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Zion National Park: Road closure takes a new turn

July 21, 2010 10:45am

A daytime road closure through Utah’s Zion National Park that began last month has been abandoned for a less-disruptive night shutdown.

“It was a change that was made in consultation with the business community around the park,” said park spokesman Ron Terry.

Work on a 9½-mile section of Utah Highway 9, from the park’s east entrance to its junction with Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, now closes the road and tunnel from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next day, Sundays through Thursdays. The highway remains open during the day and at all times on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays, although traffic controls may cause delays of up to 30 minutes, officials say.

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Southern California: Blue whales have arrived — and so have the tour boats

July 21, 2010 9:09am

Feel like a little day-tripping this summer? Consider hopping onto a boat rather than the freeway to watch blue whales, the largest creature on the planet, as the high season begins in Southern California.

The whales will be following the krill (their favorite snack) along the California coast as you follow them on half- or full-day tours. Among your choices:

Santa Barbara: Join naturalists from the L.A. Chapter of the American Cetacean Society for a “Summertime Blues” whale-watching tour off Santa Barbara 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Humpbacks as well as various species of dolphins also may be spotted. Space is still available for this trip on the catamaran Condor Express, which has a large upper deck and indoor lounge for viewing. Continental breakfast is included. Cost is $103 per person. Contact: American Cetacean Society-L.A. Chapter, (310) 847-0516.

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Sequoia National Park: Save with bed-and-breakfast package

July 21, 2010 5:58am

Here’s one of those deals where “the more the merrier” really makes sense. The Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park has a Bed & Breakfast package good year-round that includes a hearty breakfast for everyone in your room — whether you’re heading out hiking or cross-country skiing in the California park.

The deal: The package includes breakfast for each person staying in your room at the cedar-and-stone lodge about 250 miles north of Los Angeles. This national park includes easy hikes to the Giant Forest as well as access to High Sierra backcountry. Room rates start at $106 in winter and $219 in summer, excluding taxes. Rooms come with a fridge and coffeemaker.

When: The package is good year-round.

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LAX expanding use of body scanners at TSA checkpoints

July 20, 2010 3:55pm

Two more body-scanning machines that officials say can detect metallic and non-metallic items, including explosives, were rolled out Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Body-scanning machines, using what’s called “advanced imaging technology,” have been used on and off at the airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal for two years, but this move signals a change in security screening for domestic flights as well in Los Angeles.

At least one machine will be installed at each LAX terminal by the end of the summer, and others are expected to arrive soon at the Oakland and San Diego airports, said Suzanne Trevino, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration.

Here’s how the change will affect you:

At security checkpoints with the new equipment, you will still have to remove your shoes, belt, etc., before going through screening.

You can choose to go through the body-scanner, which takes about 30 seconds. Or you can stick with walking through the standard metal detector, which will now require a physical pat-down as well — a process that officials say could take several minutes. Trevino said TSA employees will be at the screening area to explain the different procedures.

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LAX: Photos of alleged safety hazards shown in news report

July 20, 2010 12:23pm

KNX-1070 website screen

Los Angeles International Airport, it’s time to clean up your act, according to a study by a local radio station.

LAX was at the top of the news Tuesday morning as KNX-AM (1070) aired an exclusive three-month report about some emergency exits at the airport being blocked by random junk.

The online photographs show exits cluttered with chairs, signs, dollies and other debris — kind of the way a sloppy teen leaves things all over the place. One photo showed an exit padlocked shut.

The station said it had obtained photographs of the purported safety hazards — some of the photos dating back nine to 12 months, some snapped in the last few days — from an LAX employee whose name it did not disclose. The source reportedly told KNX that the problems were reported to superiors, who failed to take action.

“I’ll concede some of these photographs to me are bothersome,” LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said in an interview with the station. She promised to share the photos with airport operations and security personnel.

— Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger

Image: Screen grab from website of KNX-AM (1070). Credit: www.knx.com

Las Vegas: Neal Preston’s rock-star photos at Hard Rock Hotel

July 20, 2010 9:01am

pete townshend

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has added a new line of memorabilia to its walls. More than 40 images by photographer Neal Preston can be viewed near the hotel’s Rock Spa Fitness center.

Preston has been shooting photos of rock stars for four decades. Hundreds of his pictures have appeared in such magazines as People and Rolling Stone.

The works being displayed include images of David Bowie, Madonna, Bob Marley and Pink Floyd. The exhibit also features an enlarged, never-before-seen contact sheet from a shoot with Led Zeppelin.

Limited-edition prints are for sale at the hotel’s retail store.

Info: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

— Jay Jones, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: The Who’s Pete Townshend. Credit: Neal Preston / Courtesy of Hard Rock Hotel

Fiji: Kids fly free with ticketed adults on Air Pacific starting Aug. 1

July 20, 2010 5:56am

You won’t need to find a baby-sitter and leave the kids at home if you want to take a vacation to Fiji this year. The Fijian airline Air Pacific is flying children for free with ticketed adults for stays through February to this South Pacific island nation.

The deal: The “Kids Fly Free to Fiji” offer includes free airfare for one child under 12 who flies with an adult from Los Angeles to Fiji. Flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Fiji’s Nadi International Airport (NAN) operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

When: Good for travel Aug. 1 through Dec. 14 and also Jan. 16 through Feb. 28. You must reserve by 5 p.m. PDT Sept. 30. A limited number of seats are available and will likely will go quickly, so it’s best to book well before that deadline if you hope to get the free fare.

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Web Buzz: A quick click to hotel discounts on Vacationist.com

July 19, 2010 5:12pm

Vacationist.com is the newest private-sale website to join the hot trend. And haute it is, brought to you by luxe brands Travel & Leisure and Luxury Link.

What’s hot: If you’re new to the private-sale game, the way it works is that you have to become a member (it’s free) to view a website’s sales. Once you’re in the club, a world of hotel discounts awaits.

I like that Vacationist puts everything up front. Right on the front page you can see how much the lowest-priced room will cost, what kind of savings you can expect (up to 40% off) and when the sale ends. Click through for more hotel details, photos and the option to mail it to a friend.

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Laguna Beach: Surf & Sand Resort piles on freebie fun for summer

July 19, 2010 1:30pm

Surf & Sand Resort

Now that Southern California’s gray gloom has lifted, summer is in full swing. At the Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach, summer’s all about playing — for kids and adults. The resort, on 500 feet of white-sand beach, has added some daily activities to boost the fun factor for little ones and the chill rate for their parents.

Families at the resort can enjoy free s’mores, dive-in movies at the pool and game night with board games and cards.

Summer events for kids include:
> A free sand-castle-building contest on the beach;
> A free “Little Picasso” art lesson for kids;
> A free cookie-decorating event; and
> Build-your-own sundaes ($5 per person)

Summer events for adults include:
> Free yoga on the beach every morning;
> Free live music under the stars;
> Chair massages at the pool deck ($2 per minute)

Free summer events at the resort continue through Labor Day.

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Kentucky: Rally 2010 marks centennial of RVs and motor homes

July 19, 2010 12:08pm

Adams Bungalow 1917

It’s hard to believe that a century has slipped by since we started looking at vehicles as suitable places to eat, sleep and recreate, but 1910 marked the official dawn of RV civilization, in the view of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Assn. of Reston, Va.

In that year, camping trailers, or campers, were being mass-produced by Pierce-Arrow (a pricey model for the time was called a “Touring Landau”), Los Angeles Trailer Works and Auto-Kamp trailers, a report by the association says. And somehow these, and the flotilla of metallic Airstreams they spawned, morphed into behemoth RVs and mobile homes that carry folks to campgrounds and beyond every summer. Here are a couple of places to stop and experience the culture that all began with the Conestoga wagon:

Airstream Trailer

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