Jun/110
Looking for Summer Fun? Look to Golden, Colorado!
Residents of the metro area and beyond looking for good weekend entertainment this summer should consider the options offered by our own cities. Summer is a time for local festivals and events. In particular, Golden offers multiple entertainment and recreational options.
Golden's largest summer event (and one of the largest in the area) is the five-day Buffalo Bill Days, occurring July 27 to 31. Thousands of attendees show up for activities as diverse as a golf tourney at Fossil Trace, live music, a kiddie train, and the man of the hour himself, Buffalo Bill Cody, roaming the midway. Perhaps the biggest event anchoring Buffalo Bill Days is the enormous parade, which takes place 10 a.m. Saturday, July 30. On Sunday kids can test their mettle astride a sheep in the popular Muttin Bustin' event. The festival features two car shows, on July 31 - one is pre-1971, while the "Orphan" show features cars whose manufacturers no longer exist, such as Studdebaker, Fraser, Kaiser, Hudson and DeLorean. These shows are free and open to registrants who have insurance.
If you're looking for the ever-popular arts festival this summer, Golden Fine Arts Festival (Aug. 21 and 22) is nationally recognized as one of the best. Set amid the scenic backdrop of Golden in the summer, up to 150 artists from different parts of the country (but mostly from Colorado) are displaying and selling their goods, which include all manner of paintings, glass, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Kids are engaged by arts-and-crafts tents, and adults can be entertained by five stages of live music, featuring such different acts as Come August, Flywheel, Exit 02 and the Ayo Awosika Band. Whether to simply browse or purchase art for your home, the Golden Fine Arts Fest in an excellent investment of time.
Catering to the growing interest in classic cars and car shows, Golden presents the Wild West Auto Roundup on June 11 along Washington. There is much to take in as more than 200 autos are on display, from vintage to muscle cars to hot rods to street rods. The Roundup also features a contest in which cars are judged in 14 separate categories. Similar to all of Golden's major summer festivals, there is live music for the adults and entertainment activities for the children. Come spend the day and peruse the retailers along Washington!
For something lighter, consider Movies and Music in the Park. Thrice during August Golden presents a free evening at Parfet Park (10th and Washington) featuring live music and a feature-length film. On Aug. 5 the Clam Daddys will precede "How to Train Your Dragon." On Aug. 12, Jonny Barber vs. The Living Deads warms up the crowd for "Back to the Future," and on Aug. 19 The Resonatorz precede "Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Families are encouraged to bring and enjoy a picnic. Also, weekends this summer (May 28 to Sept. 4), bring the kids to Dino Days at Dinosaur Ridge (16831 W. Alameda Parkway) on Saturdays and Sundays. The free sessions educate the whole family about the vast prehistoric fossils that earned the area its name, and includes a puppet show and storytime.
Finding unique things to do in Colorado really isn't hard! Take a look at the great calendar of events this summer in Golden, CO. Located just outside of Denver, Golden offers unique dining and great events throughout the summer. Visit us soon!
Feb/110
Picturesque Inland Beach Cottage Rentals
When many people, singles and families alike, think about booking a holiday, many of them would only think about going to the beach for a two week's lounging on the beach under the sun and swimming in warm, azure sea.
However, many of the best, most famous beach locations are magnets for crowds of people. It appears that most people like the sand, the sea and the sun. Now some people go to these destinations specifically because they are busy. They like the crowds and the night clubs that appeal to them. Mainly singles go to these kinds of places and a holiday affair is not far from many peoples' minds.
Couples and older people may desire a little less noise, pollution and commotion. However, there are beaches which meet these requirements too. Often they are private beaches. Some have hotels on them but some do not. Those that do not often have inland beach cottage rental properties instead. These are nearly always self-catering.
When most people think of a beach it is automatically connected with the sea. However, this need not inevitably be so. There are also inland beaches on lakes and rivers. These beaches are usually referred to as inland beaches. Accommodation can be a problem with even some of the best inland beaches.
