QuikPod Explorer II comes with carrying bag, hiking clip, wrist strap and more

I’ve been practicing with the QuikPod EXPLORER II and Mobile – Smartphone Adapter (priced at $59.84 on Amazon) so that I can use the monopod on our upcoming road trip to Vancouver Island. Here’s what I like about it:

• Folds up into a small carrying bag making the QuikPod easy to transport
• Built-in mirror guarantees that you are in the shot
• Assembles quickly so that you don’t miss that shot (the sunset won’t stay in the same spot forever)
• Waterproof construction (we’ll be using with our waterproof camera for cool underwater shots and videos)

Let me show you how it works (if you can’t see the video, click here: QuikPod Explorer II video review)

Now that you’ve seen it in action, what do you think of the QuikPod Explorer II with Mobile adapter? Would you like to win one? Here’s how:

QuikPod Explorer II and Mobile Adapter Giveaway

Post a comment to tell us where you would take photos with your QuikPod.  Please include your email address for contact purposes. Giveaway ends on Thursday, May 23, 2013, at 11:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. Winner will be announced as soon as possible. According to our general contest rules, the winner must be a U.S. resident and respond within 48 hours of receiving the notification email; or we chose another winner.

Disclosure: QuickPod provided a Quik Pod Mobile Adapter and  QuikPod Explorer 2 for our review and as a prize for this giveaway. The Amazon link has been included for your convenience but My Itchy Travel Feet does receive a small portion of the sale. Thanks for keeping us in business.

More 5-year-anniversary giveaways:

• Pin to Win Kuru Shoes (ends May 31, 2013)
• Scottevest Travel Vest for Women (ends May 22, 2013)
• Lonely Planet Best Trips book giveaway (ends May 16, 2013)
• Kauai Trailblazer book giveway in the May newsletter (ends May 31, 2013: must subscribe to our newsletter)
• $100 TownePlace Suites Marriott gift card giveaway in the May newsletter (ends (May 31, 2013: must subscribe to our newsletter)

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Author Bio: A boomer travel and lifestyle authority who is exploring the world one activity at a time. Besides writing and publishing My Itchy Travel Feet, she also writes about boomer travel for My Well-Being Powered by Humana, Make It Missoula and is the author of My Itchy Travel Feet: Breathtaking Adventure Vacation Ideas.

A recent road trip to Sonoita Arizona made us realize a visit to a winery can add up to so much more than merely wine-tasting. It can mean relaxing on a storefront patio, viewing a gallery of art prints or shopping for olives, jams, honey, flour and T-shirts. One lingering, leisurely visit to this tasting room brought to us a sense of discovery… discovering another  part of Arizona’s cultural and physical geography, plus making new friends — all while sampling Arizona wines. The following photos represent additional ways to capture the complete experience at Dos Cabezas WineWorks:

Welcome the cool, southeast Arizona breezes through open patio doors

Peruse interesting art prints and unique pantry items

Gather with friends and family to sample some of Arizona’s finest wines

Shop for glassware and T-shirts in front of the winery’s main barrel room

Expect the unexpected — you’ll never know what goodies you may find at an Arizona wine tasting room…

Remember: Sonoita Arizona is usually ten degrees cooler than Tucson and Phoenix metro areas.

Find AZGetawayTravel.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Rim above Sandy’s Canyon and the pit

Climbers in the pit

for hikers.

Tickets for “Shania: Still the One” at Caesars Palace just went on sale for 22 shows, Oct. through Nov. 2013. The music superstar’s first 24 shows sold out, so, no, it’s not too early to grab your tickets. Some tickets are still available for dates in May, too, through June 1. Get details.

Twain, sometimes called “The Queen of Country Pop,” is one of the world’s best-selling female artists of all time, which only slightly less impressive than the fact this blog has had a crush on her since, oh, 1995.

Blog crushes are, by far, the least creepy of all crushes.

Her show at Caesars Palace is a journey through Twain’s life and career, with many of her hits, a 13-piece band, stunning visuals (including Shania herself, of course), and a ton of Twain’s trademark fashions, courtesy of her longtime collaborator, Marc Bouwer.

Our friends at the Las Vegas Sun interviewed Shania Twain about her residency, plans for a new album and other tidbits. Take a look.

Trivia: Shania’s real name is Eilleen Regina Edwards.

Learn more about Shania Twain’s residency at Caesars Palace.

