The darker-colored lettuce varieties have a higher amount of beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A. It is normally orange in color but is discolored by the chlorophyll in lettuce. Dark colored vegetables offer more phytochemicals, naturally occurring antioxidants that help protect us from free radicals that can damage cells and increase the risk of cancers.

Some examples of phytochemicals are beta-carotene, found in dark green, orange, red and pink fruits and vegetables; lutein and zeaxanthin, found in cruciferous (cabbage family), dark green, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables; indoles and isothiocyanates, found in cruciferous vegetables; and allyl sulfides, found in the allium type vegetables (garlic, leeks and onions).

Along with the large assortment of antioxidants that greens offer with their color, they also contain vitamins C and K, folate, iron, calcium, magnesium and manganese. You could say that green vegetables are a powerhouse of nutrients and that is what makes them so smart. And la piece de resistance: They contain only 25 calories per serving (one serving is equal to 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw). This means that you can load up on these foods without guilt.

Of course, if they are cooked in a lot of butter or margarine, smothered in cream sauce or deep fried, then the low-calorie benefit disappears. You’ve ruined a good thing and don’t fool yourself in thinking that just because you are eating a vegetable, it’s OK.

Eating more green vegetables when you are on the road can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. Most fast food restaurants offer salads. Most of the salads are made from iceberg lettuce, which is relatively low in nutrient value, so look for salads with greener lettuce, such as green leaf.

At restaurants, a few requests can save you an extra 100 or 200 calories. Ask for your vegetables lightly steamed or for them not to be sauteed in butter, and request sauces and dressings on the side. What may look like just one innocent tablespoon of butter, oil or heavy sauce is equivalent to 100 not-soinnocent calories or 10-12 grams of fat. It adds up at the end of the day. Fill up on a broth-based vegetable soup or salad and a few vegetable servings of any color at your meal instead of extra bread, pasta, large meat portions and dessert, and you will see the inches falling off.

While working for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, I became certified as a National Bowhunter

Education Foundation archery instructor. Over the years we taught thousands of people, from 4 to 74, to shoot a bow. We taught kids to shoot bows in a big tent at the state fair, and at special events where hundreds were bused in for field days. I lost track of how many women became archery enthusiasts during courses we taught at “Becoming An Outdoorswoman” weekends.

Today the National Archery in the Schools Program is extremely successful, teaching thousands of children how to shoot a bow and arrow as part of their school curriculum. Local pro shops have archery classes, often filled with kids and adults standing side by side on the shooting line.

Often, a child’s first bow-and-arrow set is a cheap combo purchased from a bigbox chain store. The equipment is less than precise, but it is fun for the kids to fling their first arrow, watching it fly through the air (and not always knowing where it will hit). If this is the only equipment the child has for an extended period of time, he or she will soon get discouraged as his or her skill level increases but the equipment does not perform.

Bows should be fitted to match an individual’s draw length and strength. Since kids grow so quickly, this can get expensive, especially if you are buying a new bow every year or two to fit their growing proportions. Mathews Archery has the perfect solution in its Genesis line of  bows.

The Genesis System eliminates let-off on light draw weight bows so there are no specific draw length requirements. The result is a bow that fits virtually everyone (15 inches to 30 inches) and that a young

person can’t outgrow. The Genesis bow is adjustable from 10 to 20 pounds and releases energy comparable to a 35-pound recurve bow. It is available in six colors: blue raspberry, key lime, red cherry, lemon yellow, camouflage and orange. The starter kit includes the bow, five aluminum arrows, belt quiver, arm guard, two target faces and the owner’s manual.

Archery is a family sport. There are 3D competitions in every state, and indoor and outdoor practice ranges all across the country. It is also something you can do in your own back yard (as long as city ordinances and the terrain allow). Archery teaches kids discipline, responsibility and self-confidence. Whether you shoot for

fun, competition or hunting, archery is a lifelong sport you can share with your family, or one you can use to meet new friends who enjoy the same hobby

trucking industry struggles as well. And, despite having seen impressive safety results recently, regulatory agencies continue to put the thumbs on drivers.

Actually, it might be better stated that regulatory agencies are limiting the use of thumbs by drivers. It was only last September that a Distracted Driving Summit was held. One of the items discussed was texting. At the time of this writing, fewer than half of the states ban texting while driving, yet in January the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) implemented a federal ban on texting for commercial truck drivers.

In making the announcement, Ann Ferro, administrator for FMCSA, said, “Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab. We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit.”

This move was supported by most in the trucking industry, and let’s be honest, it is not an easy one to argue against. The problem some, including myself, have with this is that it is still legal for drivers of personal vehicles

to text in more than half the states. Perhaps trucking is regulated first because it is easiest to accomplish as a result of federal oversight, but equality is also important. Why does the government not “encourage” states to ban

texting in personal vehicles? The government “encouraged” the raising of the drinking age to 21 several years ago by threatening to hold federal highway funds.

As it stands now, truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750. The question one might ask is, why does the federal government appear concerned about only a portion of the driving population?

