Travel Review: Finding your aura in Sedona Arizona

This past week To get a little taste of adventure I headed over to the beautiful little desert town of Sedona Arizona. Sedona is a great place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. This cute little town is surrounded by the red rocks of Arizona and is also home to an ancient Indian village.

I felt like escaping from the city and had read reviews about Sedona. The town of Sedona is located in central Arizona. I booked a cute little cottage at a resort in downtown Sedona. The place had an artsy vibe and a cute shopping center with homemade pottery and beads for sale. The town is also famous for mountain vortexes, which the Indains believed had healing powers, that I took a hot hike to.  I climbed up the mountain through the red clay and took in the views from the top. The red rocks and desert landscape looked peaceful in the sunlight. The hike definitely left me feeling great, maybe it was the natural setting of the desert, or maybe the Indians were right and the vortexes natural powers healed me. I also visited the farmers market that sells incense and pretty tie dye skirts. One of my favorite parts was learning about the history of the ancient clay pueblos built into the mountainside. I also took a drive to the famous slide rock which is not far from Sedona. Slide rock is an natural water slide made with ice cold spring  water that has smoothed over the rocks under it over thousands of years. It was a crazy  ride as I dipped into the ice cold water but soon the shock began to wear off and I just got numb. Then I slid down the rocks  and tried to avoid the boulders along the edges. I made it out alive though and I think the ice water is also rejuvenating because I felt energized for the hike back to the car after. Another interesting thing about Sedona is the Javelina statues that are placed throughout the town. I turned it into a sort of scavenger hunt after I noticed the theme and found several interesting statues of Javelinas around the town. Some had on interesting outfits while others were made out of wood or bronze. Apparently Javelinas are a common type of wild boar in the desert of Arizona. I really enjoyed the trip and felt more connected with the desert nature than before. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a change of scenery.

Travel Review: Colorado Skiing

Colorado Skiing

Heading out to Colorado from Los Angeles I packed practically every sweater I own as well as my new snow pants and bright pink ski jacket. And too many scarves and hats. I will be spending New Years at a ski resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, some of the best skiing in the world. I am still worried if I will  be warm enough 8000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains. I am definitely excited to go skiing though. I will be staying at the ski resort for 6 days. I am planning on taking some refresher ski lessons and staying close to the bottom of the hill. LOL. I can’t wait to make hot chocolate and relax in the lodge as well. Now I'm going to take a nice sleeping pill and try to make it to Colorado in one piece! Haha! I'll be posting daily updates of my vacation here and let you know if I like the resort and location. Follow along if you are interested in taking a ski trip to the Rocky Mountains!

Well I made it to Colorado in one piece! Today was my first day in the mountain. The ski rental desk was very nice and helpful and supplied me with great ski equipment. That is one of the most important things when you are skiing; so always make sure you have the right size boots and skis if you are renting. I took a level  4 ski lesson all day, which I would highly recommend to anyone who is unsure of their ski abilities.  My instructors name was Tom; he was very nice and informative. He is a professor at the local university around here. He teaches Spanish and history and we talked a lot about art history and the Spanish golden age, one of my favorite subjects. His friendly attitude definitely made me feel more comfortable on the slopes and I really made some progress. I think tomorrow I'll take another refresher lesson in the morning and then I'll be ready to hit the slopes for real! The skiing today was great because it wasn't too crowded and there was hardly a line for the lift.  The pine trees lining the hill make the skiing picturesque and relaxing.

My condo is nice and spacious with a patio that has a great view. Although it is way too cold for me to go outside right now. I am definitely glad I brought all my warm sweaters. My ski outfit looked fashionable and did a great job of keeping me warm though!

Continued ski lessons today ans I made it to the top! And back down again! I'm definitely ready for some fun now. My instructor took me up to a hidden path at the top called stagecoach which is super easy and fun for beginners! It winds its way back down the mountain through the pine trees in a serpentine pattern. The top of the mountain is so silent you can hear the snowfall. It's a great feeling to connect with nature. After I made it down I decided to hit the restaurant in the lodge for lunch and to warm up. The food was great and the hot chocolate was even better. Maybe it was just the freezing temperatures but that was excellent cocoa. I ordered a cheeseburger that tasted great and kept me satisfied all afternoon. That wasn't the only thing on the menu though. They had many options including wraps, melts, and sandwiches. I'm sure there is something for everyone in this cozy lodge.. After finishing my delicious lunch I headed back to the slopes and tried Bill's run. It's a fairly intermediate run from the top. I enjoyed the occasional steep drops and nice turns. I headed back to my condo for some rest and I an't wait to get back out there tomorrow. 

Today is New Year's Eve and I am heading to the slopes fro the morning. 

I had a great time exploring the top today I did stagecoach again just for fun and did another run from the top. This evening at 6 there will be a New Years celebration at the lodge and a torchlight parade of skiers coming down the mountain! For now I'm just relaxing in my condo and enjoying the beautiful view.

The torchlight parade was awesome! And standing out in the freezing cold at night was totally worth it for those great fireworks! There was nice turn out at the lodge for the New Years party and everyone was having a great time. There was a DJ and lights so people could dance and hang out. If you are looking for an intimate New Years celebration I definitely recommend Powderhorn resort. Not to mention the great skiing!