America

Costa Rican Food History in One Page

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:12:33 PST

COSTA RICA FOOD HISTORY

Columbus came to Cost Rica in 1502
When Spanish came they were interested in Coffee
When Spanish took over for 250 years they influenced food
After Spanish started buying coffee (early 1800s) it became a CR's valuable export
Built railroads to transport coffee (1890)
To fund railroads they planted banana trees

Bananas were soon another valuable export of CR

With money from exports funded education and health
Today cost Ricans are coffee extreme coffee lovers (all businesses are closed around three because of coffee breaks)
GALLO PINTO=RICE AND BEANS
Most sea food exported so they don't eat much
Variety of food because of multiple environments
Makes lots of sugar
Their food has Jamaican heritage
Sugar cane is used throughout their food selection, even drinks
Sweet corn makes up many of the traditional dishes: corn soup, corn pancakes
Tortillas used in every meal
When Spanish found little gold they turned to agriculture
Before Spanish arrived Costa Rica so poor that they even the Governor had to farm his own food

The History of Costa Rican Food

Nobody knows much about the History of Costa Rica before 1502 when Columbus first arrived there. We do know that in the ages before Europeans invaded their culture they developed a typical Mexican diet centered around beans and rice. When the Spanish came and began to make stable colonies about sixty years after Christopher's first voyage to Costa Rica they had an instant interest in the coffee they found. However it wasn't until the early 1800s that coffee became Costa Rica's most valuable product. It was in such high demand that in 1890 railroads were built across Costa Rica to transport it faster. To help pay off the loans needed to make the railroads the Costa Ricans planted banana trees along the rail road tracks. In no time the banana fruit was another extremely valuable product to the people of Costa Rica. The Spanish rule of Costa Rica for 250 years certainly left an influence on many aspects of Costa Rican culture, including food. The strong trade routes of bananas and coffee beans are still running smoothly, as well as the Costa Rican love for coffee. They honor the role coffee has played in their history every day by closing down all stores and business to take a coffee break.

Fly Away! The Ultimate Guide to Budget Airlines Travel

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:13:55 PST

In the past, traveling by air was often considered a luxury because of the fact that airplane tickets cost such a substantial amount of money. Now, almost everyone can allow themselves to fly to their desired destination with the lowest airfares available. Using these great tips and links, airfare packages have never been easier to find cheaply

The concept of low cost airfares is not surprising, and it has become a new trend and phenomenon in the world of traveling. This concept has been well received by low and medium income families who can now also fly to their desired destinations. The foremost aim of the low cost airfare concept is to enable even more people to travel a great deal more often.

How Can Airlines Offer Such Low Cost Airfares?

The low-cost airline's main mission is to offer a more inexpensive, convenient and simpler form of transportation to its travelers. To achieve this mission, the airlines have to cut their costs to a minimum by eliminating some unnecessary expenditure.

The main feature of low cost carriers is that their airfares are extremely lower than other big-scale airline companies. In Europe, for example, their airfares are half or less than that the larger airline company's airfares. Many of these airfares are often lower than train tickets. Despite lower airfares, the profits of these airlines are often higher than larger airlines, with their sales profits going as high as 20 to 30%.

Low cost carriers do not use the major airports, instead they fly to and from secondary airports that are not necessarily the busiest. These secondary airports usually have lower operating costs than bigger major airports. Furthermore, the secondary airports are less congested and their “turnaround times” are shorter for the flights. Many European cities have more than one airport and for many small cities that are adjacent to the major cities, they often have their own airports. Because Europe's railways and highways use a very developed network, the passengers do not usually feel any inconvenience if the airports are located a little farther away from the major cities.

Low-cost carriers maintain lower labor costs because they mainly engage in short-distance business trips, and the pilots and crews do not stay overnight. Their wages are much lower than larger airline companies, and yet the average flying time is much longer. As the routes are allocated for only 2 to 3 hours for the short-haul flights, passengers are not usually provided with free meals. All foods and drinks sold are an addition.

No seats are reserved or allocated for passengers and so they will have to take any seats available, but luggage is allowed to be checked-in and taken on board.

The seating space in the plane is usually narrowed to allow more space for accommodating more passengers on board the flight. In this manner, their revenue can help in boosting their profits by at least 10%. Because flights are generally shorter, the passengers can easily accept the narrow distance between the seats.

These low cost airlines usually sell their air tickets via travel agents, travel-based search engines, and the internet, and do not need to rent a huge office space which may incur higher costs. By booking flights via internet or through an airline's call center, you do not have to pay a travel agent any commission, which would otherwise increase the airfares. You will end up saving even more money by not using travel agents to book a reservation.

Most low cost carriers cut their costs because no arrangements are made with any airline companies on flight transfers or connecting flights which would otherwise be reflected in the airfares. They employ pilots, flight attendants, operations personnel and mechanics who are specialized in a single type of aircraft, which saves the expenditure of re-training the staff, instead of maintaining a stock with parts for different types of aircraft. These are some of the reasons why the pricing is more affordable, economic and extremely low.