While safety is a priority for truck drivers, trucking companies and regulators, it may be difficult to fully measure the effectiveness of the new safety measures if the economy continues to struggle. The American Trucking

Association (ATA) announced in late January that 2009 saw the biggest drop in truck tonnage (the amount of goods shipped) since 1982. It dropped 8.3 percent in 2009.

November and December saw some modest increase in truck tonnage, but that trend is not expected to continue. ATA chief economist Bob Costello says that while tonnage jumped again on a month-to-month basis, the rate of increase may slow in the coming months. “The robust tonnage numbers in November and December were aided by better economic growth as well as a positive inventory effect,” Costello notes. “However, economic activity is expected to moderate in the current quarter, which will keep a lid on tonnage growth.”

There are indications, however, that the economy is turning around. “While the index was moving toward  positive year-over-year readings in recent months, December’s gain was due, in part, to a 7.8 percent plunge a

year earlier. There is no doubt that the industry is moving the right direction, but the level of freight will not be as strong as the year-over-year increases suggest because of how terrible it was in late 2008 and much of 2009,”

explains Costello.

Interestingly, the trucking industry tends to serve as a barometer of the U.S. economy. Before sales and revenue pick up, goods must be shipped. So, as the tonnage rises, that will suggest an increase in other areas in the near future.

The trucking industry will continue to see new regulations related to safety, and will continue to be a barometer for the U.S. economy. Will the ban on texting work? Will there be revised hours-of-service regulations in the

near future? Will the economy rebound, thus resulting in an increase in truck tonnage? If it does rebound, that is the time to really measure and determine the effectiveness of the new safety regulations. Until then, the industry

may be safer because it is slower.

NASCAR is about noise; it’s about loud cars and vocal, opinionated fans. Golf is about silence and serenity, about fans clapping quietly and players keeping mum on the course. But golf figures big into NASCAR driver fundraising and, inside the garage, story-telling fun.

Four-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has taken golf lessons. “When you are there and the [instructor] is telling you all the dos and don’ts – it’s [another] thing to get out there on your own and you are thinking about all the things the guys are telling you,” Johnson says. “I’m in worse shape than going back to my old swing … it’s just too much in my head thinking about all those techniques.”

Johnson injured himself falling off of a golf cart in 2006. “I’ve seen a few photos of golf carts that fans have  suggested. There have been surfboards attached to tops of golf carts with bindings so I’m locked in and am not able to fall off,“ Johnson explains.

Budweiser driver Kasey Kahne visited the Wachovia – PGA event in Charlotte, N.C., recently, dressed totally wrong. “I was the only person at Quail Hollow in [blue] jeans,” he says sheepishly. “I stuck out like a sore thumb. I hear this lady across the room, we were on the 14th green, she’s like, ‘That’s Kasey Kahne and he’s wearing jeaaaans,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, shoot!’”

Roush Fenway driver Greg Biffle scores his game in a unique manner. “I just count how many balls I lose, that is how I keep score. I take a couple cases with me. I got six in the water, three in the trees, I just count them up – that’s my score,” he notes.

Like many NASCAR drivers, Michael Waltrip Racing’s David Reutimann holds an annual charity golf  ournament. “I’m the only guy who has a golf tournament and doesn’t actually play in it,” he says. “That’s how bad I am. But I ride around and thank everybody for coming and we have a really good time.”

NASCAR broadcaster and driver Kenny Wallace was golfing with his daughter on the cart when she was 8 years old. He took a hard left and she was gone, tossed onto the green because of his over-the-top cart driving. He still tells that story today in the garage and it gets funnier every time.

PGA golfer Boo Weekley was the honorary starter for the 2008 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega. “It’s a dream come true for me. I am a big NASCAR Fan,” he said. “We want to meet [Dale Earnhardt] Junior. Come hell

don’t think I’ll make it home. I think my little boy might just skin me up like a catfish.” Weekley got his meeting with Junior – and regularly visits NASCAR tracks today.

“There’s more to racing than just the cars going around the track,” Weekley explains. “It’s the fans – like in golf, that’s what makes golf so special.”

Whether driving a race car or driving a golf ball, here’s the hole in one: It’s all about the fans!

Trucks throughout the United States can legally have a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 80,000 pounds without a special permit. The trucking industries in other parts of the world have already increased weight limits in an attempt to lower fuel emissions and increase fuel savings. They are hauling more materials with fewer trucks, which also increases safety.

A study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) found that the United States is lagging in truck productivity, safety and sustainability when compared with Europe, Canada, Australia and Mexico due to tougher weight limits and overly restrictive regulations.

In 2010, trucks in Maine will be permitted to carry 100,000 pounds and in Vermont, 90,000 during a one-year pilot  program allowing sixaxle trucks to carry more weight.

The American Trucking Association is in favor of allowing trucks to carry more weight on interstate highways. With heavier trucks forced to use secondary roads, safety becomes a concern because accidents are more likely to happen on secondary roads.

Engineering standards have improved the quality of our highways, so it makes sense to allow heavier trucks to increase safety, decrease the number of trucks needed to haul the same amount of freight, decrease the need for highway maintenance and improve highway congestion. Six-axle trucks will also improve trucks’ braking ability.

