The Goldmoor Inn and Galena, Illinois

My friend Cortney and I headed to Galena, Illinois, just before the holidays this past year. She had been there before, but it was my first trip.

As we headed there, I was surprised to see the dramatic change in the Illinois landscape. What had started as flat farm land had turned into rolling hills, some of them high enough to be considered small ski mountains.

Our home for the long weekend would be the Goldmoor Inn and we were impressed from the start.

It looked like an English castle, with 18 suites inside, as well as three cottages and two cabins on the property for those looking for real privacy.

Although we were on a girls’ getaway, I could also certainly see it as the perfect place for a romantic trip.

The 23 acres the Goldmoor is on are right on the Mississippi River, which offers fantastic views all year round, from every spot.

We were shown into our suite and first went through a common area, which was welcoming with a fireplace and couches.

Our suite was quite big. It had a separate kitchen with a small table, and a large room with a pull-out couch, Jacuzzi, and king-sized bed.

The bathroom was also quite big and had one of my favorite amenities, a towel warming rack.

We left the Goldmoor to head to Indulge Spa. I had found a deal on Groupon and thought a pedicure would get me in the mood for a relaxing weekend. It definitely did.

We left the spa and headed to the Green Street Tavern in the downtown DeSoto House Hotel. 

We were meeting Jeff Graack, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Galena/Jo Davies County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

We talked about Galena and all the things that were going on for the Christmas season we were visiting during.

Galena during the holidays is quite magical every year, especially with the Night of the Luminaria & Living Windows downtown. We were going to attend this the following evening.

While we chatted we sipped drinks from the Martini Flights Green Street Tavern offered.

I picked a sweeter grouping than Cortney did, and we both enjoyed our choices.

Desoto House was also getting ready for a Christmas event and had cakes and trees on display so we spent a few minutes looking at those before we left.

We went back to our suite at the Goldmoor Inn and got ready for our dinner in their dining room. It was quite elegant and the food was just as inviting as the décor.

One of the owners of the Goldmoor, Slobo Radin, showed us to our table and welcomed us to the Inn.

We started with some freshly made bread and butter, along with some pickled vegetables.

Goldmoor's Chef Carlos Valdez came to speak with us and tell us about his views on finding fresh, local ingredients whenever possible.

For an appetizer, we had the very tasty Trio Bruschetta. It was a selection of three toppings, roasted eggplant hummus, basil pesto, and tomatoes and garlic in olive oil, served with warm, grilled pita bread.

We also really enjoyed the cheese stuffed mushrooms we had ordered 

I saw one of my favorites on the menu, Beef Wellington, and was happy to hear Chef Valdez was willing to make it well-done for me. Many chefs insist it will ruin the dish, but the good ones know that you won’t enjoy something if it’s not made the temperature you like.

It was delicious. It was also served with a rich scalloped potato cake.

Cortney savored the Double Seared Pork Chop with an apple cider brandy sauce, roasted apples, and a fig & apricot chutney, with a salad on the side instead of the potatoes.

We finished with a selection of scrumptious house-made desserts before heading back to our suite.

It had been a long day and we had an even longer one coming up, exploring Galena/Jo County. 

Mountain top Finish to Boyne Highlands Adventure

I was excited to be invited to Boyne Highlands Resort in Northern Michigan. It also worked out that my brother was able to come from California with my youngest niece and nephew to join me. 

I hadn't seen them in a while so it was exciting.

Even though I had broken my arm a few weeks before the trip, we were all having a blast. 

They had been skiing, ziplining, and snowboarding in the first two days. I had hit the spa and joined in a little tubing.

On Sunday morning, we got up early and headed to the buffet breakfast, which is quite extensive at Boyne Highlands Resort. 

We didn’t want to eat too much because it would soon be time for a first for all of us – dogsledding.

I admit I had thought a bit that it wasn’t fair to the dogs, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Royal Canine trains these dogs in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and what they do is up to them. Almost all of them were excited to welcome us and the one who wasn’t in the mood to pull the sled, was replaced and snuggled.

