Take
a wildflower trail
ride In Cave Creek
CAVE CREEK
— The wildflower season is upon us, and what better
way to experience its glory than on horseback? “You
can really enjoy the wildflowers this way,” said Deb
Bitton, co-owner of Cave Creek Trail Rides, based at
the Cave Creek Regional Park, just north of Carefree
Highway in Cave Creek. “A trail ride gives you a
chance to get out, enjoy the desert, and let the
horses watch where they step.” Wildflowers
typically begin blooming in early- to mid-March.
“Based on the rains we got this winter, we should
see an above-average wildflower display this year –
possibly even spectacular!” said Amy Ford, the
park’s supervisor.
Along the trail, guides inform riders about the
Sonoran Desert landscape. “You’ll get up close and
personal with the saguaro cactus,” said Bitton. “We
talk about how they grow, when they get their first
arms, their life spans, what makes them unique and
what makes some have the deformities they have.”
The rides -
Cave Creek Trail Rides offers one- and one and a
half-hour “Wildflower Rides.” The longer ride offers
two options: one with an elevation of 2,500 feet and
the other, peaking at 2,000 feet. The higher trail
offers Valley-wide views while the lower one gives a
closer-up perspective. Both are expected to delight
riders with bursts of color. “People from other
places may think the desert is just a dry, colorless
place. Here, they can realize that the desert is
really alive,” said Bitton. “This is their chance to
see it in vibrant color―golds, yellows and fuschias.”
You don’t have to be a skilled horseman to enjoy the
event. Rides are open to all ages, six and up. Jeff
and Deb Bitton’s 40-year experience translates to
safe trail rides on well-trained horses.
“It was my six-year-old’s first time on a trail
ride, and I have never seen him enjoy something so
very much,” said Charlotte Moore of San Dimas,
Calif. “He was so at peace and excited during the
ride! Our guide Joe was also wonderful―very
knowledgeable about the surroundings, the
environment and history of the area, which made the
beautiful and scenic ride so interesting.”
Trail rides can be scheduled throughout the day, any
day of the week. Sunset rides return to the stables
at dusk, taking best advantage of the radiant
scenes.
“I found the ride to be one of the most beautiful
and enjoyable I've ever taken,” said Kim
Cofman-Bolourtchi of St. Louis, Mo. “Our guides were
attentive and fun, and it was a great experience
from beginning to end.”
While waiting for the trail ride to begin, guests
can pet some of the 25 ride-ready horses and see how
well-cared for they are. “We take great pride in our
horses, our corral area and our employees,” said
Bitton, “and we treat them like we would our own
home and family.”
Cave Creek Trail Rides -
Jeff and Deb Bitton began offering trail rides in
Stanley, Idaho in 1969. They opened Cave Creek Trail
Rides in 1999, creating a true Western experience
just on the northern fringes of the Greater Phoenix
area. Families, friends and neighbors, as well as
corporate, school, church and civic groups can all
have fun while learning about horses and spending
quality time together. Cowboy and cowgirl boots,
hats and chaps are available for those who want to
dress the part. And toy guns along with lassos add
to the photo opportunities.
“We’re in the memory-making business,” said Bitton.
“It’s so great to see people having fun, getting on
a horse, and enjoying the whole cowboy and cowgirl
experience.”
More information -
Cave Creek Trail Rides, located at
37019 N. 32nd St. Cave Creek, 85331, is open every
day from Columbus Day weekend through the first
weekend of May. Round-trip transportation can be
scheduled through Pepper’s Private Car Service,
602-501-3328 or
www.pepperscarservice.com
. More information about Cave Creek
Trail Rides is available at 623-742-6700 or
www.cavecreektrailrides.com.
Local Job Growth in
Booming In-Home
Senior Care Industry
(March 9, 2010) – With
the national unemployment rate remaining stubbornly
high at 9.7 percent and more and more news of
companies going under, where on earth can you find a
job in this town? Look no farther than your
aging parents and relatives, who are creating one of
the biggest economic booms this country has ever
seen. In the coming years, two out of ten
people in the U.S. will be age 65 or older and there
just aren’t enough people to take care of them.
That’s why care giving for the elderly is an
exploding sector of the growing local and national
senior care industry. This year alone, the in-home
care industry is expected to grow by 12.5 percent,
adding more than 100,000 new jobs, many of them
right in our area.
“Senior care is a
thriving industry with no sign of a slow down in
sight,” says Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers, the
nation’s fastest growing provider of in-home senior
care with offices locally and nationally. “We employ
more than 6,000 caregivers nationally and we are
hiring at most of our 283 locations. In-home care
is recession-resistant, rewarding work that provides
peace of mind for families who just can’t be with
their senior loved ones all of the time.”
WHY LOCAL
JOB GROWTH IN SENIOR CARE?
