Continuing on with our mountain vacations, let’s head to the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

The trip has got to start with a visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

The scenic mountain scape is home to trails upon trails — a hikers dream! Don’t feel like walking? Drive along the highest highway in the world! “Trail Ridge Road snakes its way through alpine tundra for 50 miles between glacier-sculpted peaks. It crosses the park from east to west and then drops into the Kawuneeche Valley, where the north fork of the Colorado River flows. The road travels for 11 miles above 11,000 feet and for 4 miles above 12,000 feet.”

Whew!

And of course there is camping and hiking, rafting and sight seeing to fill up your entire day. Looking for something a little more relaxing? Then check out the list of mountain resorts where you can kick up your heals and enjoy the view.

Beat the heat this summer by taking a trip into the mountains! There’s so many great places to explore in this country that I can’t possibly list them all in one post. So let’s start on the East coast with the Pocono Mountains!

According to the official Pocono website:

“The Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA offer 2,400 square miles of wooded peaks and valleys with numerous sparkling lakes, rushing rivers, and some of the loveliest waterfalls in the east. In the midst of such natural beauty are literally hundreds of attractions and places to stay, making the Pocono Mountains the perfect place to vacation year-round. The Pocono Mountains region encompasses four separate counties: Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne. Each has its own special appeal for the perfect vacation spot.”

Summer is a great time to visit, what with all the lakes and rivers just waiting for boating, kayaking and swimming. There’s also museums, fairs and NASCAR racing at Pocono Raceway.

Going to be around this weekend? Saturday, June 21st is the 18th Annual Great Tastes of Pennsylvania Wine and Food Festival at the Split Rock Resort.

“The two-day outdoor festival held on the grounds of Split Rock located in beautiful Lake Harmony will feature continuous musical entertainment on three separate stages, up to 30 of Pennsylvania’s finest wineries and a wide selection of food vendors to tempt your taste buds.  Educational Seminars will be held during the festival so check them out and learn some new things about wine.  Split Rock also offers a weekend package for our overnight guests.  Each festival attendee will receive a commemorative wine tasting glass.”

How fun! For more information about the festival, visit www.splitrockresort.com.

If you haven’t made a trip to Maine you must take the opportunity this summer. Nothing screams New England as much as Maine sea air and a fresh lobster dinner. Or as they say in Maine, “Lobsta!”

Lobster From Maine.com has an entire page of recipes sure to make your stomach rumble. But if you want it the traditional Maine way, follow these simple steps:

- Select a pot big enough to cover the lobster completely with water.

- Bring water to a rolling boil and add 1tbs of salt per quart of water.

- Put lobsters in claws first and begin timing as soon as the water comes back up to a boil.

For 1 pound: 5 minutes
1 1/8 pounds: 6 minutes
1 1/4 pounds: 8 minutes
1 1/2 to 2 pounds: 8 to 10 minutes
more than 2 pounds : 12 minutes

Serve with a side of butter and lots of napkins!

(PS- if you’re looking for some Maine inspiration, check out the Maine Beach Tote. It comes with it’s own lobster bib!)

It’s time to shop, ladies! Visit the Star50 Myspace page Tuesday, June 17th for another fun Star50 Handbags Purse Party.

Rules are the same…a special discount will be given on bags purchased Tuesday. Get ready to stock up on summer essentials and make your closet the envy of all your friends.

Or, you could be nice and invite them to the party too! 

You’re a hard working woman and you deserve a day of pampering. Why not head to a spa? A few years ago the Today Show did a piece on the best places to take a girlfriend retreat and it’s definitely worth sharing! Here’s what they had to say:

Hurleyville, N.Y.
Sanivan Holistic Spa
Sanivan is like a B&B for the soul. In a Catskills town two hours northwest of Manhattan, the spa is owned by Ivan Rivas and Saniye Gungor - a masseur and a shiatsu therapist/shaman, respectively. The husband-and-wife duo offers a smorgasbord of indulgences: personally tailored herbal facials (60 minutes, $80), aromatherapy shiatsu massages (90 minutes, $90), and even 100-percent oxygen treatments for improving blood flow and strengthening the immune system (120 minutes, $225).

With only three bedrooms, the spa promises individualized attention, something Lynne Nordone from Long Island found most rewarding. “You revitalize from the inside out and always learn something you can take home,” says Nordone, who eagerly devoured Gungor’s “delicious raw food” (cooked grains, chicken, and fish are also available). Sanivan practices what it preaches: All linens and food are organic, trash is recycled, and even the heated pool is ozonated (translation: minimal chlorine). Guests spend downtime walking the outdoor meditation labyrinth and curling up with one of five Angora cats, the spa’s “spiritual guides.”

Neversink, N.Y.
New Age Health Spa
On 280 acres near Catskill Park, New Age Health Spa hardly feels like it’s only two hours from Manhattan. The spa complex is made up of nine newly renovated buildings, each with a Native American moniker; outdoor paths lined with flower beds connect the guest lodges. New Age lives up to its name with treatments such as a Native Sun Purification (50 minutes, $95), which incorporates herbs that many tribes use in cleansing rituals. (The herbs are grown in the spa’s greenhouses.) Roberta Springer, a New York City resident, has been a regular since New Age opened 20 years ago. “I’ve been at least 50 times,” she says. “I was hooked the first weekend.” Nature lovers sign up for eco-adventure programs (bald-eagle watching or the Alpine Tower climb), and spiritual seekers try anything from tarot-card readings to silent reflection in the spa’s state-of-the-art Cayuga Yoga and Meditation Center. It’s decked out with heated floors, walls lined with 10,000 feet of redwood, and an enormous stone fireplace.

