times since to the "city by the bay" on business and on vacation and have always enjoyed myself. Whether I just leisurely roamed its streets to gaze at colorful Victorian gingerbread houses, or bravely jumped up onto one of their famous cable cars, or took in the attractions like... More

By Stephanie Maher Palenque   Always carry a corkscrew, and the wine shall provide itself. Basil Bunting   You rise at dawn and visit the gourmet grocer for a croissant and a shot of espresso. In less than an hour, you are combing the fields high on a hill overlooking the rolling vineyards below, looking for fresh herbs. The light from the rising sun is dancing off the mist laying like a blanket over the vineyards and provides just enough light and warmth to make the morning one of the best you've ever experienced.     With dewdrops still dotting the surface of your ingredients, you carry the fresh basil, thyme, and sage you've collected to the multi-million dollar commercial kitchen where you will create, and then eat your masterpiece under the tutelage of a master chef.   No, this is not a scene from the movie "A Walk in the Clouds" or even "Like Water for Chocolate." This could be your next vacation .a vacation for a true "foodie"!   Because we here at Images AZ know that our... More

Writer Paula Theotocatos   If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way; take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on Route sixty-six. Nat King Cole   If you're like a lot of people who have driven north to the Grand Canyon, you've probably stopped in Flagstaff for a pit stop - fed the engine, fed yourself - and then back in the car for the rest of the trip. Flagstaff might have seemed like a lineup of fast food restaurants and gas stations. If you did venture on part of historic Route 66, you received a glimpse of what the 50's looked like: some old buildings and a railroad station that were relics of a bye-gone era - interesting, but nothing to get fired up about. Well, surprise, surprise - Flagstaff can be a fun destination and not just a way station on the road to somewhere else.   SIX REASONS TO VISIT FLAGSTAFF:     Cool Climate   The town sits at 7,000 feet, so there are cool temperatures in the high 70's during the summertime. Under the tall ponderosa pine trees and... More