Freight tonnage is expect to increase by 28 percent by 2018. Trucks that are more efficient are necessary to accommodate stricter regulations. Trucks deliver 100 percent of all commodities and household products. It is time for the United States to catch up with other industrialized countries.

The Cincinnati Forum-Enquirer reported that in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, on Interstate 75/71, big trucks roar by at a rate of one every two seconds, or 45,000 trucks per day. With that much truck traffic, highway maintenance costs increase. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, fewer trucks hauling more material not only decreases the number of trucks on the road but lowers greenhouse gas emissions and improves fuel efficiency.

The United States needs to rethink its strategy to become competitive in the worldwide trucking industry and to become more proficient, safer, more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendlier.

There seems to be a lot going on right now. Basketball fans are in a tizzy about the pending championship games. The Stanley Cup is being polished up. NASCAR fans are walking around with grins from ear to ear as stock cars are again racing around and around in circles. There is also the Academy Awards, which will enthrall thespians, while music fans, after the Grammy Awards were handed out a few weeks ago, are gearing up for the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Let’s not forget the many regulation decisions facing the transportation industry at the moment. Freight tonnage keeps fluctuating, hours of service is in discussion (or is that settled now – or will it ever be settled?) and new weight restrictions are pending (“Chew on This,” Page 26). Our federal government has multiple issues with millions of people hoping for good and wise decisions in their own interest as well as the country’s. I’m sure there are plenty of other issues and awards in the worlds of government, entertainment, sports and more that will have eyes and ears glued to all forms of media in the next few weeks.

However, this time of the year brings with it one day where many take a deep breath and relax, even if for just a few minutes. To be sure if it’s not the grandest day of the year where lads and lasses will dance a jig and shamrocks will be a-flyin’. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, which will bring with it the ability for all who celebrate to find their inner Irishman or Irishwoman. Challenge Magazine has even managed to find healthy green food this month for you to consider adding to your diet (“Taking Care of Yourself,” Page 14).

It amazes me to see and hear of the number of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations there are across the world. The enormous celebrations in Savannah, Ga., Chicago and, of course, New York City, are no surprise. With festivities in countries such as Japan, Germany, Australia and even remote islands such as Fiji, perhaps St. Patrick’s Day really is celebrated by more nationalities than any other holiday.

It truly is no surprise to me, after touring through Ireland years ago and meeting many of the wonderful people, that countries adopt this national holiday and celebrate. Particularly considering the history of this war-torn, embattled country, Irish folk have an amazing love for just about anything, everything and everyone. They are welcoming (céad míle fáilte is Gaelic for a hundred thousand welcomes), friendly and certainly enjoy their national pastime: throwing back a Guinness or two.

It will not matter that I have no Irish blood as everybody is Irish on St. Patty’s Day. I know there will still be concerns about health care, the ATA will report about tonnage rising or falling and I’ll scratch my head at the odd decisions the government makes in its attempts to bolster unemployment rates. But for a few hours or so on March 17, I’ll put on my green shirt, eat Irish stew, listen to the folk songs and even enjoy a pint of Guinness or two. I’ll let those concerns rest. They will be waiting for me on the 18th.

Eventually, though, almost imperceptibly, the ride seemed to be coming to an end.

Concert crowds were thinning, and “the record company wanted the next thing,” says Larry Gatlin. “We just thought our time in the spotlight was probably over. We had a great run and were thankful for it. We felt it was someone else’s turn.”

In 1992 the group announced they’d no longer focus on recording, went on a farewell tour, packed up and left Nashville for good. Or so they thought.

MUSICAL ROOTS

Their musical journey started more than 50 years ago, when the Gatlin brothers began singing together in their hometown of Abilene, Texas. Rudy Gatlin was just 2 years old when Larry, then 6, talked the boys’ mother into letting him join Larry and Steve, then 4, in performances. They weren’t picky about their audience; they would sing “anywhere and anytime somebody would listen to us,” Steve says. The brothers, raised on gospel music, performed frequently in Abilene-area churches and made guest appearances on local radio and TV shows.

The joint performances tapered off when Larry Gatlin left home to attend the University of Houston on a football scholarship. There, he majored in English and  tinkered with the idea of becoming a lawyer. Deep down, though, he always believed music was his calling.

“I was going to go to law school, but I figured something would happen [with music]. I had it in my heart,” he says.

His instincts were good. Studying English had helped him develop “a love affair with the English language” that served him well as a songwriter. Thanks to

his talent for lyrics and melodies, Larry began to build a reputation in Nashville, and while his brothers finished college he started touring the “small club and listening room circuit” on his own.

He earned the attention of legends such as Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury and Willie Nelson. “They mentored me and nurtured me. … They all helped so much in their own way,” he told The Tennessean.

Larry was a background singer for Kristofferson, who helped him get a deal with Monument Records. Cash, who called Larry “Pilgrim,” wrote the liner notes of his 1973 debut album, “The Pilgrim.”

