Your roaming baby boomers just arrived at Tortuga Bay Punta Cana Resort & Club in the Dominican Republic. The best part was that we got here by way of luxury first class, VIP seating with the Delta Vacations Luxury Lifestyle Collection aboard Delta Airlines.
Stay tuned for our daily trip journals as we share our Delta Vacations experience.
Hidden Meadow Ranch ~ Greer, Arizona – Tucked away in a remote setting in Arizona’s White Mountains, amidst towering whispering pines and rambling herds of elk, lies a unique blend of luxury and ruggedness: Hidden Meadow Ranch.
When we made our reservations to stay at Hidden Meadow Ranch, we had no idea that we would be visiting a ranch that even the most discriminate of luxury baby boomer travelers would enjoy.
The original property that became Hidden Meadow Ranch was homesteaded by frontiersman John Chellis Hall and his family in 1916.
Since that time, the property has served as everything from a homestead ranch to a church youth camp until the property was purchased by successful Scottsdale developers Tim and Casey Bolinger, and Gary and Jeanne Herberger
The two couples turned their attention to this unique property making the transformation from church youth camp to luxurious mountain destination an outgrowth of the owners’ friendship, love of Arizona, and interests in horseback riding, snow skiing, and fly fishing. The couples set out to create a luxury lodging experience that complements the naturally beautiful, secluded setting, while providing a high level of service and comfort. By providing the highest quality staff, facilities, and services, the couples have done just that.
We think they scored a home run, and this is backed up by the fact that they have won Most Excellent Ranch in USA & Canada – Condé Nast Johansen’s Luxury Travel Guide for the last two years running.
If you are an Arizona resident looking for a wonderful place to get out of the summer heat, play in winter’s snow, or a baby boomer luxury traveler looking for a very unique mountain ranch experience, we highly recommend great consideration be given to Hidden Meadow Ranch.
It has worked its way into our hearts, and we look forward to a return visit for a much longer stay.
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Disclosure: this wonderful, high country experience was provided by the very kind folks at Hidden Meadow Ranch. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I captured this photograph on a cool February evening while running around our Arizona residential community. As you can see, the sunsets here in Arizona are very dramatic, and I chose to heighten the drama with a little post-processing using Photoshop.
To add further excitement to this photograph, this was the very first photograph that I sold on a professional basis. It seems that an Arizona bank thought this scene would be just perfect for their new line of credit cards.
It’s kind of cool to think that my photograph is running around the world making purchases on behalf of its cardholder.
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I bought my first Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera when I was a sophomore in college, and one of the very first accessories in my camera bag was a polarizing filter.
I remember the dramatic change of view the very first time I put on my first pair of polarizing sunglasses, and a polarizing filter will make the same dramatic changes to your landscape photographs.
The photograph above (from Nikon Insights and Techniques) clearly showcases the dramatic difference. The photograph to the left has significant glare on the water, and the color of the lily pad is completely washed out. By simply adding a polarizing filter, the colors become rich and you can actually see into the water because the glare has been removed from the water’s surface.
When purchasing a polarizing filter for a modern Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, you want to make certain that you purchase a circular polarizing filter rather than a linear polarizing filter. This is because a linear filter will render your light meter and auto-focus system ineffective.
Lastly, you don’t want to go ultra-cheap when purchasing your polarizing filter. Depending on the size of the filter required for your camera, a good polarizing filter is likely to cost around $100. But ask yourself this, why would you spend all the money to have a great camera, a great lens, and then put a cheap piece of glass in front of the whole works.
Invest in a good quality polarizing filter. You’ll be glad you did.
People ask me all the time, “how do you take such beautiful photographs”?
Here’s my secret sauce, the first step is my high quality polarizing filter.
Ojo Caliente, New Mexico – A year ago, while touring Taos and Sante Fe, we happened upon the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa.
We were expecting not-so-great facilities, but wanted to experience one of the oldest natural health resorts in the country, and the only hot springs in the world with a remarkable combination of four different types of mineral waters.
After our visit, and getting a tour of their cliff-side suites with private outdoor soaking tubs filled with their legendary waters, we vowed to go back.
Generally speaking, we won’t report a resort to you that hasn’t earned at least a AAA Four-Diamond rating. However, we have made exceptions to this rule, and we think the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa is unique enough to offer a luxury baby boomer traveler a wonderful one-of-a-kind experience.
Plus, the folks over at SpaFinder have fairly recently named Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa as the “Best Mineral Springs Spa in the United States”.
When we arrived, Carol enjoyed a fabulous massage while I headed straight for the hot springs. That evening, we enjoyed seasonal Southwestern fare in the wonderful Artesian Restaurant.
After dinner, making the highlight of our whole experience, we enjoyed one of the resort’s private outdoor pools where you can bathe “au naturale” if you are so inclined. As we were traveling with friends, we passed on the whole nudity thing, but what an experience to sit in this private tub and witness the lighted sandstone cliffs, twinkling stars above, and a roaring fire in the kiva. Unbelievable!
We will always remember our experience at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa and can confidently recommend it to you!
Besides, where else can you sit in a 102º arsenic hot spring? It was absolutely amazing to the skin.
Disclosure: our wonderful experience was provided by the kind folks at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa. Thanks!
The Roaming Boomers