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Viv enjoying cotton candy and sampling wine at the Ghost Tree Invitational Dinner on the Range, Pronghorn Resort
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You could win a $50,000 vacation from Expedia.
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Dinner at Camp Sherman's Kokanee Cafe
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Bouillabaisse
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Diver Scallop Ravioli
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Crab Cakes
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A delectable chocolate cake
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The beach at Charleston, Southern Oregon Coast
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Crab pots at Bandon, Oregon
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Wine Tasting with Paris Digest and O Chateau
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Jill with her cotton candy cone at the Ghost Tree Invitational Dinner on the Range Held at Pronghorn Resort
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Hiking at Smith Rock Central Oregon
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A standard bathroom on the Norwegian Star
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A standard inside cabin on the Norwegian Star
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Ships tender
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Pool deck on the Norwegian Star
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Where Are We?
Viv and Jill have been keeping busy exploring more of beautiful Central Oregon and the Southern Oregon Coast.
If you're in the area of Camp Sherman (a fly fisherman's paradise near Sisters), we recommend dinner at Kokanee Cafe. Innovative Pacific Northwest Cuisine in a delightful setting. Give them a call (541-595-6420) to check on their hours of operation (dinner only, reservations highly recommended) through December 2006. We enjoyed the Diver Scallop Ravioli, Kokanee Crab Cakes, Bouillabaisse, and a delectable chocolate cake.
We had the opportunity to play the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Pronghorn, a private resort in Central Oregon. We've never seen such an immaculately kept golf course, with greens like glass. If you're a golfer and interested in playing at Pronghorn, consider for 2007 the Ghost Tree Invitational, benefiting the National Kidney Foundation. Viv and Jill recently attended the Dinner on the Range for this years event. What an evening it was with food prepared by chefs from 15 of the top restaurants in Central Oregon, wine served by seven renowned wineries from California, Washington and Oregon, and music to dance the night away by the popular Seattle 70's Band, Hit Explosion. Even if you're not a golfer, consider attending the Dinner on the Range for next years event.
A weekend was spent with the Oregon Chapter of RVing Women at one of their rallies being held in Charleston, Oregon. A great location near Coos Bay, with RV sites within spitting distance of the beach. For women who love to RV (all sizes permitted) and want to meet other women, RVW is a great option. Just a couple of miles along the coast from Charleston is Sunset Bay and Cape Arago State Park, where visitors can scan the horizon for migrating whales and view colonies of seals and sea lions on Shell Island - there's hundreds of them!
Other fun and interesting places to visit along the Southern Oregon Coast include: Bandon at the mouth of the Coquille River, and Florence.
Email us your travel tips and let us know what's not to be missed - activities, towns, where to get great food and anything else you can think of. We want the inside scoop and you're the best resource!
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Fall Festivals
In our August newsletter we asked readers to share their favorite Fall Festival, one you've been to or always wanted to attend. Here are the results:
- BEND FALL FESTIVAL - Bend, Oregon, USA.
Public fine art, food, wine & microbrews, music, family fun area. October 7-8,2006. www.bendfallfestival.com ~ Recommended by Jane, Sisters, Oregon
- FALL CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF HOMES AND GARDENS - Charleston, South Carolina.
Self-guided tours of Historic homes and gardens. September 21 - October 28, 2006. www.preservationsociety.org ~ Recommended by Beatrice, Orlando, Florida.
- SPIRIT OF SHREWSBURY FALL FESTIVAL - Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, USA
Parade, craft fair, Idol contest, family funfest. September 29 - October 01, 2006. www.spiritofshrewsbury.com ~ Recommended by Maggie, Boston, Massachusetts.
- FALL ART WALK - Olympia, Washington, USA.
Downtown Olympia, 5pm - 10pm. 500 hundred artists, over 100 businesses. October 6, 2006. www.ci.olympia.wa.us ~ Recommended by PJ, Tenino, Washington.
- LONG ISLAND FALL FESTIVAL - Huntingdon, Long Island, USA.
Wine tasting, microbrews, carnival, craft market, live entertainment, farmers market. October 6 -9, 2006. www.lifallfestival.com ~ Recommended by Dena, New Hampshire.
- GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FALL FESTIVAL - Hiawassee, Georgia, USA.
Musical performances, educational demonstrations, a flower show and fiddlers. October 6 - 15, 2006. www.georgia-mountain-fair.com ~ Recommended by Patty, McCall, Idaho.
- COVERED BRIDGE FESTIVAL - Parke County, Indiana, USA.
Lots of shopping and food while visiting the covered bridges. Oct. 13-22, 2006. www.parkecounty.com ~ Recommended by Lily, Arizona.
- LEXINGTON AVENUE FALL FESTIVAL - New York, New York, USA.
