The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 106

SUNDAY DECEMBER 22 2002 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER I wwwcharlottecom ON THE NET: Explore some remaining stretches of the Mother Road Route 66 at the Web site operated by the Route 66 Association of New Mexico: wwwjrt66nmorg There FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE Take the high Scottish road From mountain to loch western Scotland has any number of natural wonders BRITISH TOURISM PHOTO At 4409 feet Ben Nevis near Fort William Scotland is the highest mountain in Britain It's not for skiing its shape right but climbing and hiking are popular California: Resort Porsche packages Fairmont Hotels Resorts and Porsche North America Inc have created Tour de Fairmont a driving package that lets you test drive a Porsche 2003 Boxster 911 or Cayenne and relax in two of California properties The Fairmont San Francisco and the newly reflagged Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn Spa The package which starts from $7990 is available through Dec 3L It includes two nights in suites at each property use of one of the Porsches throughout the four days a Porsche selection welcome gift a bottle of Moet Chandon two spa treatments a picnic lunch recommended driving routes a tank of gas valet parking and taxes and gratuities Details: (800) 441-1414 toll-free anytime wwwfairmontcom DALLAS MORNING NEWS Vermont: Snow break for college students Killington resort has a pair of Collegiate Snow Fests for students looking for a break not sun and sand Dates: Jan 6-10 and 13-17 Rates start at $244 per person and include five lodging and a five-day lift pass plus other activities Details: (800) 621-6867 toll-free 7 ajn-9 pm any day NEWSDAY Florida: A luxury package in Palm Beach The Chesterfield Hotel a small luxury hotel in Palm Beach has a Home for the Holidays package available through Jan 15 It includes three nights in a queen superior room a full American breakfast each morning an English afternoon tea a Chesterfield polo shirt and a complimentary drink in the Leopard Lounge and Restaurant The price: $875double occupancy (subject to availability) Details: (800) 243-7871 toll-free anytime wwwchesterfield-palmbeachcom BOSTON GLOBE Colorado: Liberty Bell 7 lands in Denver Lost Spacecraft: Liberty Bell 7 has splashed down at the Denver Museum of Nature Science through Jan 26 Liberty Bell 7 the fully restored centerpiece of the exhibit was the vehicle in second manned space flight in 196L Air Force Lt Col Virgil Grissom flew it on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before it splashed down in the Atlantic The escape hatch prematurely blew off at splashdown causing the spacecraft to quickly fill with water The astronaut barely escaped before the capsule sank In 1999 the spacecraft was found and lifted from three miles below the surface The exhibit deals with astronaut training spacecraft technology and launch sequences in 196L It then fast-forwards to 1999 to follow the recovery Details: (303) 322-7009 11 am-7 pan any day WWWdmnsorg DALLAS MORNING NEWS West Virginia: Skiing for the disabled Snowshoe Mountain resort has an adaptive skiing program for people with physical or mental disabilities Individual lessons are given and full range of equipment for handicapped skiers is available Rates are $30 for a two-hour lesson $80 for three two-hour lessons and $70 for a first-time skier Details: (304) 572-5630 8 ajTL-430 pan weekdays wwwsnowshoemtncom newsday ByJohnBordsen Yavel Editor June Workman is a receptionist at Loch Iall hotel in Fort William Scotland a Glasgow native in her early 50s who has lived in Fort William the to the Highlands" in western Scotland for 29 years 0- winter like? Dry and cold Highs are around freezing at night it gets down to about 21 or 23 degrees Fahrenheit but not all the time We get snow about January on a lake a loch Loch Linnhe surrounded by mountains so we get a lot of snow and have skiing in town the skiing season like? very short only three or four months -but there is a gondola system Fort William is near the mountain called Ben Nevis is that where you ski? Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Britain but no skiing there not suitable: Its shape right There are no long slopes you can ski on really for summer and winter climbing and walking Normally people who go up Ben Nevis are climbers as opposed to walkers We get a lot of them 0 Do you get many winter climbers? It depends on the weather but probably less than 100 a day I begin to guess In summer we have a path that goes up the mountain and hundreds of hikers take it Have you ever been up Ben Nevis? Yes If going to walk approximately eight hours up and down If you climb it can take up to 12 hours depending on conditions snow ice and so on a clear path anyone can take The north face of Ben Nevis is for climbers only We have outfitters that sell and rent equipment What can you see from the top of Ben Nevis? You can see down into Fort William and end Do Highlanders in your area ordinarily wear kilts? Or do they just do that for tourists? Some in town just wear a kilt as normal dress All it is is a dress the distinctive local food? We have a lot of prawns shrimp and salmon that come straight from the loch Also venison from deer farms One fish restaurant well known in these parts is the Cran-nog Restaurant in Fort William Are there local ales? No local ales but we have a distiller Ben Nevis Distillery Highland games are big in the states Do you have an event like that? The Highland games in Fort William are in August There are various ones about our area in July and August the lochs You can see the Great Glen which runs from Fort William to Inverness It is said you can see Ireland on a clear day but I think that may be a bit overstated But you can see out to the islands like Skye Does the loch freeze? No