“They wouldn’t let me get away with schlocky work. They taught me there’s a difference between a songwriter and a song craftsman, like the difference between a bricklayer and a brick mason,” Larry says. “We’d get together and pick through songs, and if they loved a line or a verse, they’d laugh out loud. If they didn’t love it, they just kind of looked at me.”

THE PILGRIMAGE

Back in 1992, the brothers had left Nashville, but they were still making music. Within a year, Larry Gatlin had accepted the lead role in Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical “The Will Rogers Follies,” and the brothers began performing regularly at a Myrtle Beach, S.C., musical theater. Five years later they moved their show to Branson, Mo., occasionally hitting the road to give concerts.

All three were happy and, by any measure, successful. They were able to continue singing together and at the same time to pursue individual musical opportunities. Larry performed solo with symphonies, Steve produced several CDs, and Rudy had roles in “Oklahoma!” and “Annie Get Your Gun.”

Each brother was also able to devote time to his own interests and hobbies – from family time and charity work to motivational speaking and golf.

However content they might have been to keep their distance, though, friends in the music business – people whose opinions they respected – started urging them to return to Nashville. Leslie Satcher, a songwriter from Texas, told them, “People in Nashville love your songs. You ought to come back.”

Larry was willing to acknowledge a sense of unfinished business. Eventually, he and his brothers decided to return to Music City, and when they did “it opened its arms” to them.

FULL CIRCLE

The time away from Nashville had allowed Larry to gain some perspective. He had received treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and had begun to make a conscious shift in focus “from the results department to the footwork department.”

In rehabilitation programs “they tell you things like that, but I have to say it to myself daily. I’m the type-A first-born family hero and all that stuff, and every day I have to say ‘Wait a minute, that’s not my department. This is that old deal – if I bring the bucket, God will bring the whale,’” he says.

In the 17 years the group was gone, Larry says, he never doubted that leaving Nashville when they did was the right move. “You know the saying, the same things that make you laugh make you cry? Nashville made me laugh for a lot of years, but when it started to make me cry it was time to leave,” he says. “I think it was the right thing to do, to leave then and get some space. I didn’t want to be a has-been. I’d rather leave 10 years too early than five years too late.”

A paradigm shift is reflected in several of the songs on the brothers’ newest album, “Pilgrimage,” released last September. There’s also a sense of coming full circle.

Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, produced the album, which includes the song “Johnny Cash Is Dead (and His House Burned Down).” The song grew from an offhand remark Larry made to his son and manager, Joshua Cash Gatlin, during dinner one night. The two were discussing ways in which the music business has changed over the years, when Larry said, “The music business will never be the same. After all, Johnny Cash is dead and his house burned down.” And then he turned over his placemat and started writing.

“I know what he means,” John Carter Cash writes in the liner notes for “Pilgrimage.” “It is not a song about a man dying and a house burning. It is about a time passing, a certain quality of artist and entertainer just not being here.”

‘NO LOST YEARS’

“These songs [on ‘Pilgrimage’] are new to  the world. There are no lost years and there are no lost songs,” Larry says. He hopes, of course, that the album is successful, that it leads to a resurgence of the band and results in touring opportunities. But this time around, that’s not his focus.

“My plans are kind of goofy, but the Sky Chief is in charge. We are supposed to be doing this. I really believe it’s our time – our season,” he says. “I did my part – I did the footwork. We’re really grateful for the opportunity.”

Once again, it’s the right move at the right time.

He’s known for his meticulous approach to the short game; he’s a specialist in short irons, wedges and putting. He’s just as well known for having had some of golf’s most historic meltdowns: his dubious 46-tournament winless streak in majors before winning the Masters in 2004, and many heartbreaking second-place finishes in the majors.

Through it all,  Mickelson hasn’t let it change him as a player, person, husband, father or son. He’s never let the low points of his career discourage him, nor have the heights made him overconfident.

For the outsider analyzing Mickelson’s career, he appears to be grounded by the love and support of his family in his wife of 13 years and their three children. Regardless of the PGA Tour event, prestigious or modest, and regardless of his play, a first-place finish or a disappointing cut, he always seems to be the same smiling family man when his wife and children greet him on his way to the scorer’s table after finishing on the 18th green.

Mickelson gained his values as a young man. He’s the product of his upbringing, which included a superlative family environment. He has relied on the strong personal character and faith he developed from a young age to face life’s challenges on and off the course.

THE NATURAL-BORN GOLFER

Born on June 16, 1970, Mickelson was hitting golf balls by January 1972. He had barely learned to stand upright before he was swinging a club as an 18-month-old child. He became a student of the game before most children learn to talk in three-word sentences.

Though he swings left-handed, which is unusual for a golfer, few realize that Mickelson is right-handed at everything but golf. It started when his father, Phil Sr., would take little Phil to the driving range. In an attempt to keep close watch on his son while hitting golf balls, he would place young Phil facing toward him on the adjacent driving mat. Mickelson  enjoyed watching his father swing and would eventually become a left-handed player because he tried to “mirror” his father’s righthanded swing. His parents tried to make him switch hands while he was still young, but it was already too late, his mother, Mary, told the Los Angeles Times. “He had such a natural swing, even at that age.”

