Archive for the ‘Holidays Travel’ Category

British Columbia is beautiful all year round, but the winter months are often dreary, dull and rainy - with the odd snowfall and low temperatures.  We love to get away to warmer climates for a holiday and one of my favorite places to go is Las Vegas.  I don’t need a reason, but the Rodeo week is always one of the best times to go!

If you can get past ogling the the cute butts in the tight Wrangler jeans, the National Finals Rodeo is an exciting event to attend!

The NFR is held the first full week of December at the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada campus. It is a full week of rodeo, including bull riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping and barrel racing, with huge prize money awarded to the champions.

I attended the bull riding event one year and enjoyed every minute - there isn’t a poor seat in the center and it’s intense, edge of the seat entertainment with lots of thrills and chills.

The entire city of Las Vegas is taken over by the cowboys in their boots, jeans and striped shirts. I loved watching them saunter down Las Vegas Boulevard with a hot chick on each arm. Check out the schedule, the leaderboard, the past champions and the latest news on one of the best ’shows’ held in Las Vegas.
When you are buying your National Rodeo Finals tickets be sure to join the fanclub and enter to win prizes. The top prize is a trip for 2 to The 50th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. I hope to see you there!

What is your idea of a GREAT Spring Vacation for your family? If you’re anything like me, then it has to be a fun place for the kids and offer enough to keep the adults happy as well. And the weather better be warm and the sun must shine!

Los Angeles has to be my number one all time favorite city to visit - with the kids or without. I’ve done it both ways and some of my fondest memories of family holidays come from those trips.

We spent a happy week in Los Angeles with friends when the kids were young. I think Crystal was 6 and Sean was 14. They were perfect ages as they were both old enough to enjoy the trip and the attractions and their friends were similar ages. We did everything we could possibly fit in to our limited time. Of course the weather was so lovely, we could have done nothing and enjoyed ourselves, but our holidays are never like that! We go, go, go.

I love taking sightseeing tours whenever we visit new cities as I enjoy learning the history, seeing the architecture and hearing local stories. If you are looking for San Diego zoo tickets sign up for the Trusted Tours newsletter and you’ll receive the best deals on event tickets, find the best hotels at the best prices and up to date information on sightseeing ideas for 23 cities. Be sure to enter to win a Handheld GPS! Wouldn’t that come in handy next time you’re traveling? Offer ends Monday, April 30th, 2008.

Do you have any favorite sightseeing tours you’d suggest for a family vacation this spring?

Kent, Pop and I were motorhoming one year, trying to escape the dreary, rainy BC winter. We drove through Washington and Oregon, stopping only long enough to fuel up and catch a few hours sleep. We were in a hurry to find the sunshine!

Our first major stop was San Francisco, where we spent a few days sightseeing. It’s such an interesting city, with tons of history, a beautiful harbor and the best ‘Chinatown’ you’ll ever visit. We were there in February which is the Chinese New Year, so the entire area was resplendent in red bunting. It was fabulous to see.

Fishermen’s Wharf was busy but we found a place to eat fish and chips, then we walked to the back of a building where we were close to an anchored dock - ’seal dock’. The dock was entirely covered in seals basking in the sun - the stench was not pleasant and Pop and Kent didn’t want to hang around long while I took dozens of pictures.

There are so many things to do in San Francisco, it’s best to take a guided tour with a company such as Trusted Tours and Attractions to get an overall history of the city, see the interesting architecture and of course to learn of Alcatraz. That was the absolute highlight of my visit to San Fran and I’d highly recommend it when you’re looking for family vacation ideas! It’s been the subject of so many movies and shows, I felt like I’d been there already - sort of ‘deja vu’. Yikes! No, it wasn’t in a past life - I’m positive! Of course I had to buy all the ‘convict’ souvenirs, like the tin mug which says ‘Stolen from Alcatraz’ and the striped ’scrubs’ for Crystal which say “escaped from Alcatraz”.

Since we were in California, a trip to the world renowned San Diego zoo was an absolute must. We rented a wheel chair so Pop could be with us and see the animals. There are some things which never get old, even when you’re in your 90’s.

Memories are what make holidays so special and we’ve certainly built up a good many memories with Pop during our travels!

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Kent and I went to the Bette Middler concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. We were 1 row from the uppermost seats in the house, but centered. A few people below us asked how the weather was. I replied, ‘Raining’, but a man behind me made us all laugh with his answer, ‘Well, you’re lucky - it’s snowing up here!”.

We were a little disappointed with the show. First off, it was 15 minutes late getting started. It seemed we had to wait for the VIP’s in the front center seats to arrive. Perhaps they’d been having a little meet n’ greet with Bette - or whatever… I never expect a Las Vegas show to be late - they are always so professional.

Bette is a wonderful singer and when she sang we enjoyed. The sound was great - after all the theatre was built for the huge voice and persona of Celine Dion. We found there was way too much ’showgirl’, comedic, skit type of entertainment - and we were there to hear her sing - not play mermaid, use the ‘F’ word over and over and tell off-color old jokes - which we’d heard dozens of times.

Bette used a motorized wheel chair for much of her time on stage, a couch was wheeled out for her to rest on and when she skittered across the stage I was worried she’d fall. The stage seemed too big for her but she did go side to side occasionally - no wonder she needed the wheel chair!

Luckily, Kent and I know exactly what Bette looks like. From where we were seated all we could see was a bleached blonde head and glittery outfits. Her features were not distinguishable - and I never thought of taking binoculars. I wouldn’t have know it was her, except for her voice, and her distinctive little dancing steps. Where’d the red hair go? I think that disappointed me most of all!

The crowd was mostly our age and older. It was lovely to see the little old ladies all dressed up in their fancy duds.

Toward the end of the show, there was a large screen in the background showing her ‘in the old days’ singing Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.That got the audience going - but overall, it wasn’t a great show and was reflected by the audience’s lack of participation and enthusiasm.

Next time you need family vacation ideas and your family is looking for something much more interactive and exciting than the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I’d highly recommend the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon.

Talk about frightening! Can you stand 4000 feet above the ground, feeling as though you are walking a tightrope - with no support system? That’s how the Skywalk made me feel. Actually I think kids would love it and perhaps taunt their parents who may be a little queasy.

The Skywalk is a horseshoe shaped glass platform which extends far out over the Grand Canyon, with clear glass between your feet and the the canyon floor 4000 feet below. The Hualapi (pronounced Wallapie) Band opened their ‘Skywalk’ a year ago and it’s been a huge success, with 1000 people per day on average, visiting and viewing one of the most spectacular sites on earth - the Grand Canyon with the Colorado River far below.

Perhaps you’d be up for a helicopter ride, or a fixed wing plane ride - zooming through the canyon - getting a birds eye view from far above. Again, what kid wouldn’t love a helicopter ride?

There are many, many things to do in Las Vegas and you’ll be amazed at the family friendliness of the city. The Hoover Dam tour is a must-see as is the ‘Valley of Fire’ and Red Rock Canyon.

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