Flagstaff, Arizona – Baby boomer travelers looking for a delicious and casual dining experience should make a reservation at Criollo when visiting Flagstaff, Arizona.

Located in the very popular historic district of Flagstaff, Criollo bills itself as hand-crafted, Latin-inspired, local food.

Criollo’s menu proudly displays the area farms from which their food is sourced, and the menu includes paella, tapas, tortilla soup, pork belly tacos, along with a host of other Latin-inspired creations.

In the hand-crafted department, Executive Chef David Smith is in the kitchen putting his personal touches on everything that is presented to the restaurant’s guests.

A graduate of the Arizona Culinary Institute, Chef David was introduced to the Slow Food movement after a stint in the Pacific Northwest, and is now crafting his magical cuisine to the praise of the foodies of Flagstaff and beyond.

We asked owner Paul Moir what he was looking to offer guests at Criollo:

“All of our restaurants, Brix & Criollo in Flagstaff and Proper in Tucson, are local, sustainable food based restaurants.  Criollo specifically is a casual, urban, farm to table restaurant serving latin inspired cuisine and cocktails.  We wanted to present to the world a local food based restaurant with a casual atmosphere and affordable prices.”

When we walked in the front door, the restaurant was packed and our very first impressions were that of a casual, local haunt, mixed with Northern Arizona travelers all gathered together to enjoy good food, drink, and companionship.

In keeping with Criollo’s desire for local and sustainable, we found the walls adorned with local art pieces for sale, all of the pine materials used in the restaurant is locally harvested Beetle Kill Ponderosa and Rodeo-Chediski salvage wood, and the table tops, bar top, and bar shelves were created by a local welding company.

After we were comfortably seated, Chef David came out to visit our table.  We found him to be a very affable guy beaming with pride about his cuisine.  The chef visited our table several times throughout the night, and we were able to laud him with numerous praises.

While everything was delish, real standouts were the salmon tostadas, pork belly tacos, tamales, and our friend Bob was all smiles over the relleno vegetables.

Bravo!

Photographs from our Criollo Latin Kitchen Dining Experience

Coconut & Masa Fried Calamari (mango slaw, cilantro aioli)

Tortilla Soup (free range chicken, tomato broth, corn tortilla, cilantro)

Criollo Tamale (roasted corn, green chili, roasted red pepper, cotija)  YUM!

Salmon Tostada (seared alaskan salmon, goat cheese, black bean spread, jalapeño glaze, lemon crema, spagetti squash, toasted pepitas)

Relleno Vegetables (roasted poblano chile, roasted corn, butternut squash, black beans, jack cheese, spicy tomato polenta, warm goat cheese vinaigrette)

Pork Belly Tacos (slow-roasted pork belly, cabbage, house pickles, mild salsa, jalapeño glaze) Wowza!

Photography by David A. Porter, © The Roaming Boomers, LLC.

See!  Doesn’t that all look fabulous?

If you’re visiting Flagstaff, be certain to spend a casual night of dining at the Criollo Latin Kitchen.  You’re certain to thank us later.

Link: Criollo Latin Kitchen

Disclosure: our wonderful dining experience was provided by the kind folks at Criollo Latin Kitchen.  Thanks!

If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.

Guard your social media networks
Did you know that criminals can gain access to sensitive information through social media networks? Before you go on vacation, don’t post about your vacation trip on any of your social media networks. You could become a prime suspect for house robbery or other property damage.

Hire a house sitter
If you are going to be leaving the house for a long period of time, you could hire someone to watch the house for you. This works great if you have animals, or a garden, that needs to be maintained while you are gone.

Remove spare keys
It is popular to have a spare key on the premises in case you are ever locked out, but this can be counterproductive when on vacation. Leaving a key out could invite unwanted visitors into your house, so tuck your key inside your house.

Place your mail on hold
You don’t want to have mail floating around for anyone to snatch out of your mailbox. This may be unnecessary in apartment buildings, which have a lock and key solution, but it is definitely a necessity for residential homes.

Save power and other utilities
You can save on your electric bill and other utilities. If you can, suspend your cable package and other utilities that are not necessary while you are not at home. Otherwise, you may just decide to use timers to limit the amount of electricity you are using while on vacation.

Lock away valuables
This is almost overlooked by most people, but by securing your valuables, you will have less chances of a burglary.