It turns out Mickelson not only was perfecting his trademark finesse in a left-handed swing; it was the genesis of a gleaming golf career that would start with a golf scholarship at Arizona State University. Here he would win three consecutive NCAA individual golf championships and three Haskins Awards, which is collegiate golf’s equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy. Only two collegiate golfers other than  Mickelson have won the award multiple times since its inception in 1971, and only one of those two, 2002 Golf Hall of Fame inductee Ben Crenshaw, won it three times as Mickelson did.

This was the start of Mickelson’s rise to stardom. It launched him into the professional ranks as an immediate star with prodigious expectations.

Some golf experts and pundits will argue that Mickelson has made much of his career. Others, though, feel that considering the potential he glowed with as a young and budding golf star, more should have come of his time on the PGA Tour.

THE NURSE AND THE FIGHTER PILOT

Mickelson’s childlike zest for life, flair for the dramatic and ability to entertain a crowd – all while concentrating on his professional golf game – are thanks to his mother.

A half-Italian mom of three, Mary Mickelson, a retired nurse, has always been a nurturer. To enlighten a young Phil on the realities of the world, she once drove him through a poverty-stricken neighborhood and explained to him that not all people were enjoying the upper-middle-class lifestyle he was brought up in. With her caring, thoughtful and philanthropic personality, though, there is also a lighter side. She is a bit of a quipster, which can be seen in Mickelson’s bedeviling smirk at times when he strikes a lucky bounce onto the green on a shot that looked destined for the rough.

It’s in his mother’s altruistic and humanitarian reflection that Mickelson has donated money to college funds for children of American Special-Operations soldiers killed in battle and to Hurricane Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast. And his mother’s gregariousness and joy for life shone through when Mickelson burst into an exuberant vertical jump when he finally captured his first major at the Masters in 2004.

His grit, fortitude and nerves of steel, on the other hand, Mickelson gets from his father, Phil Sr. A fighter pilot specializing in flying the U.S. Chance-Vought F-8 Crusader jet in the Cold War, Phil Sr. once side-winged a Soviet jet and redirected its path away from a U.S. battleship the enemy pilot had intended to bomb.  Calm and collected in the face of this attack, he even had the presence to film this interception while it was in process.

Phil Mickelson seems able to mathematically and methodically pick a golf course apart by deciphering shot angles, wind resistance effect on the flight of the ball, optimal club head speed, the degree of loft appropriate for the ball’s flight path, and what kind of softness the surfaces of the greens and fairways have in their conditions. Perhaps his golfing skills are a direct reflection of his father’s technical skills and knowledge of physics. He turns all of those factors into a choreographed unity of swing mechanics that put the ball in places on the green and fairway that make a golfer successful.

Just like his father, Mickelson has a steely reserve not seen until recent years. Many questioned his will to be aggressive in big tournaments for more than a decade of his career. His tournament let-downs made many wonder whether he had sufficient drive. Each year it seemed he would find new ways to choke away sure victories.

He finally showed some of the temerity instilled in him by his father when he extirpated a streak of 46 major tournaments with no wins by capturing the Masters in 2004. Though this event would alleviate him of his critics temporarily, the questions about his mental discipline returned with the worst meltdown of his professional career in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Yet this time it was the killer instinct of his father’s ilk to be a fighter pilot that may have failed him.

A WASH AT WINGED FOOT

Leading by one stroke at the 72nd and final hole of the U.S. Open, Mickelson, who had hit only two of his last 13 fairways from the tee-box during the tournament, decided to use his longest but least accurate club, his driver, for the tee shot on the 18th hole. His tee shot went far left and into a wooded area. Apparently not having learned his lesson on being overly aggressive, Mickelson decided to shoot for the green from a bad lie instead of safely chipping out onto the fairway. This shot ended up in a sand trap.

After being unable to chip the ball into the hole from the sand trap, Mickelson’s double-bogey cost him the tournament. Even a bogey would have forced a playoff with the beneficiary of Mickelson’s mental collapse, Geoff Ogilvy. “I still am in shock that I did that,” Mickelson said after the tournament. “I just can’t believe that I did that. I am such an idiot.”

Mickelson has experienced huge success and agonizing failure on the golf course in his years as a pro. He’s had the elation of three wins in major tournaments and 37 PGA victories – and the heartbreak of 22 second-place finishes and the disappointment of being cut in two of the four majors in 2007.

In some ways, his personal life has paralleled those highs and lows.

A FAMILY MADE AND NEARLY LOST

From his pro debut in 1992 and through the ’90s, Mickelson enjoyed a prosperous time in his personal life. He met and married his wife, Amy, in November 1996, and they celebrated the birth of their first child, Amanda, in 1999. Just two years later, they welcomed another daughter, Sophia.

But adversity struck when the Mickelsons were expecting their third child, Evan, in March 2003. When Evan was delivered, he was stillborn and not breathing. Doctors and nurses scrambled to revive the baby. What’s more, Amy had ruptured an artery while giving birth and was badly hemorrhaging. Fortunately, Amy and Evan made full recoveries.

