I wish to point out that the optimum flying experience is often out of the hands of the airline employees. The passengers themselves are to blame for the poor airline reviews. Flying is like going to Disneyland on the warmest and most populated day. You just have to be patient waiting in a three hour line to fly on Dumbo with the rest of humanity.

Here are some things that are not the airline carrier's problem:

1. You get an “organized, herding” kind of feeling and you have an unexplained deep desire to “moo.”.
2. The guy next to you has not bathed in a while and the stench makes your eyes water
3. A huge woman has chosen the middle seat. Her rump expands over to your seat. You are in the window seat and literally seating on the window shade.
4. The gentleman in the middle seat takes both arm rests and insists on reading his newspaper even if his elbow knocks you in the ribs
5. The guy behind you keeps yelling the latest news article that he is reading in his magazine. Unfortunately he is hard of hearing and he thinks everyone else is as well. “I SAID LITTLE GREEN MEN HAVE INVADED CALIFORNIA CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?”
6. The kid in front of you gets out of his seatbelt turns around, smiles and quickly drools in your face. Isn't he precious?
7. The lady in front of you just keeps ordering drinks as her kids jump on the seats, scream and argue. “Sit down little Jimmy or I will be forced to order another white wine and I mean it!”
8. The guy next to you tells you that you look like a famous actress and he would like your phone number. He says this 10 times before you even take-off.
9. The lady behind you chooses the flight home to tell her husband that she wants a divorce and reveals all the sordid details as to why. “Listen Harry, I know about you and Meredith and Jill and FiFi and Bob and the horse and I want a divorce!”
10. The couple next to you decides that the honeymoon destination is not the only place to prove their desire for each other. They decide to ask for a blanket and get an early start on the activities. “Oh baby, yes! Yes!”

So as you can see the airlines are not really to blame for the diverse and often lousy flying experiences that we all encounter. Dealing with the public on overbooked, delayed, and overcrowded flights has to be one of the worst jobs in the world.

But what do you mean charging me an extra $25 bucks to check in my luggage? Why don't you charge the idiot tying up the line trying to load his casket in the overhead after bumping every passenger in the face as he makes his way down the aisle?

Isn't flying wonderful?

First, and most importantly before I say anything else I will go on record stating that not everyone here is a celebrity or star struck. To the contrary we really wish the celebrities would stop creating the impression that everyone in Southern California is like them. In fact, many of us really wouldn't mind if Hollywood moved to some place like Iowa.
Secondly, our weather drives our lifestyle and our decisions. And yes, we do take our weather for granted, thank you very much. We expect it to be gorgeous outside every day. That's why we live here and pay some of the highest friggin' prices in the country for real estate and gasoline! Many of us may not be rich but we figure if we have to be poor we prefer to suffer in paradise. So how does this influence us to be who we are?

Our Personality

• Because of our perpetually great weather we're pretty easy going. Come on, wouldn't you be if you lived in weather like this? But don't mess with us; we're not oblivious. In fact, when I asked a Chicago friend who lived here for 18 months what he thought personified a Southern Californian he said "Southern Californians, while very laid back, have a deep streak of assertive personal confidence that is not readily apparent on the outside." In other words, we are really cool.
• Along with being laid-back, we're genuinely very nice and friendly and we expect other people, particularly visitors, to be too. We don't take kindly to rude Easterners. We don't dislike Easterners. Far from it. We have a lot of friends and family who live east of here. We welcome everyone, just not people with attitude. It messes with our easy-goingness. My advice if you are going to visit us, or even think of moving here, is to leave your attitude back where you came from.

We Have Our Own Unique Way of Expressing Ourselves

• We speak in a vernacular particular to our area. We call everyone "dude". We also use words not commonly heard in other parts of the country such as rad, gnarly, awesome, totally and cool. Their use either started here or gravitated here and never left. In SoCal pretty much everything is "cool". Even though it's a bad habit we use the word "like" a lot. People in SoCal say "like" at least three times more in a sentence as people from the "other" coast. For example, we would say "like that was so cool, dude." A friend would respond, "Totally."
• Besides our funny speech we use a fair amount of Spanglish because we live next to Mexico. Not everyone here speaks Spanish but we all know how to say something in Spanglish. We learn it on the playgrounds in school. It's not unusual to hear someone in a bar ask, "Dude, can I have a really cold cerveza?" The bartender responds, "No problemo, dude. You want any snackolas with that?"

Head to the Beach, Surf's Up

• We swim in the ocean even when it's freezing cold. Why? Because we can.
• People think we never get stressed out. We do! When it happens we head to the beach. Oh heck, we head to the beach even if we're not stressed out.
• We surf or we know someone who surfs. It's part of our culture. The diehards get up at 4:00 a.m., grab their boards and head out to the beach to catch some "awesome" early morning waves. In winter the surfers wear wet suits. It's really cool to drive or walk along the beach at daybreak and see them sitting on their boards out in the water waiting for a big one. From a distance they look like a flock of skinny baby seals bobbing on top of the water.