not cold enough and seawater Lochs with fresh water usually freeze over either Do people use the lochs when its cold? Not for fishing and very few sailing this time of year If you were sailing in winter sail up the coast the Great Glen? a geological fault that runs northeast from here up to Inverness about 60-odd miles The glen looks obvious from an airplane or helicopter a big trench with rivers and lochs and villages all along it There are walking trails all the way It takes four or five days to walk to Inverness The glen is very scenic and the famous Loch Ness is along the glen at its northern NC MOUNTAINS Take a walk in the woods at Moses Cone estate Grounds of mansion near Blowing Rock offer miles of hiking trails Cone on the Range BASICS Moses Cone Memorial Park is open year-round The manor house and visitor center are open March 21 to Jan 6 The park entrance is between Mileposts 292 and 295 on the Blue Ridge Parkway RESOURCES (828)298-0398 anytime wwwnpsgovblri The 3517-acre estate had two man-made lakes rolling farmland meadows 26 miles of broad well-maintained and interconnected carriage trails through virgin hardwood and evergreen forests and pastures filled with prize-winning cattle and sheep The Cones had become wealthy in the grocery business in the Northeast and moved to North Carolina after the Civil War He became known as the and operated more than 30 textile plants Cone died in 1908 and his wife died in 1947 The estate was donated to the National Park Service in 1950 as Moses Cone Memorial Park walkers and joggers plus equestrians and cross-country skiers Bikers are prohibited The trails are generally not blazed but have signs at trail-heads and junctions They range from easy to moderate The Maze is a puzzling twisting turning trail of switchbacks designed by Pinchot It runs through a forest of pine oak and magnolia The Rich Mountain and Flat Top Mountains trails ascend from the manor house through hardwood forests and offer views of nearby 5890-foot Grandfather Mountain The Trout Lake TVail runs one and it is a star attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway It is also home to the Parkway Craft Center operated since 1951 by the Southern Highland Craft Guild That includes an array of for-sale mountain crafts from artisans in nine states their products include wood carvings baskets ironwork and quilts The park also hosts ranger-led interpretive programs throughout the year but mostly in the summer The trails are the really big attraction at the old estate which is one of the more developed hiking areas along the parkway The trails are open for hikers mile through a hemlock-laced forest in a pretty mountain cove flanked by old-growth conifers and rhododendron thickets The Trail the favorite is a 20-minute walk under a canopy of white oaks red maples mountain magnolia black cherry and tulip poplar trees The Watkins Carriage Trail abounds in spring flowers The estate ranges in altitude from 3560 feet at Bass Lake to 4558 feet at Flat Top Mountain Pretty 22-acre Bass Lake and 16-acre Trout Lake are designated as wild trout waters (for wild trout not hatchery supported) By Bob Downing Knight Ridder BLOWING ROCK It was 101 years ago that Moses and Bertha Cone moved into a 23-room mansion atop the Blue Ridge Flat Top Manor as the $70000 Colonial Revival house was called was an impressive tum-of-the-century country estate in a very impressive setting AAA Vacations is proud to host Holiday Special 39- pm Myrtle Hottest Writer Golf Package! As low as Comfort jSLUTES: tBotce nereis CHQUC MOtU 1755 Hwy 17 North North Myrtle Beach SC 29582 1-800-494-4489 Outdoor Pool Free Deluxe Continental Bkfst Minutes from The Beach Near Restaurants A Shopping cndtci 1601 Hwy 17 North North Myrtle Beach SC 29582 1-843-272-6153 Outdoor Pool Free Deluxe Continental bkfst Minutes From The Beach Near Restaurants Shopping Sun-Thurs Only Reservations are required with Saver rate specified Rates are basad on availability Rates are based on a standard room Ofter vahd thru Pmmbef 31 200? 2480 US Hwy 501 East Conway 29526 1-800-871-8000 Outdoor Pool Free Deluxe Continental Bkfst Alt-Suites Hotel Golf 'til you Drop Package Includes: Deluxe accommodations Daily greens fees Guaranteed tee times Breakfast buffet Bonus! Unlimited play every day! Added Value! Complimentary Manager's Reception Golf Clinic held four times weekly Register to win golf equipment apparel and a Scottish golf vacation for four persons! Call today: 1-800-845-4244 ext 200 wwwsandsresortscom sandssandsresortscom an exciting musical and video presentation by Alaska experts be inspired by the knowledge and genuine love of the Great Land Come join us for a thoroughly entertaining and informative free show Wednesday January 8 2003 at 6pm The Park Hotel SouthPark RSVP to 704-569-7791 Jlollandmertea Sands Resorts A Collection of Beach Golf Resorts Vjy1 lunSmCBmot ImX) (frmrOyi HTCTimCTrTi iSGEf CTimRtrpmri Beach pool mterslides 2 golf courses Seven restaurants Casino Grand Bahama Vacations wwwgbvaccom Call your travel agent or 800-S4S-1 500 PO Box 2998 Myrtle Beach SC 29578 Package available at all six oceanfront locations! Ocean Dunes Resort Villas Ocean Forest Plaza Ocean Forest Villas Sand Dunes Resort Sands Beach Club Resort Sands Ocean Club Resort Rates are available December 2 2002 January 30 2003 All rates are per person based on two persons per bedroom 3 night minimum stay required Subject to availability Some restnctions may apply Ask about stays at Our Lucaya Viva Fortuna and Pelican Bay Rote a pot penon bosad on douUe otaipanry al the Hobdoy Inn SunSptM fiats vary by day ol deportus (141 lonttoM may be wtthdtown wo notKB tossengen must pay go' ais local airport Sept 11 securty tee $0) $20 Bohomos deport tauturfy lee nor md HtsnoUS An wop Sotnefl to diQ oral terms tend Offer not combmobie wgroup lots 01 other promoted otters.