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| Thursday, Apr 18 |
| All Day | Tickets on Sale Now for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" |
| Friday, Apr 19 |
| All Day | Tickets on Sale Now for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" |
| Saturday, Apr 20 |
| All Day | Tickets on Sale Now for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" |
| All Day | The 7th Annual Crafty Chicks Spring Market |
| All Day | Big Plans at Big Trees State Park for Earth Day! |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| All Day | Huge Savings at Millworkz Inventory Reduction Sale Every Saturday! |
| 09:00 AM | Spring Cleaning Time at Shred Fest 2024 on April 20th |
| 01:00 PM | Celebration of Life for Robyn Victoria Williams |
| 05:00 PM | Fundraiser Dinner at VFW San Andreas |
| Sunday, Apr 21 |
| All Day | Tickets on Sale Now for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" |
| All Day | Big Plans at Big Trees State Park for Earth Day! |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| All Day | Our Sunday Edition with Local Features, Local Specials & More Every Sunday All Day Long! |
| 09:00 AM | Get Ready to Run in the 2024 Mr. Frog's Wild Run on April 21st. |
| 11:30 AM | The 11th Annual Mountain Ranch Chili Cook Off! |
| Monday, Apr 22 |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| Tuesday, Apr 23 |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| Wednesday, Apr 24 |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| Thursday, Apr 25 |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| Friday, Apr 26 |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| All Day | HCO Sledfest 2024 is April 26-28 at Bear Valley |
| Saturday, Apr 27 |
| All Day | Come Celebrate Calaveras’ Spring Wine Weekend |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| All Day | HCO Sledfest 2024 is April 26-28 at Bear Valley |
| All Day | Huge Savings at Millworkz Inventory Reduction Sale Every Saturday! |
| Sunday, Apr 28 |
| All Day | Come Celebrate Calaveras’ Spring Wine Weekend |
| All Day | The Big Used XC Ski Sale Starts April 20th at Bear Valley Adventure Company! |
| All Day | HCO Sledfest 2024 is April 26-28 at Bear Valley |
| All Day | Our Sunday Edition with Local Features, Local Specials & More Every Sunday All Day Long! |
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Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/02/2009 08:36 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/02/2009 08:39 AM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM
:
Take a Penny-Wise “Reverse Vacation”~by ThePineTree Pedaler, Brett Loring
by Columnist, ThePineTree Pedaler, Brett Loring
You’ve heard about reverse mortgages, but what about “reverse vacations?” Here’s how it works and how it’s financially feasible and soulfully refreshing. You live and/or play frequently in a great place like the Sierra Foothills – other people’s vacation spot. To you, everything is so familiar you even take some of the local wonders for granted. Sometimes you just gotta get out of the snow or need a change of scenery. So have you recently ventured off to the coast, or up to the Northwest, or even “down south?” Here are some ideas for vacating your familiar vacation-land for a vacation vastly different in a fiscally and physically-fit manner....
All things to consider while on a reverse vacation include the majors like food, lodging, fuel, and entertainment, not to mention pet-care (more hotels are becoming pet-friendlier) and someone (grandparents!) to watch the kids if they are left behind. To start with, I like to see how many birds I can kill with one stone when planning such a trip. For example, if I am on business or at a conference at Monterey, how can I capitalize on my already being there to make it play time too, after business hours? I book a hotel through a discount service such as priceline.com that finds last minute deals on reservations that innkeepers and hoteliers would rather fill at a substantial discount than to let a room go empty ($80 a night on a recent stay in Carmel). At the hotel, ask at the desk for any restaurant discounts they have. Often restaurants give hotels vouchers for discounts or free appetizers in exchange for sending guests their way. (We got a free artichoke appetizer at one place and free bruschetta at another). Scout out lowest fuel prices on a source like gasbuddy.com and then plan your fill-ups strategically so that you don’t find yourself in a high-gas-price area with little in your tank. Take along bikes for some energizing and no-cost sightseeing. (We got in a scenic ride around Monterey Bay and could easily stop wherever we wanted without parking hassles. Take layered clothing, lock and key.)
Whether your vacation centers around scenery or gastronomy, you can economically combine both. Get a map/list of sites from the hotel or from the Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Center. Or surf the net on the hotel’s free wi-fi. Make a list of what you want to see/do. See what you can for free. Save the big, pricey attractions for another time. Plan for picnic-style lunches compiled from a local grocery store. Stash snack bars, trail mix and a water bottle in your pockets. If you don’t have bikes, walk the town and the sights.
For cheap or free entertainment, you might find street performers to watch or a lounge (maybe at the hotel) where you can relax and enjoy live music or comedy. Just strolling the beach or window-shopping can be a nice diversion. Years ago when I toured parts of Europe by rail and backpack, I walked everywhere the trains didn’t go and marveled at the architecture, peering into ancient cathedrals and leaning over stone bridges. It’s more interesting to get away from the packaged tours sometimes. Of course, to make your stay even more culturally-interesting and adventurous, you can always camp (www.gocampingamerica.com) or stay in a hostel (www.hihostels.com). Neat ways to meet other travelers and to gain some new cultural insight no matter where you go.
When you get back home from your reverse vacation, you reflect upon the time you had and give thanks for the great place you live, and can more-appreciate - as you see through “tourist eyes” - the wonders that our own area has to offer.
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