-
A recent study by
the National Caregivers Association (NCA) shows
that over the next 25 years as the Baby Boomers
continue to age, the proportion of people
needing care will increase while the number of
adult children able to take care of them will
decrease. Bottom line: There will be fewer
American adults able to take care of aging
parents!
-
More than 43
million people in the U.S. – 19 percent of
adults – provide care for an elderly family
member or friend.
-
The NCA reports
the typical caregiver is a middle-aged daughter
caring for an elderly parent or grandparent
while juggling a family and a job
simultaneously. Nearly 100 percent report
emotional strain, most report financial strain
and 68 percent miss work because of care giving
responsibilities.
“The
burden usually falls on one of the adult children
who already juggles a family, a job and all the
responsibilities that go with their own life,” says
Ross. “More and more seniors want to stay in their
own homes and professional caregivers can make this
possible by taking the burden off of adult
children.”
REWARDING
WORK FOR AMERICANS – AN ECONOMIC BRIGHT SPOT
Nichole Henry
was out of work when she got the job as a Senior
Helpers’ caregiver. She is studying to become a
registered nurse (RN) and works helping elderly
clients prepare meals, take their medication on time
and simply listen when they want to talk. “I wanted
a rewarding job and I’ve found my calling,” says
Henry. “There is no job greater than helping others
who can’t do for themselves. I listen to their
concerns with an open heart and it makes all the
difference in the world!”
About
Senior Helpers: Senior
Helpers connects professional caregivers with
seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a
nursing or assisted living facility. The company has
283 franchises in 39 states and one in Canada
offering a wide range of personal and companion care
services to assist seniors living independently with
a strong focus on quality of life for the client and
peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers
strives to be the leading companion and personal
care provider that offers dependable, consistent and
affordable home care. For more information, please
visit:
http://www.seniorhelpers.com/
The
Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel offers a year-round
whale watching package
Sometimes called the Whale Capital of the West,
scientists believe that Dana Point may possibly
serve as a reference “landmark” for whales and is a
famous gathering area, attracting not only marine
mammals but marine biologists and whale lovers from
around the world. In celebration of the California
Gray and Blue whale’s annual journey, The
Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel offers a year-round
whale watching package.
A Whale of a Package
starts at $500 for garden/pool view accommodations.
The package includes overnight accommodations, a
2-hour whale watching excursion with Dana Wharf
Sportfishing, including an on-board snack and
beverage, and American breakfast for two in the
ocean front Restaurant 162’.
From January
through April, California Gray Whales leave the cold
Arctic Seas and follow the coastline to the warm,
calm waters of Southern California and Baja. This
migration brings much of the pod past Dana Point,
where the whales can be easily seen and
photographed. Blue whales, the largest mammal ever
to roam the earth, migrate to tropical waters to
mate and give birth to their calves from May through
November. The Blue whale migration also takes these
amazing creatures past Dana Point.
The Gray
Whale are essentially black, but have a grayish
appearance caused by the accumulation of marine
parasites on their skin. They measure 30 to 45 feet
as adults and weigh about a ton a foot. Gray Whales
do not have a dorsal fin like other whales; instead
they have a series of "knuckles" along the after
portion of the back. The whales travel up to 12,000
miles every year from their feeding grounds in the
cold arctic waters where to the warm, shallow
lagoons of Baja California where they mate and bear
their young. Twice hunted to near extinction, the
Gray whale population has rebounded in the last 50
years to an estimated population of nearly 30,000
animals.
Blue
whales are an overall blue-gray color and are long
and streamlined. Their dorsal fins are extremely
small, and their pectoral flippers are long and
thin. Blue whales are rorqual whales, a family of
baleen whales with pleated throat grooves that
expand when the animal takes in water while feeding.
Blue whales can be up to 100 feet long, weigh as
much as 150 tons and have been found in every ocean
of the world. They swim individually or in small
groups, and they are commonly seen traveling in
pairs. Approximately 2,000 blue whales live off the
California Coast and migrate to Mexico, and Costa
Rica. The historic population of Blue whales, prior
to commercial hunting, has been estimated at
200,000. Today there are anywhere from 5,000 to
12,000 blue whales in the world. The Blue whale is
listed as endangered.
Dana
Wharf Sportfishing is dedicated to helping visitors
enjoy the unique wonders of Dana Point Harbor and
the Orange County coastline. The warm waters off of
Dana Point flourish with sea life including whales,
dolphin, harbor seals, and California sea lion. The
thriving coastal waters provide bountiful fishing of
sand bass, calico bass, halibut, bonito, yellowtail,
yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, albacore, and dorado.
Consistently ranked among the best resorts in the
world, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel is located
halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego and sits
on a 150-foot bluff with panoramic white-water views
of the Pacific Ocean and two-miles of sandy beach.
For more information or reservations call
800-241-3333, the hotel directly at 949-240-2000, a
travel professional or visit The Ritz-Carlton Web
site at
www.ritzcarlton.com.