The SoCal Look

• If you've ever visited Southern California you've seen that our clothing and shoe choices are fairly simple. The basic wardrobe for many, regardless of gender, is two t-shirts and two pairs of shorts. One set for summer and one set for winter. More extravagant people own several t-shirts and pairs of shorts. When men dress up they put on a Hawaiian shirt. They don't own a suit or sports coat. Women don a sleeveless, skinny-strap dress and matching flip-flops, or a mini-skirt, tank top and Uggs. To successfully wear this look it helps to be tan and fairly thin. Big girls and big women really don't look good in these skimpy outfits. But of course that does not stop many of them from wearing them. To top off the look, women use sunglasses to push back their long hair, never a headband.
• Speaking of hair length, the surfer chick look is very popular here. It embodies the above wardrobe along with long, preferably straight hair and a large beach bag type purse. Many women carry most of what they own in these bags, including their dogs. Lest you think the Hollywood starlets started this trend, uh-uh. They borrowed the look from the surfer chicks.
• We wear flip-flops year-round. Women often own a pair in every color.

Our Wheels and Roads

• We refer to the distance between two places as the amount of time it takes to get there. It's never "10 miles', it's "20 minutes" or "that'll take you 45 minutes during rush hour."
• We tend to travel on freeways to everything even if traveling the side streets is more direct. What can I say? We're taxed to the hilt for our freeways and we want our money's worth.
• Most cars in the beach areas sport a surfboard rack.
• Some would say we are obsessed with our cars. It's probably because it takes forever to get anywhere but it could also be because our cars stay in better shape than other parts of the country where winter beats the b'jesus out of vehicles. We don't have that problem.
• We don't fear earthquakes but a little rain will cause considerable damage on the roads. We can't drive in the rain. Ask anyone from Seattle or Portland who has ever been here when it happens to be raining and seen us trying to drive on wet roads. They laugh hysterically and liken it to watching people drive bumper cars. Except for those years when El Nino hits and it rains like a mother causing homes to slide off the hills, what we call rain other parts of the country refer to as drizzle. But for us it's an onslaught. We huddle inside, grumble like the world is ending and pray for the sun to return.

Chips, Salsa and Margies

• Because of our proximity to Mexico we eat a lot of Mexican food. Many of us need a daily infusion of Mexican food. We become anemic if we go a day without salsa. We eat fish tacos, carne asada fries, burritos, chips and salsa and guacamole like other parts of the country eat pot roast, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and chicken and dumplings, whatever the heck they are. SoCal babies are born with a predilection for Mexican food. Their moms eat Mexican food throughout their pregnancies so the babies are conditioned right out of the womb to crave taquitos.
• Walk into a SoCal kitchen and you are likely to see avocadoes (for guacamole of course), fresh tomatoes and chiles (for making salsa) and artichokes. In other parts of the country people have no idea what to do with an artichoke. And we're happy about that because it means more artichokes for us.
• In other parts of the country they hold summer barbecue cookoffs. We hold salsa cookoffs.
• We also eat a lot of fresh citrus because citrus trees grow in our backyards the way grass grows elsewhere. We pity the poor soul who doesn't have an orange or lemon tree in the yard. Not sure how those folks get through January without freshly squeezed orange juice. In my yard we grow pixie tangerines and limes. We have to; we need them for margaritas, which brings up another topic.
• Our alcoholic beverage of choice is the margarita. I don't know if there are any statistics but I'll bet we consume more tequila per capita than anywhere in the continental United States. Seriously. You'd agree if you ever drove through Pacific Beach on a Saturday night. You think all those drunk 20-somethings are quaffing scotch? You can find margaritas here of every flavor and concoction, but a true Southern Californian likes em the traditional way made with fresh lime juice or mix and a really really good tequila. Okay, the younger set that's out to get drunk isn't particular about their tequila and would just as soon drink Jose Cuervo Gold ("totally" cheap stuff made gold with caramel coloring.) The rest of us go for the premium stuff: silver, resposado (rested) or anejo (old). We do have standards, ya know.