Less than two weeks later Mickelson was back on the golf course for the Bellsouth Classic. The emotional trauma apparently had stuck with him: He shot an uncharacteristic eight-over in the first two rounds and missed the cut. Just a week later, however, he made an admirable mental comeback for the Masters, finishing in third place.

The success was temporary, though. 2003 would be Mickelson’s least successful year of his pro golf career and the only year in his 18 years on the tour that he would finish with neither a first- nor a second-place finish.

Mickelson came roaring back the following year. Tired of his winless streak in the majors, he sought the help of his friend and former NASA physicist Dave Pelz. Pelz helped Mickelson readjust his short game by getting him to dial up his aggressiveness on the course. Mickelson also sought the knowledge of a golf teaching pro, Rick Smith, to work on his mechanics.

The combo, in collaboration with Tiger Woods’ former swing instructor, Butch Harmon, in 2007, worked to perfection. Mickelson enjoyed the most career success he had seen in any five-year span starting in 2004. In that time he accumulated 13 wins, three of which were major tournaments. He finished in the top three 25 times and amassed $26.8 million in earnings.

FOR EVERY PEAKTHERE’S A VALLEY

Mickelson’s dominance would continue into the 2009 season. He recorded two wins in just the first six tournaments of the year and would follow that with a respectable fifth place finish at the 2009 Masters. But after his participation in the Quail Hollow Championship the week following the Masters, the Mickelson family was blindsided with dejecting news: Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Upon the media release of his wife’s diagnosis, Mickelson vowed an indefinite suspension of his tour-play. Though a cancer diagnosis is always a potentially life-threatening situation, Amy’s cancer was caught in its early stages and was found only in her breast tissue – not in her lymph nodes, where the cancer could have spread to other organs and been more difficult to treat. Within a couple of weeks of the diagnosis doctors gave the Mickelsons the good news that they would need only to perform surgery to remove the cancerous cells; Amy would not have to endure chemotherapy.

With the positive news on his wife’s condition, Mickelson returned to the tour three weeks after the diagnosis was discovered, playing in the St. Jude Classic and, the following week, in the U.S. Open. Once again, he tied for second place, for the fifth time – a record for the U.S. Open. It was yet another disappointing near-win in a major, losing to Lucas Glover by two strokes.

That disappointment paled in comparison with the news he received the next week. In July 2009, just seven weeks after receiving the terrifying news that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer, Mickelson’s mother was diagnosed with the disease.

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE

On July 10, 2009, Mickelson’s mother underwent the same surgery that had been performed days earlier on his wife. Like Amy’s cancer, Mary’s was in its early stages and was not immediately life-threatening.

“As great a situation as you might have dealing with cancer, it’s a lifelong disease, and it’s something that’s never easy. Both my mom and Amy have caught it early. We feel lucky to be, for a bad situation, in as good a situation as it can be,” Mickelson wrote on his Web site days after his mother’s surgery. Both Amy and Mary have made full recoveries from their cancer scares.

FROM UNDERDOG TO ALPHA DOG

When Mickelson got back to golf after a tumultuous several months focusing on the health of his wife and mother, the return was rocky. He failed to finish in the top 25 in any of his next five events. But the following week he recaptured his magical swing, posting a win at THE TOUR Championship, followed by a stellar performance for the U.S. team in their coveted victory in the Presidents Cup.

In his final tournament of the year, he carried his hot streak into the World Golf Championships and finished with yet another win, shooting an astounding 17 under par for the tourney. Mickelson’s game was back.

Looking ahead, 2010 is shaping up as another landmark year in Mickelson’s career. He’s got a healthy family, and his golf game appears to be better than ever. With such great play come great expectations and many, including PGA Tour veteran Ernie Els, say Mickelson is poised to supplant Tiger Woods as the world’s No. 1 golfer this year.

“The way he is hitting the ball, Phil is hitting it as long or longer than anybody out there. He has really been working hard. Now his putting is coming around,” Els – formerly the world’s top-ranked golfer – told a reporter at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “I think Phil is probably the man to beat now.”

Santa Fe

City Different

If you are planning to visit New Mexico, you’ll probably fly into Albuquerque. This city is alive with living history museums, spas, shopping and golf courses. You can take day trips to Santa Fe, which is north of the city (you can travel by rail or by road along Route 85).

However, many visitors find Santa Fe is the real gem and sight to see. This city is awash with historical and cultural diversions, and if you are a true history buff, you’ll take two weeks off work and spend time in this city, among others we will highlight.

This city nestles at the foot of the Rocky Mountains at 7,000 feet and is known as the “City Different.” Santa Fe is well known for its adobe-style houses: cafe mocha color walls are everywhere. Spaniards established the  “villa” in 1610. It is the oldest capital city in the United States.

The city is a melting pot of cultures. Native Americans settled in the area well before 1610. Also contributing to the evolution of this rich town are influences from Hispanic, European and African-American peoples.

There are many interesting bits of information pertinent to this region. Did you know that “Ben-Hur” was written here, or that D.H. Lawrence lived here? Albert Einstein, when assisting with the Manhattan Project, visited the famous La Fonda hotel.