Neversink, N.Y.
New Age Health Spa
On 280 acres near Catskill Park, New Age Health Spa hardly feels like it’s only two hours from Manhattan. The spa complex is made up of nine newly renovated buildings, each with a Native American moniker; outdoor paths lined with flower beds connect the guest lodges. New Age lives up to its name with treatments such as a Native Sun Purification (50 minutes, $95), which incorporates herbs that many tribes use in cleansing rituals. (The herbs are grown in the spa’s greenhouses.) Roberta Springer, a New York City resident, has been a regular since New Age opened 20 years ago. “I’ve been at least 50 times,” she says. “I was hooked the first weekend.” Nature lovers sign up for eco-adventure programs (bald-eagle watching or the Alpine Tower climb), and spiritual seekers try anything from tarot-card readings to silent reflection in the spa’s state-of-the-art Cayuga Yoga and Meditation Center. It’s decked out with heated floors, walls lined with 10,000 feet of redwood, and an enormous stone fireplace.

East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Deerfield Spa
If Laura Ashley and Richard Simmons had a child, Deerfield would be it. In a sprawling former Victorian inn in the Poconos, the spa is all wicker, white linens, and soft florals throughout its 22 cozy bedrooms and three lounge areas. That country comfort stops, though, once you step into one of two 24-hour gyms, join an aquatic karate session in the heated pool, or sit down to a calorie-conscious meal of cumin- and feta-infused lentil loaf (no red meat here). Deerfield has regular lectures, guided two-hour Appalachian Trail hikes, 61 different weekly aerobics and fitness classes, and best of all, a staff-to-guest ratio of about two to one. First-time visitor Lola West of New York City, who stayed in the two-person cottage annex, found the intimacy refreshing: “The owner [Joan Wolff] has a great disposition that’s reflected in the staff. Everyone is so friendly.” Overextended muscles get relief in classic treatments like seaweed wraps (50 minutes, $85) and Swedish massages (50 minutes, $65); more uncommon treats include Nuat Thai, an ancient Buddhist floor massage dubbed “lazy man’s yoga;” and the newly added LumiLift, a light-therapy facial that uses a small current to stimulate sagging muscles.

Happy relaxing!

Just because gas prices are high, doesn’t mean you can’t take a road trip. Some of the best places are a short drive away.

Live on the East coast? Head to Maine and drive the Arcadia National Park Loop in Arcadia National Park. According to Visit New England:

The 27-mile loop offers truly spectacular Atlantic Ocean views. Driving the loop is breathtaking enough with its incredible sunsets, amazing Maine rocky coast and the mix of ocean and mountains, but we strongly suggest getting out of the car to climb Gorham Mountain, you get an incredible view of the glacial blue Atlantic Ocean and Thunder Hole, with its waves creating a sonic boom. Sand Beach, just under 300 yards long, may be short in distance, but endless in beauty — so untouched and so small and intimate is this wonder of nature that it makes you wish that you could bring this environment home.

As someone who as actually visited Arcadia, I can attest that it is a gorgeous place to hike, camp and relax. Don’t forget to pack up your Louisiana Market Sac with outdoor essentials like sunscreen, bug spray and your shades!

Summer is officially here which means it’s time to pack away the winter bags and break out the fun! This season, almost anything goes. It’s all about texture, color and design. Head from the beach to brunch with a durable, bright-colored bag like the Hawaii Weekender by Star50 Handbags. Available in seven fun colors from canary yellow to pacific blue, the wood handles and kicky flowered lining take it worlds away from your usual purse. After all, it’s all about the details!

 
For an evening out you can’t go wrong with a hot clutch in a unique design. The Wisconsin Porter embodies just that. Not only is the nylon body rugged, it’s sleek and sophisticated! A double whammy! Available in six colors, you’ll be the envy of the party when you show up with this little number.

 
 
This summer, celebrate your unique self with a fun bag that tells a story. Visit Star50 Handbags to see even more!

Star50 has been busy! First there were the purse parties and now — a girls night!

Star50 Handbags will be participating in Shecky’s Girls Night Out in Denver, CO May 29th from 5-10 p.m.! Check out this great shopping party and stock up on your favorite Star50 bags!

What does the day include?

Shop up to 50 hot brands in the emerging fashion & accessories pavilion.
Sip delicious cocktails & refreshments at the 5-hour complimentary bars.
Sample fabulous products & services by their supreme sponsors.
Scoreloads of goodies in Shecky’s Deluxe Goodie Bag.

Click here for full details.

But that’s not all! Star50 Handbags is on a roll! On June 10th Star50 will be participating in the Holiday Gift Guide Media Event in New York City sponsored by The Gift List Media and AdVance Public Relations. Details to come!

This weekend is your last chance to shop the Star50 Purse Party! It all ends May 12th at 5pm MST. 
 
Click here for complete contest rules and blog addresses. Enter at each blog and get your shopping code for 50% off at www.star50bags.com.

Last minute gift for Mother’s Day? Gift for the soon-to-be graduate? A treat just for you?

Don’t wait! An offer like this doesn’t come around often.

Happy Shopping!

…One for you and one for me…
Mother’s Day Purse Event

Giveaways going on right now!
 
Don’t forget,
Party ends May 12th at 5pm MST. 
 
Click here for complete contest rules and blog addresses. Enter at each blog and get your shopping code for 50% off at
www.star50bags.com