Travel Vacations With a Bit of Everything

The Rockies plus Montana Big Sky country and Yellowstone Park serve up travel adventures that have no shortage of gigantic rocks and wildlife making them truly worth the trip. Adventure starts off light but can move up to rugged depending on the particular continent travel destination chosen.

Would you like to try a golf resort adventure? Oakley Teen Adventure features activities for teenagers that last one half or a full day they can take part in while in North Carolina at the Pinehurst Resort. Beach Olympics plus paint ball and scavenger hunts as well as kayak racing can be enjoyed during the trip along with other pursuits. Resort tourists can treat themselves to a ropes course or try the golf programs 15 minutes away or go for a bike ride in the backwoods.

How about a little adventure to add some spice to your relaxing vacation? The May River banks where Palmetto Bluff is situated has been home to many American Indians and colonists together with slaves plus plantation owners and well to do families throughout centuries. Such historical pieces are collected then analyzed and recorded by archaeologists and people ages eight and up can take part in ongoing prehistoric digs.

For more info about such rare Palmetto Bluff flora and fauna as bottlenose dolphins and alligators as well as wood storks and bald eagles you can show up for the wildlife classes provided. Among the outdoor adventures are kayaking and horseback riding in addition to canoeing and biking as well as fly fishing and bird watching but workshops covering local culture or astronomy and history are also available.

Local waters can also be explored via deep sea fishing plus some shrimping or crabbing on the side. You need not trek to the Rockies to get a good dose of thrilling rock climbing. The area is no further than Ohio too. In the southeastern part of Ohio lies Hocking Hills a popular rock climbing venue because of the splendid scenery and craggy cliffs. Just an hour southeast of Columbus Ohio, the Hocking Hills Region is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, teeming with lush forestland and mammoth rock formations. Kayak and canoe rides are also great fun.

The Shark Realm exhibit lets anyone over 12 to experience snorkeling over the top edge of a 550000 gallon container. Be in close proximity with creatures like nurse and sand tiger sharks as well as sandbars. Afterward, participants get the opportunity to swim with and feed stingrays in the aquarium's Ray Lagoon. Besides getting a commemorative picture 6 by 8 in size together with a snorkel and shirt guests also receive a souvenir shirt and admission into the aquarium when they purchase $115 Swim with the Sharks tickets.

There is more to the Garden State wildlife than just the interesting sharks. Nature friendly getaways surround the Garden State and are growing in popularity. There is none of the granny bird watching dullness here. The grasslands as well as forest habitats plus uplands and salt marshes of the New Jersey New Birding and Wildlife Trails is home to wildlife that include great blue herons and sanderling as well as egrets plus bald eagles and mule swan in addition to osprey and dunlin along with warblers and shorebirds.

Take a guided canoe tour through the Glades Wildlife Refuge or rent a boat and have the family try their hand at crabbing. The trails during low tides usually give families a glimpse of creatures like some insects and water dwellers that include crabs and mussels or snails. Two of the trails are in Salem County right next to Camden.

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Yellowstone Rafting -Geyser Whitewater.mpg

Montana Whitewater Rafting near Yellowstone Park with Geyser Whitewater Expeditions www.raftmontana.com

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Tips on How to Have a Great RV Camping Experience

If it's your family's first outdoor adventure and you want to have a great time without experiencing the complications of tent camping then it is a good idea to go for an RV camping trip.

To make sure that your family gets to have a great time during your RV camping trip, here are a few tips you can follow.

First tip: create a checklist. Just like in tent camping, you should avoid the "I forgot" scenarios by creating a checklist that will give you an overview of the things you need to bring and pack. No, it doesn't mean you have to squeeze the entire house in the luggage compartment in your RV. Just be sure you bring the essentials and you won't have a problem.

Here is an example of a comprehensive checklist which you can use and then just add in other personal items that you need.

For the camping gears, you need to pack in a lantern, fuel, matches, compass and maps, comfortable chairs for lounging outdoors, foldable chairs and tables, extra batteries, flashlight, and rope.

Don't forget to list your RV needs like a fire extinguisher, a set of tools for small home repair, some wood blocks for the levelling process, indoor heaters and a portable generator.

Under the category of eating and food preparation, list meal ingredients, food, drinking water, cook stove and fuel, table, folding chairs, cookware, cooking and eating utensils, can opener, coolers, and ice.

What you'll need for comfortable sleep, pack in inflatable mattresses with pump, cots, pillow, blankets and sleeping bags.

For your personal items, you need to have your first aid kit, clothing, rain gear, toiletries, camera and film, and insect repellent.

Second tip: pick a nice RV camping park. There are many RV campsites with facilities and amenities that will make your stay fun and convenient. It is also smart to pick a park that not only gives you a nice site to camp on but also offers a variety of great outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, boating, white water rafting, and biking to make sure none in the family gets bored.

Third tip: create wonderful and exciting camping activities for you and your family. Remember one of the purposes of any family camping trip is family bonding time. Together, you can engage in activities that the park has to offer together, go hiking and see spectacular sights. You can also play family fun games back in your camp spot. This will surely make your RV camping trip even more memorable.

