Believe it or not, Jo and I have been married for six years. To celebrate we decided to use the gift card we received when we donated to NPR and go to Terra Verde at the Green Valley Ranch in Henderson and have a fancy pants dinner.

We got all dressed up (I even wore a tie!) and drove on down to GVR. The promenade was decorated for the Holidays with a big tree and a lot of lights along the walkway. It was really quite pretty.

Terra Verde was beautiful in its simple elegance and wonderful service. After browsing through the menu, we each decided to have the fixed menu: a pre-set three course meal that included $10 for wine. Jo had the caprese, linguini in clam sauce, and panne cotta. I had the bruschetta, chicken masala, and the chocolate indulgence dessert. Everything was amazingly well prepared and extraordinarily tasty. We spent a lot of time just chatting and enjoying each other’s company. There was no rush to eat and leave. In fact, our waiter told us just to let him know when we were ready for each course and he’d get it started. It felt as if we were his only table (we weren’t) and we noticed that all the staff treated every table the same way. We even overheard our waiter tell another customer that if she didn’t see what she wanted on the menu, just to let him know what she did want and the chef would happily whip it up for her.

This was also our first experience with the newest wine service style. You can still order wine by the glass or bottle, or they can give you a preloaded card that you slide in to a machine and select how much and what kind of wine you want based on price per oz. It was fun going around looking at all the bottles and deciding how to spend the $10 on the card. We saw one red wine that was $34 for two oz. Our waiter told us the restaurant often sells the empty bottles for $200. EMPTY. BOTTLES.

After dinner we drove down to the Bellagio to see the conservatory all lit up for the Holidays. They line out the small space with red and pink poinsettias and design small winter scenes in each section of the garden. There were scenes of Santa visiting a small cabin in the woods, polar bears at play and a model train weaving its way through the legs of a giant rocking horse. This year the Conservatory is dominated by a monstrous, yet elegant, tree. We took a long time walking around and taking pictures, both for this blog and for Jo's travel blog (where pictures of the conservatory abound!)

We’re off to Ocean Shores on Thursday to spend Christmas with my parents.

Here’s to you and yours during this festive season!

-Cory

JoAnna Takes a Press Trip

Is it the sign I was waiting for to prove to myself that I am, in fact, a travel writer? Early in November I played the quick turn game - one day I'm not going anywhere, the next day I'm getting plane reservations to fly to Honduras and less than a week later I'm in a largely underrated Central American country.

And this is why I keep my passport handy and up-to-date.

The whole purpose of the press trip was to show journalists that, despite the travel advisory warnings on Honduras by many of the Western nations, it is actually a very safe place to travel. There has been some unrest in the capital city, but there wasn't a military coup as the Western media says. Also, anything that is going on in the country is happening in Tegucigalpa, and though that is very little, it certainly has no effect on tourists to the country. Most of the country has carried on with their every day lives. As we traveled around the country, I was shocked by how few people there were ... the restaurants were empty, the hotels were unoccupied, the beaches were bare.

In my own humble opinion, it's when tourists stop visiting a country that places have to lay people off. And when people are laid off, that's when they resort to violence and crime in order to feed their families. Honduran businesses are doing everything they can to draw people to their doorstep - 2 for 1 discounts, low season rates during high season, etc. So, for what it's worth, if you're looking for a great vacation destination for a low cost, I recommend Honduras. It's safe and interesting ... and I'm hoping to take Cory back with me soon.

Enough of that ... now on to my trip.

So a press trip is a lot of work. We went from dawn to dusk and beyond, and then, of course, I had to login to the WiFi and get some other work done. We met with representatives of the tourism sector in the country and had to take tours of some things the average tourists wouldn't visit (the new cruise port on Roatan, for example), but I also got to do a ton of really cool things that I might not have done on my own.

(Side note: I had a bit of a camera snafu on my first day, so a lot of the pictures I'm going to post were actually taken by a fellow travel writer, Katie.)

La Ceiba:

Billed as an eco-tourism destination. We stayed at a fancy-schmancy eco-resort that was located on the edge of Pico Bonito National Park, which has miles of hiking trails. We had crappy weather in La Ceiba, and I didn't have much time to hike, but we did get to go whitewater rafting, which was fun and redeeming since my last rafting experience was on the Nile River and left me a bit turned upside down to the notion of rafting. The water wasn't all that cold since we were being rained on. The rapids were class II to IV, so nothing too rough, and parts of the river were actually quite shallow. Here are some photos from La Ceiba:

The inside of a cocao plant.