Many of these inland beaches are simply not well-known enough to make a hotel commercially viable, but some of them have cottage rentals instead. These cottages, or cabins sometimes, can be hard to find if you do not reserve early enough. They are usually complete homes, fully equipped with all the household amenities you have grown used to: a fully furnished living room, multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and a modern kitchen.
Inland beach cottage rentals are popular because they are usually located exactly on the water's edge. This makes the bit of beach immediately before your cottage your private beach. You can sleep on it at night if it's hot, lie there all day or set up a few fishing lines.
In the evenings, you can hitch up with neighbours to have a party or keep yourself to yourself. For this reason, it is a good thought to check photos of the cottage before you make a booking.
If an inland beach cottage rental sounds just up your street, there are thousands to choose from in the United States and Canada. The Great Lakes are a particularly beautiful place to go. There are excellent spots in the Finger Lakes region of New York state and along Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
You will not regret going on holiday to an inland beach cottage rental property. There are so many variations that there is certainly something for every pocket and every family size. Singles are not so well catered for, but if you want a quiet holiday alone. maybe to study, then this might fitting be for you too.
You can fly into some of these resorts by seaplane, but it is more likely that you will take your own car or a rental car, if you want to get out and do some exploring further afield. Personally, I would rather hire a dinghy.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Poconos rentals. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations
Sep/100
Recreation Boating Laws And License For Canadian Waterways
For a large selection of outdoor activity, including skiing, boating and mountain climbing, there are few places to consider going but to Canada. With a breath taking variety of terrain, unique wildlife and an abundance of waterways there is something to do for boating and water recreation. Keep in mind that there are new boating laws about pleasure craft you need to know.
Plenty of water ways are available in an area, so dry it could almost be called a desert, is in Okanagan Valley. At one of many locations you can put the boat in and have hours of fun and leisure. Its uncommon variety of climate and landscape have made it the favorite of thousands, and is perfect for sailing and boating. If you have a motorized boat, make sure you have your operators card.
Adams River is famous for the millions of sockeye salmon who return every four years to spawn. This world famous event can be viewed from many locations around the river, and there are plenty of resorts and lodges to provide indoor comforts to travelers who need to soak up something other than water.
In the event you do not have your own boat with you, there are rental places at Big Rideau Lake which is a paradise for boaters. This body of water is actually several rivers and lakes connected by many canals. By whatever means you travel into the area, boats are for rent, and you will have to have a craft operator card, if the boat is motorized.
With a fabulous array of 100,000 lakes, some of which are therapeutic, are found in Saskatchewan. This province is a great holiday and with a variety of lakes it is a dream for fishermen. While fishing here you might land an underwater monster, because Walleye salmon have been caught weighing over 18 pounds. That could surely make anyone feel like a sport.
There is one area of Canada that almost looks like the Caribbean, instead of Canada. The beaches of Ontario at Lake Erie, which is sustained by Huron River flowing in from the west, and St. Clair from the east, are also battlegrounds of the War of 1812. While boating in the waters of Canada complying with boating laws and regulations is required.
The Great Lakes and the connecting channels form the largest fresh water system on earth. These lakes are clearly seen from the moon, and have interesting shapes, with one of them looking like a wolfs head. They are fed by numerous rivers, and if spread out evenly the water they contain could cover the United States in 9.5 feet of water.
Alberta in the Canadian Rockies offers more than 600 lakes where jet boating is a favorite sport for anyone with a boat license, and an excellent place to scuba dive. River boarding is a great new sport being enjoyed in Alberta, surfing the rapids is a favorite pastime of young and old. Should a little diversion be of interest to you, you can take a ride on the Rocky Mountaineer, with a tour that ends in Vancouver.
Taking the boat on Lake Ontario this weekend? Don't get caught without an Ontario boating license. Take time today to sit a boat exam. You can take the boat test online and have a PCOC License today.