October 8, 2006. 11am - 6pm. http://www.nycstreetfairs.com ~ Recommended by Willow, NYC.
- OKANAGAN FALL WINE FESTIVAL - Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada.
Vineyard tours, great food and unique festival events. September 29 - October 8, 2006. www.owfs.com ~ Recommended by Daisy, Manitoba, Canada.
- GREAT BRITISH CHEESE FESTIVAL - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.
See, taste and buy over 1000 British cheeses. September 30 & October 1, 2006. www.thecheeseweb.com ~ Recommended by Monica, Aspen, Colorado.
- THE INTERNATIONAL HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL - Queen Mary College, London, England.
October 21 - 22, 2006. www.paganfestivals.fsnet.co.uk ~ Recommended by Sherri, London, England.
- PIRATES WEEK FESTIVAL - Georgetown, Cayman Islands.
Music, food, drink, entertainment, games and lots more. October 27 - November 5, 2006. www.piratesweekfestival.com ~ Recommended by Lydia, Miami, Florida.
- FORCALQUIER TASTING WEEK - Forcalquier, Provence, France.
September 30 - October 8, 2006. www.forcalquier.com ~ Recommended by Maureen, Glasgow, Scotland.
- BEND FILM FESTIVAL - A CELEBRATION OF INDEPENDENT FILM - Bend, Oregon, USA.
71 films to play on screens across Bend. October 12-15, 2006. www.bendfilm.org ~ Recommended by Kelley, Eugene, Oregon.
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Travellers' Tips
Get This Music CD Audra McDonald, four time Tony Award winner has just released her new CD ~ Build A Bridge. Viv and Jill had the great pleasure of meeting and hearing Audra while on their recent Alaska cruise and can highly recommend her music. Audra is beautiful inside and out and has the voice of an angel.
P.F. Chang's China Bistro Asian infused, small plates, great for sharing, intimate atmosphere, friendly, knowledgeable staff - many locations throughout the USA. Check their website for a location near you. ~ Recommended by Heather in Palm Springs, California.
Zen is in for your pooch LA Dogworks is a 7500 sq. ft retreat for your dog in Hollywood, California. For the most amazing pooch pampering visit their website. ~ Recommended by Vanessa, Santa Monica, California.
Cheap Lunch in Bend, Oregon Possibly the best chicken mole enchiladas we've had anywhere can be found at Puerto Alegre. Fun atmosphere, fast service and delicious mole. Open for lunch and dinner. 547 NE Bellevue Drive, #109, Bend, Oregon. Phone 541-318-7567. ~ Recommended by Jill, Bend, Oregon.
Air Travel Updates Airline travellers in the USA and around the world should check with their airline before flying in order to keep up to date with what is banned in carry-on luggage. This week the U.S. revised their rules for carry-ons (TSA). Now allowed includes the following: Travel-size toiletries that fit in a one quart size, clear plastic, zip-top bag. Beverages and food bought in secure boarding areas. If you plan on taking large amounts of liquid prescription drugs, baby formula, or glucose for diabetics you must declare them at checkpoint for added screening.
Great Crab Melt in Bandon, Oregon If you're visiting Bandon, Oregon, stop by Tony's Crabshack and enjoy their famous Crab Melt. Packed full of fresh crab with melted Swiss and served with kettle chips. All for only $9.95 ~ Recommended by Viv, British Columbia, Canada.
Tour Company for Women I came across this company based in California who offer a great selection of trips for women only. They have anything from Weekend trips (which I really like) to Cultural, Adventure, Cooking and Worldwide, and some others. Their website is www.womansworldtravel.com ~ Recommended by Edith, USA.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Some of the best pizza on the planet! Love their clam pizza with red or white sauce - delicious. 157 Wooster Street, New Haven, Connecticut Phone: 203-865-5762. Visit their website. ~ Recommended by Mattie, Connecticut.
Tubby Towels Handcrafted hooded bath towels for children and adults. Made in the USA by Cecily Adams. Visit her website to view the different designs. ~ Recommended by Angela, Portland, Oregon.
Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant Reminiscent of New York City's Little Italy, this Bellevue, Washington restaurant specialized in Southern Italian cuisine. Try the eggplant marinara. Lincoln Square, 10455 NE 8th Street, Bellevue, Washington. Phone: 425-519-6476. Visit their website. ~ Recommended by Brenda, Yakima, Washington.
Women's Health If you are planning on living a long, healthy life, you may want to read the articles below regarding colon cancer. In the USA, regular screening starting at age 50 is the norm. Then, you are screened again every 10 years if your colonoscopy comes back clear. In Canada, there is no regular screening for colon cancer. In Canada, colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in nonsmokers. By the time a patient has symptoms and is sent for a colonoscopy, it may be too late - the key here is that prevention is the cure. Not waiting for a polyp to turn into a tumor and spread to the liver and other organs. Regardless of where in the world you live, read the following articles and save your life:
Women, poor more likely to have advanced colon cancer when diagnosed.