We Have Our Faults

• If you've never been here and you're under the impression that Southern California is without fault, well, think again. We do have faults. Really big ones in fact that cause earthquakes. Indeed that can be a problem if they are big enough but generally they are not. It just freaks out the tourists who ask us how on earth we tolerate living here. Gee, I don't know. An occasional earthquake that shakes the dust off the window sills versus living in the path of killer hurricanes or tornadoes or putting up with winter so bad our patoosies would fall off? Hmm, not a hard choice.
• Our traffic is another thing we're not proud of but it's not like we're the only part of the country with traffic. We don't let it upset us; instead we go to the beach.
• Finally there is one last blemish and it concerns our weather. No, I'm not going to brag again about our perfect weather (but did I mention we have great weather here?) In fact for two months a year our weather is pretty rotten by our standards. You might think I'm talking about the middle of winter but it's the late spring/early summer. We refer to these months as May Gray and June Gloom. For eight weeks the coastline is socked in with overcast gray skies and fog. Sometimes it's so thick it comes down like rain. And I tell you it is downright depressing! I often feel sorry for the tourists who scamper out here right after their offspring get out of school for summer break. They emerge from the airport wondering what happened to the sun. Sometimes it will peak out after the noon hour but often not. They spend a week at the beach wondering what all the talk was about Southern California being so great. They go home shaking their heads. I consider it a blessing. One more family that WON'T move here. Of course we never tell those folks that the sun comes out in July.

Everything Historical Happened On The Trace. Everything.

One curious thing you’ll note is that about every mile or so there is a historic site, e.g., at this site, a treaty was signed that created the West Florida boundary or where a scenic swampland is that contains the last known some such weed. This is cool for about 5 or 6 miles. After that, it’s annoying. So many historic events could not have happened along this one roadway. It’s simply not possible. I believe that what happened is that before anybody did anything of import, they first agreed to move their dealings to the Natchez Trace so that it would become a historic site. I can see some bully U.S. general (stealing more Native American land) telling an Indian chieftain, “Whoa whoa whoa there Sleepy Bear. We can’t sign this treaty right here in the middle of nowhere. No one will remember it. We need to all move over to that dirt path where all the other important stuff went down and sign there. We’ll be famous. Octogenarians from all over the country will stop here in their RVs and read about us.” (This U.S. general was a distant relative of Nostradamus and knew that there would one day be recreational vehicles.)

The Trace Takes Longer To Drive Than To Fly To The Moon

FYI, if you travel the entire Natchez Trace and stop at every historic site, it will take you 3 years, 7 months, and 14 days to make it. That’s assuming you don’t break the 50 mph speed limit, which, by the way, is a ridiculous speed limit because it only gives the old folks an excuse for going so slow.

1. Most Tattooed Person

   
   
   This one is very impressive, seeing how getting a tattoo of a dot is very painful. This record was set by Lucky Diamond Rich who has spent 1000 hours of his life getting tattoos that cover his entire body.

2. Most Books Typed Backwards

   This one seems very tricky ... I still don't know where anyone would get the idea to do this. It's amazing, actually, seeing as he did it entirely by memory. Michele Santelia of Campobasso, Italy typed 58 books backwards without looking at the screen and with a blank keyboard. He typed books in their original language ... ranging from The Odyssey to The Book of the Dead.

3. Most Rattle Snakes To Be in A Bathtub With

   
   
   This one I've heard of, but I still think these guys are crazy, in a good way. In 1999 Jackie Bibby and Rosie Reynolds-McCasland sat in different bathtubs both with 75 rattle snakes in Los Angeles California.

4. Most Live Rattlesnakes Held in Mouth

   
   
   One of the same guys as the last record, still insane, still awesome. In 2006, Jackie Bibby held 10 Rattle Snakes in his mouth for 10 seconds. In New York City, this is one of many Jackie Bibby Records.

5. Car Window Opened by a Dog the Fastest

   I think this record is cool because if I had a dog that could open a window for me, my ultimate dream would come true. Striker, a border collie owned by Francis V. Gadassi from Hungary, set this record.

6. Largest Collection of Penguins

   Most people have collections. Like me they, keep you from going crazy I collect human hair. Just kidding, but this collection is very impressive. It consist of 2,520 different penguins. And belongs to Brigit Berends.

7. Largest Gathering of People Dressed As Gorillas

   
   
   I can't really type this with a straight face because it is so hilarious of a concept. This gathering consisted of 637 people dressed as gorillas. It was organized to raise money for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

8. Longest Title of a Book

   This one is great. As an active reader, I find this one very entertaining. The full title is "Per favore dite a mia madre che faccio il pubblicitario lei pensa che sono un pierre e che quindi regalo manciate di free entry e consumazioni gratis a chi mi pare, rido coi vips, i calciatori le veline e le giornaliste, leggo Novella e mi fotografano i paparazzi, entro neI privé saltando la coda, bevo senza pagare, sono ghiotto di tartine e gin tonic, ho la casa piena di oggetti di design, conosco Paris Hilton, Tom Ford ed Emilio." It was written by Davide Ciliberte of Italy.

9. Fastest Modeling of a Balloon Dog

   
   
   I one reason I find this interesting is because it brings back horrible, horrible memories. This record is amazing, seeing as if most people even attempted to create a balloon dog it would blow up in their face, me included.

10. Fastest Time to Run Across 100 Meters of Ice

    I really don't know where anyone would get the idea to do this, but it is an amazing feat nonetheless. This was beaten in 2006 by, Nico Surings from Netherlands, in 17.35 seconds.

