We enjoyed a great get together at Sam Pillsbury's new tasting room in Cottonwood, AZ.  More about that in another post, but for now I'll just say that I was impressed by the atmosphere in the tiny Old Town area of Cottonwood.

Wichita, KS

I recently traveled for business to Wichita, Kansas.  Having never been there before, I really didn't know what to expect.  I was pleasantly surprised.
 
Wichita is a vibrant small city.  The primary industry, aerospace, is strong.  The city is nice and not run down.  The people are friendly.  And the pace is relaxed.
 
On top of that, the weather in late August was outstanding.  Each day was cloudless and upper 70's.  I walked almost everywhere I could.

Travel to Bryce Canyon Half Marathon

I've visited many National Parks in Utah - numerous times - with my preference
for active, outdoors experiences, and having grown up in that state. However,
on this particular weekend trip to Bryce Canyon National Park I didn't even
enter the Park itself. Why? Because my quest was an entirely new and different
one: completing a Half Marathon Run. That's right - I ran 13.1 miles in some
of the most scenic country on the planet just for the accomplishment of running
and finishing the race.

It was my brother's fault. He is a runner. He actually likes it. So, at
Thanksgiving dinner when he was raving about the ease, beauty, and energetic
spirit of this race my 19 year-old daughter and I became captivated with the
notion of running this particular half-marathon. The goal was not be become a
runner and not to get fit or active. The goal was not to win, place, or show -
but simply to complete the course. In March, when we decided we would probably
really do this, I started training. Working my way up from three mile
jog-walks three times a week to 10 mile training runs (yes - still a lot of
jogging, but not much walking). This didn't happen over night, but gradually
over three months time.

We stayed at the famous Ruby's Inn, now a Best Western lodge in a complex that
includes basic amenities that campers and outdoors types crave - like laundry
facilities, heated pool, grocery store and gift shop. Plus on-site casual
restaurants and plenty of tourist information for those traveling to the
National Park. The restaurant staff was especially attentive and friendly to my
daughter and I as we carb-loaded the day before the race.

The weather at 6 a.m. the morning of July 17, 2010 was perfect - not too cold
for us when we decided to walk the 1/2 mile from our motel room to the race
starting point in our shorts and tank tops, but not at all on the warm side in
the pre-dawn at 8,000 feet altitude either. I paced myself well and completed
about 1/2 the race before the sun was high enough to warm things up. My
daughter ran straight for the first 8 miles before stopping for hydration, so
when she finally tired out I had the chance to "almost" catch up to her. Still,
she finished 12 minutes before I did. That's a huge difference for serious
racers, but not much at all for someone like me who just wanted to complete the
race, enjoy the canyon scenery and not endure much pain or aggravation. All
those things were accomplished, plus I had a great time just hanging out with my
daughter.

**********************

Sandra L. Abbey, Consultant

Skys The Limit- Travel

www.sandrastltravel.worldventuresdreamtrips.com

sandra.travel@skysthelimit-hr.com

520-591-6260

Dining at the Trinidad Bay Eatery, Trinidad, California

In early June we had a great customer service dining experience while visiting
family in McKinleyville, California. This community is near Eureka and Arcata,
not far from the Eureka-Arcata airport. One of the other small towns nearby is
Trinidad, California. We had a fabulous meal at the Trinidad Bay Eatery.

What was especially notable was the fact that we had arrived in the town for a
family reunion and after most of our family members flew in or drove in it was
about 8 p.m. and we discovered we had eight hungry people who were not in the
mood for the fast-food type fair nearer the airport. The drive to Trinidad was
scenic with forested roadways and great views of the bay and we found ourselves
at the Trinidad Bay Eatery just at 8:30 p.m. the usual closing time for the
restaurant. This is clearly a sleepy, roll-up the sidewalks community not used
to two carloads of visitors arriving at closing time.

However, the restaurant staff welcomed us, hanging out the "CLOSED" sign after
ushering us into a friendly dining area furnished with inviting wood tables and
booths, a modestly stocked bar and a gift shop style gallery. With the location
on the bay, the menu featured primarily local seafood. The homemade clam
chowder was a big hit, but the burgers and salads also had several takers.
There were items for the desert-dwellers who hadn't developed a palate for
seafood, as well as a delicious vegetarian Thai salad. I'm not sure the Thai
salad was completely authentic, but the ingredients were fresh and delicious.

Service was friendly, accommodating, and not at all rushed. This was very nice
considering that we arrived at closing time. The staff could have told us we
were too late, could have shown that they were in a rush to clean up and head
home for the evening, but they did not. Our drive back to our hotel near the
airport was just as scenic, but we appreciated it all the more with our
appetites quenched and twilight lingering just enough to filter through the
trees.

Travel Consulting

I must crave being busy and involved in a variety of things all the time. Otherwise, with a full-time job, part-time job, volunteering and staying active with family and friend why would I also take on a travel consulting partnership?

One of the things I've come to understand about myself over the years is that people need a balance between work and leisure. In human resources circles we call it work-life balance. It's a simple concept: The harder a person works, the more they need to make time to play (or spend time with family and friends).

With travel consulting, the concept of playing while working was a huge magnet for me. The motto of some in this industry is that they are "making a living - living." That's cool! Another thing that enticed me is the great deals on travel that I'd never be able to find outside of the dreamtrips concept. And finally, my mentor and business partner, Victoria, is willing to do the vast majority of the work for me when I'm swamped with other things.

One thing I can certainly do is invite people to my new website: (www.sandrastltravel.worldventures.biz ) and write about my travel experiences here. That way, maybe more and more folks will catch the leisure travel bug the way I have!

And another thing.... in case people are wondering about what the stl stands for in sandrastltravel - of course they are the initials of my consulting business: Sky's The Limit!