TRAVEL BY NUMBERS| Top family beaches
The best beaches in the U.S. for families according to a TripAdvisor.com survey.
Nags Head Beach, the Outer Banks, N.C.
St. George Island State Park Beach, Fla.
Glorietta Bay Beach, Coronado, Calif.
Bowman’s Beach, Sanibel Island, Fla.
Hilton Head Island Beach, S.C.
Indiana Dunes State Park Beach,
Michigan City, Ind.
Bathtub Beach, Stuart, Fla.
Stewart Beach, Galveston, Texas
Higbee Beach, Cape May, N.J.
Mayo Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
NOTES
Spring Travel Series
The free 2007 Spring Travel Series at Parker Library, 10851 S. Crossroads Drive, continues at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in April. “The Hidden Heart of Portugal,” a color slide presentation by Jose Gonclaves, a Portuguese native, featuring places seldom seen by tourists, will be Wednesday. “Antarctica,” a program by Julie Neukomm, about highlights of her two trips to the underside of planet Earth, will be April 25. Call 303-791-7323.
Arts Festival and Studio Tour
The Costilla County Traditional Arts Festival and Studio Tour will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 12-13. It is presented by Los Caminos Antiguos through a grant from the Colorado Council on the Arts. The tour will start at the San Luis Museum and Cultural Center. More than 24 artists are participating; and the event also features contemporary artists. Call 719-672-3137 or e-mail emerkent@fone.net.
Mountain Art Gathering
Mountain Art Gathering, a free art show featuring 18 of America’s leading artists will be July 27-29, and benefits The Summit Foundation. The event takes place in The Pavilion at Keystone, and includes a three-day art show and a July 27 gala dinner with a live auction. Guest artists include B.J. Briner, Doyle Goebel and Curtis Nazworth. G. Phil Poirier, Doug Ricketts, Barbara Bartels, Charlotte Bell, Bebin Cypher and Paco Sutera, Kerry Feldman, John Hudnut, Lona Hymas-Smith, Mark Johnson, Tom and Jean Latka, Maria Samora and Wolf Sittler. There will be complimentary art activities for children and live music. Show hours are 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. daily. Call 970-453-5970. For lodging accommodations, call Keystone Resort at 888-273-2502 and refer to the code GT4MTNA.
GEOQUIZ
1. The Chibcha Indians once occupied the high valleys around present-day Bogotá and Tunja in which South American country?
2. The Oyo Empire of the Yoruba kingdom was located north of present-day Lagos, in which African country?
3. One of humankind’s prehistoric ancestors is named for the Indonesian island where its fossilized bones were discovered. Name this island, now the most populous in Indonesia.
4. In the 1700s B.C., Hammurabi spread his code of law throughout the kingdom of Babylonia. This kingdom was centered on which present-day Middle Eastern country?
5. Name the vast, mineral-rich region that stretches from the Ural Mountains to the Bering Sea that was conquered in part by the Cossacks during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
6. The Battle of Sobraon in 1846 was fought between the British forces and Sikhs in which present-day country?
7. Angola and one other large country in southern Africa achieved independence from Portugal in 1975. Name this country.
8. At the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., Greek forces fought against the forces of which large empire to the east?
9. Baranof Island and Shelikof Strait are among the many coastal features of Alaska that are named for early traders from what country?
10. During the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, exiles from which Caribbean country tried unsuccessfully to overthrow their country’s government?
ANSWERS: 1. Colombia 2. Nigeria 3. Java 4. Iraq 5. Siberia 6. India 7. Mozambique 8. Persian Empire 9. Russia 10. Cuba
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
REAL DEAL | The week’s best travel bargains
Devil’s Thumb Ranch, a 5,000-acre resort about 65 miles northwest of Denver in Tabernash, is offering spring savings. Through April 24, a one-bedroom loft cabin starts at $150 a night, including continental breakfast. From May 1-26, rates start at $200 a night, and the ranch is offering $5 to $25 discounts on massages, facials, fly-fishing lessons and trail rides. Taxes are an extra 6.7 percent. Rooms typically start at $285. Info: 800-933-4339, devilsthumbranch.com.
The Sky Hotel and 39 Degrees Lounge, Aspen’s slopeside boutique hotel and lounge, a Kimpton Hotel property, has a special Colorado-resident rate of $125 per night valid through May 24. The rate is based on double occupancy and includes room, valet parking and continental breakfast at the 39 Degrees. Amenities include complimentary wireless Internet, complimentary evening wine hour, pet- friendly rooms and a full-service concierge. Guests should ask for the “Colorado Resident Rate,” which is subject to availability and does not include taxes (not valid for groups). Call 970-925-6760 or 800-882-2582 or visit theskyhotel.com.
BikeToursDirect has discounted by 20 percent four guided European bicycle tours. The seven-night trips depart in July. Pricing varies depending on tour. For example, the July 7 Danube Bike Path tour from Passau, Germany, to Vienna is now priced at about $920 (including taxes) per person double; the tour, averaging about 36 miles of easy cycling each day, includes lodging, dinners, guide, luggage transfers and train fare from Vienna to Passau. Other reduced-fare tours include Salzburg Lakes (departing July 15; $938), Tuscany (July 1; $987) and Bolzano to Venice (July 21; $1,031). Info: 877-462-2423, biketoursdirect.com.
Lindblad Expeditions is offering $1,000 discounts on select departures of its Where the Desert Meets the Sea cruise in Baja California’s Sea of Cortez. These seven-night cruises start at $2,490 per person double (including taxes) for departures in April, May and June. The 60-passenger ship, the Sea Voyager, is equipped with Zodiacs, kayaks and a swimming platform. The deal also includes round- trip airfare from Los Angeles to Loreto, Mexico, worth about $349. Info: 800-397-3348, expeditions.com.
– The Washington Post
GEARING UP
It’s almost time to put the ski poles away for the season, and a great way to keep those arms from going to flab over the summer and stay in slope-ready shape is by nordic walking. Grab yourself a pair of poles from Exel Sports North America, such as the Trainer, made from a carbon composite and light as a feather, with an ergonomically designed grip and an adjustable strap that’s lightly padded to hold the pole gently against your wrist while you stride. The tips are angled, which means they help with pole planting, and the paws, the little feet on the bottom, grip the ground and then let go to keep you steady and are made for a variety of terrain. Exel was founded in Finland, where nordic walking originated, and the exercise alleges to burn 40 percent more calories than walking alone. You also can pick up a DVD to learn proper technique or take a class (check out the website for more information) and find out what length poles to buy for your height (the rule of thumb is that your elbow should be bent 90 degrees when holding the grip of the pole in your hand while the tip of the pole is securely placed on the ground; if your elbow is at an angle greater than 90 degrees, you need a shorter pole). The poles come with a lifetime guarantee. | $55-$99, Fleet Feet Sports in Boulder, nordicwalker.com