Associations can protect your home
A Home Owners Association, or HOA, can provide your home with significant security. An HOA is not only an organization that maintains the integrity of your neighborhood and sets maintenance standards, but an HOA also provides your home with significant protection and security while you are away. Phoenix HOA management provides you with a sense of security and protection while you are on vacation.

Whether it is a service, or the simple necessities, you should try to keep your home safe from all manners of damage and theft. These tips will assist you in protecting your valuables.

This blog is completely objective, let’s just say that up front.

For the show’s final competition of the season, Penn and country singer Trace Adkins have been tasked with creating their own flavor of ice cream.

On May 13, outside the Walgreen’s adjacent to Planet Hollywood at Harmon Center, Penn was joined by “Jubilee!” showgirls and other Las Vegas performers to launch his ice cream flavor, Vanilla & Chocolate Magic Swirtle.

Penn arrived via a small carbon footprint vehicle. It also happened to be a high calorie footprint vehicle, but let’s not get bogged down in details.

Trace Adkins’ flavor, Maple Macadamia Mash-Up, is not nearly as good as Penn’s flavor, despite this blog having no real basis of comparison, because we didn’t try that one. If you want an unbiased opinion about things, please visit another blog.

What we do know is Penn’s ice cream is vanilla-based, with salted caramel swirls and pieces of chocolate mixed in. Even if we weren’t biased, this blog would love it.

Can we please get past the speech-making to the ice cream giving-outing? Thanks.

After a few remarks, Penn and friends dove into the serious business of handing out ice cream samples to members of the crowd. Caesars Entertainment purchased 200 pints to get the party started.

Insert gratuitous photo of showgirls here.

At the ice cream social, Penn was joined by Opportunity Village clients, his Rio co-star, Teller, as well as Paris headliner Taylor Hicks, comedian George Wallace (Flamingo Las Vegas), comedy-magician Mac King (below, Harrah’s Las Vegas) and Blue Man Group.

Trivia: Before becoming a headliner on The Strip, Mac King was an expert pointer.

The competitors’ ice cream flavors will be sold at Walgreens and Duane Reade locations nationwide through May 18.

The “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” winner will be announced May 19, 2013.

Teller would agree: Being a Vegas magician is rough.

George Wallace seemed in his element, giving out ice cream as gleefully as the cash he sometimes gives away at his Flamingo shows. Note to ourselves: Attend more George Wallace performances.

George Wallace is as serious about generosity as he is about comedy.

If Penn Jillette can sell more ice cream than Trace Adkin, who is probably a very nice person, other than being on the losing end of a Vegas versus Memphis throw-down, Walgreens will award $100,000 to Opportunity Village, a Las Vegas-based charity that serves those with intellectual disabilities.

Paris headliner Taylor Hicks hangs out with two Opportunity Village clients.

The ice cream sales will also help determine who will be named the “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice,” and if Penn wins, another $250,000 would go to Opportunity Village.

If Penn doesn’t win, this blog agrees to eat an entire pint of ice cream. We’re selfless like that.

Penn’s playing for Opportunity Village has already brought in a whopping $400,000 to the organization. The Southern Nevada nonprofit provides vocational training, community employment, advocacy, arts and social recreation, among other services. They also do this. Find out more at OpportunityVillage.org.

Here are a few more photos from the “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” festivities on The Strip.

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I was introduced to Scottevest last year at the TBEX12 conference in Colorado when the travel clothing company kindly gave every attendee one of their vests. To my surprise (I’ve know about Scottevest for years but thought all those pockets would make clothes bulky), the vest had a sleek, stylish design even though there were 17 pockets.

So now that I’ve worn the travel vest for women on my travels, what do I think? The large pocket that holds an iPad puts my mind at ease when going through airport security. I take off the vest with the iPad safely zipped in the inside pocket (along with other valuables like my wallet and passport), the vest goes into the bin to be x-rayed and everything is hidden from view—unless a would-be robber knows about Scottevest clothing.

Even though the vest is constructed out of breathable material, I find it to be a bit warm in the summer. And when the iPad is zipped into the inside pocket, the vest feels a little lopsided. Although I put items in pockets on the other side of the vest, it’s tough to get the vest balanced just right. But it’s a small price to pay for traveling hands free and especially for the reassurance that my iPad will make it through airport security without being stolen.

The vest looks great with a turtleneck—add a scarf and you’re stylin’. Want to see?