Colorectal cancer screening in Canada: It's time to act.
Nate 'n Al Deli If you're in Beverly Hills and want to do some celebrity watching while eating great deli food, Nate 'n Al Deli is the place to go. You can usually catch Larry King having breakfast there. 414 North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Phone: 310-274-0101. Visit their website and see the menu. ~ Recommended by Sandra in Los Angeles, California.
Retire Early Lifestyle The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement! Billy & Akaisha Kaderli left the rat race 16 years ago at the age of 38 and have never looked back. They're too busy living their lives the way they want to and travelling the world. Find out more about their early retirement strategies and read some of their travel stories on their website.
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Paris Things To Do
Dine at Senderens Restaurant for a unique taste of Paris!
Alain Senderens ran the renowned Lucas Carton in Paris for 25 years. That is until he gave Michelin their stars back, revamped the restaurant, menu and prices and opened the doors to his new restaurant, Senderens. Now, instead of paying $500 per person for dinner, you can dine for around $125 per person. Sound like a deal? Then give them a visit next time you're in central Paris. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Senderens, 9 place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, +33 (0) 1 42 65 22 90 Métro: Madeleine
An unforgettable Wine Tasting experience with Paris Digest and Ô Chateau
Looking for something original, fun, interesting and affordable? Look no longer!! Wine Tastings in Paris are your best option.
Whether it's your first or twentieth time in Paris, these Wine Tastings will make your experience even more outstanding.
Partnered with Ô Chateau, Paris Digest offers fun, informative and relaxing Wine Tastings to Paris visitors.
These wine tasting experiences are designed to allow visitors to learn great insights on wine in general and French wine in particular and to taste remarkable French wines !!
All tastings are presented in English by a young French sommelier. They take place in the very heart of Paris at Olivier's -your French sommelier- home: a beautiful Parisian loft.
Visit their website for more details and to see which wine tasting option works for you.
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Recommended Restaurant
Phil's Fish Market & Restaurant
Do you want to experience some of the best Cioppino you will ever eat? Then make sure you visit Phil's Fish Market & Restaurant the next time you are in Moss Landing (along the California Coast on Hwy 1, near Monterey).
If you're not going to be able to make the trip any time soon, you can order their fabulous Cioppino and chowder online and have it shipped directly to you.
Open 7 days a week, 7600 Sandholtd Rd. Moss Landing, California 95039 Phone: 831-633-2152 Fax: 831-633-8611
~ Thanks for the tasty tip go to Jackie in Santa Cruz, California.
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Fun Stuff
Trivia Question: Where in the world is this picture?
Answer: Tony's Crabshack is in Bandon, Oregon, USA. You must try their famous Crab melt next time you're in Bandon.
Classifieds: Buy an RV, condos for sale by owner, find a Realtor, purchase artwork and much more...
Contests: WAVE Journey's always got a contest going on! Thanks to all who told us about their favorite Fall Festival - One they'd been to or one they've always wanted to attend but haven't got there yet. The random drawing winner of 2 terrific music CD's is Monica Williamson, Aspen, Colorado, USA. Monica's favorite Fall Festival is the Great British Cheese Festival which she has attended twice and highly recommends to all cheese lovers.
Cool Websites: With Magda Wine Tours you can enjoy five star tours throughout Argentina and Chile. Take a look at their wine tours that also include golf, tango, polo and trout.
Cool Webcams: View the Giant Pandas at the San Diego Zoo.
Recipes: Fresh Figs Roasted With Goat Cheese ~ recipe submitted by Janine in California. Or, how about a Breakfast Granola ~ recipe submitted by Janie in Wilton, Connecticut.
Kitchen Quick Tips: Do you love cucumber but sometimes find it to be bitter? To make sure there isn't any bitterness, peel off the skin and discard the area near the stem.
New Photos: Send us your favorite shots and we'll add them to the site too.
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Travel Deals
Check out these terrific travel deals and more...
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Join Viv and Jill
Aboard NCL's Norwegian Star for an 8 Day Mexican Riviera Cruise
November 14-22, 2006. Prices from US$599
For More details...
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Write An Article For WAVE Journey
If you love to travel, enjoy writing and want to share your thoughts with others, take action and write an article for WAVE Journey and we'll publish it on the site. You may include up to eight photos.
