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Show g U- Classifiedspe - " The Daily Herald By ALFRED BORCOVER Chicago Tribune It's worth looking beyond the obvious when you search for a winter escape. Most people head south or southwest for the warmth of the sun. That can translate into a cruise; or a resort in the Caribbean, Tlorida or Texas; or a stint in Arizona or Southern California to play golf and tennis. If you're one of those people who love the cold, then you head for the Rockies or anyplace else that has enough snow for skiing. That can mean trips to Michigan or Wisconsin slopes or to New England or Canada, wherever the snow is flying. When I fondly recall winter getaways, none of the above come to mind. They are not my kind of winter getaways. Here are four options that have stirred my heart and soul: Earlier this month we Na- ples, Fla. The weather was ideal, just warm enough to be comfortable in shorts and a e shirt. The grass was green, the impatiens brilliant. Golfers were out. So were the tennis players. But our highlight was Corkscrew Swamp Sancwildertuary, an 1 1,000-acr- e ness owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. Talk about a place to get renewed on New Year's Day or any day. Visitors followed a wooden boardwalk over the wetlands and through the country's largest remaining stand of virgin bald cypress the oldest trees in eastern North America. Sanctuary is a proper name for the place because most people act with reverence as they pause at numbered martour. As kers on a in your eyes sharpen the denser part of the swamp, you see tiny wildflowers, a gold and black butterfly, myriad birds, a sunning turtle and alligators. One reptile dozed on a fallen tree. Another, about six or seven feet long, lay barely submerged alongside the boardwalk. An Audubon ranger suspected the gator earlier that morning had snapped up a fox. Another gator spotted in the water thrashed in a thicket, perhaps having lunch. Along the way there were great egrets, white ibises and barn owls. The stars of Corkscrew, however, were the nesting wood storks, seven- - and d birds with five-fowingspans. Near a nesting area, rangers had set up and focused several telescopes so visitors could see these prehistoric-lookin- g birds better. The sights, the sounds, the inky waters, the cypresses that were 200 years old when Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World and the swampy moist air all make you forget about winter. Last year we escaped winter and found early spring in New Orleans. You need only walk to Cufe du Monde, order rich chicory cafe au lait and beignets and chew on both (without inhaling the powdered sugar), listen to a street musician Wailing on a sexy saxophone and winter is a distant memory. Add to the New Orleans scene a carriage ride and numerous strolls through the French Quarter, superb food at such restaurants as Mr. B's Bistro, Gautreau's, Eddie's, Commander's Palace and muffulettas at Centra! Growhat more could you cery short-sleev- ot ask for? Even when the sun hid, New Orleans' sultry atmosphere and street scenes obliterated thoughts of winter. (See Aboriginal mythology speaks of tracks that crisscross the Australian Outback. According to the legend, the gods traveled these paths in the "Dreamtime," singing out the names of objects and creatures they passed wallaby, and they rock, kangaroo, bird thereby sang the things into existence. Robyn Davidson didn't have the providence to sing creatures into existence, but her story has taken on mythical proportions all the same. The Australian marched out of Redbank Gorge in the Northern Territory with four camels and her dog, Diggity, in 1978. Determined to cross 700 miles of Australian desert alone, she was but an idealistic student, feeling restless about the direction life was leading her. Eight months later, when she rode triumphantly into the turquoise waters of Hamelin Pool in the Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast, she firmly had life by the reins. Not only had she braved every natural hazard the desert could proffer poisonous snakes, extreme temperatures, violent storms but also in wandering slowly through the bush, she'd come to know intimately a strange land and its proud native people that lay in the heart of her own country. She also had discovered faith in herself. In the 14 years since her jourg in the Outney, back has become a thriving business for a few small companies operating in the Alice Springs area. Her story has become a mod-er- a adventure-travclassic, first told in one of National Geograpcover stohy's the OutAcross "Alone ries, g in the then back," camel-trekkin- el best-sellin- WINTER, Page D2) Outback. A handful of camel safari companies (see sidebar) offer a good way to get your feet wet in the desert. Trips range from a few hours to two weeks. For example, on one journey, you'll travel by truck 150 kilometers into the the desert to Glen Helen same spot, incidentally, from which Davidson launched her own expedition and you'll work your way back to Alice Springs, riding through fields of eucalyptus, crossing dry river beds, soaking in the enormity of the desert. At night you'll sleep under the stars, warmed by a maliwood fire and v X f? - ? - Al sr V a Q "" ) I consnug in a sleeping bag-lik- e traption called a swag. And if you're like Davidson and many others, you'll likely