The first thing I noticed was how incredibly difficult it can be to get to New York from Oklahoma City. Apparently, there are no direct flights - at least, not on the airline we flew, and certainly not with the free tickets a very dear friend provided. We left home at dark-thirty in the morning, and took advantage of a four-hour layover in Chicago to have lunch at Navy Pier. Eventually, we landed in what I thought was a suburb of New York City, the way Moore is a suburb of Oklahoma City, a little place called Islip, Long Island.

In my Oklahoma mind, everything "up north" is just a cab ride away. Need to get from Connecticut to Rhode Island? Take a cab! Need to get from Long Island to Manhattan? Take a cab! Oh, and better take a credit card with no limit. A cab ride from Long Island to Manhattan is $150. Apparently, in the civilized world of the East Coast, people take trains. Well cool, I thought. A train! I haven't ever been on a train (except for the subway ride in Chicago for lunch, earlier that day).

Did you know that commuter trains run on electric tracks, even in the middle of a thunderstorm? Neither did I. Did you know that some commuter trains go underwater to reach their destination? You did? Well, let me tell you, it was a shock to this poor, claustrophobic, water-phobic and now train-phobic little Okie.

So okay - we made it into Manhattan and took yet another train, called a subway (did you know those are actually underground? You did?). The subway dumped us and our eleven-hundred pieces of absolutely essential luggage "near" our hotel, according to the map. "Near" our hotel, in New York-speak, is within ten city blocks. In the rain. Wearing three-inch heels. I know, I know - that was dumb. But hey, I don't travel much. I wanted to look nice on the plane!

But we made it! Suddenly, I looked up and Times Square was right there , in full, living, neon color. Holy cow! This leads me to the next thing I noticed about New York; despite what we've all been told, New Yorkers are very, very nice people. Not a single person spit on me, hit me, or even said something to offend my delicate sensibilities as I lurched down the sidewalk, dragging luggage and banging other pedestrians in the process. Everyone smiled and made way for us and didn't seem to mind the bruises at all.

The next morning, we hit the streets. Once again, I looked around, and it was still here! I was in the real deal, the big city, good golly, I was in Gotham. Patrick, being the planner that he is, had made what he referred to as a suggested itinerary, which in reality means that he had planned our day in fifteen-minute increments. I was willing to go along with all this, and then we turned the corner and probably for the first time in my life, I looked up at a street sign, just to see where I was.

I have a difficult time breathing even now, just remembering and reliving that glimmering moment in my mind, the moment I realized that I was standing on 5 th Avenue. Oh, manna from Heaven, oh, praise the retail gods, I have seen Mecca and I will never be the same.

Oh, how my heart pounded! My pupils dilated, I had a hard time breathing, and I know that Patrick thought I had surely lost what little was left of my mind. Chanel! Tiffany! Gucci! Oh, be still my heart! At one point, I realized that my mouth was very, very dry. Since we'd just had breakfast, I was a bit surprised to find myself so thirsty, until I walked by a large plate glass window and saw my reflection. My mouth was, literally and no joke, hanging open. I was gawking . I looked like a person with some horrible, unnameable disease….and then I saw it.

Prada.

I forgot my aching, blistered feet. I forgot to breathe. I forgot to stop at the intersection and I think I forgot Patrick. Prada - the land of shoe dreams. Prada, *gasp* having a monstrous (albeit it a discreet monstrosity) sale. On shoes. Prada shoes, 75% off. I was, at that moment, glad we had finally written our will, because I was quite sure I would die on the spot. I whizzed through the store like a dervish, screeched myself upstairs to the sale shoes, and promptly fell in love with the most beautiful, the most impractical, the most I-must-have-it-or-cease-breathing stiletto-heeled pump in the known universe. Did I mention it was 75% off?

Did I mention that my size was not available? Oh, coulda, shoulda, Prada.

I've been to New York. My life may never be the same.

There were five of us from our family on this trip. Our son had joined us as had my parents. They had decided to forgo the pleasures of shopping though my Mum did put in an order for sandals. Since she and I take the same size shoe that would be no problem. So Steve and I set off.

Past the Chinese equivalent of the fast foods where the aroma was a heady mix of Asian spices, cooking smells and body odor - not offensive just noticeable. And around the corner. This place was definitely open for business.

There was the inevitable distraction of baby clothes. Our first grandchild was about to be born so she was at the top of our shopping list. Cute dresses (the pink corduroy dress with the white lace blouse was absolutely adorable), and pretty silk pants and tops were the most difficult to ignore.

But attention had to be paid to what had become the main purpose of this shopping trip - the sandals. The first five shops did not have the style we wanted but the sixth one came up trumps. They had the right style in the right size in a nice color. And so the negotiations started.

- “200 yuan.”

This was clearly way over priced. From our previous observations and conversations with others we were expecting to pay 70 yuan.

