More meditation retreats

This is a follow-up to my last post (Yoga and Meditation Resorts in the US). I was reading the news and one link brought me to another link which brought me to another, and then I found myself looking at a slideshow of MSNBC’s top meditation retreats in the US, so now I’ve got a few more to add to my list.

• The Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, KY
• Kripalu Center, Stockbridge, MA
• Menla Mountain Retreat, Phoenicia, NY
• Breitenbush Hot Springs, Detroit, OR
• Shambhala Mountain Center, Red Feather Lakes, CO
• Mount Madonna, Santa Cruz, CA
• Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY
• Ala Kukui, Hana, Maui, Hawaii
• The Abode of the Message, New Lebanon, NY
• Esalen, Big Sur, Calif.

One day I’ll visit them all

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Other Spas and Retreats in the US:

• Spas and Retreats in Hawaii
• Spas and Retreats in Mid Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, VA, WV)
• Spas and Retreats in the Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WI)
• Spas and Retreats in New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
• Spas and Retreats in the Mountain States (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
• Spas and Retreats in the South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN)
• Spas and Retreats in the Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
• Spas and Retreats on the West Coast (CA, NV, OR, WA)

Meditative ski slopes

If you’re like me (which is probably in general not something to aspire to…), you like skiing, but hate the skiing experience. Sometimes I go out to Hunter Mountain, which is pretty close by, and then regret it almost immediately. Basically: I HATE CROWDS. I HATE COMMERCIAL SKI SLOPES. I HATE SKI SCHOOLS THAT CROWD MY MOUNTAIN. Yeah, that’s right, I get a little possessive. I usually drive for hours or even days to get to the slope of my choice, spend a crapload of money, and then can barely move as I get pushed down the icy, well-too-worn slopes. This winter, I’ve got one roadtrip planned and my goal is to find some empty slopes where not only can I ski in peace, but I can meditate and relax. Is it possible? We shall see.

Here’s a list I’ve found so far, posted a year ago on ForbesTraveler.com – but doesn’t the fact that it’s already been advertised as “crowd-free” for one year mean that all the crowd-avoiders will be there, thus making it a bit crowded? Well, maybe you’ve got insight—please let me know if you know of more crowdless slopes. (Though I understand if you don’t want to share—publicizing them would sort of defeat the purpose, right?)

• Grand Targhee Ski Resort Area – Alta, Wyoming
• Telluride Ski Resort Area – Telluride, Colorado
• Whitefish Mountain – Whitefish (Kalispell), Montana
• Kirkwood Ski Resort Area – Kirkwood, California
• SnowBasin Ski Resort – Trappers Loop, Utah
• Taos Ski Valley Resort Area – Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Big Sky – Big Sky Ski Resort Area – Meadow Village, Montana
• Silverton Mountain Ski Resort Area – Silverton, Colorado

Enjoy! Hopefully I won’t see you out there – you know what I mean.
(Thank you, forbestraveler.com for the list.)

Good Info on Skiing in General

• Skiing in Alaska
• Skiing in Mid Atlantic States
• Skiing in the Midwest
• Skiing in New England
• Skiing in the Rocky Mountains
• Skiing in the Southwest
• Skiing in the West Coast

Maui slideshow

If I could hop in my car and drive to Hawaii right now, I would. I just saw a slideshow of pictures from this stunning island and I want to be there! It looks like such a peaceful, mystical place, filled with a rich tribal history that is still so very much alive. Even the picture at the spa makes me want to go, and I’m not really such a spa person. So there are 11 slides and I just wanted to look up a bit about each of the places that are highlighted. You need to go to this slideshow and check out these pictures! I’ve cut and pasted the tag lines—the slideshow goes pretty fast and you may not get a chance to read them.