In celebration of My Itchy Travel Feet’s 5-year celebration, Scottevest is providing a Travel Vest for Women ($125) to one of our readers. Here’s how to enter:

Scottevest Travel Vest for Women Giveaway

Please leave a comment at the end of this article telling us where you would travel in your Scottevest. Remember, we are giving away a LADIES travel vest. Please include your email address for contact purposes. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 11:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. Winner will be announced as soon as possible. According to our general contest rules, the winner must be a U.S. resident and respond within 48 hours of receiving the notification email; or we chose another winner.

Disclosure: Scottevest provided the Ladies travel vest for our giveaway. I also received a complimentary vest while attending TBEX12.

More 5-year-anniversary giveaways:

• Pin to Win Kuru Shoes (ends May 31, 2013)
• Lonely Planet Best Trips book giveaway (ends May 16, 2013)
• Kauai Trailblazer book giveway in the May newsletter (ends May 31, 2013: must subscribe to our newsletter)
• $100 TownePlace Suites Marriott gift card giveaway in the May newsletter (ends (May 31, 2013: must subscribe to our newsletter)

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Author Bio: A boomer travel and lifestyle authority who is exploring the world one activity at a time. Besides writing and publishing My Itchy Travel Feet, she also writes about boomer travel for My Well-Being Powered by Humana, Make It Missoula and is the author of My Itchy Travel Feet: Breathtaking Adventure Vacation Ideas.

America’s Roaring 20s was a time of opulence in the hotel industry, and Northern Arizona’s La Posada Hotel thankfully remains as a glowing testament  to the era of railroads, the Harvey Girls, and in its heyday was a favorite destination of the Hollywood jet set.

Former guests include the likes of Charles Lindbergh, Gene Autry, Howard Hughes, Jane Russell, John Wayne, Dorothy Lamour, James Cagney, Clark Gable, and a long list of presidents and foreign dignitaries.

Fred Harvey, known as the man who “civilized the west”, was legendary for developing grand luxurious hotels and restaurants along the Santa Fe Railroad.  Ultimately building an empire that spanned the continent.

“In the 1920s, Harvey decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. “La Posada”—the Resting Place—was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs alone exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million (about $40 million in today’s dollars). They chose Winslow, then (as now) the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway. Winslow was ideally situated for a resort hotel since everything to see and do in northern Arizona is a comfortable day’s drive. They asked renowned architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter to design the new hotel.

Colter worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, she considered La Posada her masterpiece. Here she was able to design or select everything from the structures to the landscape, furniture, maids’ costumes, and dinner china. Many people consider this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest.” (via La Posada website)

In the early 1990s, the hotel was slated to be demolished.  However, a caring group of folks stepped in to save the hotel, and after a $12 million refurbishment, the hotel again stands in all of its former glory.

We arrived at the La Posada Hotel after a long day of driving as we explored the nearby Petrified Forest National Park, the world-famous Painted Desert, and greatly enjoyed the views offered by Flagstaff’s  snow-capped San Francisco peaks in the distance.

From the moment we walked in the front door, we were taken back by the newness of everything, yet we felt as though we had just stepped back in time a hundred years.

Here we are exploring the hotels museum area…

The La Posada’s hotel rooms are very attractively priced, yet offer the luxury traveler all of the expected amenities.

We enjoyed a night in room 126, named the Tom Ford Room, after the American fashion designer and film director.

Our room featured a king sized custom bed, a 44 inch LCD TV, a hand-painted bureau, and a hand-painted talavera sink and jacuzzi tub.  Plus, we also enjoyed comfortable living space with a couch, desk, and two comfy chairs.  Very nice!

Besides a fabulous place to spend a night or two in Northern Arizona, dining in the renowned Turquoise Room is also an absolute must.  The restaurant is owned by the James Beard nominated chef,  John Sharpe.

Everything is baked and cooked from scratch, and offers a fabulous taste of southwestern cuisine.  You can read about our dining experience here.

Listen, if you’re making a trip down Arizona’s stretch of Route 66, headed for the Grand Canyon, or simply exploring Northern Arizona, do yourself a favor and spend some time at the La Posada Hotel.  There isn’t much in Northern Arizona that will give you this kind of luxury experience.  Plus, its a hoot walking around in all of this history.

Photography by David A. Porter.

Disclosure: our wonderful experience was provided by the kind folks at the Las Posada Hotel.  Thanks!

If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.