Category: Activities & Attractions
Are You Ready for a Snowbird Tax?
February 13, 2013 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The governor of a northern state is proposing a snowbird tax on residents who live 60 days to just under six months in the state. Minnesota in winter (Source: minnesota.publicradio.org) Spend most of the year in Florida, Texas, Arizona, or another Sunbelt state, and a snowbird smack down could be your new reality. Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota is proposing a snowbird tax as part of a larger tax grab by proposing to increase Minnesota’s personal income tax rate to 9.85% from 7.85% on income above $150,000 for singles and $250,000 for joint filers. Minnesota’s income tax rate would be the country’s sixth highest. Dayton tells snowbirds that since you’re rich, you can pay more. It’s time snowbirds paid their fair share! Dayton, a Democrat, proposed the idea last month when announcing key parts of his proposed $37.9 billion budget. He made a similar proposal last year that was defeated by the then-Republican-controlled legislature. The plan would purportedly raise... [Read more...]
De Soto National Memorial, Florida…
February 13, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
Just yesterday, the kids and I took a little drive and spent the day at a wonderful National Park! Located just south of Tampa, FL, the De Soto National Memorial is a beautiful location to spend an afternoon! While the park does not cover a large acreage, the grounds are beautiful, and offer a lovely walking path (which is wheel-chair and stroller friendly). De Soto National Memorial is a park dedicated to educating the public about, and preserving the details of, Hernado De Soto’s 4 year, 4 thousand mile trek on a quest for fame and fortune. Because De Soto NM’s peak tourist time is snowbird season, right now is the perfect time to visit! The park offers 10 different ranger-led talks, featuring a different topic each hour, on the hour. While we were at the park for 5 hours, we were only able to attend 2 talks, and wish that we would have had time to listen to more! The first ranger program that we attended was on diseases, and why the Indians were decimated by European... [Read more...]
Another Winter Family Adventure
February 10, 2013 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
In my last post, I wrote about an opportunity for winter family fun, cross country skiing at the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area near Red River, NM. Another ideal outdoor family fun opportunity takes place in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado each year over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. This year, the 40th Annual Chama Chili Ski Classic and Winter Fiesta was held from January 19th-21st . My husband and son spend early winter preparing for the 52K American Birkebeiner Ski Race in Hayward, Wisconsin held the last Saturday of February. Ryan will be completing his 2nd Birkie and Terry, his 32nd in 2013. The support crew and food wagon As part of their training schedule every year, they like to combine regular weekend ski workouts with at least one additional ski race to achieve the optimum training effect. Therefore, it was with great delight that we learned of the Chama Chili Ski Races happening just north of Chama, NM in southern Colorado. However, it was not just a... [Read more...]
A Winter Family Adventure!
February 3, 2013 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
Outdoor family fun need not stop when the weather grows colder, or even when the snow flies. Over the holidays this year, we had the distinct pleasure of enjoying the company of all three of our grown children for an extended period of time. In addition to enjoying all of our usual holiday activities, such as playing games, putting puzzles together, cooking, eating and shopping, we had the pleasure of engaging in another favorite pursuit in a new place: cross country skiing. Enchanted Forest Clubhouse/Warming Hut Loving the outdoors, we have long enjoyed the winter activities of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the colder months, near our cabin in northern Wisconsin. Far from there this winter, however, we sought out a new place to enjoy these activities and happened upon the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area in Red River, NM. We were not disappointed. The girls skied with me Located on NM Highway 38 just 3.5 miles east of Red River, NM, just below the summit of Bobcat Pass... [Read more...]
Moundville Archaeological Park, near Tuscaloosa, AL…
January 31, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
We recently spent 2 weeks near Tuscaloosa, AL, volunteering with a Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief build. While we were there, we stayed at the Moundville Archaeological Park, in Moundville, AR; about 20 minutes south of Tuscaloosa. The MAP is a small park, about 26 acres, that consists of a museum, ancient Indian mounds, replica Indian huts, beautiful walking paths, and a small campground. At the entrance to the park is a Orientation building, where you can speak with a park ranger, find park information, and watch a well-done, informative film on the park and surrounding area’s history. We really appreciated the film as we knew nothing about the area before we watched it. We found the staff here to be very informative and education oriented - when they found out that we homeschool, they gave us some information on the park, including some activity sheets for the kids, that made our stay much more interesting! The grounds contain over a dozen Indian mounds, built around... [Read more...]