Send your submissions to editor@wavejourney.com
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Tips For Travellers With Disabilities
Janice's Tips For Cruise Travel With A Wheelchair
Janice and Frankie recently enjoyed an Alaskan cruise aboard NCL's Norwegian Star. Here are some of their tips and observations for anyone in a wheelchair.
- If you book your hotel through the cruise line, call both the hotel and the cruise
line and make sure that you are booked into a wheelchair accessible room. We did not have an accessible room at the hotel before the cruise, even though we had requested one. The hotel got us a shower seat and it worked out OK, as Frankie is ambulatory and could step over the lip in the shower stall. As we were staying after the cruise as well, we asked that they change our after-cruise reservation to a wheelchair-accessible room and they did so.
- Bring or rent a manual wheelchair as a backup. Also, I understand that NCL will
not allow scooters or electric wheelchairs on a tender. So, to be tendered ashore, a manual chair is a must.
- Rental Wheelchairs: There are companies that will deliver the chair to your cabin
on the ship and pick it up there after the cruise. We rented one from Care Vacations and had a very good experience. Care Vacations can be found at CruiseShipAssist.com. Care Vacations also provides on-board oxygen service. Another that I have found that rents wheelchairs is Scootaround.com.
- Make sure that you bring extra fuses for your chair or scooter. They are
sometimes difficult to find (e.g., 70 amp fuse). But even if your chair or scooter uses a standard automotive fuse, you won’t find them at sea and may not in the ports.
- Bring an appropriate extension cord for charging the scooter or chair. We could
not get the scooter close enough to the electric outlet to plug it in to charge, without blocking the bathroom door. The cabin steward offered to take the scooter away to charge it, but we asked if they could get us an extension cord. The ship’s electrician loaned us one in the end. Just be prepared for some extra attention from airport security because of all of the electrical equipment.
- The shower seats in the accessible staterooms are not suitable to support the
weight of a large person. They hang from the grab bar and have no floor support. We plan to bring our own shower stool in the future.
- The elevators on the Norwegian Star were long enough for a big scooter, with
room to spare.
- The ship was mostly accessible. It was difficult to get the scooter down the
hallway on the first afternoon and the last evening, because of luggage in the hallway. Fortunately, we were in a short hallway, so it wasn’t a big problem.
- All of the restaurants are accessible but some are better than others. For example,
on the Norwegian Star, Versailles is not fully accessible. We asked if we could reserve a table for the pirate dinner, as only the back section of the restaurant does not require climbing a step. We were told that we could not, as the restaurant does not take reservations. But when I went to the podium to get a table, there was a large party coming in that had reserved a group of tables. Also, the restaurant is accessible but someone who can climb stairs needs to get the table, as the podium is up a half flight of stairs.
- The staff in Aqua were great! They gave us a table with a place to park the scooter
our first night that we ate there and held that table for us every night! Also, Frankie had more help than she actually needed in the Market Café.
- The arcade was not accessible on the Norwegian Star, because of the placement of
some of the arcade games.
- The pools and hot tubs are not wheelchair accessible. There are a few steps to
each, and the pool also has a ladder. Someone who is ambulatory and can climb a few stairs may be able to use them.
- There is wheelchair seating on both entrance levels in the Stardust Theatre on the
Norwegian Star. They are not the best seats in the house, but the ones on the lower level are better. We went to the front of the lines to wait. We didn’t have a problem with anyone accusing us of cutting the lines, as we were headed to the wheelchair seating. It’s a good idea to do this. Otherwise, the spots for the wheelchairs to park become stroller parking and the section with removable seats that are marked “wheelchair seating” get filled up with people who don’t realize (or ignore) that it’s wheelchair seating and really don’t want to move out. It was especially great when one of the R Family team let us in a couple of minutes early so that we could get settled before the rush.
- Make sure that you let NCL know that you use a wheelchair or scooter when you
book excursions. We also let the people at the excursion desk know that we needed a wheelchair accessible vehicle for the excursion once we were on board. We had a problem with one excursion, where there bus did not have a lift or storage underneath for the scooter. I went back to the ship and got the manual wheelchair. Because Frankie is ambulatory, we were able to do this. Someone who cannot walk short distances or climb a few steps would not have been able to get onto the bus.
- Also, there is a lot of information online about the ports and excursions. I did
some research to determine which of the excursions would really be doable for my partner. Expedia.com has good info on the ports and I found that their info was pretty accurate.
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Do You Want To Meet Other Women Travellers?
If you would be interested in meeting other women travellers either in your own hometown or visiting them in their own hometown, send us an email and we'll help you connect. Whether it's for coffee, dinner, sightseeing or if you have an extra room or couch to offer for a night or two...
Email WJ at: tips@wavejourney.com
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We would love to hear from you for any reason. Contact us at:
info@wavejourney.com
www.wavejourney.com
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