Travel | Vacation Guides

Archive for August, 2009

The Ins And Outs Of Hiking Yellowstone National Park

With over 2.2 million acres in wildlife Yellowstone National Park is one of Americas leading nature locations. Much of the park is managed as a wilderness and backcountry with over 1100 miles of hiking trails maintained. On the other hand hiking Yellowstone National Park does present certain dangers. These include unpredictable weather wild animals turbulent streams and loose mountain rock. Visiting the park means experiencing the area on its terms. If you do choose to hike the park you need to be prepared for all situations and know that there is no guarantee for your safety. Most of all enjoy the scenery and research all of the regulations and precautions. Hiking Yellowstone National Park during the spring is a great way to see and enjoy all of the attractions of the park. This time of the season allows visitors to enjoy the roads without the intrusion of motorized vehicles. All hiking jogging roller skis and blades as well as bicycling are allowed between the Mammoth Hot Springs and the West Entrance. This is only if the conditions are favorable from March through the third Thursday in April. The reason for the area restriction is because of the fact that the East Entrance all of the way to the east end of Sylvan Pass has limited access during this time of year. The best option when you arrive at the park is to visit the ranger station or the visitor center before starting your hike. This is so that you can get any information involving which trails are closed and which areas are the best for hiking Yellowstone National Park. This is due to the fact that trail conditions change suddenly especially with rain bear activity or sudden fires. Be prepared by bringing a raincoat plenty of water a warm hat first aid kit sunscreen and insect repellent. It is also recommended that you not hike alone. Having another person with you will ensure your safety and the company is pleasing on a hike. Contrary to fishing there is no permit required to take a day hike in the park. It is important to remember that you should not drink the water from any of the streams or lakes in the park. There are intestinal infections associated with drinking untreated water and the cases are becoming very common. The reason being that many of the waters might be polluted by human wastes or animal wastes. Always bring a large supply of bottled water so that you can protect yourself from the harmful infections and to also stay hydrated. If you do have to drink the water from the lakes or streams be sure that you boil the water for an appropriate time or use a water filter. If you are hiking on a trail that is far away from a visitor center or ranger station and a lightening storm occurs you need to immediately get away from any water ridges isolated trees or exposed places. It is common for a sunny day to immediately become fierce with storms wind sleet rain and even snow. This is one of the main reasons that you should pack enough supplies in the event of any sudden weather changes. You can use the map at the bottom of this article for reference when you take your trip hiking Yellowstone National Park. For more information go to http://www.fishingyellowstone.com

About the writer:  Cathy Taylor is a marketing consultant and freelance writer and can be reached at creativecommunicationscox.net

The Best 7 Sites For Tent Camping In Florida

If you would like to try somewhere different this year why not consider taking your next camping trip in Florida. Rated as one of the best states for its camping sites tent camping in Florida will probably leave you with memories that will last a lifetime.

From swamps to huge forests and from peaceful lakes to glorious endless beaches the state of Florida has something for everyone. One thing is sure. Your tent camping in Florida is guaranteed to be jammed packed with totally new experiences for all to enjoy.

Tent Camping In State Parks

There are various State Parks that are open to the general camping public and each showcases a different outdoor setting from the other. If you are looking for glorious unspoiled beaches then Grayton Beach State Park might be just what you have been looking for. This beautiful camping ground also offers furnished cabins together with running water and electric hookups.

Suwannee River State Park will give you a camping experience of days gone by. With a river setting your camping experience can relaxing or fun filled with various water activities like canoeing. Pets are also no problem and all the usual modern facilities like hookups for water and electricity are also available.

If pearly white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue water are important to you then head on straight to Cayo Costa. Rated as one of the best camping venues in Florida Cayo Costa has camping sites for both cabin and tent camping.

Camping in Florida is a lot of fun if you find yourself at Bahia Honda State Park. Crystal blue waters with pearly white sandy beaches and lots of shady palm trees will greet you at every turn.

Florida National Parks

The Everglades National Park is classed as the premier destination of many campers. With a wide variety of wild life countless swamp areas and mangrove forests this camping destination offers something for everyone. It is nearly impossible to describe the beauty and diversity that awaits you there and this is a case where seeing is believing. This natural sanctuary offers several campsites both inland and along its glorious sandy beaches.

If you like fresh springs and exceptional campsites maybe Ocala National Forest could be the place for you. With various recreation areas tent camping in Florida will keep you occupied during most of the day.

For a family atmosphere you cannot really go past Salt Springs. It offers wonderful picnic spots and various activities like canoeing hiking and swimming that will keep the kids busy. The main reason for its popularity is the swimming hole where the underground springs keeps the water at a very nice 72 degrees nearly all year long. Juniper Springs is another campsite that offers the above activities with the added bonus of snorkeling.

If you have a passion for wildlife then tent camping in Florida has a few nice treats waiting for you. Alligators egrets armadillos and several species of wild birds are all basically at your doorstep.

Isn’t it time that you tried something new?

About the writer:  Considering tent camping again this season? Make sure you read our review on tent camping in Florida before finalizing anything.

Tenglong Cave

Before you even see the cave you can hear it roaring. That’s the Tenglong Flying DragonCave located on the upper reaches of the Qingjiang River on the outskirts of Lichuan City in Hubei Province. It first brings people a strong acoustic thrill. When l was two or three kilometers away from it I could already hear a loud insistent noise. At the entrance of the Tenglong Cave the”400kilometer winding Qingjiang River” suddenly drops thus forming a waterfall some 50 meters wide and 30 meters high. Devoured by the “huge mouth” of the Tenglong Cave the river meanders inside the cave for 16.8 kilometers. With a huge flow.

Of the some 400 show caves in China the Tenglong Cave is amongst the largest. with a total length of 52. 8 kilometers second in length only to the Shuanghe Cave in Suiyang. Its entrance is 74 meters high and 64 meters wide. Inside it reaches as high as 235 meters with a total area of more than two million square meters. giving an average per capita living space of three square meters if Lichuan’s 800000 population decided to move in. The cave consists of five hills. 1 0 Chambers and a dozen waterfalls.

The cave is entered at one point by a huge river. This river first drops an almost 10m high waterfall right before it enters the cave. Here a path was built about 20m above the water along the cave wall entering the river cave. The concrete path has a good view down to the cave river. The water deepens and calms down while it is narrowed by the cave walls. However this path goes into the cave only for a short distance the path is always lighted from outside. At the first narrow point of the underground gorge a concrete bridge crosses the river goes back out of the cave on the opposite side and leaves the cave again.

The path continues along the limestone cliff outside and reaches a second fossil aka dry entrance to the cave. The portal is almost rectangular 50m wide and 60m high. The floor was leveled and grassed probably as part of the development works. It seems the water once entered the cave here. There is a small office and picnic tables.

The cave itself is an enormous passage only slightly smaller than the entrance. The cave is toured on electric open top vehicles which travel on a concrete path at speeds of some 50km/h. Despite the comfortable temperature of the cave we recommend a sweater for this ride. After 2.2km a sort of theatre is reached where the visitors sit on wooden benches. The huge passage is filled with artificial fog which is used for a laser show.

On the way back a second stage is passed. On this stage once a day at 15:30 a special show is performed. Dancers perform a sort of Chinese opera the story is displayed for foreign visitors on electronic signboards beside the stage. The perfomance includes light show music multimedia projections water jets and gas flames.

This cave is very young show cave developed during the last years. Free True Group from Hong Kong and two firms from China were investing 150 million yuan US18 million to develop the cave.

About the writer:  http://www.tcmadvisory.com/