7 Essential Tips To Getting Low Cost Airfares

The low cost airline companies will catch your attention with extremely low airfares banners or advertisements that require you to book the tickets 6 or 9 months ahead of the traveling date. You have to grab these opportunities by making a reservation from their respective websites. These airfares get sold very fast.
Once the tickets are sold out, the low-cost seats will not be available anymore and you will have to pay more if you purchase the ticket later. You have to book the ticket immediately as it will last only 24 hours. In other words, you have to plan your trip earlier and book the ticket in advance. By doing this, you may be able to get the best deal that is worth every penny.
Now, you need to get a list of low cost airlines. You may use the suggested list attached in this article to choose your desired traveling destinations. E-mail the airlines to obtain some details on when their companies offer a promotional trip package, when the low cost airfares are on sale, and when to look for seasonal or discounted airfares. Once you get a list from them, you can familiarize yourself with the low cost airlines that fly from your local or nearby airport to your desired destination. This information may also be included on your local airports website.
With these e-mail lists at hand you will be one step closer to getting to know which new destinations are launched that can generally offer discounted or low airfares as an added promotion to attract tourists to visit those places. They also offer numerous packages which can include car rentals and hotels. This way, you can save money instead of paying for each particular aspect of the flight individually.
Browse through the dates on low airfare searches in order to find out how much you can save. You will be surprised to find out that the rates for weekdays, weekends, school holidays, public holidays and seasonal holidays all have different rates. You should try to travel during the off-peak seasons in order to get the discounted or low cost airfare packages.
Because flights are usually not fully occupied during the off season, you will receive better discounts. The airfare in general, is also less for morning flights than for evening flights because the airlines want to make sure the flight will be fully occupied before the plane takes off.
In some cases, you will have to be patient while you wait for the release of cheap airfares. Some big airlines buy tickets in bulk and resell them at lower rates through the internet. This is because they want to sell as many tickets as they can to make sure that their flights are fully occupied.

It is important to do some research trying various sources while looking for cheap airfares. The information is usually available at sites set up by airlines, travel agencies, or travel-based search engine sites. Internet is by far the best option to let you to search through as many sources in the fastest and most most effective way to let you obtain all the information you want. Search engines like Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity or Mobissimo enable you to search travel sites for the cheapest fares by simply entering the date of travel and the destination. After you hit the Search button, all related flights information will be displayed on the screen. If you are happy with the airfare, you can book your ticket immediately.

Remember, do not make a quick decision. You should always check on multiple search engines like Kayak, Cheapflights, Iwantthatflight, Attitudetravel, Qixo, Whichbudge, Cheapair, SKYSCANNER, Wikipedia or Bookingbuddy to compare the airfares. The travel agencies can have prices much higher or much lower than another. Make sure that you check with the airlines about whether the airfare includes routes (direct flights, stopovers or connecting flights), refunds or extra charges, and if their rules for cancellations before buying the tickets suits you.

A hotel plus air package is often worth buying because the prices are offered at a rate lower than the airfare without the hotel accommodations. Lastminute.com has been found to have some of the the best deals in this field. The Travelocity who owns Lastminute is one of the best options for you to book your last minute travel reservations while still helping you save money.

Always make sure that you keep abreast of the different airfares offered by various airlines companies. The prices fluctuate like the stock market and the airlines may update their domestic fares up to two or three times a day. If you are serious about saving your money, you should really check them out regularly.

Try to combine two separate fares rather than buying an individual airfare which will probably cost you more. Travelocity or another travel-based search engine may provide you with even more information regarding combining fares.

Where to Get an Affordable, Economic and Low Cost Airfare?

The links below offer some of the lowest operating costs for airlines in Africa, Asia, Europe, America, Middle East and Oceania regions and were compiled from various resources.

AFRICA REGION

Morocco

Nigeria

South Africa

AMERICA REGION

Argentina

LAPA

Brazil

Columbia

Canada

Mexico

United States

Uruguay

ASIA REGION

Bangladesh

China

Indonesia

Japan

South Korea

Malaysia

Pakistan

Philippines

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Mihin Lanka

Thailand

Vietnam

Pacific Airlines

EUROPE REGION

Austria

Belgium

Brussels Airlines

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Smart Wings

Denmark

Sterling Airlines

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Wizz Air

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

AirBaltic

Netherlands

Norway

Norwegian Air Shuttle

Poland

Romania

Blue Air

Russia

Slovakia

SkyEurope

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Flybaboo

Turkey

United Kingdom

MIDDLE EAST REGION

Kuwait

Jazeera Airways

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

OCEANIA REGION

Australia

New Zealand

I hope this article will be useful and helpful for those who wish to find the cheapest airfare available. Bon Voyage!

The Five Best Ski Resorts in America

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:50:24 PST

In the spirit of winter here in America, I've decided to compile a list of some of the best ski resorts I have been to over the past couple years. Not all of my choices are based on the actual skiing itself, so try not to be alarmed if some of my choices are controversial.

