Blazing Trails

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Our blog begins in Scottsdale, Arizona. In October we were introduced to Panache Desai, a spiritual master, currently living in Florida. Panache was born in Great Britain of Indian decent. His family enjoyed a long history in the presence of Spiritual Masters. Apparently this too, was his destiny. We joined Panache and 109 people from all over the world, including our good friends Kelly and Jenna Santillo of Maine, for a weekend spent meditating, clearing and enjoying the bliss that comes as a result of abiding as the Self. This was probably one of the most powerful, and transformational weekends of our lives.

After blazing the trail home, to the very heart of being… it was time to hit the trail again on planet earth and head south. This time we ended up in Benson, Arizona. Why Benson, you ask? Well Benson is just south of Tuscon and central to many of the sights found in southeastern Arizona. We found a great little RV Resort aimed at over 55’s. The people were friendly. The resort was well maintained and boasted a pool, hot tub, and an observatory where we could admire the cosmos. The only down side, was a railroad track running near by. I swear a train went by once every hour during the day and more often at night. But then that’s why God made earplugs!!

In Benson, we enjoyed more hiking, sight seeing and even a interesting spa experience. Our favourite hike was Chiricahua National Monument, the location of the Apache last stronghold. They hid for 25 years in these mountains lead by Geronimo and Cochise. As we hiked through the amazing rock formations into a beautiful river valley, we could feel the ghosts of the Apache people walking with us. Along the stream bank on the well-weathered rocks, we could hear the laughter of the women and children as they bathed and washed their garments. The whole area had a mystical feel, matched only by its spectacular beauty.

We also experienced Tombstone, and Bisbee. Both towns noted for their tales of the old west. Tombstone is capitalizing on this and continues to maintain the original look and feel. It doesn’t hurt that local actors walk the streets dressed in western garb, including guns and pistols. Bisbee on the other hand is a haven for hippies and artists. It boasts some unique art galleries and stores.

Another high light of our time in Benson, our spa experience at the Kachina Spa in Safford. The spa was situated on a back-country road. When we pulled up, we were certain that we were in the wrong location. There was nothing to differentiate the spa from the other run down farmhouses. We were pleasantly surprised to find a plain, clean and serene interior. For $85.00 we enjoyed a one-hour massage, a heat wrap and a reflexology treatment. Lucas said it was the best massage of his life. We also had a private Roman tub fed by the local mineral hot-springs before and after the treatment. It was amazing!

After a quick stop in Mesa to visit Al and Helene, we made our way north to Las Vegas, Nevada. The last time I saw the lights of Las Vegas was some 25 years ago. Needless to say the place has changed. The other surprising thing about Vegas was the rain. It rained for 3 days straight. I am not talking about a desert drizzle. I mean a downpour. Las Vegas received more rain in those three days then it had seen in 51 years. Lucas and I joked that we hoped the Noah would stop by Las Vegas to pick us up. However, we recognized that being in Sin-City did not position us well for an Ark drive by. So the first few days of our stay were inside days. This is not hard to do in Vegas. We saw Cirque de Soleil, Love - based on the Beatles music. Amazing! We met up with our old friends Rick and Louise and our new friends Kitty and Kevin, who got married. Yes a Vegas wedding! We enjoyed all the usual Vegas trappings, with the exception of gambling.

One of the highlights of our Vegas stay was reconnecting with my Aunt Phylis and cousins Ron, Elaine and their son Ryan. This reconnection included a fantastic Christmas dinner and an opportunity for Lucas and I to work in a real kitchen again. The dinner was fantastic. It was a joint effort, with everyone contributing something. It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas day. Ron and Elaine also arranged for complimentary tickets to Menopause the Musical, which was a hoot too. The funniest part was leaving the theatre. Lucas made an off hand comment about spending Christmas Eve watching Menopause. Trust me when I tell you there was no malicious intent at all. The problem was he said it in a hallway full of menopausal women. We could not get a word in. The women were thrilled by the opportunity to good-naturedly tear into Lucas. He in typical Lucas fashion accepted their “wrath” with a smile.

After a week in Las Vegas it was time to find someplace warm. So on December 26th we made our way to Palm Springs, California. Our next home away from home was Sky Valley Resort in Desert Hot Springs. The park was clean and comfortable and boasted several mineral fed pools and hot tubs. Every morning we started our day with a swim and a hot tub. It was a real treat.

Palm Springs is exactly as you would expect, an oasis in the middle of the desert. Many of our hikes involved beautiful, lush oasis. Palm trees abound and green grass is the norm. Amazing for this desert climate. We hiked a number of state and national parks, including Joshua Tree, Indian Canyon and Coachella Valley Preserve. Once again we connected with friends from home when we realized the Pauline Stevenson and Ron Schmidt were here in Indio with his daughters Alison and Carolyn. We enjoyed another great visit and home cooked meal…. Alison is an amazing cook!

News Eve we had dinner at Tormes and new Jazz bar and restaurant owned my Mel Torme’s daughter. It has the look and feel of a old jazz bar. Unfortunately we didn’t have the best seats and eventually headed over to the Hyatt where we “crashed” the New Years Eve Gala. There we enjoyed a Celine Dion impressionist, who could really sing and some great dance music. So there we were in the middle of Palm Springs dancing in the New Year. What fun!!

Another highlight of our Palm Springs stay was the Palm Springs International Music Festival. We caught two films. The first was the world premiere of On the Shore with James Gandolfini of Sopranos fame. On the Shore is an intense drama, steeped in complicated relationships. This film was marked by amazing performances by all the major actors and well worth seeing. The second film was a documentary called My So Called Enemy. It is a powerful presentation of the lives of six Palestinian and Isreali young women who meet a camp in the US and then go on to build bridges with each other, in their community and beyond. It is a film that fills you with hope for the conflict in the middle east and demonstrates clearly that as human beings we are more alike than not, no matter your religion, cultural background or colour of your skin.

Today we left Palm Springs. I am writing this as we drive north to our next adventure. Next stop Lake Tahoe for 3 days of skiing. Time to pull out the warm clothes again.

Until next time….

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Comments

[Phyllis]

Love you guys!!
What a great write-up and family pictures to boot. I almost broke the camera! Wish we could see you again but will have to be satisfied with your wonderful and exciting blogs. Love you both

[Adri & Casper]

:D
Priceless! Looks like the two of you are having a blast!