- “Oh No,” with much shaking of the head, “too much, too much - 20 yuan.”

- “No No,” arms moving randomly at great speed finally pointing to the object under discussion. “This quality see see,” attempting to demonstrate his point. “Quality - 150 yuan.”

- “No No much too much,” this time I added waving hands to the head shaking routine. “50 yuan”

- “Okay, okay, for you special price 100 yuan.”

- “70 yuan,” delivered with a no nonsense voice.

- “90 yuan”.

- “70 yuan,” delivered with the same no nonsense voice. We have reached our limit. And he knows it.

- “Okay, 70 yuan.”

Cheerfully he places our purchase into a plastic bag and we hand over the money. With smiles all round we depart his shop and head back the the hotel.

Mum is pleased with her new walking sandals, so much so that Dad decides he would like a pair too. So it is back to the market place with Dad in tow. We head back to the same shop and find a pair that fit.

- “200 yuan.”

- “No way. The last pair cost us 70 yuan. We want the same price.”

He smiled. “Okay, 70 yuan.”

Sandals safely secured in a plastic bag, Dad decides a pair of shorts and a shirt would be a good idea. With the help of a lovely Chinese lady we purchase these items. Somewhere in the midst of all this activity I decide I too want a pair of shorts.

Using gestures rather than words I managed to convey that I wanted a pair of shorts for me. Our lovely lady produced a pair that I instantly knew were too small.

- “Bigger, bigger,” with arms trying desperately to convey my message.

But this is to no avail as she continues to hold out the same pair of shorts. Further entreaties on my part to get a bigger pair are wasted as she indicates she wants me to try these on over the top of my trousers right there in the street. Seeing no way out I agree, stepping into the shorts as she holds them out for me.

By this time we have attracted a large audience. I am laughing as are the twenty or so locals who have gathered to watch our very earnest sales lady try to pull the shorts up over my derrière. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts she too sees the humor in the situation.

- “Ah,” she giggles. “Bigger, bigger.”

- “Yes bigger bigger”, I laugh.

A quick flurry into a pile of garments produces a bigger pair of shorts that fit perfectly. The price negotiation was quick and the sale completed with ease.

Saying goodbye to the crowd that had now nearly doubled in size, we headed back to the hotel. Wow did we have a story to tell our fellow travelers.

DRIVE A PROFESSIONAL NASCAR STOCK CAR

NASCAR is considered to be one of the most widely viewed sporting competitions in the USA and due to its popularity a cottage industry was created to fuel the ultimate fan demands. Now fans can visit a racing school to learn how the car(s) work and learn how to actually drive them under racing conditions. After several hours of classroom time and a few quick laps around the racetrack with an instructor, then you will be let loose on the track to take your solo laps. Can you even imagine the pure excitement you will get pushing the petal to the metal and racing around the racetrack at 160 mph.

There are racing schools located all over the United States and prices do vary depending on which racing package that the customer chooses. Prices typically range from $399.00 (8 laps) - $2899.00 (100 solo laps) and there is even a package for the people who would prefer to ride and not do any driving starting at $129.00.

This extreme sport is not only affordable, but also extremely dangerous in an exciting way.

GO SKYDIVING

Skydiving is a high-speed aerial sport that exposes its participants to the real risk of injury and death, however it is this kind of risk coupled with the sensation of diving towards the earth at over 200 mph makes this extreme sport worth doing.

Prices do vary depending on what package the client selects, but you can expect to cough up about $85 to $200 (for a static line jump) and up to $300 for a tandem jump (that's with an instructor attached to your back). Skydiving equipment, airplane ride and instruction is usually included in these prices. Always ask travel agents or skydiving instructors about all associated costs before reserving a seat on the plane.

BUNGEE JUMP OFF OF THE BLOUKRANS BRIDGE

Bloukrans is the largest and highest bridge in Africa, the third highest bridge and the largest single span arch bridge in the world. The Guinness World Records has recognized the Bloukrans Bridge as the Highest Commercially Operating Bungee in the World suspended at 216 meters (708.6614 feet) over the Bloukrans River.

Bungee jumping from these heights requires a life and death attitude even before stepping out onto the specially designed catwalk located just beneath the road surface. Whether you decide to make the leap on your own accordance or you are like me and will need a gentle nudge off of the platform, the heart-pounding rush of adrenaline must be unimaginably freeing to the soul.

Taking a leap of faith like this is not all that expensive if you are already visiting Africa. Again, prices do very depending on which package is selected, but an inexpensive package generally starts at R580.00 (USD $85.08466 currency rate on October 09, 2007).

More about this bridge, then checkout this site that I had found while doing research. After I discovered David Barrett's website and blog, I was totally impressed and engaged with his travels and experiences that he shares with the world.