Vicksburg National Military Park, MS…
January 29, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · 1 Comment
We recently had the opportunity to visit Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi, and while the cold, wet weather did dampen our visit a bit, we still thought the park was intriguing and beautiful. Vicksburg was an important location in the Civil War; the army that controlled Vicksburg pretty much controlled the Mississippi River and it’s important role as a vital supply route for the Confederacy. Located high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, Vicksburg had a commanding control over the ships passing beneath, all in gun range from the bluffs. Both the North and the South desperately wanted/needed to control Vicksburg, and the result was one of the bloodiest campaigns, and one of the most decisive turning points in the Civil War. Vicksburg was not an easy quest – it took her being under attack and then seige, from April of 1862 to July 4th, of 1863, before the Union could claim her as under Union control. While we were at VNMP, we chose... [Read more...]
The Forest in Winter
January 27, 2013 by Diane Berry · 1 Comment
Several weeks ago I wrote a post about hiking the Picuris Peak Trail with our son, Ryan, when he was with us this past summer. During the month of August our youngest daughter Meghan joined us and was interested in spending some time out of doors. More a biker than hiker, we decided to take Meg to the same trail for a bike ride along that forest road. However, the rutted and hilly roads that were simple to navigate when hiking proved much the opposite when operating on two wheels. After about 15 minutes, Meghan called it quits and proceeded to walk her bike back to the car. In my mind, that was to be the end of our time on that trail until the following summer; but I was mistaken. Open Meadow at the beginning of the trail In fall, Terry and I ventured out to that same area of the Kit Carson National Forest to cut firewood for winter. We found the forest road reasonably navigable in our Durango and also noted the abundance of 8-10 foot evergreen trees, suitable for Christmas trees. The day... [Read more...]
A Lookout in Winter
January 20, 2013 by Diane Berry · 1 Comment
Several months back, I wrote a post about a hike we took on the Devisadero Trail near Taos, NM. Devisadero means “lookout” and the trail was originally used by Taos Pueblo Indians to keep lookout for Apaches coming to attack the pueblo from down the canyon. Quite a romantic and historic past. At the top of Devisadero Peak, there are two stone chairs that appear quite ancient and it is easy to imagine early pueblo residents sitting here, standing guard, and protecting their community. One of my favorite aspects of this trail, however, is that it is located on the sunny side of Taos Canyon; thus, the majority of the trail is in sunlight, every day, year-round. This means it provides a delightful hiking opportunity, even during winter months. For our first hike in the New Year, and the first hike since we returned from our two week holiday trip back to Wisconsin (meaning no hiking for at least that long!), we chose Devisadero. The trail did not disappoint. True to form, New Mexico provided... [Read more...]
Arkansas Post National Monument, AR…
January 16, 2013 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
This year, in our annual winter trek across the southern states, we decided to take a new route between Texas and Florida. For this stretch, we usually take I-10 along the Gulf, but we decided that this year we needed some new stops – to see a few new destinations that we had not had a chance to visit before. So, we ventured a bit more north, into Arkansas, and stopped at a few fun, new-to-us places! One of the stops we did in Arkansas, was to visit the Arkansas Post National Monument. This park has some serious history going on! It played a key role in the exploration and settlement of the surrounding area, has been a military and fur trading fort, saw Civil War combat, and is the location of the remains of a 19th century town. The site is currently preserved as a National Park, and is a beautiful one at that! We arrived around lunch time last Friday, and after grabbing some lunch in the parking lot (I LOVE traveling with my home!), we toured the visitor’s center where the... [Read more...]
Snowbird Destinations: WHERE to ROOST?
January 15, 2013 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Snowbirds are typically retired seniors who have the desire and financial ability to be away from home for extended periods of time. As our population ages the number of people considering this lifestyle increases. The majority of Snowbirds who make Southern California their winter home, head for the Coachella Valley with its 10 desert resort cities—Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs (pictured above), Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Thousand Palms, Indio, and Bermuda Dunes. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Every winter, more than 1 million RV snowbirds wing south to the U.S. Sunbelt to escape the winter cold. RVers who enjoy the snowbird lifestyle range from retired seniors, who have the wherewithal to journey far from home for extended periods of time, to Baby Boomers dipping their toes in the water. The available options are unlimited enabling snowbirds to design their own lifestyle to suit their financial ability and social preferences. The basic... [Read more...]