It was two to a sled so my brother and I went on one while Moriah and Jacob were on the other. It was a ton of fun as we soared through the snow and explored the grounds.

After the dogsleds, we met up with Erin Ernst, the Director of Marketing for Boyne Highlands Resort, and the rest of the press group in the Cafeteria for lunch.

Everyone, especially the kids, were beaming when they were told to pick whatever they wanted from the pasta bar, salad bar, macaroni and cheese bar, smoothie bar, and ice cream bar.

I took advantage of the fact that I hadn’t had much breakfast before the dog sled, ordering a fruit filled smoothie, macaroni and cheese with broccoli, mushrooms, and artichokes, and chocolate ice cream with peanut butter and fudge!

The kids also made their own concoctions, while my brother was a bit more conservative (and healthy).

After lunch, I did some exploring while everyone hit the slopes again and then we all met up to get ready for dinner.

We were going to have a special Aonach Mor Moonlight Dinner in a cabin on top of the mountain.

We took a “sleigh ride” up to the mountain, pulled by a tractor rather than horses. It was beautiful on the way up and even more stunning a site when we arrived on top. 

We could even see the Mackinac Bridge below us.

Candles were lit for subtle lighting as a guitarist played in the background. We were poured wine and beverages for the kids before the French Onion Soup and warm bread came.

For the main course we had roast beef tenderloin, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. There was also a vegetarian pasta available, which was delicious.

The chocolate fondue for dessert was scrumptious, especially with the fresh cookies.

I could see why this was such a popular dinner with guests. (During the season it’s offered with advanced reservations.)

Jacob and Moriah got to ride in the front of the tractor on the way down and really enjoyed it. 

It was our final mountain climb for the end of an amazing Boyne Highlands Resort adventure in Michigan.

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Enjoying a Winter Wonderland at Boyne Highlands

I had arrived at Boyne Highlands Resort in Michigan the previous evening with my brother, Mark, and my nephew and niece, Jacob and Moriah. Everyone was excited about a weekend full of activities. Well, almost everyone.

I had broken my arm just two weeks before and wouldn’t be doing anything adventurous. 

I have to admit I was a bit bummed before I arrived, but once I settled into Boyne Highlands Resort, the views and other things I could do had eliminated my gloomy outlook.

We were up early for breakfast in the Dining Room of the Main Lodge. I was impressed by the huge buffet. There was an omelet station, as well as hot and cold dishes, fruits, muffins, pancakes, and more.

We were all full when we left to head outside, where the temperature was hovering around zero degrees. It was, after all, Michigan in the winter, I reminded my Californian family.

I followed everyone along to the Snow Sports Academy Desk in the Day Lodge, where they were checked in and fitted for their equipment.

Moriah and Jacob, who had skied quite a few times at Lake Tahoe, California,, had a two-hour group lesson before they were off to some ski time of their own.

Mark had decided that he wanted to try snowboarding and he too had a lesson. Boyne Highlands Resort is very well equipped for every winter sport in every level.

I enjoyed relaxing and watching them. I hadn’t seen the kids in about a year and the mountain was just beautiful.

Everyone finished up a bit before our lunch and we decided to try tubing. It was a lot of fun, and something I could experience with the cast on.

We then headed to lunch with the entire press group in the Zoo Bar of the Day Lodge. We had pre-ordered lunch so we had a chance to chat and ask any questions we had to Boyne’s Director of Marketing, Erin Ernst.

I had ordered the Slider Trio of Avocado Turkey, Thai Beef, and Black Bean, and it was delicious. Everyone was happy with the other options, including an Ahi Tuna Wrap, too.

Erin had arranged for my spa appointment to be while Mark and the kids went zip lining so we went our separate ways for a while.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing Milk & Honey Pedicure and they had a fun time zip lining.