One of the main attractions in Santa Fe is La Fonda On the Plaza hotel (www.lafondasantafe.com), which sits on the oldest hotel corner in America. The Spaniards came to Santa Fe in 1607 and among the earliest businesses established was an inn (or “fonda”) at the same location where the modern La

Fonda hotel lies. Currently, it is a repository of richly adorned rooms and historical tales that you’ll never tire of. It is considered a national landmark and treasure.

Another key attraction in Santa Fe is the Palace of the Governors (www.palaceofthegovernors.org), which flanks the buzzing center of town called the plaza. The palace was constructed in the 17th century, and was Spain’s seat of government for the entire region that is the Southwest.

You can’t miss the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which was reconstructed to replace an older church that was destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt of 1869. This Roman Catholic church has a figure of a Native American saint in front of it and is almost dead center of the plaza. There are masses

held daily.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (www.okeeffemuseum.org) boasts an extraordinary amount of work of the painter, who was a Southwestern legend. The museum hosts more than 3,000 of her pieces, including sketches, watercolors, oil paintings and sculpture.

If you have a thirst for art, you must visit Canyon Road, which is a mile-long feast of all sorts of galleries filled with art from local artists for nearly a century. Whatever type of art form you crave, this place – the secondlargest art market in the nation – will offer you what you need. There are more than 100 art galleries and studios, specialty shops and studios. Visit www.canyonroadarts.com for more information.

Los Alamos

The Town That Never Was

Los Alamos may well be a sliver out of the X-files. It can seem aloof (it’s set in the mountains) and it played a serious role at the end of World War II

by being the site of the development of the atom bomb.

If you visit the Bradbury Science Museum, located in the heart of the town, you’ll want to see the 16-minute documentary called “The Town That Never Was,” which tells a fascinating story about the years 1942-1945. The Los Alamos National Laboratory was known as Site Y and its project director was Robert Oppenheimer.

For obvious reasons, the existence of this site was a secret then (all correspondence was addressed to P.O. Box 1663 so no one would know where the recipients were).

Even today, the Los Alamos National Laboratory is one of the largest research and scientific institutions in the country. It is the largest employer in northern New Mexico, with more than 12,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $2.2 billion.

If you’ve been a scientist, tinkerer and a fan of all things historical, you’ll feel like a pig in mud in Los Alamos. But apart from the scientific richness that lies here, there is so much culture and history to see and take in. Los Alamos is about a 45-minute drive from Santa Fe and steps away from the centuries-old Puebloan ruins of the Bandelier National Monument. The town is more than 7,000 feet above sea level and has four seasons, with an average winter snowfall of about 19 inches.

Bandelier

Home of the Pueblo People

If you are a Native American history buff, then you’ll love Bandelier, which is a national monument that showcases the archaeological footprint of some 3,000 sites inhabited by the Pueblo people.

These hunter-gatherers performed farming, weaving and pottery-making as part of their culture. They hunted for deer, rabbits and birds. In Bandelier, there supposedly were large villages that were built and inhabited by the Pueblo people; some villages exceeded 600 rooms. The Pueblo Committee believes that spiritually, their ancestors still live at Bandelier. Here lie the remnants of their homes, their kivas and their petroglyphs.

If you visit, you’ll get the chance to see multistoried stone homes with hand-carved caves as back rooms. You can also visit the several winding miles of trails and fully immerse yourself in Native American culture and relics.

To schedule a visit or learn more, go to www.nps.gov/band, or call 505-672-3861, ext. 517. There is also a family campground and group campground located within the park, and camping is allowed with a permit obtained at the visitors center.

Red River

The Perfect Inexpensive Family Vacation Spot

A long time ago, Red River was known for its gold, but now it’s a charming 400-person town that is an inexpensive family destination for both winter and summer. In the 1920s and 1930s, Red River was dubbed the “mountain playground” that it still is today.

What can you do at Red River? Plenty. You can horseback ride at the Red River Stables (www.redriverstables.com); go hunting; study the immense amount of flora, fauna and wildflowers surrounding the area; go skiing in the winter; or spend some wild evenings at local bars that stay open well past 10 p.m.

The bed-and-breakfasts here offer inexpensive lodging with spacious rooms and high-quality meals. Everything here has a relaxed, vacation feel about it. Try the River Street and Yellow Rose bed-and breakfasts should you like home-cooked meals in the morning. The Alpine Lodge has a distinct Bavarian feel to it and is very close to Carson National Forest. Red River is located north of Albuquerque. Visit www.redriver.org for more lodging options.

Grand Ranch

The Legend of Georgia O’Keeffe

If you are an art history buff and an O’Keeffe fan, one of the stops on your list in New Mexico has to be Ghost Ranch.

With two locations – one in Abiquiu, where O’Keeffe painted for 50 years, and one in Santa Fe, which she considered an oasis for inspiration – Ghost Ranch is heaven for art lovers and cognoscenti alike.