Vail
By far the best ski and snowboard resort in America, Vail is number one on our list. It is over 7 miles wide, and on 80% of the mountain you'll find clear blue skies and open terrain. If you like wide plains and powdered back bowls, Vail is the best place there is. Ranked the largest ski resort in the world, Vail's official site claims on busy days you will only find 4 people per acre. Not to mention the quaint European styled town that really is one of the best in America. One last upside is that Vail is located in Colorado, so if you have the money only a fortunate few can make it over there each year.
Whistler
Though not “technically” in America, I am putting this on the list at number 2. Whistler is located in British Colombia, Canada, so they get all the benefits of being farther north. More snow and an average colder temperature means Whistler is open a long time. This mountain is also one of the largest in the world, with over 200 skiable trails and 8000 acres.
Heavenly
This is one of my favorites, even though it might be a bit controversial. One of the best mountains I've seen in California, Heavenly makes up for its size in quality. The largest in California, Heavenly has 4800 acres of skiable terrain and 95 trails. The reason I like it is because you're in California, and the sun is always shining. Another great thing is Heavenly is open until May 4, when a lot of other mountains have to close in late April. Heavenly really represents it name well… it's heavenly.
Beaver Creek
Look, I'm not putting this on the list for skiing. Beaver Creek is on this list because it is the most family friendly ski resort in America. The town is modern to the utmost, with actual escalators (If you believe me!) leading up to the base of the mountain. Beaver Creek also sports some of the best eateries and hotels in the country, making it a great place if you're not a hardcore skier.
Stratton
Alright, so I'm a little biased from New York, but I had to put at least one east coaster on the list. The East and West coast aren't really comparable, but I think Stratton is the best representative of the East. Almost an exact inch by inch model of the town of Vail, Stratton strives to be close to it's west coat buddies. Now some of you are wondering, we'll why didn't you put Killington or Stowe on the list, I mean, they are much bigger. But I believe in quality not quantity, and Stratton definitely has that as an advantage.

The Trials of Flying to America

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:06:34 PST

America is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and it's not difficult to understand why. They have something for everyone. For those who demand the excitement of city life, it is impossible to beat New York City, with its barrage of neon and flurry of cabs. For those who require something a little more serene, there is the beauty of Massachusetts, Georgia, Tennessee and forty five other states. There are even miles of sandy beach areas close to major cities. For instance, Venice Beach is famous and it's in the heart of Los Angeles.

Now that I have tempted you into booking a flight to the USA immediately, its only fair that I inform you of what you will be treated to before you arrive…the flight. To demonstrate just what is in store, I would like to recount a recent flight I made to New York before catching a connection to Washington DC.

I set off for the airport early with the weather cool. The airport was blissfully quiet and after an uneventful check in, I was given "the forms". The forms provide, in my eyes, the first section of in flight entertainment! They consist of two pieces of bureaucracy. The first inquires about the value of the goods I am bringing into America and the other is the Visa Waiver. Basically, the waiver allows me to enter the US for 90 days to do whatever I want…except get a job, file for welfare, claim a pension or commit any crime (spoil sports). Furthermore, I have to swear that I'm not a terrorist, a communist, a spy, a criminal and that I've never been a Nazi. I have to wonder whether anyone has ever said "yes" to any of these questions. I'm always tempted to say "yes" in an attempt to be funny, however American immigration control…especially in New York, is famous for having large firearms and very little humour!

The flight was actually rather pleasant. The movies were poor, but it didn't matter as I was fortunately sat next to a very nice American lady. We chatted for several hours and after a while, I managed to forget that the seat in front of me had jammed my knees behind my ears and there was a baby screaming behind me.

Since the flight was a connection, I had a 90 minute layover in NY. I sat and read, listening to the permanently annoyed drawl of the New Yorkers rambling around me and boarded my flight at 5pm, heading to Washington DC. It was mercifully under booked and I had a window seat above the engine. I relaxed for nearly five minutes when the captain informed us that an emergency light had flickered to life as he was about to fire the engines and we had to pull off the runway. Suddenly, the window seat over thousands of gallons of jet fuel seemed less appealing. Still, I got a beautiful view of the clouds as we climbed through them and I was happy to be alive for the short flight. Landing in DC, I was amazed that I wasn't anally probed by customs...again, and I headed to the Metro stop, slightly disappointed that Customs had spared me my usual welcome to the US. It's not so bad when you get used to it!

So what have we learned about flying to America? Strike up a conversation with the person next to you whether they like it or not, try and enjoy the probing and never say you are a Nazi…even for a joke!

Discovering the World's Most Mysterious Places

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:04:12 PST

When we were small, we used to assemble wooden blocks to establish a building, but have we ever thought of building up a 100-meter high building like these Egyptian Pyramids? How do we build up the building with huge bricks weighing 100 tons each? These grand and marvelous building structures are amazing and their establishments constitute myths and legendary rumors until now.

In North Africa, there are 80 blocks of such pyramids scattered around the Egypt's Nile River, which have become one of the most miraculous places in the world. The highest pyramid called Cheops Pyramid and it was build by overlapping pile of boulders together. In the making of pyramids, Egyptians were not using any adhesive, glue or nails to attach the pile of boulders and one could even hardly find cracks or gaps among the rocks or stones from the overlapping plot. Nevertheless, the structure is extremely firm and strong that the sharp blades or swords could not even pass through. In addition, Egyptian Pyramids have experiencing 5,000 years of strong wind's erosions and yet these artifacts are remained not touch by the nature. They appeared to stand alone like warriors in the desert. These towering pyramids are such spectacular and superior buildings human had ever made on the Earth.