We rested a while before heading to dinner at Petoskey Brewing Company, which was just a few minutes away.

I requested a tour of Petoskey’s facilities, which were bigger than we expected, before we sat down for some beer tasting and warm pretzels, followed by burgers and sandwiches.

Moriah had stayed back at the lodge to study. When we returned, we all went into the hot tub for a while. There’s nothing quite like watching the snow mountains in freezing temperatures while you stay warm in the hot tub.

Despite the fact that I was the only one who didn’t have an adventurous day, I think I was the first one asleep after all the relaxing.

I would get to join in on more of the fun Saturday at Boyne Highlands as we were starting with dog sledding.


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Back to Michigan: Traverse City to Harbor Springs for Boyne Highlands

I was really excited about my first trip to Boyne Highlands Resort in Michigan. I was especially thrilled that my brother, Mark, was coming with my niece and nephew (although I wished my oldest niece could come too).

The plan was to all fly into Traverse City Airport, have lunch, and then make a visit to Bowers Harbor Vineyards before leaving town.

This was my third trip to Traverse City and while I didn’t have a lot of time, I wanted to at least get one more of their fabulous wineries covered. My friend Mike Norton, Media Relations Manager at Traverse City Tourism, thought Bowers was not only a great winery, but as family friendly as a winery can be.

You know what they say about the best laid plans. I arrived in Traverse City to find out the family had missed their connection.

I knew immediately I where I was when I was looking for a cup of coffee. After all, where else would the coffee machine offer “Cherry Pie Cappuccino” other than in Cherry Capital Airport!

I collected my things and headed downtown. Mike was away on vacation and I arranged to meet with Jennifer Case for the trip to Bowers, but I was running early so I first stopped downtown for lunch at Greenhouse Café.

My Rueben sandwich and potato soup was a perfectly satisfying pair for the cold day. I finished up and walked over to the Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau to meet Jennifer.

It was a short walk and she was ready when I got there to take the drive to Bowers Harbor Vineyards on the Old Mission Peninsula.

I had never been to Traverse City before in the snow and it made for quite a beautiful scene, especially and this winery.  

The tasting room at Bowers Harbor is very comfortable and I was surprised at the huge selection of wines.

I wasn’t driving so I tried quite a few. I was especially fond of their Block II Riesling, Unwooded Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer. Even though I’m not a big red drinker,

 I did enjoy sipping their 2012 Wind Whistle Claret. They also had a tasty Blanc de Blanc Sparkling wine.

On the way back to the airport we made a quick stop at one of my favorite Traverse City wineries, Brys Estate.

I had a wonderful visit there with the owners a few years ago and wanted to stop in and visit. They weren’t there, but I did get to enjoy a glass of their Riesling.  

My brother, Jacob, and Moriah had just arrived, but their luggage had not.

We picked up the rental car, but couldn’t leave Traverse City right away to drive to Boyne Highlands Resort because the family’s luggage was arriving on the next plane.

I suggested we head to the Grand Traverse Pie Company.

My niece, Moriah, happens to be a big fan of pie and the rest of us were more than happy to go along for a little something to tide us over.

We decided on an apple crumb pie, and chocolate cream pie, and the February special – cherry pie with a chocolate ganache topping. They were all great, but I don’t think I have to say how amazing that one was.

Jacob also insisted he was hungry enough for a chicken pot pie and we all tasted a bit of that before we hit the road.

It was about an hour and a half to Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, Michigan, and the ride was just beautiful through the snow covered rounds and lakes.

We arrived just in time for the welcome reception. We quickly dropped our things in our room and headed to meet Marketing Director Erin Ernst and the other journalists and their families at the Slopeside Lounge.

Erin had set up a nice spread for us that included cheese, pizza, hors d'oeuvres, and desserts. I also sampled a Gingerbread Coffee cocktail, while Mark tried some Michigan beers.

It had been a long day for all of us so we were back in the rooms fairly early, but excited for an upcoming day of skiing, snowboarding, and more fun at Boyne Highlands Resort. 