SHOT OVER JET BOAT RIDE (NEW ZEALAND)

If you are a boating enthusiast, then taking a Shot Over Jet Boat Ride is absolutely an insane water thrill ride. The Shot Over Jet Boat hydroplanes across water only a few inches deep, barely avoiding sharp rocks and canyon walls all the while reaching top speeds of 55 mph. You tell me that this ride would not be a total mind-blowing ride of a lifetime.

Not including travel expenses to New Zealand, reserving a seat on board a Shot Over Jet Boat starts at $69.00 (for children 5 to 15 years old) and $109 (For Adults) and for more information go to Shotoverjet.com.

WHITEWATER RAFTING (THE OCOEE RIVER)

Whitewater rafting is one of the most thrilling water activities on the planet. The Ocoee River is no tame beast by any stretch of the imagination as rafters are repeatedly faced with a new set of terrifying challenges around every bend. Experienced whitewater rafters are the only ones allowed to paddle this river solo and everyone else must attend a short safety course usually lasting about one-hour, then everyone is issued life jackets and paddles, before boarding the raft. A raft can carry 6 or 7 people including the river guide, but some outfitters do have larger boats that carry more people.

“The Ocoee River offers two separate sections of big waves, large drops and surging whitewater. This Tennessee River was the site for the whitewater canoe and kayaking events of the 1996 Olympic games. The Ocoee River produces the most continuous stretch of Class III and IV rapids of any river in the country”, according to Rolling Thunder River Company.

Price Range: $38.00 per person to $80.00 per person (depending on package type)

HIKE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL (THRU-HIKING)

Hiking in general is not considered to be an extreme sport, but that old clique goes right out the window as soon as hiking the entire distance of the Appalachian Trail comes into play. The Appalachian Trail covers a distance of 2,175 miles from Maine to Georgia and hiking the entire length of the trail is a mammoth feat of endurance and skill. Hiking this distance usually takes six months navigating various types of terrains and overcoming all that Mother Nature has to throw at you along the way. Only 1 out of every 4 hikers ever finish this extreme hiking experience.

Depending on how much hiking and camping gear that the hikers already own, then the cost of this trip will vary from $3000.00 to $5000.00 per individual hiker to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Along the trail hikers can visit towns and cities that dot the landscape and take a hot shower, purchase more supplies and send out mail.

HANG GLIDING

Flying like a bird and soaring through the sky while skillfully navigating the unseen wind is one of the coolest places to be. Hang gliding is a sport that can cost an estimated $6000.00 in training to gain the required skills to fly as high as 10,000 feet, but there are places around the country that offer tandem flights for as little as $120.00. This is an adventure that will deliver the adrenaline at an affordable price.

ICE SAILING ACROSS A FROZEN LAKE

This is undeniably one of the most insanely fast land sports (without wheels) that an individual can do. Blazing across a frozen lake bed at speeds approaching 100 mph riding on nothing more than a blade-supported sailboat, just a few inches from the ground sounds frighteningly exciting. Let's not even think about wiping out at these high speeds.

Equipment Rental Price Range: $50.00 (half-day rental) - $120.00 (full-day rental)

ALPINE DOWNHILL SKIING

Whoosh to the right and swoosh to the left and lift-off over that slope. Tuck the arms in and bend the legs and speed over the cold, white snow at over 60 mph. Ok, maybe not that fast just starting out, but plenty of spills along the way while getting use to your ski legs. The great thing about skiing is that there is a bunny hill for the beginners and that there will always be that one guy who will blindly try the big hill, before he's ready. Look out for that tree!

Price rates vary according the ski package selected. Skiing still decently affordable for most middle income Americans and tourists.

STORM CHASING ADVENTURE

We have all seen those crazy people who chase after devastatingly powerful tornados and storms. Usually parked a few hundred yards from an approaching funnel cloud, then slowly and suddenly a tornado starts to twist the storm clouds about and the mighty wind bouts about everything that stands in its way. Now this experience can be yours for the low price of $2500 for 6 fun-filled days of tempting fate one tornado at a time.

Yes, it is totally true. There are several companies on the Internet that offer storm chasing tours that are designed for the public. Of course, these are professional storm chasing outfits and safety is the number one goal, so relax and enjoy a storm.

1. GO SKYDIVING

   
   
   Skydiving has to be the most incredible ride of a lifetime. Taking a leap-of-faith out of the cargo hold on a B90 King Air airplane at an altitude of approximately 30,000 and free falling for about 2 minutes requires courage or just an “I am dying anyways” attitude. At this height, it requires breathing pure 100% oxygen, so to prevent getting the “bends” that could result in death.
   
   Can you imagine the rush that skydiving is falling at more than 120+MPH straight towards the earth, knowing that there is a chance that this jump could possible be your last?

   Fact:

   Skydiving is statistically safer than scuba diving.