Roatan:

Roatan is a part of the Bay Islands, located in the Caribbean. In fact, some people on Roatan believe it should be its own nation. A lot of cruise ships dock here, though I fear a lot of them barely get far from the dock. In fact, the person from the PR firm who was leading our group said that many of the people who dock don't even realize they're in Honduras.

We had some afterthought rain showers as a result of Hurricane Ida that came through a couple days before, so we never got to take the sunset sail that was on the schedule, but we did get to snorkel with dolphins and go zip lining, which were my personal favorites on the island. I wasn't such a big fan of the macaw and monkey experiences, as I'm just generally not a fan of zoos of sorts. A lot of the monkeys were free to roam the treetops, but not all of them. Nonetheless, I got a few shots of me with some of the free roamers.

The resort we stayed in was a 5-star beauty, and the rooms would more accurately be described as a condo. It had a bedroom, kitchen, living room and balcony. My favorite part of the resort was the infinity pool.

All photos are by Katie (except for the dolphin ... that came from Anthony's Key Resort):


Copan:

Copan is a quaint, quiet town seven miles from the Guatemala border. It is very different than either La Ceiba or Roatan. The streets are cobblestone and narrow. Cowboys lounge on the street corners. Women chill with their goods laid out on the blankets on the sidewalk. It's a very chill and laidback place.

Copan is best known for its Mayan ruins, which are some of the most intricate and finest examples of Mayan ruins in the whole world. When we went, there were hardly any people there. We had a guide, and anyone who visits the grounds would be wise to hire a guide as well. It provides a lot more context for the ruins. One of the coolest parts of the ruins is that it is home to the longest inscription of hieroglyphics in the world. That's what makes it an UNESCO Heritage Site.

We visited a macaw sanctuary as well, which I liked a lot better than the one on Roatan, because here the birds were actually free to fly away if they wanted to.

The other really fantastic thing we did while we were in Copan was go to a ranch ... my introduction to agritourism, which was fantastic. The farmer, Carlos, grows over 90% of the family's food on the farm. We got a quick introduction to some of the produce grown on the grounds in the morning, and nearly our whole lunch came from the grounds ~ produce, meat, butter, etc. He showed us all the workings of his on-site coffee plantation, and the "highlight" of our farm visit was the horseback riding. So it turns out that I'm not such a big fan of horseback riding ... My horse, Sol, was definitely gentle enough, but I guess I'm just not a big horse person. The countryside was beautiful, though. To top off our stay in Copan, we went to the hot springs (definitely needed after the jarring horseback ride), which were isolated and totally engulfed in the rainforest. Overall, Copan was a very relaxing place to end our stay.

(Look ... I got a loner camera!):

They allow liberals in Texas, right?

Howdy Pard’ners!

Two weeks ago the planets aligned: I had Halloween (officially “Nevada Day”) off, the Cougs were playing Notre Dame in San Antonio, TX(more on that later), and we had tickets. So on Friday morning we loaded a plane and headed off to meet Jill and Leland (Jo’s folks) in San Antonio. Jo’s aunt and uncle (Mary and E respectively) have a house just outside of SA so we were able to bunk up with a couple of “locals” and not have to stay in a hotel.

Despite our reservations about Texas (we are tree-hugggin’, granola munchin’, gourmet coffee sippin’ hippies, after all) San Antonio was a great all-around city. We spent our first day going along the Missions Trail: the road that connects the Alamo to four other outlying missions just outside of San Antonio. Jo did a great job of describing the missions in her travel blog…So I am just going to post a few pictures.

We ended our first evening in Texas with a true Texan meal; barbeque. We went to Texas Pride, a little joint that was covered on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” Good? Yes. Great? Eh.

On Saturday we went to the Alamo. It was crowded…and in my opinion, overrated. The other four missions were much quieter and by far more interesting. We prowled around the river walk (an outdoor walkway along the river that boasts restaurants and boutiques) and made our way to the Alamo Dome for the game.

Ahh the game…At least I got to see Emmett, the band grad assistant from my last year at WSU. Other than that… it is still a rebuilding year?

Sunday we traveled out to the sleepy little town of Gruene (pronounced “green”) and walked around the boutiques and antique malls. It was a quiet time just hanging out, sipping local wines and walking through eclectic shops. I even managed to procure an Edgar Allen Poe action figure.

It was a whirlwind weekend. We’re not ready to move to Texas, but it was a nice place to visit.

Yeeeehaw!?