This is a mysterious place encountered in the Antarctic Island. People call it “a dry valley with no snow cover.” Antarctic is a place with fewer inhabitants and dwellers and thus some unexplainable phenomenon happenings in Antarctica remain mystery to the outsiders. Approximately 14 million square kilometers of the total area of the Antarctic continent have the snow cover. When viewing from the high sky, the central of the Antarctic is like a pot's lid plateau. Most of the areas vividly have their surfaces covered with snow with its thickness reaching 2000m and sometimes may attain the thickness up to 4,800m. In winter, the surrounding ice combines with the ice from the ocean to form up one smooth, large plateau to which people can hardly distinguish between the land and the sea.

Bermuda Triangle is located in Western North Atlantic, which comprises of seven major islands, 150 small islands, some islands composed of reefs group. Any high-tech devices or equipments will become malfunction when reaching this mysterious place and thus the survivors may have encountered problems to communicate with the outside world. Because of its extremely mysterious characteristic, people have called this place as a devil triangle.

In China, people have named this desert as “Moguicheng” or a city of devil. “Moguicheng” is famous in Xinjiang, China. When someone is strolling towards the castle in a sunny day accompanying with a gentle blowing breeze, one may heard a nice rhythm coming from the distance. The melodies are just like 10 million shaking bells, and sometimes one may feel the music like gentle flicking of 10 million guitars' strings. However, when cyclones come, bulks of sands are rising up in the sky by the strong winds, the sky turns pitch dark suddenly like a hell, and the nice music no longer heard but turns into strange sounds. The sounds resemble the roaring of the tigers, trumpeting of the elephants, and sounds by pigs that are being slaughtered, babies' crying, shouting of the women who are going to die, and alternately the sounds change to shouting, mourning and quarreling. The storms are then swirling aggressively by shooting up to the sky accompanying by terrified wolf growling sounds in the cloudy nightfall. People are wandering who had built this city and where do the sounds come from?

This island is legendary full of Surreptitious and specter. Westerners prefer sailing by venturing many historically strange events occurred here in the history of seafaring. In 1707, the British captain of the Andean Julius had discovered this land; however, it was strange that he could hardly reach this land. He later affirmed that this was not an optical illusion, so he marked the “land” on the map. 200 years later, the admiral Makaluofu and his inspection team who were sailing to the North Pole on their icebreaker vessel called "Ye Ermake," accidentally came across this piece of land. In 1925, Navigator called Woershi, too, passed through this land and he memorized the outline of the land. Nevertheless, the investigation team comprising of scientists, who sailed to this land in 1928 never found any islands as claimed by the previous navigators.

This place is located in Henan, China, and local people called it “bingbing bei” or the back of the ice. When midsummer approaches, people tend to move to places that are cool and refreshing. Although the change of four seasons, namely summer, autumn, spring and winter is an unchangeable law, in certain parts of the world, this theory seems not to be applicable. They are some fortunate people live in “warm” zone. This phenomenon is applying to people dwelling in the eastern mountain areas of Liaoning Province, China. They are experiencing warm temperature while other areas of China are experiencing the changes of seasons. Thus, this area has named after this phenomenon as "temperature anomaly zone." This "geothermal anomaly zone" extends from 1.5m out of the town of the left riverbank of Hunjiang to the end part of the right riverbank of Hun River and to the foothills near Guandian Province. The entire length for this "temperature anomaly zone" is approximately 15km, occupying the areas of approximately 106,000 square meters. The advent of summer is always accompanying with a decline of temperature in the area of "temperature anomaly zone." When the temperature reaches as high as 30 degree Celsius during the summer, the temperature is minus 12 degree Celsius at one-meter deep into the underground of this area, and the ice froze underground. When someone dips a drop of water one-meter deep into the underground of this area, the water will immediately turn into ice.

Shennongjia is located at the intersection of Sichuan, in Hubei zone, with the meeting of two rivers, namely China's Yangtze River and Hanjiang River. This region comprises an area of 3,250 square kilometers, accounting for more than 85 % of woodland. The average elevation is 1,700m, with the highest point of 3,105 meters, and with the characteristic of various types of climate. When speaking of Shennongjia, people here will think of “savage.” Since ancient times, large numbers of documentations have revealed the existence of savage roaming around this area. Legendary, people could even hardly identify the authenticity of the savage. The effort of collecting evidence on the existence of savage was initiating by the relevant departments from 1977 to 1980. They had collected savage hairs, footprints and feces left by the savage. This proved to us that a kind of bizarre animal might have existed in Shennongjia not long ago.

This is the famous ancient city of Teotihuacan in America, which called “death to the road.” This region stretched from a so-called main road of “death to the road” to the north-south roadway. In the tenth century AD, Ards heroes who were the earliest team walking along this way leading to a castle found nobody in the city, and thus they believed that the buildings on either side of the road were gods' tomb lands. In 1974, a Mexican person called Dayton • Halisi said that he had found a suitable unit measurement for all these streets and buildings at this city at the International American meeting. This unit length is 1.059m using a calculation from a computer. For example, the units for the Teaodiwakan snake temple, the moon and the Sun Pyramid is the height of 21, 42, and 63 "units" respectively with the ratio of 1:2:3 based upon the ancient calculation.