Ghost Ranch (www.ghostranch.org) was part of a land grant gift to Pedro Martin Serrano from the king of Spain in 1766. The name Ghost Ranch gradually evolved from tales of ghosts and legends in the history of the ranch over the years. It was owned by the Presbyterian Church and for many years the ranch was navigable only by a strip of narrow dirt road from the Chama River.

This is high desert country, and O’Keeffe was attracted by the bones and animal skulls found in this part of the world. The logo of Ghost Ranch is a cow’s skull from a painting that O’Keeffe gave to Arthur Pack, a former owner of Ghost Ranch.

Here, you can see the Chama River flanking the ranch in a quiet trickle. If you take a tour of the ranch, chances are you will ride past O’Keeffe’s house (you won’t be allowed inside) and see the magnificent Sangre de Christo (“Blood of Christ”) mountains in the distance – the same mountains painted by O’Keeffe in vivid and starlit colors.

Located in the small town of Urbana, Ohio, Crabill’s offers bite-size burgers at the right price, $.65 each. These burgers come on 3-inch buns and are  deepfried in grease. They come with only brown mustard, sweet relish and onion, the way the old-timers prefer a burger. Husband-and-wife owners Andy

Hiltibran and Marsha Crabill share their secret to success: “Good food, good service and good prices.”

DYER’S BURGERS.

In the heart of midtown Memphis, one can sink his or her teeth in the famous Dyer’s “double-double.” Dyer’s is a popular burger joint that stays open until 5 a.m. to appeal to the bar crowds after a night out. Not only do they stay open late, the only two days they are closed are Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving. General manager Felix Vega shares the restaurant’s old motto: “Our hamburgers come with mustard, pickles and onion. If you want ketchup, bring your own.”

VORTEX BAR AND GRILL.

With locations in Atlanta’s midtown and Moreland Avenue, Vortex Bar and Grill serves up some of the best burgers in the world. This restaurant offers a creative menu and no-nonsense-attitude wait staff. The “coronary bypass,” “double coronary” and “triple-stack heart attack” are the most popular burgers. They are known for their notorious size. Adventurous folks might want to try the “Elvis burger,” which consists of peanut butter, bacon, fried bananas and a big slab of meat between two buns of deliciousness.

REDRUM BURGER.

A favorite to many college students in Davis, Calif., Redrum Burger has kept the same menu since the day it opened in 2001, when the name was changed from Murder Burger to Redrum Burger (murder spelled backward). Owner Jim Edlund offers an array of burgers. He sells beef burgers, but also offers buffalo and ostrich burgers, which are two-thirds leaner than beef burgers.

CONWAY’S RED TOP.

Conway’s Red Top is a family-owned business with four locations in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one in Pueblo, Colo. Owner N.F Conway started as a part-time grill cook in 1961 and later bought into the restaurant. The restaurant is composed of generations of family members – 15 Conway family members, to be exact. The “cheeseburger special’ is the popular choice at Conway’s Red Top. The first grandchild of the Conway family, Kidwin Conway Qualey, insists that the Velveeta on the cheeseburger sets it apart from other burgers. Conway’s slogan is “One’s a meal.”

MIKE DITKA’S.

Located in Chicago, Mike Ditka’s “fridge burger” is one to talk about. The cheeseburger contains 8 ounces of Angus beef, cheddar cheese, mustard,  ayonnaise, pickles, onions, lettuce and tomato. The rolls are specially toasted and buttered to perfection. When asked what ingredient stands out the most in the burgers, chef Tom Kenny states, “The sum is greater than the parts.”

BOBCAT BITE.

In the mountains of Santa Fe, N.M., lies one of our top burger joints. The Bobcat Bite is known for the “green chile burger.” The southwestern-style burger contains 10 ounces of fresh ground beef topped with green chilies. Owners John and Bonnie Eckre go through more than 4,000 pounds of green chilies in a year. When asked how the name “Bobcat Bite” came about, John Ecker shares that “a long time ago when the restaurant first came about, the bobcats used

to come off of the mountain and eat the scraps at the back door.”

BURGERMEISTER.

With five locations in San Francisco, burger lovers are in close proximity when they are looking for the Burgermeister’s half-pound cheeseburger. This burger

has cheddar cheese, avocado, grilled onions and mushrooms with lettuce, tomato and pickle on the side. This kid-friendly restaurant caters to an array of  uests. Marketing director Lina Shatara says, “We sell quality burgers and you will always need two hands to hold them.”

KUA’AINA SANDWICH SHOP.

This is the definitive island burger spot, enjoyed in two locations in Hawaii: Haleiwa and Honolulu. Kua’Aina has kept customers happy for more than 20 years. Guests rave over the island-blend flavors that are piled on top of the hot, juicy burgers. The toppings range from bacon and cheese to salsa and  ineapple. But remember, cash only.

BLACK IRON BURGER SHOP.

In the East Village neighborhood of New York City is a well-known latenight burger joint. For $15, you can get a burger, fries or onion rings, and a beer. This neighborhood burger joint is especially known for the cheddar horseradish sauce. The “iron horse,” a popular choice of the shop, contains this signature  heddar horseradish sauce poured over two well-seasoned burger patties and placed between two toasted, buttered sesame seed buns.