2. DOCK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

   
   
   Can anyone spare a little extra change of about $20 million to book a trip to spend a week on board the International Space Station. Wow, this vacation would be the trip of a lifetime. Just imagine, staring out from the International Space Station and gazing at the awesome blue marble that we know as Earth and experiencing weightlessness would be a hoot, too. You'll be sent a postcard or an email or something for your donation.

   Fact:

   The International Space Shuttle has taken more than 293,141 images of the earth. The Space Shuttle has taken more than 287,116 images, the Mir with 2,512 images and the Skylab with a mere 37 images that are stored in NASA's databases.

3. EDGE OF SPACE SUPERSONIC JET RIDE

   
   
   Ok, you don't have a spare $20 million to spend for a 7-day trip to the International Space Station. That's fine, but you don't have to give up. How about considering a trip to the edge of space in a British Jet Fighter called the Lightning? Just think about it for a minute. Imagine flying 60,000 feet high over the earth at a speed of 50 thousand feet per minute and seeing the curvature of the earth. Now, that would fill a barf bag up with a stomach full of excitement.

   Fact:

   To put 60,000 feet in perspective, it's like stacking 41.29 Empire State Building one on top of another and still fall a little short of the height that this flight would take you.

4. TAKE A RIDE ON A RUSSIAN MIG-FIGHTER JET

   
   
   The modern-day cold war will just have to wait until after we get our chance to take a ride on the legendary MiG-29 or the extraordinary MiG-31 Foxhound, while pulling G's way beyond the speed of sound. The best thing is that the Sokol Aircraft Plant in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia is not that far from Alaska, so if we book this adventure right, then we have the chance to see Alaska, too.

   Fact:

   The MiG-31 Foxhound can travel at a top speed of 1,865 mph using its power- plant of two 34,171-lb after-burning thrust Soloviev D-30F6 turbofans.

5. DIVE TO THE TITANIC ON-BOARD A SUBMARINE

   
   
   If you feel more comfortable exploring the mysteries beneath the oceans, then visiting the world-famous Titanic must be at the top of any things to do list before you die kind of thing. For a mere $35,000 you could be one of the chosen few to see first hand probably the world's most famous shipwreck. Traveling down to 3800 meters to the ocean's bottom where light is a stranger this deep below the surface and the beast are tough.

   Fact:

   Only 706 passengers and crew managed to overcome the tragic sinking and the elements out of more than 2222 passengers and crew.

6. CLIMB THE GREAT PYRAMID OF EGYPT

   
   
   Following in the footsteps of King Khufu and travel back in time to 2720-2560 BC to marvel at the engineering masterpiece of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza. An estimated 2.6 million blocks weighing as much as 70 tons apiece were used in the construction of the Great Pyramid. Can you imagine the sense of achievement that it would be to climb to the top of the 482-foot Great Pyramid and panning the vast desert landscape?

   Fact:

   The subterranean chamber leads to a passage that descends 345 feet beneath the earth. It's foundation covers thirteen areas and has lost 33 feet of all of its dimensions due to erosion of its marble encasing that once was used to protect the pyramid from the brutal desert elements.

7. VISIT THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

   
   
   The Great Wall of China was built in the Qin, Han and Ming dynasties as defensive fortifications during the Warring States Periods of the Yan, Zhao and Qin dynasties. However, it did not become known as the Great Wall until the Qin dynasty. The construction required an army of labor that included soldiers, prisoners and average people to complete the more than 4163 miles of the wall. With a history of more than 2000 years, this is on destination that cannot be missed out on.

   Fact 1:

   It took The China Great Wall Academy 45-days to survey all of the 101 sections of the Wall in different provinces. That's one time-consuming job.

   Fact 2:

   The Chinese call the Wall “Wan-Li Qang Qeng” when translated 10,000-Li Long Wall, which 10000 Li equals about 5000 km. It was built solid with a thickness of 30 feet at its widest area and a mere 15 its narrowest sections.

8. COVERT OPS

   
   
   Live out your wildest dream of becoming an ultra-secret covert agent and assigned a mission to take down the enemy hideout and complete the mission. No, you don't have to join the military to experience the action of a realistic covert operation and receive covert ops training before the mission begins.
   
   Incredible-Adventures.com offers such a vacation for the most extreme vacation adventurers among us. I found this website while researching for this article and was amazed at what some people are willing to do, just to add a little adventure in their lives. Sure, combat pistol training and high-speed evasive driving excises sounds might exciting and becoming secret agent 021 (3 times more lethal than 007) has always captured the attention of may young men and boys the world over.

   Fact:

   Dropping down behind enemy lines operating under deep cover and carrying out missions only a few high-level government officials have approved is normally referred to as Covert Ops (Covert Operations).