People not allowed entering this Kunlun Mountains as its name suggested as "The Gates of Hell." This valley is a death valley, which further claims the Kunlun Mountains "The Gates of Hell." The remains found in this valley were the furs, bones, skeletons of wolves, bears and hunters and some scattered lonely tombs, rendering the world in the death of a ghastly terrifying atmosphere. The Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources of a geological team in China had recorded a true story in the year of 1983 on a group of hungry horse that was grazing the grass and disappeared suddenly in the "The Gates of Hell." A herdsman went into the prohibited area of "The Gates of Hell" to search for his horse. After few days, he was found missing but the horse emerged at the foothill of Kunlun Mountains. Later, the herdsman was found lying on a small hill with his clothes badly torn off, barely footed, eyes widely opened with an angry look, a shotgun gripping in one of his hands showing that he was reluctantly to die. The miraculous thing was that no wounds or signs found around his body to show that he had attacked.

Canada Niagara Falls is the world's most mysterious places in the world. Niagara Falls constitutes a part of Canada and the border of United States, the New York State and Ontario, Canada, separating from the Niagara River by flowing northward from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario with a total length of nearly 30 miles. Located in the north, covering an area of 250,000 square miles, Niagara Falls is a smooth exit to these lakes. Its maximum water flow reaches 250,000 cubic feet per second. Niagara Falls is indeed very awesome.

This Geysering is a magical spring found in the upper part of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, China. The spring bursts out in a short while and stops for a while before following by other bursts. The burst goes on, stops and goes on. In other words, its eruption cycle is continuous for a few minutes, auto stop after a few dozen minutes; and followed by another burst and so forth. It bursts like an eruption with a huge, shocked sound. It vents out some high temperature steam from the mouth of the spring. The spring then expands immediately into one to two meters in diameter, and rushes out as water column as high as 20m into the sky. In addition to China's Geysering, in the place near Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, the Geysering is renowned in the world with its diameter of 20m. When there is drizzling rain, this water column can even soar up as high as 70m into the sky.

Route 66, It's Still a Kick

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:49:43 PST

Route 66, "The Mother Road". We all know what the the song by Bobby Troup says "...get your kicks on Route 66". It was also recorded by Nat King Cole, and The Rolling Stones, among others. We see the movies and T.V. programs. I have heard about Route 66 for all of my life, that I can remember. If one word had to describe it, I would say fun.

Route 66 was where you could go to have fun. Everyone I know who has driven the route, comes back with endless stories. Things they saw that you just wouldn't believe. Places that seem lost in time. Also, the other people there on the trip too, you meet people from all over the U.S.. There are no strangers on Route 66, only friends that you haven't met yet. They are all still looking for their kicks on Route 66, and still finding them, in abundance.

I was born in Chicago, and I always thought Route 66 was out west somewhere. Was I surprised to find that it starts in Chicago. Not only that it starts in Chicago, but its part of my past, and its also the beginning of the route. Wow! Where I live right now is the very heart of Route 66, Kingman Az. There is the Hill Top motel, the train station, Route 66 diner, so many unique restaurants, hotels, and motels, The Powerhouse Visitor Center, Canada Mart, gas with souvenirs. Be sure to see downtown Kingman, and Beale St., with all its little shops and cafes.

It's an antique lovers paradise. Pretty much as it was many years ago. There are historic hotels too. This is the home town of Andy Devine of movie fame. The main route through town is also Andy Devine Rd. Route 66 winds through states west of and of course including Illinois. Also, some of the cities and towns it goes through are St. Louis, MO., Tulsa, Ok., Amarillo,Tx., Albuquerque, N.M., Winslow, Flagstaff, and Kingman, Az., Barstow, Ca., and ends in Los Angeles, California.

Many attractions you find along Route 66 are found nowhere else. Thats because there is no other road, or route, where the point is not just to get where you're going. The trip is the point. The trip is the main attraction . Where you stop or how far you go is not the thing. Its the trip. Route 66. The very thought of it takes me back to another place and time. It's like turning back the clock to the a time when we were young and happy. We wore the poodle skirts, had saddle shoes, and ponytails. We wore a scarf tied around our necks, and drank those little bottles of Coca Cola. We were cool.

We talked about boys. Who had the fastest hotrod, the slickest hair, and how wonderful it would be, if we too could get our kicks on Route 66. I remember a television show by the same name. It was a time when Elvis was king, Sam Cook could make you cry, and Little Richard, and Chuck Berry made you want to get up and dance.

I feel bad for those who didn't live in the late 40's and 50's. Life was good. War was over. We had no where to go but up. Minimum wage was under $1. Women still didn't work outside the home too often. And, American women cooked. They made meatloaves, pot roasts, pork chops, mashed potatoes, and over everything was poured gravy. Heavy, delicious, greasy gravy. They made cakes and cookies for dessert. We loved it.

A salad in those days was lettuce and tomatoes, with a heavy mayonnaise dressing. But it was O.K. We moved our bodies and we were slim for the most part. It was an era. It was a time when most Americans were getting more money to spend, and spend it they did. They bought cars. Chevrolet, Ford, Plymouth, Buick.

And where did they go in those cars? On road trips. Motels went up all over, diners too. After all the people have to be fed. Somewhere, someone decided ordinary just wasn't good enough, so extraordinary, happened, and, Route 66 is the result. Bring plenty of film, or at least a digital camera, the attractions abound. There is no way you can resist trying to see everything. It got me hooked, and you will be too. Got some vacation time coming? You know what to do. Get your kicks on Route 66!