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Endless Spa and Snowcat Views at Three Forks Ranch

I love my job. I get to travel around the world and see great places and eat (and drink) great things. But, it is still a job and most of the time I have interviews, meetings, early mornings and late nights. Ask anyone who has come with me.

My trip to Three Forks Lodge and Spa on the Colorado/Wyoming border broke all those rules. It was feeling like a vacation (a word I rarely use since traveling for a living). Both myself and my friend Lynn felt like we were being spoiled rotten, but that’s what they are trained to do at Three Forks. And they did it quite well on our final full day on the ranch.

I didn't quite work, or get on the phone (there is no cell phone service in the lodge), but I did check some emails as I had my morning coffee and looked out at the snow drifts. Then I turned on the heated floors in my bathroom and loaded up the Jacuzzi. Can there be a better way to start the day?

I met Lynn in the breakfast dining room a few hours later and couldn’t resist checking out the French toast with some fresh fruit on the side. We relaxed and chatted for a while before I headed down to the spa for my first treatment of the day – the High Altitude Aromatherapy Wrap.

As with all the spa services we had at Three Forks, the wrap was complementary and wonderful. I loved the blend of oils and the foot and head massages were especially relaxing as I lay in my cocoon. When we were done, my skin felt soft and my muscles were relaxed. I kept that momentum going by reading in the lounge while Lynn had her reflexology treatment (which she raved about later).

Lunch was a turkey, brie and avocado sandwich on sourdough. Lynn created her own salad from the multitude of options available. We shared some fruit salad (and couldn’t resist the homemade cookies) and were more than full as we got ready to make the the trip up the mountain.

Three Forks Ranch has its own snow trails. That may not seem like a big deal for a resort, but this is an exclusive property for up to 32 people so skiers are going to get ultimate time on the mountain. Unfortunately, skiing is one of the things my back problems of the last year has kept me from. We still decided we wanted to take the ride to see the trails and the view of the ranch.

We had deliberately waited a few days before going up in the snowcat. Neither of us had any experience with altitude sickness and had felt the headaches and dehydration a bit when we arrived. Though we recovered quickly, everyone felt it best to give our bodies a few days to get used to it before climbing another 2,000 feet.

Levi and Jessica commanded the snowcat. I had never been in one before (even when I did ski fairly regularly as a teen, I wasn't quite good enough to hit the high mountains). I was quite impressed with the comfort. Even though we had brought heavy coats, gloves, scarfs and coffee, it was not very cold and we had a lot of fun checking out the fantastic views of some of the 200,000 acre property.

When we came back down we saw the cabin that is kept for fisherman and skiers to change in. It’s well-equipped, with lockers and refreshments, so you don’t have to worry about carrying everything back and forth from the lodge.

Back at the ranch (always wanted to say that) we got ready for our afternoon spa treatments. We each got a a hot stone massage that finished the afternoon to perfection. I showered and dressed for cocktails. Lynn, Jenn (the Lodge Manager) and Shannon (the best bartender you could ask for) were waiting for me. I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and enjoyed the hors d’ouerves – a cheesy artichoke dip and Curry Chicken – then lingered for a bit with our Three Forks friends before we were told dinner was ready.

We started with a Caprese Salad, made a bit differently with chopped tomatoes and cheese rather than sliced ones. I then had some Chicken Scampi in a light lemon/wine sauce, and a yummy Asian Vegetable Stir Fry with jasmine rice. Dessert was a favorite of both of ours that we had enjoyed many times when we were on the Celebrity Cruise, Crème Brulee.

After dinner, Lynn and I went back to the bar and had some Chambord as we chatted with Shannon for the last evening.  Although we still had some time to come here in the morning, we knew it was going to be a long time before I had a full 24 hours like this. The whole concept of an all-inclusive ski lodge and ranch had been foreign to me before I came. Now, it is something that I think everyone needs to take the time to experience.