1. Far-flung Maui has long been revered as a pure and pristine getaway.
2. The pool at the Hotel Hana
3. Pineapple growing on the side of the scenic Hana Highway
4. Wind chimes at a fruit stand along the road to Hana
5. A view of the Pacific Ocean from Kihei
6. Local leis and headdresses in Lahaina
7. The Misty ‘Iao Valley
8. Carving a totem at the Old Lahaina Luau
9. Snorkeling in La Perouse Bay in South Maui
10. The Spa at the Grand Wailea
11. An Old Lahaina Luau member sounding the conch

I think what appeals to me most about Hawaii (and I haven’t given this much thought before coming across these pictures, so just hear me out) is the combo of the old and the new, of tradition and modernity. Obviously there’s a lot of cheesiness going on in Hawaii with the tourist industry and all, but at the same time, native life has been brewing in Hawaii untouched by corporate America and such for longer than in most other places in the country. There’s still so much in Hawaii that is wild and rustic—the volcanoes, for example. I mean there’s only so much taming and commercializing you can do to a still active volcano, right? Anyways, my point is that I want to go. I want to walk around in a bikini and sip milk from a coconut on the beach. Is that too much to ask?

Thanksgiving shopping in North and South Carolina

For the first time EVER, I won’t be spending Thanksgiving with my parents. Instead of going home, I’ll be driving all across down to South Carolina to spend the weekend with one of my best friends who invited me and a few other of our besties. I don’t believe my parents said yes!

While I love turkey and remembering the pilgrims, what I really love about Thanksgiving is the shopping. Things go super on sale and I know some people hate the crowds, but I think its fun to walk through a jam packed mall.

I’ve compiled a list of some of the best of the best shopping malls in North Carolina and South Carolina. Some I’ve been to and the rest come recommended by friends who live throughout these two states.

North Carolina malls:

• Ashville Mall Shopping Center – Ashville, North Carolina
• Tanger Outlet Center – Nags Head, North Carolina
• Tanger Outlet Center – Blowing Rock, North Carolina

South Carolina malls:

• WestGate Mall – Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Citadel Mall – Charleston, South Carolina
• Haywood Mall – Greenville, South Carolina
• Coastal Grand Mall – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Tanger Outlet Center Mall – Myrtle Beach (Highway 501), South Carolina
• Tanger Outlet Center Mall – Myrtle Beach (Highway 17), South Carolina
• Waccamaw Factory Shoppes – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Obviously there are many many more, but these should keep you busy enough this Thanksgiving season.

Happy Thanksgiving Day Sale Shopping!

Yoga and Meditation Resorts in the US

I just spent the most wonderful, centering, relaxing, balancing week at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in Woodburne, NY (yes I’m back on the east coast). I’ve decided that my next big journey will be to Thailand to study Thai yoga massage, but until then, I’ve decided to do some exploration here on the home front. There’s actually quite an industry (in a good way) of yoga retreats in the U.S. For the most part, they’re non-commercial institutions that take the art of yoga seriously. That has definitely been my experience so far and from speaking to other people, it seems to be the consensus. Here are a list of some of the yoga and meditation resorts in the U.S. If you know of any more, please please add them to my list…who knows…maybe one day I’ll reach them all!

• Omega Institute – Rhinebeck, New York
• New Age Health Spa – Neversink, New York
• Kalani Oceanside Retreat Center – Pahoa, Hawaii
• Yogaville – Satchidananda Ashram – Buckingham, Virginia
• Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm – Grass Valley, California
• Spirit Rock Meditation Center – Woodacre, California
• Tassajara Zen Mountain Center – Carmel Valley, California
• Post Ranch Inn & Spa – Big Sur, California
• Feathered Pipe Ranch – Helena, Montana
• The Standard Hotel & Spa – Miami Beach, Florida

Peace and Namaste, Olivia

Fun Maize Mazes

I’m not quite sure why corn mazes are associated with Halloween. Maybe because corn is a fall crop. And I guess it is a bit eerie to walk through a field of corn where you can see nothing but talk stalks all around you. In any case, it’s a fun, green activity that boosts agritourism! So this Halloween, get the spooks and the eebie jeebies in a corn maze near you!

I’ll be going to the F & W Schmitt Family Farms out on Long Island. They’ve got what they call a “Serious After-Dark Scare”. For $11 you can get lost in a scary maze “filled with surprises”…I’ll let you know how it goes! You can also visit the haunted mansion while you’re there.