The Grand Canyon

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:32:40 PST

How to get there

To get to the Grand Canyon, travel to Phoenix, Arizona first. It is about a 4 hour drive from Central Phoenix to the South rim. The entrance fee to the Grand Canyon is $25 per vehicle to cover maintenance costs. However if you possess a National Parks Golden Eagle pass the cost is reduced.

Importance of the site

The fact that the Grand Canyon is listed as a World Heritage site means a lot to groups and governments involved. Conservationist groups major argument was that the parks wilderness aspect was being exterminated by visitors trampling carelessly and coming too often. The excessive visitors were causing lack of biodiversity. The Grand Canyon met all four requirements of UNESCO World heritage customs thus becoming a World Heritage Site.

Site Management

The US National Park Service managed the sight since 1919 as a National Park. This was before it became a World Heritage Site. There was a site management plan made in 1977 in accordance to the Environmental Policy act of 1969.

Characteristics of the site

This is a natural World Heritage site, not cultural as humans did not make it, the environment did. The sheer spectacular view would leave you speechless. The canyon is a world heritage sight as of 1979. It is revered for historical importance as it tells us history dating back millenniums. It helps in understanding of geological activity in the last 6 million years as nothing but the elements created it.

Location

Located in the state Arizona, in America the Grand Canyon shows millenniums of history. The abyss is nearly 1500m deep.

Climate

At the Grand Canyon the weather varies, and often the north rim and the south rim are different. The temperature can rise or drop dramatically, so be prepared for anything. Also, altitude sickness can occur due to being so high up. The South rim is 7000 feet above sea level, and the North rim is 8000 feet above sea level. At the south rim, June and July are the warmest however it is also the rainiest season. The coolest time is January, reaching down to -8c Celsius. The north rim is generally colder than the south, with the rainfall being higher and the temperature cooler.

Welcome to the Jungle

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:47:17 PST

Aquamarine waters help drain the tension as you skim above the treetops along the shoreline of Belize. The single-prop, 12-seat Cessna drops onto the worn and bumpy paved runway, barely 100 yards flanked by water at the landing and stopping points. A tight turnaround and you're headed to a local airport the size of a postage stamp. Within minutes fresh, local produce and mail are loaded, your pilot signs the logsheet and manifest and he's preparing for takeoff on the long driveway. During this short landing to take-off time, native animals have been known to graze on the runway, locals will have to shoo them away.

Two more landings and twenty minutes later you're landing in the small village of Punta Gorda, surrounded by spectacular vistas of private and protected rainforest. A secluded resort is nestled among the lightly treaded nature trails, wild bush, hidden caves, tropical waterways and centuries old archeological sites. Your professional guide will pick you up and whisk you to the resort for a fruity, refreshing beverage. At your leisure wander up the stone walkway, amid hummingbirds and tropical flora to your two-story, hand carved and built cabins, replete with verandas and mosquito netted beds.

Enjoy a morning bike ride along the nature trail with your guide and picnic lunches. Visit the Wildlife rehab center, Ballum Na, at Indian Creek where you can see a bright, beautiful toucan, a pair of jaguars and a black howler monkey, who will hold your hand with her soft, petite hands as she hangs by her tail.

Two archeological sites are nearby documented as far back as 790 B.C. Nim Li Punit (Big Hat) was discovered in the 198o's where 26 Stelas were unearthed. It is believed that these Stelas were monuments depicting their life. A religious quarter is at the top of rock formations. This pyramid style build-up was made without any mortar. A grassy area in the middle appeared to be a popular sport game with two men and a ball.

Later, step into a canoe or kayak then relish a quiet paddle on the Golden Stream river, through one of the world's few natural rainforests. Your guide will point out various, birds, flora, fauna and any animals you might encounter; the gold and white anteater, sea otters or a few bats sleeping on a tree trunk. Vines hang leisurely, draped over trees and across the narrow waterway, while nocturnal bats sleep on a ceiber tree on the bank. The riverbed is littered with debris of leaves and branches, recycling life. A sea otter suns himself on a rock up ahead as a snake bird dives for fish.

Welcome to Jungle Camp, the Belizean jungle. Tall, arthritic-looking redwood trees reach for the sky offering an ecosystem for some jungle habitants. A clear, unspoiled stream brings visitors from the uncivilized world into remote areas of the bush by canoe and kayak. Beautiful and unusual flowers and plants, as well as a few spiders and snakes quietly make this their home. An easy and rewarding paddle welcomes you into a private sanctuary where tropically colored toucans, dancing butterflies and black howler monkeys peacefully co-habitat.

A canopied labyrinth with about a dozen thatched-roofed cabanas sit 20 feet above ground, quietly tucked away in the jungle.

A damp, green, woodsy aroma wafts under your nostrils. A narrow ribbon of light is barely visible over the canopy of trees; ceiber, palm, and redwoods. Off in the distance morning songs from the kingfisher and hummingbirds are chirped across the river. The beam from your flashlight catches something on the ground. In the soft dirt are tracks. Fresh, after the rain, one after another heading down the trail. Upon closer inspection you can make out the definition of these heavy, but clear paw prints. A jaguar has been prowling near the camp. Other, smaller tracks are that of the Tapir, the national animal.

The jungle, or bush as locals refer to it, is home to almost 600 species of exotic birds, mammals and plants.