fall in love hump-backe- d with a 2,000-pounanimal, if not w ith the barren beauty of the desert itself. d, r ' , - y--" " Initially, the desert can be overwhelming. Smolan himself admits that when he first was there, the environment seemed big, brown and rather unimpressive. But as he traveled with Davidson, "It took l Rick Smolan Photo Robyn Davidson in Hamelin Pool at the end of her journey: "The hardest part about making your own tracks is getting started." book "Tracks" (Pantheon, 1980, $12), which has been translated into 11 languages. Now the story has been resurrected in "From Alice to Ocean" desert-re- 1992, $49.95), e a coffee picture book featuring excerpts from "Tracks" and additional photographs from Rick Smolan, the National Geographic photographer who accompanied Davidson off and on for three months of her journey. Smolan's photography hones in on the primary players in this journey one woman, her but it also animals and the desert celebrates the proud diversity of the Aborigine people, a culture that is struggling to remain vital . Set amid a backdrop of brilliant (Addison-Wesle- y, table-styl- eight-mon- th apocalyptic topography, her very personal story resonates forcefully. (Accompanying the book are two CDs, one that can be played on a Photo CD player, and one that can either be played on a conventional audio CD player or inserted into an Apple capabilicomputer with ties, in which case it becomes a of Davidmultimedia son's journey, combining audio, still photography and video images.) "She listened to her own little inner voice," says Smolan about the reasons Davidson's story struck a chord with so many people. "That voice is a crazy little thing that we all dismiss as being frivolous, and she listened to it. I sky-blu- d, e, CD-RO- M on a whimsical can't tell you how many people have told me that after reading that book they felt like they were wasting their life." That, essentially, is Davidson's u point: She is not some she woman a was adventurer; who listened to herself, then acted. Of course it's easier to sit "sipping gin on the verandah with friends, and making unending lists of lists which get thrown away, and reading books about camels," she wrote. The hardest part about making your own tracks is getting started. You'll have to discover for yourself where to lay your own tracks. But for starters you can follow in Davidson's footsteps on a fully supplied camel safari in the bolder-than-tho- look, with strange animals and rock formations. You can see how much more beautiful the desert became to' me in the progression of pictures." Ultimately, Davidson left her journey a sort of "mythical being," someone who was consid- ered more courageous than the ordinary person could hope to be. That, however, is precisely the opposite of what she'd intended she wanted to prove that anyone is capable of such adventure. For, as she concludes in her book: "The trip was easy. It was no more dangerous than crossing the street, or driving to the beach, or eating peanuts. Camel trips, as I suspected all along, do not begin or end; they merely change form." see Outback on the back of a camel How to By ANDY PARK Universal Press Syndicate Wm, m or mi OK, but sturdy tracksuits and jogging shoes are ideal, and a thick sweater or down jacket is vital as desert temperatures can sometimes plunge to freezing on midwinter of the in adventure industry growing Australia's Outback State, the Northern Territory. Around the Camel trekking is part J 'nJ ed eight-poun- Sunday, February 7, 1993 By BRAD WETZLER Universal Press Syndicate getaways self-guid- I From Alice to Ocean: The picture of an epic journey Warm up to other wintertime were visiting friends in jWC 'D I - nights. town of Alice Springs, in the geo- graphical center of the continent, adventurous tourists can choose the camel trip they want, be it an hour on camelback just for the experience or a weeklong safari into bushland rarely visited by any but the most experienced Outback travelers. At present, there are three established camel tour operators in the Territory, and all of" them provide bedding, food and drink as part of their overnight fees. But potential camel trekkers should carry their own flashlight, hat, towel, toiletries and sunscreen. Camel is also important; jeans are (4 Rick Smolan Photo Robyn Davidson and her quartet of camels and dog, Diggity: She braved the natural hazards the desert offered and came to know intimately what lay in the heart of her own country. riding-appar- el Camel Outback Safaris (teleoffers a sevenphone: camel trek for $699 (in -day Australian dollars) per person. Trekkers fly into Alice Springs and stay their first night in town. At 7:30 the next morning, the Outback Safari bus picks them up at their hotel for the hour's drive south to Orange Creek. From here, after coffee and "camel familiarization," the group sets off on its Outback adventure. After six nights camping in picturesque Rainbow Valley and to explore aboriginal caves, "galleries" of rock art, giant sand 089-56-092- 5) day-trippi- (See CAMEL, Page 1)4) target worries, kids at Big Sur's Ventana retreat By GEORGE de LAMA Chicago Tribune - You know BIG SUR, Calif. will at a weekdifferent be things end getaway inn when someone at the front desk bids you to sit down while checking in and offers a glass of fine wine for your trouble. That is the first taste a visitor