Good Spas for Hiking in Arizona

by Kelly Amabile on

Spa Finder’s

Readers Choice Awards picked these three Arizona spas as the best for hiking:

Mii amo, nestled within Boynton Canyon in red rock
Sedona. The spa is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest and ancient ruins of cliff dwellings. The Native
American phrase “mii amo” means “journey”.

Miraval is located on 300+ acres north of Tucson in Catalina. Their next Challenge Adventure
Week begins October 2. This outdoor wilderness experience teaches mindfulness through the practice of orienteering,
survival and indigenous spiritual rituals for healing. They offer night climbing on their 32-foot Miraval Rock and
their adventure page has details on loads of hiking,
mountain biking and horsemanship activities, including trail riding and vaulting.

Canyon Ranch’s flagship location opened in Tucson in 1979.
Hiking through the Sonoran Desert or mountain regions of the
area is a popular activity. Their next Hike Week begins October 29 and another one will take place during
Tuscon Hiking Week in January 2006.

Florida’s Fort De Soto Park

by Adrienne Wilson on

After Fort De Soto’s North Beach was named
‘America’s Best Beach’ I couldn’t wait to fill up my
tank and take a trip on down to see what all the hype was about. I’ll admit I’m picky beach
goer having been to some pretty impressive beaches around the globe and for the North Beach I can’t say that it doesn’t
deserve best beach. Being tucked inside the park which has campgrounds, paw playgrounds (for the pets), trails, and
several recreational activities perfect for families the beach just places the icing on the cake. Clean, clear, warm
water greets your toes as you go into the blue after making way off the soft white sand.

Surprisingly the beach was rather quiet at the time of my visit, which could be due to the Red Tide lingering in the
waters. You’ll definitely want to check the
status of Red Tide in the area
before making your way out there as dead fish coiled with seaweed being washed ashore can place a slight damper on the
beach going not to mention the constant choking and coughing you might experience. Seeing many locals still splash
about leads me to believe you can still enjoy the water, but I’ll pass.  

San Francisco Trail

by Erik Olsen on

San Francisco and the Bay Area is already known as one of the most outdoorsy regions in the country. Head down to
the bay and you can windsurf and frolic in the frigid water (but don’t swim too far lest the bay’s tide drag you out to
sea), take a run through magnificent Golden Gate Park, take your mountain bike into the
Marin Headlands. And of course there are surfing beaches all over the
place.

Now here’s another idea, one that could make for an excellent goal, if goal-setting is your thing.
The San Francisco Trail is a 270-mile
omniumgatherum of hiking trails and bike paths that wends and weaves its way through 47 cities and towns and nine
counties (and passes innumerable strip malls along the way, so you can almost always satisfy a
Yoshinoya jones).

The trail is always growing, adding bits here, pieces there, and it creates a jagged ring around the bay, with ends
stretching from San Jose to Napa…meaning, of course, that you can savor the dismal sprawl of the south bay and the
verdant loveliness of wine country without ever leaving the trail.

Armstrong on Not Retiring..and He’s Engaged

by Erik Olsen on

I let this one slip through the cracks.

Turns out that following the mean-spirited report in French media that Lance Armstrong might have used
performance-enhancing drugs, he signaled that me may
not be through, after all, with biking. In a prepared statement, he wrote: “While I’m absolutely enjoying my time
as a retired athlete with Sheryl and the kids, the recent smear campaign out of France has awoken my competitive side.
I’m not willing to put a percentage on the chances but I will no longer rule it out.”

Hmm. Could the Lancenator be making a comeback..or can you even call it a comeback since we haven’t passed another
Tour de France yet? Dunno. And I’m not sure how I feel about this kind of thing since it always seems a bit desperate
when major athletes leave and then say they are coming back. The somewhat recent and doomed comeback of Michael Jordan
is a case in point. Sometimes it is best to leave on a high note.

Annyway, in other Lance news here, looks like he proposed to Sheryl while on vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho. The
question is: will they get married in Las Vegas?

Fit4Life Tour

by Kelly Amabile on

The September issue of Hooked on the Outdoors magazine is
dedicated to health and fitness. As part of their push to educate folks on the benefits of outdoor activities, they are
lead sponsor of the Fit4Life tour that is currently making its way
around the country.

The goal of the tour is to educate consumers about the value of “gateway activities” like biking, paddling, hiking,
running and camping. The benefits of nutrition, health and fitness are emphasized to promote active lifestyles.
The tour was at the Minnesota State Fair this past weekend and is headed to Syracuse next. Additional cities the
tour will hit this month include Boston and Williamsport, PA, before heading to Tennessee, Florida and
Georgia in October and November.

The Places to Play section of the tour website lists suggested outdoor
activities in major cities across the US and provides links to camp and park websites. Additionally, Hooked on the
Outdoors magazine runs related content in their latest
issue, including a list of 48 active outdoor vacations that offer ways to “…maintain your existing routine in a
new setting.” Suggested vacations include cruising the Poconos by mountain bike, paddling the Great Lakes, camping in a
castle in Banff, Alberta or kayaking in California.