Paddle or ride a power boat out of the jungle to Moho Caye. Your private oasis awaits you. Watch the dolphins play nearby as you dock on the sandy beach. A few mangrove and pine trees offer shade to well camouflaged iguanas and visiting humans. Beautiful conch shells line the path to your thatched-roof, tent/cabana. Relax on your private veranda in an adirondack chair or at the handcrafted redwood dining facility. Respite for man and nature. Miles of teal-blue ocean east towards the sunrise and slumbering mountains to the west.

From cave exploring and jungle hiking to snorkeling with porpoises, stingrays and near the largest natural reef, come see the world through emerald colored glasses.

Minnesota State

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:25:11 PST

As you know, Minnesota has many lakes, some of the well known lakes are the Leech, Upper Red, Lower Red, Winnibigoshis and Vernilion lakes. Some more climate that you might like to here about is the temperature. The temperature is very humid.

In winter Minnesota's temperature averages to be about zero degrees F. In the summer it averages to be seventy-four degrees F. Minnesota doesn't have any mountains only hills. All in all, Minnesota proves to have spectacular climate and history just as great.

Minnesota has intriguing history which starts way back in 6,000 B.C. these people evolved into Mound Builders. Later in about 1362 Vikings came. Sioux Indians later appeared and outgrew the Vikings and the Mound builders. Minnesota was found by French explorers named Pierre Esprit Raddison and his brother in law M'edard Chouart Sieur Du Luth (Duluth is now a large city by Lake Superior) in 1679. France had also claimed other states like Iowa and Illinois.

The French sold their land to Britain who had a war with the Americans called the revolutionary war. The Americans won that war and got the Louisiana Purchase which included all the states east of the Mississippi including Minnesota. Another fact is that Paul Bunion came from Minnesota. In conclusion, Minnesota's history is awesome, but wait until you hear about its wildlife.

In addition to small birds and animals common in the Midwest, Minnesota has many large animals as well. Back in 1990 black bears numbered 20,000. Also, a population of 1,750 timber wolves. Small fur barring animals such as raccoons, muskrats, striped skunks, gray and red foxes and weasels are present allover Minnesota. Bobcats are found in low densities.

Five species of squirrel and two species of flying squirrel are found in forests, while the gopher (the State animal) hangs out in open spaces. The state also has many fish to go in all of the lakes. Some of the fish are walleye, trout, salmon, muskellunge, largemouth bass and sunfish. The rare paddlefish and the long lived sturgeon are both found in St. Croix River. Those are just a few of the 153 species of fish found in Minnesota.

The main part of the economy in Minnesota is the cooperatives, which is a sponsor for buying and selling, mainly for the farmers. Most of the cooperatives where originally immigrants from Denmark or Finland, today many people are cooperatives. Agriculture is also an important part of Minnesota's economic activity. The agriculture to Minnesota is based on wheat, soybeans, hay and flaxseed. Minnesota ranks 5th in the number of farmland, nearly half of the state is farm. Minnesota has great economy and just as great entertainment and sports.

Minnesota has a ton of entertainment and excellent sports teams. Also, Minnesota is home to the NHL (National Hockey League) hall of fame. Minnesota has a baseball team named the Twins, a football team named the Vikings, a basketball team named the Timber Wolves and a hockey team named Wild. The Twins is named after the twin cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul); the Vikings are named after the Vikings that came in the 1300s. The Timber Wolves are named after the amazing population in the 1990s and Wild is named after al of the wildlife in Minnesota.

Some of the fun places you can go to are Mall of America, the Metro dome, the Wheat Mill or the Como Zoo. Those were just a few of the things you can do in Minnesota.

Minnesota is a great place to go to and has more then one interesting fact. To wrap things up, Minnesota has super climate, amazing history, massive wildlife, great economy, and excellent entertainment and sports, that is why I am proud to have Minnesota as my topic.

Statistics:

Capitol - Saint Paul.
Population - 4,919,279 people.
State Hood - May, 11, 1858 32nd state.
Motto - L'Etolie du Nord .
Song - “Hail! Minnesota”.
Tree - Norway Pine.
Area - 84,068 sq miles.
Total Water Area - 4,780 sq miles.
Bird - Common Loon.
Flower - Pink and White Lady's Slipper.
Elevation - Eagle Mountain 2,301 feet above sea level.
Nickname - Land of 10,000 lakes.
Name means - “Cloudy Water” from the Sioux Indians.
Rochester is home of the Mayo Clinic.
The Hockey hall of fame is located in Minnesota as well as four pro sports teams.
Paul Bunion came from Minnesota.
Between the 1860s and theearly1900s Minnesota was the leading lumber producing state.
Minneapolis and St. Paul became big cities because of a man named Edmond La Croix, he found out how to purify white flower in the early 1870's .
Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi and was found by Henry L. Schoolcraft.
Roger Maris came from Minnesota.

The Bear Was There and I Was Bare

Sat, 19 May 2007 12:52:39 PST

When I was retired from the United States Army after a military career that spanned over forty years, my wife, Rilda, and I settled down in a town house in Lincoln, New Hampshire, a town of 800 permanent residents in the heart of the White Mountains.

Our home was in a mountainside development known as the Village of Loon Mountain. Despite the mountain on which the land was developed was named Whaleback Mountain, this community of homes was still appropriately named. This was because from the windows of the houses one could view skiers clad in colorful software gliding gracefully down the slopes of the Loon Mountain Ski Resort south of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River that ran along New Hampshire Route 112 known as the Kancamagus Highway.