9. DIVING WITH SHARKS

   
   
   After watching the movie Jaws, it seemed like the perfect extreme vacation that would scare the heck out of you and overload the senses with unthinkable excitement. Great white sharks circling the cage like a prehistoric stealth bomber planning its attack. The only thing that is between you and them is a stainless steel cage. Every time the sharks crash into the cage with the power of truck the strength of the engineering is being tested. Diving with sharks is on this list, because the attraction can eat the spectators.

   Fact:

   The world-record for the largest Great White Shark was caught in 1948 and measured at 21 feet long almost 5 feet longer than the average size Great White Shark.

10. TAKE AN AFRICAN SAFARI

    
    
    One of the coolest vacations that a person could ever take is booking an African safari. Just think how amazing it would be to actually observe nature's magnificent beasts roaming free in the wild. Loins resting under the shade, while hippos waddle about in the mud holes and elephants standing guard out in the distance. Look! There is a pair of giraffes grazing on those trees and checkout those rhinos as they charge. Pilanesberg National Park is South Africa's fourth largest national park comprising 212 square miles of nature at her best.

    Fact:

    Pilanesberg National Park is the home of Africa's Top Five animal attractions including lion, leopard, black and white rhino, elephant and buffalo, not to mention the zebra, hippo, giraffe and crocodile that an adventurer may be faced with on an African Safari.

1. Muck, in the Inner Hebrides

   We’re cheating on this one a bit, as Muck derives from the Gaelic name Eilean nam Muc. It’s so small that if you moved there you’d barely push the population up over thirty people. Appropriately, it’s one of the Small Isles, and is only 2.5 miles from one side of the island to the other. One earlier owner of the place tried to persuade the famous Samuel Johnson that it was actually called the Isle of Monk - but failed.

2. Maggots End, in Essex

   In the Hertsfordshire.com listing of villages in the county, there’s no entry for this place. However, we know there’s a farm there, as anyone taking a walk from Manuden to Furneux Pelham needs to turn right at Maggot’s End farm. Maybe the maggots have finished the place off.

3. Pratt’s Bottom, in Kent

   Of course, any place with Bottom in the title is likely to get a laugh, even though bottom may mean nothing more amusing than a valley. Back in 1773 this place was known as Spratt’s Bottom, but less than 20 years later it had lost the initial S, and Mr Spratt had turned into a Pratt.

4. Nether Wallop, in Hampshire

   Before your imagination starts to boggle, consider this: fields in Nether Wallop are identified, by one Dr. Guest, with the Gualoppum of Nennius, one of the last battlefields of Vortigern the warlord with the Saxons. And Danebury hill is crowned with an ancient camp. So even though we may scoff at the name, it has history.

5. Nasty, in Hertfordshire

   This is definitely a place that causes difficulty. From one ad on the Net we have this line: Nasty Jobs, a local guide to recruitment agencies and vacancies Another talks about Nasty web sites and information.

6. Thong, in Kent

   To say, ‘I live in Thong,’ might easily be misconstrued, especially by someone who’s a little hard of hearing. Even worse, some people live in Netherthong, up in West Yorkshire. Now that’s really stretching it!

7. Mid Yell, in the Shetland Isles

   Again, telling someone you’re in Mid Yell might make them look strangely at you. What is a mid yell, anyway? And how do you define it? Nevertheless, Mid Yell is thriving, with a school, two fish processing plants, medical services, shops and the smallest petrol station you’re likely to see.

8. Rest and Be Thankful, in Strathclyde

   This is the highest point on the A83 between the northern end of Loch Fyne and Loch Long. It’s obviously a bit windy up there as in 2002 a lorry was blown off the road. Maybe not so restful after all.

9. Dykehead, in Strathclyde

   This ambiguously-named town seems always to be hear of in conjunction with a place called Shotts. The Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band is one of the best known features of the area. In fact, the Band has won the World Pipe Band Championships no less than fifteen times.

10. North Piddle, in Worcestershire

    What can we say about this, except that another Piddling place, Wyre Piddle, has a brewery which produces ales with names such as Piddle in the Hole, Piddle in the Wind, Piddle in the Dark and Piddle in the Snow.

1. Its 85 degrees in March and there are more people driving than when the weather is bad.
2. A 30% chance of rain makes headline news, right below the story about which celebrity has ended up in jail.
3. People are doing the electric slide to rap music on roller skates at the beach and no one finds this at all out of the ordinary.
4. Freeway numbers are preceded by "the," and you know this because the freeway entrance is in your back yard.
5. You are surprised if you hear less than 5 languages spoken over the course of a day, and often more surprised if one of them is English.
6. There is a donut shop on every corner, directly next to a gym with an escalator out front.
7. LAX is an airport and not a method for relieving constipation.
8. You use MapQuest to look up directions to neighborhoods that you have never heard of at least once a month, then laugh at the estimated travel time that MapQuest provides.
9. Your sunglasses are twice the size of your dog, which you carry around in a handbag.
10. The rent of your 120 square foot studio apartment is twice as high as your first mortgage.

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