Jul/100
Get Moving By Taking Your Whole Family On An Adventure Vacation
For some individuals, a great vacation includes enjoying a beach or a cabin in the woods. They dream of being waited on hand and foot and having nothing to worry about. For some, a great vacation includes adventure!
These are people who like to stay active. They enjoy mingling with fellow travelers. Is this is bio of you? Are you tackling a decision of what kind of adventure travels you want to try on your next vacation? Deciding on an ideal adventure trip can be wearisome. Ample adventuresome opportunities abounds! Here are some of our best-loved adventure vacations.
If you enjoy being outside and using your survival skills to live off the land, why not try an Australian Walkabout? These have become noteworthy adventures, especially after one of the main actors on the television show "Lost" tried to go on one. The original thought for an Australian Walkabout was for you and your fellow adventurers to get out into the Australian Outback on a guided tour. When you get out on a walkabout, you are only living off the land. You gather your own food, construct your own shelter from the available materials and take on any "elements" that might come your way (weather, wild animals, etc). It is kind of like extreme camping and can be incredibly fulfilling.
Shark Diving is not really light and easy but it is thrilling! The Shark Diver Company has diving packages that allow you to dive with the sharks in California and Mexico. These types of adventure travels are not cheap. Most are around three thousand dollars per person. But most of these vacations are at least five days long. Make sure you have your diving certification before you go, though. You wouldn't want to have to sit up on the boat the whole time!
Do you dream of seeing large animals in-person? Have you always yearned to see different animals in their natural habitats? Why not partake on an African Safari. There are tours that visit various locations on the continent of Africa. Choose from one of many trusted businesses and let them show you the native lands of hippos, elephants and giraffes. View prides of lions and packs of hyenas. Watch birds you have only see in the zoo. If you love animals, a Safari is one of the best ways to experience adventure travels.
There are a variety of ways "adventure travels" can be defined. For some it involves death-defying activities such as scaling the world's tallest mountains or putting oneself into an extreme climate condition. For some it includes some type of challenge they are not accustomed to, such as driving cattle, hiking on other terrain, etc. Still for others, adventure travels involve learning new things while maintaining a fairly easy pace.
Yearn for the rough and tumble days of the Old West? Then head out to a dud ranch. No, you don't have to be that good on a horse - you'll learn. There are "working" ranches that may include a cattle drive and a chuckwagon. Other ranches are strictly for tourists but they all offer fishing, hiking and boating. It's a cinch you won't have to lose any 'vacation weight' on such a physical vacation.
To sum up: it doesn't matter what you're interested in, you can find an adventure vacation perfect for you! Why sit around? Get moving!
Cannot pay for any of these wonderful vacation trips? Subscribe to our business ezine for internet business ideas that can have you on vacation everywhere.
Nov/090
Can I Take a Bowie Knife on a Plane If it is in My Suitcase?
Carrying weapons aboard a plane is a big no-no, isn't it? If you're the proud owner of a bowie knife, you might think that there's no possible way that you'd ever be allowed to carry that knife on a plane. However, while you're right, you're wrong at the same time. You can take your bowie knife with you when you fly, but you have to follow some pretty specific guidelines. What's the system you have to follow? What do you need to do?
First, you will need to make sure that your bowie knife is not packed in your carryon luggage. While you can take bowie knives aboard planes, your carryon bag is most certainly not the right place for them. Where can you put them? The only place that the TSA allows bowie knives is in your checked baggage - your suitcase, for example. This type of baggage is checked at the ticket counter, and then sent down a conveyor belt to be loaded in the belly of the plane. While this will certainly keep you apart from your knife for the duration of the flight, it does allow you to travel with your weapon.
However, the news is not all bad. The TSA does allow you to carry a bowie knife with you if it is packed in your suitcase, so long as that suitcase is checked at the ticket counter and is not a carryon item. Of course, there are a couple of further caveats to this, as well. Your knife must be securely packed, sheathed and safe. It cannot be left loose inside your suitcase, nor can you pack it without its sheath. Interestingly, the same rules apply to swords, razors and other knives. If this seems a bit inconvenient, remember, you shouldn't have any need for your knife during the flight, so packing it away before hand should be no issue.