Cory

Concert time!

This past weekend Cory and I ventured down to the Sam Boyd Stadium to watch U2 perform on their 360 tour. Two words: FREAKING AWESOME.

When they say 360 tour, they mean it. The stage was massive with a true 360 walkway all the way around it. We had cheap tickets, so we got stuck behind one of the structural poles, but with the walkway and gigantic stage screens, we actually had a pretty good view - and Cory took some killer pictures.
The Black Eyed Peas opened for U2, which we thought was a little weird at first, but I like the Black Eyed Peas, and they did a great job of warming up the crowd in anticipation for the main act. I had no idea the band was so big ... and that Fergie had such killer pipes. They played their most well-known songs, including a few Fergie-only tunes while the boys changed outfits.


The set switch didn't take long, so before we knew it U2 had taken the stage. I love U2's new album, so I was stoked that they opened with three songs off of it. Throughout the rest of the concert, they played new stuff mixed in with the classics - Where the Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day, One. The platform bridges moved around the stage and Bono and The Edge made their way all the way around. I've got to say that they had killer energy for the entire 3 hours that they played.


I love hearing bands that meet or exceed the expectations we have of them based on their albums. U2 definitely did not disappoint. The crowd was clearly enthusiastic about their performance, and Cory and I had an awesome time. Definitely an evening well spent.

Love ballads and hard rock classics,
JoAnna

You ran how far?

(Team Currently Unknown at the Finish Line)

Twelve people, 29 hours, 171 miles: a very simple definition of the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay. However, as we discovered on the weekend of October 9th, Ragnar is so much more.

JoAnna has wanted to run a Ragnar for quite some time now. Her chance came in June when we received a flyer for the first annual Las Vegas Ragnar Relay. Jo asked me if I thought I knew enough people to put together a team; I wasn’t sure but I figured we should ask our neighbors, Gregg and Jen. They were excited to participate and even knew another guy, Heath, who they thought might run.

JoAnna was pretty excited. She began checking around work and found Shawncee. Shawncee in turn, knew Katey, who knew Denise. We quickly had a team of 8 ready to go. On a whim, Jo e-mail Matt and Bethany, whom we met while hiking the Inca Trail, to see if they wanted to drive over from L.A. and run. Being the awesome adventurers that they are, they agreed. We then convinced Matt Miller, a friend from Wisconsin (now living in Vegas) that he should run. We picked up our friend Alice, who decided this crazy race should be her first big run. We had a full team by August.

After our first team meeting we discovered that Matt Miller had injured himself, but found a replacement runner named Marlie. Matt never actually met Marlie, he found her through a friend of a friend.

Due to the nature of our team not really knowing each other, we decided to run our relay as team Currently Unknown (the name JoAnna gave us as a filler when she had to sign us up, but didn’t know our official name yet… get it? It’s clever… trust me).

We all trained separately or in small groups of two or three; meeting only three times as a team to go over details for the race and have a huge pre-race spaghetti feed.

On the morning of October 9^th, van 1 (Myself, Jen, Heath, Shawncee, Alice, and Marlie with our driver Bev) rolled out of our driveway and headed up to the starting point at the Clark County Fair Grounds. Shawncee took off as runner 1 at 9 a.m. We each ran our 1^st leg of the race, and met Van 2 (Jo, Bethany, Matt, Katey, Denise and Gregg and their driver, Pete) in Valley of Fire State Park around noon.

(Van 1: Heath, Cory, Alice, Shawncee, Jen, Bev, and Marlie)

Van 2 had a much crappier first leg to run. Where our first leg totaled 24 miles between 6 people, theirs totaled 43 miles. It was mostly up hill and definitely hot. We met them again at Lake Mead around 9:00 p.m.

(Van 2 from top l-r: Gregg, Jo, Denise, Matt, Katey, Bethany)

We all ran late night runs. We all ran them extremely fast. By the time van 2 was done with its second leg, the team was 40 minutes ahead of schedule. We never looked back.

At 2:06 p.m. the next day the entire team waited by the pool area of Red Rock Casino as Jo, fittingly, ran the last leg of the race. As Ragnar tradition dictates, we all ran the last 100 yards of the race and crossed the finish line as a team.

Ragnar is an amazing activity. The thought of running 171 miles in 29 hours is astonishing and mind blowing. But a Ragnar Relay is so much more than running. Ragnar instills a true sense of community in its participants. You cheered your own runners along, but you cheered every other runner that passed you as you waited by the side of the road to catch a glimpse of your teammate. You made sure everyone had water, no matter the team. You slapped hands, you laughed, you cheered, you offered up your food.