Here are some others that may be in your area:

• Sever’s Corn Maze – Minnesota – Another family owned agricultural wonder, based on castle gardens from England…and a safari. You can also visit their Scream Town.
• The Corn Maze at the Butterfly House – Whitehouse, Ohio – More day and nighttime mazes, including the “Sarah America” maze which is the carved out likeness of VP nominee Sarah Palin (okaaaay…that’s not weird). While you’re here, you can also visit the Butterfly House and Christmas Tree Farm.
• Amazing Maize Maze at Long Acre Farms – Macedon, New York – A maze competition: two teams compete to find their way through the maze using clues (aka Kernels of Knowledge). Good place for birthday parties.
• Great Vermont Corn Maze – Danville, Vermont – Complete with gardens, mini golf, a mini kid’s maze, and a nature center.
• Great Adirondack Corn Maze – New York – A family owned farm (Tucker Farm) with a “million dollar view” of the Adirondack Mountains.
• Mazeland – Alexandria Bay, New York – A maze of huge cedar trees, fun for kids and adults.
• Cornbelly’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Fest – Lehi, Utah – An October celebration at the Cornuphobia haunted corn maze.
• Dole Plantation – Wahiawa, Hawaii – This is Hawaii, not middle America, and it’s pineapple, not corn, but same idea, right? They call this the world’s largest maze. I don’t know why it’s hard to imagine a pineapple field being larger than a corn field. Ok, I have just confirmed: The Dole Plantation Pineapple Garden Maze was officially recognized as the World’s Largest Maze in the Guinness Book of World Records 2001. So to clarify, it was the largest maze a bunch of years ago.
• Ashland Berry Farms – Ashland, Virginia – Again, not a corn maze, but a fun maze for kids using bales of hay.
• Magnolia Plantation and Gardens – Charleston, South Carolina – A garden maze based on old English gardens. Also a romantic vacation spot!

To make your OWN corn maze (hey, I don’t know who’s reading this!), visit Corn Mazes America who can help you turn your corn crop into corn fun!

Happy Halloween!

Ghost Towns, USA

I’m baaaaack! And I appreciate all of your emails of concern. I did not get eaten by mountain lions, as one of my very humorous readers asked. In fact, I am, sadly, back in New Paltz, the land of the living dead as I like to think. Back to the cubicle, back to grind. Gotta build up the cash stacks before my next adventure…I’m thinking somewhere colder this time. The northwest, Alaska, or I may even *gasp* cross the border into Canada.

There is so much I haven’t told you about the remainder of my Southwest/Midwest journey. It will take time, my friends, for me to put it all in words. And so, in celebration of Halloween Month (that’s what we called it as kids), I thought I’d share a bit about my Ghost Town travels. These totally came out of nowhere. I was hanging out with some completely random people in Colorado and they brought me around on their ghost town tour. We also went to the Ghost Town Museum near Denver. A rollicking good time was had by all.

First, what IS a ghost town, you ask? Well, wikipedia will tell you that it is “a town or city that has been abandoned, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as flood or war.” But I would add, that a ghost town is an isolated, desolate, haunted area. Many of the places on this list I’m about to make used to be near railroads, but were abandoned when people moved out to the highways. Some were old mining camps. But all of them are spooky. mooo hooo hahaha! (That was my spooky cackle.)

Here are some ideas for Halloween fun if you happen to find yourselves out in the middle of nowhere in Colarado. The key to a good ghost town experience is to go with the right people. You have to be in the mood to pretend to be scared (because shhhh…they’re not really scary.)

• Visit the deserted cemetery in the Vicksburg Ghost Town.
• Visit Chipmunk Crossing at the St. Elmo Ghost Town.
• Tell some ghost stories near the mine at the Nevadaville Ghost Town.
• Go on an off-road adventure at the once thriving but now sadly devoid of life area of Animas Forks Ghost Town.
• Hike up a mountain to visit restored buildings and storefronts at the Ashcroft Ghost Town.

And if you happen to be in California, take the “walk you’ll never forget”—the Calico Ghost Walk, a 90 minutes after-dark tour of the Calico Ghost Town in Yermo (Barstow).

Happy Halloween!