Next, you will also need to wrap the bowie knife in something - bubble wrap works well. Actually, if you can manage it, you should box your knife, wrapping and all. This will provide the utmost protection for baggage handlers and inspectors who might come into contact with your luggage and the knife itself. As long as you follow these precautions, you can carry anything in your suitcase from a bowie knife to scissors, swords and even firearms (broken down into component pieces, of course).
You should also understand that your bag will likely be inspected during the loading process. No matter how well packaged it might be, it will show up in the x-ray machine. Therefore, having bowie knives wrapped securely will prevent injury to the inspectors, as well as potential injury to baggage handlers. You will find that traveling with bowie knives or even with swords and other bladed weapons is not a problem so long as you follow the proper procedures.
Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie hunting knives store featuring the Cold Steel training knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of an online humidors store.
Sep/090
Fly Fishing Instruction ” 3 Reasons Why You Should Book Lessons
Fly fishing is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. Apart from enjoying the experience of fishing you will usually find yourself surrounded by some of the most stunning scenes the planet has to offer.
Whether you are a beginner, looking for an introduction to the sport or simply hoping to improve on your technique, there are lessons which will help you on your way.
1. A Great Return On Your Investment - Fly fishing instruction will give you the confidence to better enjoy your hobby. Having confidence in your technique and ability will also encourage you to go further a field and try more adventurous spots.
There are two ways to learn fly fishing, either an intensive course, or regular lessons. Which ever route you decide to take it is worth thoroughly researching where you take your lessons as you want to use a reputable school as you want to receive a rounded knowledge from the best possible teachers.
2. Learning to cast - Although most fly fishermen are all too willing to offer advice and help to beginners, there is no substitute for a good solid knowledge base from which to build. Once you have learned the basics you will find that with experience your ability will increase much quicker.
Although you can master short casts fairly quickly you will find that any faults in your casting will become more prominent as you try to cast longer distances. You need to perfect the smooth, jerk free motion from a relaxed shoulder to ensure that you can successfully build up to longer casts.
3. Learning About Your Equipment - Most beginner fly fishermen spend much of their time with their heads buried in books and magazines in order to determine which is the best rod for them and to make sure that they have the correct line to compliment the rod, it is much easier if you are talked through the options as a part of your fly fishing instruction.
Good fly fishing instruction will cover any equipment questions you may have.
In summary you can learn a lot, which will greatly increase both your success and enjoyment of fly fishing with good fly fishing instruction.
Find out more amazing fly fishing locations More fly fishing tips and and a great one stop comprehensive fishing store at http: //www.fishermensflies.com
Sep/090
Costa Rica Marine Turtle Tagging Project
Recently, a Costa Rica based research satellite and fin tagging program got underway at Cocos Island to study the migration patterns of sea turtle.
Marine researchers travel Costa Rica open waters for at least 30 hours in their quest of migration habits about these ancient marine animals.
Imagine what they do as a kind of working Costa Rica vacation that, hopefully, will contribute to saving these marvelous animals now sadly endangered in much of their range.
Cocos Island, once described by the famed oceanographer, Jacque Cousteau, as the most beautiful island he had ever seen, lies some 340 miles off the Pacific coastline of Costa Rica, nearly halfway to the Galapagos Islands.
It was not the lovely palms or beaches that enthralled Captain Cousteau. Its beauty is just off its shores, under water, in a place that Costa Ricans have chosen as one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica. In those waters one finds incomparable treasure: tremendous schools of fish, whales, porpoises, and turtles.
Marine turtles have roamed the world's oceans since the days of dinosaurs. Imagine mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex preying on them 200 million years ago when they landed ashore to nest.
These beings roam every sea except the frozen Antarctic and Arctic.