There is so much more that could be said. So much more that was done. All 12 of us made life-long friends in 29 hours… and we’re crazy enough to ponder doing another Ragnar this June.

Sore feet and smiles,

Cory

The Magic Behind the Magic

Last weekend Cory and I went to see Penn & Teller, one of the most popular shows in Las Vegas. We're friends with Mike Jones, who is the pianist for the show, so it was fun to see him in action.

There are a lot of magicians in Las Vegas, but this show is different because it's an interesting mix of comedy, magic and honesty. They perform the usual magic tricks that you might see somewhere else, such as the balls under moving cups trick, but then they heighten the trick by showing the audience how it's done. That is not the end of the trick, though. While the audience is getting the behind-the-scenes look on one of the most famous tricks in magic history, Penn & Teller are actually pulling another fast one on everyone.

We had a lot of fun laughing and watching in awe as these two guys moved from one act to another. We're very lucky to have met so many awesome people in Las Vegas who have given us the chance to see some of the best shows, eat some of the best food and done some of the most interesting things in town.

We planned on September being low-key and quiet. Not so much. So now a fast dash through October begins ... This month we've got the Ragnar Relay, a U2 concert and a trip to San Antonio to see WSU play (and probably lose) to Notre Dame. Time flies when you're having a good time!

Smoke and mirrors ~
JoAnna

Ugh my frickin' stomach!

That's right. Beer and upscale breakfast is how we roll. Well...at least it is how we rolled last weekend. Before I share our gustatory adventures I must preface this tale with a big, fat raspberry to all of you who mocked the Haugen household for our slight addiction to Twitter/Facebook. See, both of last weekend's events were due directly to said addiction.

On Saturday Jo and I attended the Village Craft Beer Festival. This was an event co-hosted by Buckbean Beer out of Reno, whom I follow on twitter. Last week they asked who wanted free tickets, I responded, and Bam! said the Lady...two free tickets worth $40.

We sampled multiple beers from 17 Nevada brewers. We hung out on the lawn. We stared at Lake Las Vegas. We listened to a fair to poor cover band. We ate sammiches. Basically, we did nothing. Nothing with beer.

Then there was Sunday. And the Lord said "let there be brunch!" Last month JoAnna met up with a friend she had met...ready...that's right...on twitter, and had an amazing dinner at Simon, Chef Kerry Simon's restaurant at the Palms Place. While at this dinner she was invited back for brunch by the Vice President and Assistant General Manager for the resort.

So on Sunday we dressed up and went to Simon. And oh...my...God. Brunch at Simon is amazing. There is a full buffet of pastries, fresh fruit cut to order, hand rolled sushi, and a panini station. Not to mention the hand mixed cream cheeses, the peel-and-eat shrimp, and the Bloody Mary bar. There is also a selection available from the kitchen.

Jo had Simon french toast (brioche in Frosted Flake crumbs) while I had the breakfast prime hash.

Now, I will admit the crunch of the french toast was not my thing, but it was tasty. The hash, on the other hand, was amazing. The steak was tender, the egg and gravy seasoned to perfection with a hit of jalapeno puree to give the whole thing a kick. I thought I was in heaven. Fortunately, I had no idea what heaven was. As we sat back to let a bit of food digest, our waitress told us the special for the day. A crepe filled with roasted chicken and smoked ham covered in a cream cheese sauce. To quote my wife "when I dig into the chicken and ham crepe topped with a sunny side-up egg and a cream cheese sauce, I think there is a brief moment where I’ve actually died." (p.s. that is a link to her amazingly well written review of Simon on her newly minted, well read and reviewed travel blog).

We strolled in to Simon at 10 a.m. We slowly waddled out around noon. We didn't eat anything else for the entire day. It was glorious!

Kerry Simon is known for his whimsical take on upscale food. Simon's waitstaff all wear pajamas on Sundays. Included in the buffet line is a candy bar full of classic sweet tooth goodies. And his dessert plate is called Simon's "Junk Food." and has his famous cotton candy, a bit of caramel corn, and other assorted treats. It was a great way to end a fabulous meal.

So, to recap:

1) Ha ha...mock all you want but in two days Jo and I received 140 bucks worth of free stuff from twitter.

2) Beer is good. Craft beer is better.

3) Kerry Simon is awesome. So is his food.

4) go visit JoAnna's Blog

Peas,

Cory