Fourth tip: create sumptuous meals for you and your family to feast on. So that cooking does not take your whole day, it is best to prepare the ingredients at home by measuring them and putting them in resealable plastic bags with labels to make cooking easier and faster. It is also smart if you half cook meat, potatoes and other food to save cooking time. Be sure to prepare meals that are loved by the whole family and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Fifth tip: create a comfortable sleeping ambience for your family. All's well that ends well. After a whole day of fun but exhausting activities, your family needs to get a good night's rest. Be sure to heat up your sleeping area toasty warm with a reliable Coleman heater like the Coleman SportCat Catalytic Heater and have your family sleep in comfortable sleeping bags or air mattresses.

RV camping which is a deviation from regular camping trip is a great way to spend time with your family. You and your family can get close to the nature and yet not be too far away from the comfort and conveniences of a homey ambience. Bringing an RV to a campsite is like having home away from home.

For more tips and information about Coleman Heaters, check out www.summitcampinggear.com

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British Columbia and the Northwest

We traveled to British Columbia this summer leaving behind 101 degree F temperatures and the dog days of Texas for the cool NW. Temperatures in BC ranged from 57-71 degrees F. We flew into Seattle and rented a hybrid to drive to Tsawassen to hop a ferry to Galiano Island where we spent two days. From there we crossed back onto the mainland and went up the Sea to Sky Highway to Squamish and the Whistler Area (site of the 2010 Winter Olympics) for two more days. We spent several days in Vancouver before returning home. I made no bones about my intentions to find good birding and inquired of many. Canadians would greet an inquiry with "Oh ya" before completing an answer.

Pigeon Guillemots, Herring Gulls, and Double Crested Cormorants were observed on the passage across to the island. Great Blue Herons waded the bays. On Galiano, we saw seven Bald Eagles. Four were viewed while traipsing the Bodega Ridge trail at the northwestern end. Three more were found at Bellhouse Provincial Park at the southern end of the island. Two of the three at Bellhouse were fledglings having flown for the first time on the morning we were there to observe. I added Townsend Warblers to my life list at Bodega Ridge. Northwest Crows, American Robins, Canada Geese as well as Rufous Hummingbirds, Lincoln and White Crowned Sparrows, Northern Juncos, Bewick Wrens, and Turkey Vultures were sighted on the island. Butterfly bushes on the island are more like trees. Drawn to them were impressive Swallowtails.

Horseshoe Bay, the gateway to the Sea to Sky Highway, produced Glaucous Winged Gulls and Ravens. There is a great provincial park near Squamish called Alice Lake where both the male and female Varied Thrush was found. A Steller's Jay also was noted in Squamish. Everywhere around Squamish are warnings about Grizzlies. Seed feeders are banned here because of bears (hummingbird feeders are okay). Last year a Grizzly was wandering downtown and had to be removed. Nature offers some wonderful and spectacular phenomenon along this trek. Shannon Falls, the tallest fall in North America at 70 meters, just south of Squamish is easily accessed. Brandywine Falls, south of Whistler, is half as tall but very beautiful.

The South Area Salt Marsh WMA in Ladner, BC, south of Vancouver, produced Bushtits for my life list. Spotted Towhees and Black Capped Chickadees were probably the most frequently seen birds everywhere we went including here. Downy Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, Western Wood Pewee and American Goldfinches also were noted. Three more Bald Eagles were found. Two immatures were flying across the slough. One roosted above my head as I watched the Bushtits.

The Campbell Valley Regional Park south of Langley, BC and just north of the US Border produced another bird for my life list, the Chestnut Backed Chickadee. Barn Swallows were plentiful over the Little River Loop, a marshy area, while Lincoln and Fox Sparrows and Spotted Towhees populated the trails.

Saving the best for last, George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary was my favorite place to bird. When asked where to bird in BC everyone mentioned Reifel, and I would have to agree. George Reifel donated his farm and accompanying salt marsh to the Province on two conditions, that it be maintained forever as a migratory bird sanctuary and that it always bear his father's name. It has been wonderfully maintained and developed as a wetland. Most people I talked with were apologetic that this was not the season for Reifel, migration being far more productive. However, there were plenty of species to observe. The ponds were full of Mallards, Canada and Lesser Canada Geese, Western Sandpiper, Long billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pied Bill Grebe, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Red Winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, Great Blue Herons, and Marsh Wren. Sandhill Cranes were on the mud flats. Four more Bald Eagles and a Red Tailed Hawk worked overhead. The trails produce Black Capped Chickadees, Brown Headed Cowbirds, House Sparrow, Bewick Wren, American Robin, European Starling, House Finches, Wilson Warbler, Red Breasted Nuthatches, Spotted Towhee, and a Common Yellowthroat.

Of course, we had a grand time. Canada is a great place to visit and to bird. Oh ya!

Roy Smallwood is the owner of Kingbirdfeeders.com. Roy began this enterprise after a 26 year career as a teacher of science. His love and enjoyment of the outdoors and birding in particular is the impetus for the company. He is an active member of the Central Texas Audubon Society. He encourages everyone to participate and enjoy birding whether in the backyard or in the field. Visit http://www.kingbirdfeeders.com for binoculars and spotting scopes and happy birding!

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