Our modest town house contained two bedrooms and a loft; a living room/dining area with an outside deck separated from the dining area by large sliding glass doors. Hanging above the deck's railing was a large bird feeder that attracted numerous birds indigenous to the Northeast and allowed Rilda and me to be amused by their antics while we enjoyed our meals.

The New Hampshire State bird is the Purple Finch, one of a large family of finches that included the Yellow Finch, the Pine Siskin, and the Evening Grosbeak. Larger birds such as the Blue Jay, Crow and Grackle tended to shoo the smaller birds away from the feeder, but then the smaller ones would also shoo away their counterparts as well. It was a colossal, colorful, crowd of combative avian species that was always a joy to observe.

The master bedroom in this town house was located on the lower level of the building while the living room/dining area and kitchen were on the upper level beneath the loft. A middle level, with a guest bedroom and window that faced the front of the house, was approached by the only entryway into our home, down several wooden steps from Big Rock Road. Across that street from our town house was a big rock, a really big rock, left over from the passage of a glacier some 25,000 years ago. Our younger grandchildren took great pleasure in demonstrating their ability to climb that big rock, easily fifteen to twenty feet in height.

It was somewhere in the vicinity of 0300 hours, 3:00 am to non-military Americans, when I was awakened from a delightful deep sleep by an unfamiliar clatter emanating from the upper level. Since no respectful military retiree would allow such an intrusion to go without investigation, and although I slept in the all-together, I still struggled from the comfort of our king size bed. Without bothering to don even a pair of shorts, I padded up the stairs to the upper level to investigate the source of the uninvited racket.

As I crested the top of the stairway, I looked across the dining table to the sliding glass door. I blinked several times to ensure that what I was viewing in the dim light of a half-moon was not a dream. The noise was being produced by a rather large North American Black Bear lying on his back and holding our beloved bird feeder up in all four paws and ecstatically pouring birdseed into a huge mouth, displaying humongous shiny white teeth, to travel on down his gullet. I say “his” gullet, because I did not think a female bear could outdo a male bear in size and this bulky black beast.must have weighed in at least 600 pounds.

I tip-toed over to the glass door and watched in awe as the bear completed his early morning repast and then casually tossed the broken bird feeder over the railing to the ground below. Then he rolled over onto all fours, and when he glanced through the glass door and spotted me, he rose up on his rear legs and propped himself up by placing his front paws with huge claws on the top of the sliding glass door. By this time my eyes had enlarged to the size of dinner plates and cold perspiration had erupted on my forehead. I had retained my six feet in height, down two inches from my youth due to my spine's vertebral compression, and this animal stood at least a foot taller than the top of my nearly bald pate.

The bear and I locked eyes and began a staring contest. After several nervous minutes, either the bear was not amused by my bare body, or he realized there was no future in wasting the moonlit night trying to stare me down when there were so many other bird feeders in the neighborhood to be plundered. He dropped down to the floor of the deck leaving his huge paw prints on the glass. When he turned toward the side of the deck, my heart beat diminished to only twice its normal rate.

By this time, Rilda must have sensed my absence from our conjugal bed and ascended the stairway to find her husband standing in his birthday suit spotlighted by the waning half-moon. She at least had the decency to have slipped on a robe. I turned and placed my right index finger over my dry lips and pointed with my left one toward the bear stomping toward the side rail.

If my eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, hers must have enlarged to the size of manhole covers. She immediately snatched up the telephone and called the Lincoln Police Department. The dispatcher said mechanically, “I am sorry, ma'am, but all our cruisers are out on assignments.” Rilda could not understand why all the cruisers would be out at 3:30 am in a town of 800 inhabitants.

She grabbed a telephone directory, located the New Hampshire Fish and Game insertion, punched the numbers, and handed the phone to me. When it was answered by a young male voice, I explained what we had just experienced. The response was, “Well, sir. You know you live in bear country.”

So we watched the satiated animal amble to the corner of the railing, perch on its top, and lick his lips with a tongue the size of a signal flag. By this time Rilda was smiling broadly as evidence that she was thoroughly amused, not only by the entire scene, but even more so by the support offered us by our public officials. After another several minutes passed, our uninvited guest stood on the railing with an amazing sense of balance and grace before he leaned over, grasped the trunk of a large Beech tree, and with claws dug into the bark, descended to ground level. I thought that Beech tree was the bear's elevator by which it had ascended to the deck.

We followed his trek around the rear of our house. When it disappeared from sight, we scurried down to the guest bedroom and looked out the window. Sure enough, our new found friend strode across the front of the house and over to the window. Then he turned and stood on his hind legs with his front paws on the window. He stared at us for a moment while we held our breath, and then dropped down on all fours, turned, climbed the bank up to Big Rock Road, and padded to its intersection with Flying Fox Run. We watched it waddle up the mountainside in search of dessert.

The only evidence left behind by our middle-of-the-night visitor was its paw prints on the sliding glass door. Rilda stubbornly refused to wash the door until our grandchildren visited and she could proudly point to the prints while relating the story to them who stared goggle-eyed at me, fully dressed. The older grandchildren were not nearly as infatuated with the story as were the younger ones, but they laughingly conjured up a vision of their Grampie standing buck naked while carrying on a staring contest with a huge North American Black Bear.