Category: Family Day Trips
National Parks – A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks
December 7, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 1 Comment
National Parks – A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks By Erin McHugh Published at Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers About the book “During National Parks Week, we reaffirm our need to maintain connections to the natural world.” —President Barack Obama President Obama has shared his views that it’s important for all of our country’s citizens to acknowledge the value of the natural world around us. National Parks helps families explore that world—the diversity, beauty, and history found in our national park system. Arranged alphabetically by state, this fun-filled book tours more than 75 U.S. parks, monuments, and landmarks, from the rocky shores of Maine’s Acadia National Park to the ancient redwood groves of Northern California. Also included is a removable, fold-out collector map to house the 56 America the Beautiful commemorative quarters! Through fascinating text and hundreds of vintage-style illustrations and photographs, ranging from digitally... [Read more...]
Fall and Winter Warning about Blacklegged Ticks
December 4, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
An earlier post, Top 10 things RVers Should Know about Ticks, stressed the fact that ticks can be active even in the winter. That’s right! Adult stage blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) become active every year after the first frost. They’re not killed by freezing temperatures, and while other ticks enter a feeding diapause as day-lengths get shorter, deer ticks will be active any winter day that the ground is not snow-covered or frozen. This surprises people, especially during a January thaw or early spring day. Remember this fact and hopefully you’ll never be caught off-guard. Campers, hikers, and hunters should take special precautions in the woods during fall and winter to avoid this winter-resilient tick that transmits Lyme disease, according the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). “We are trying to make the hunters aware that there are ticks in some of these areas and asking them to check their deer,” said Lindsay Rist, wildlife communication... [Read more...]
Georgia on My Mind: Cumberland Island Turns 40
November 28, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Cumberland Island National Seashore recently (October 23) celebrated its 40th anniversary. Access to Cumberland Island is by a concession operated passenger ferry, The Cumberland Lady. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved When President Richard Nixon signed federal legislation creating the national seashore off the coast of Georgia in October 1972, it culminated what Park Service officials said was “a long and complex process of obtaining support from various individuals and groups to make Georgia’s largest barrier island one of America’s national parks, reports nationalparkstraveler.com.” Before the National Park Service acquired most of the island for a national seashore, 90 percent of it was the private domain of Lucy and Thomas Carnegie (brother of Andrew) and their descendants. The Carnegies bought the island in the 1880s and built five mansions on it during the next two decades. The most superb house was the opulent 59-room, Queen Anne-style Dungeness on the island’s... [Read more...]
Book Review – Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World
November 26, 2012 by Canadianladybug · Leave a Comment
When you travel with your RV, you sometimes plan where you will end up. And one of the places we would love to bring our children is definitively Walt Disney World. My husband and I dream of the day where we can surprise the kids with an extended trip to Florida and explorations to places like Walt Disney World. I wish I would know when this could happen. I am hoping in a near future. In the meantime, we plan places to visit and where to stay. We have found a very reasonable place to stay for an extended period of time. We just need to figure out when we will go now. As part of our planning, I stumbled on an interesting book which highlights the secrets of Walt Disney World. Here’s my review of it. The Hidden magic of Walt Disney Wold – Over 600 secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom Written by Susan Veness Published at F+W Media About the book Sure, it’s the Happiest Place on Earth, but how much do... [Read more...]
Plowing for Diamonds in Arkansas
November 20, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public. On average, two diamonds are found each day at the park. The state park’s policy is finder-keepers. What park visitors find is theirs to keep. Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The colors found at the Crater of Diamonds are white, brown, and yellow, in that order. The search area at the Crater of Diamonds State Park is a 37 ½-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of the eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit in the world in surface area. Why plow the search field at the diamond mine? The practice of plowing the diamond field goes back to the earliest days of commercial diamond mining, according to Park Interpreter Margi Jenks. In the early 1900s miners used a mule team and farming plow to dig trenches. After tourism began in the 1950s, Millar’s Crater of Diamonds used a road grader to turn over the dirt on what is now the north end of the present diamond search area. Today’s... [Read more...]