Once, the populations of the half dozen species of sea turtles were so huge that seamen, lost in fog sometimes found land by listening for sea turtles paddling towards nesting grounds.
Once, not so long ago the populations of these marine reptiles were still so seemingly without end that seamen lost in the fog sometimes found their way by listening for sea turtles paddling towards ancient nesting grounds. For eons, sea turtles provided food for every sort of creature. Over eons, billions and billions were eaten by and trillions and trillions of eggs fed birds and animals, including man, for innumerable generations, yet the species' flourished. However, in just a few short, recent generations, man's unrestrained development along every coast and wanton destruction of these animals and their eggs have put these creatures at risk. Whole populations were killed off in South America to make stylish but expensive shoes for Europeans.
Captain Cousteau predicted that: "If we go on the way we have, the fault is our greed and if we are not willing to change, we will disappear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by the insect."
But, conservation organizations have not abandoned hope and are working to turn around the decline turtle populations. Conservation groups are now tagging pelagic turtles like the green sea turtle in far-away places like Cocos Island. Some turtles are fitted with flipper tags while others bear satellite transmitters to help track their migrations and it has been discovered that some species swim thousands and thousands of miles of oceans, from tropical waters to the cold and deep waters off Canada.
We cannot undo the past but the people who tag sea turtles know that marine turtles can survive another 200 million years if we lend them a hand.
The writer, Victor Krumm writes from tropical Costa Rica. Follow his lovely site Costa Rica Vacations and for info about marine turtles check out Sea Turtles
Aug/090
Restful Traeth Bychan Beach, Near Anglesey Coastal Path, Great for Dinghy Sailing
Enjoy the small, sheltered and cosy delights of east facing Traeth Bychan beach near Benllech, down a narrow country lane off the A5025. If you want to really appreciate some fine sea and mountain views covering Llanddona, the Carneddau peaks above Bangor, Puffin Island and Liverpool Bay, you must come here.
The edges of Traeth Bychan are rocky, while the middle area of the beach is sandy with a varying spread of small pebbles the length of the beach up to the dinghy park at the top. Given its sheltered position it's no surprise that Red Wharf Bay Sailing and Watersports Club have their clubhouse here, and can often see dinghies, powerboats and small day fishing boats queuing up to be towed up the beach on their trailers.
As the 4x4 reversed down the small slipway onto the sand, a few keen but tired sailors waded into the water in wetsuit to help align the boat on the trolley. This is quite a good spot to launch a boat, except in a strong easterly gale, given its position relative to the prevailing winds on Anglesey. The dinghy park is home to Mirrors, GP14's, Lasers, Toppers and others.
Around the back of the beach are some interesting rock formations and above these thick grassy steep slopes and from here emerges the Anglesey Coastal Path route running from Benllech in the south to Moelfre in the north. The coastal path is well signposted and there is a gate on the left as you approach the beach down the hill, next to a small cottage which is built just above the rocks and the high water mark.
If you want a cup of coffee, tea or an ice cream, don't worry, as Traeth Bychan beach cafe is literally only about 25 metres up on the right from this small sandy cove. Next to the cafe is a public car park with space for about 25 cars. Opposite the cafe and also on the hill behind are static caravans, which could be a good vacation base for your island explorations.
A good time to come to this quiet, sheltered beach is autumn and winter, when you can really appreciate the fine sea views and coastal walks, with little if any boating activity taking place. Traeth Bychan has a historic angle which many are not aware of, relating to a maritime incident in Liverpool bay.
Built in Cammell Laird ship yard in 1938, the "T" class submarine HMS Thetis left the Mersey on 1 June 1939 with a crew of 103, sailing out to Liverpool Bay to carry out some tests. Some unusual and catastrophic events took place while she was submerged and 99 men lost their lives. A few months later, the Thetis was refloated and brought onto Traeth Bychan beach.
So this secluded beach, sometimes bustling with dinghies and small motor craft in bright summer sunshine, other times peaceful on a clear winter's morning, holds memories for some of dear ones lost in the line of duty.