has, literally, of Ventana, a rustic retreat high above the crashing waves along Big Sur on Califor- nia's rugged central coast. Set amid a breathtaking backdrop of mountains and sea, this cedar country inn resort prides itself on its reputation as a discreet and peaceful place where the harried and hurried can let their hair down, and more if they please. "Ventana is serene, sensual, sumptuous, a place to nourish your spirit," the resort's information guide informs its guests. Hard not to agree up here in the shadow of the redwoods ,200 feet above the class of service, from the friendly staff members ho scramble to get their bags and drive them to their room in a golf cart to the amiable folks at the front desk who remind them to drop back down to the lobby for the daily California wine and cheese buffet. Opened in 1975. Ventana has become known as a favorite hideaway for the stars. Above all it is a place for grownups, and the management is not bashful about telling you that. "Ventana was designed and is operated as a retreat for adults," the inn's directory of services advises. "We do not have any activities for children, and therefore, we do not encourage people to bring them here. Legally, we cannot decline to accept them. "If parents do choose to bring their children," the directory goes on, "we think it is not unreasonable to ask that they keep in mind that many people have come here for a few days expressly to get " away from their own children. The message is reinforced by the two outdoor, coed, clothing-optioneiJapanese baths, one on in set rooms the ther side of guest w "Ventana is serene, sensual, sumptuous, a place to nourish your spirit." Ventana information guide motes the idea of a late-nig- mantic rendezvous ht in ro- their blessedly warm waters or in one of two heated pools. "If you decide on a midnight swim," the directory says, "please remember there might be someone trying to sleep in a room 75-fo- ot nearby." Like the hot baths, the clothing-option(in California that means forget the trunks) sunbathing deck al set over one of the pools and shielded by shrubbery is reserved for those 18 and older. Massages by local "body workers" with various areas of expertise are availaPacific. ble on the sunbathing deck or in the Most arrive at Ventana exhilarated, or privacy of one's room for $75. dependThe Ventana does not have orthe on from the weather, ing specganized events per se and happily tacularly scenic drive along the advertises that fact. This is a place famed coastal road, California for resting, recharging, recycling e Highway 1, with its tricky turns clusters across the the inner residue of life's relentless and drops and climbs. The nearest grounds. (There also are separate semblance of a town is Carmel. 28 bath facilities for men and women rodent race. miles away, and the world seems on each side of the bath area.) If the hot baths, the sunbathing even farther than that. decks and the massages are not are baths hot the accident It is no From the first moment, the inn 2 a.m.. nor that hints enough, the Ventana reminds until use for open pampers guests with a superior the inn's service directory pro- - guests with large, inviting ham 1 nerve-wracke- d, al 243-acr- mocks stretched between trees at various points on the grounds. casual-chi- c atThe with is in Big keeping mosphere Sur, the dramatic and isolated stretch of California coast where spiritual awakening is an industry Esalen of sorts. The Institute is just a few miles south along California I, and nearby is the place where guru g Werner Erhardt launched his EST movement. For the adventurous, the Ventana inn is on the edge of a hiking trail that winds high up the Santa Lucia Mountains. Less taxing but just as enjoyable is the footpath that w inds through the grounds of the inn, passing through meadows and oak and redwood canyons home to deer, fox. an occasional reptile and assorted species of birds. At the end of the footpath is a special treat, the Ventana Restaurant. Highly acclaimed as one of the finest restaurants in central California, the Ventana's stone laid-bac- k, world-famo- self-potenti- al once-thrivin- and wood dining room is a warm and inviting refuge from the sometimes wet and foggy elements. uhat else? Specializing in California cuisine, the kitchen changes its dinner menu daily and is particularly proud of its desserts and pastries. Like most quality California restaurants, it sports an excellent wine list. Dinners are $40 to $50 a person w ith wine, and reservations are a must. in Whether served buffet-styl- e the lobby or the inn's library or brought up to your room, breakfast at the Ventana is a memorable experience. New ly baked breads and pastries vie for attention with exquisitely fresh fruits, granola and yogurt, washed down by squeezed juice, tea, coffee or hot chocolate. It is enouch to make you go back to bed. Guest rooms come in all sizes and with varying amenities, many of them including fireplaces and some with their own private hot tubs. All have TVs and VCRs, and videos are available for rent. Rates for standard guest rooms start at $165 a night during the November-Mathe most lavish suites with fireplace and hot tub run to $775. During the peak summer season, rates range from $170 to $785. For reservations or more inforor mation, call Or write to Ventana. Bic Sur, Calif. 93920. y off-seaso- n; 2. |