Camping in Rose Valley
November 17, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · 2 Comments
Rose Valley has an incredibly easy, short, and beautiful hike to the bottom of the 300-foot high Rose Valley Falls. Go a few days after rainfall and you will experience the falls more full, complete with rushing water at the lower and hopefully upper falls. Just a mile-long round trip, the hike takes you to the bottom of the lower falls, with options for some more extreme hiking to the bottom of the upper falls. During the hike, you have to cross a stream and may have to boulder-hop if the flow is up. Just 15 miles north of lovely Ojai, off Highway 33, Rose Valley is a spectacular section of the Los Padres National Forest. Go for an afternoon hike or for a weekend-long camping trip. At an elevation of 3,450 feet, the Rose Valley Campground consists of a peaceful 9-site single loop of campground sites, serenely shaded by cottonwood trees. The sites are pretty primitive with just fire pits, BBQ grills, and picnic tables. Three small, stocked lakes are nearby as well as the Ojai... [Read more...]
Fabulous Fall Camping Activities–Part 3: The Wool Festival at Taos
November 14, 2012 by Diane Berry · 2 Comments
I have been profiling fun festivals and celebrations to attend when out camping and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Another event not to be missed when out enjoying the beautiful fall camping weather is the premier fall festival in Taos, NM, The Wool Festival at Taos. Attended by people from all over North America, this festival boasts the finest collection of wool and wool-related products around. Celebrating its 29th year in 2012, it has been described as an outstanding regional wool market, featuring juried vendors displaying their wool fiber, yarns, and artistic creations. Taos, NM is a town of about 7000 people but boasts a greater variety of fall festivals and celebrations than many much larger communities. The Taos Fall Arts Festival and Competition is one very popular event, but there are also the Art Studio Tours in Taos, Taos Canyon, nearby Pilar and numerous other surrounding communities. The Wool Festival is billed as the premier fall festival even among that competition. Terry... [Read more...]
Thank You Veterans
November 11, 2012 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
This year on Veteran’s Day, my brother in law, Dennis, was visiting with us for the week. While Veteran’s Day had never meant too much to me as neither my husband nor I have served in the military, it meant a great deal to Dennis. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Dennis wears a cap proudly proclaiming his service most places he goes. Therefore, we thought it only appropriate that we should take him to visit this country’s first Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial during his visit. And, what better time to visit than ON Veteran’s Day. Dennis had no idea that such a memorial existed in our nearby little town of Angel Fire, New Mexico. In fact, most people have no idea this place exists. The memorial was constructed from 1969-1971 and opened in 1971 by Dr. Victor Westphall and his wife, Jeanne. The couple had purchased the 800 acre Val Verde Ranch in Angel Fire in the 1960’s with plans to build a resort there. Nestled in the lovely Moreno Valley between several mountains, it was a lovely location... [Read more...]
Flip, the Stranded Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Returns to Texas
November 11, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
A juvenile female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle named Flip by her rescuers will soon be returning home to the Texas coast. Flip will be transported by plane to Houston, Texas. After her arrival, SEA LIFE Dallas aquarists will transport Flip to ARK (Animal Rehabilitation Keep) in Port Arkansas, Texas. (Source: Sea Life Scheveningen Aquarium) Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest and rarest sea turtle species and one of the most critically endangered species. Flip was found injured and cold, stranded on the shores of Monster (near The Hague, Holland) by visitors to the beach, on December 10, 2011. She was weak, wounded, and had sand in her eyes. Animal Rescue transported Flip to SEA LIFE Aquarium Scheveningen to begin a long rehabilitation process. SEA LIFE aquarists treated her injuries and washed the sand out of her eyes. Flip started to swim later that day. She weighed 1.84kg (4 pounds). Flip was estimated to be two years old and she turned out to be female. On January 9, 2012, the... [Read more...]
Fabulous Fall Camping Activities–Part 2: Red River Oktoberfest
November 11, 2012 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
In honor of fall, I have been profiling a number of fall festivities to entertain you as you camp during one of the most beautiful times of the year. The first was one of two Oktoberfest celebrations in Taos Ski Valley. The second event we attended took place in early October in the small “wild west” town of Red River, NM. It was also a beautiful sunny day, though there was a tiny bit of a chill in the air as we toured the grounds. A much larger event, the Red River Oktoberfest was actually a three day affair. We only attended Saturday but felt we did all the celebrating we cared to in that amount of time. The second event was also replete with contests of all kinds. There was the Miss Oktoberfest Competition. The lovely ladies were required to don their finest Oktoberfest outfit “or dirndl,” and compete for the title. Competition events included an obstacle course and a “stein holding competition.” While we missed the actual competition as we were out hiking in the morning,... [Read more...]
