Travel Spots http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl? http://www.eblah.com en A Florida Vacation http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1217257738/ http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1217257738/#num1
A Florida Vacation



Recently my family and I went to Florida for our vacation. Florida is such a fun state to visit because it offers so much. If you are into beaches you can enjoy the many that are there. If you love amusement parks Florida has them. If you just want to explore nature, Florida has many state parks and of course the Everglades. It is really up to you what you want to do while visiting Florida.

For me and my family we decided to explore a variety of things that Florida has to offer. The first place that we visited was Sea World. We saw and did just about everything while we were there except Kenny couldn’t get us on the Kraken. The Kraken is a rollercoaster ride. He went on it twice. The children loved Shamu, the shark exhibit, the dolphin show, and polar virtual reality ride. The children also loved watching the seal and otter pirate show.

If you are visiting Florida you will have to visit St. Augustine. While we were there we saw the Lighthouse, the Fort, Ripley’s, and the Alligator farm. This city is so quaint. I wish that we had more time to visit the many shops.

If you love to go to the beach, Florida has some of the finest beaches in the US. We went to Daytona Beach. My family loves this beach because it is unique, you can drive your car on it.

Florida is noted also for its many springs, rivers, and lakes. While we were visiting, we went inner tubing down Rock Springs at Kelly Park. We also went boating with my Dad. If you really want to get close to nature and the alligators you could try kayaking.

One place that my son Christopher wanted to visit was Kennedy Space Center. It was fun touring the space center and seeing where they launch the Space Shuttle. Kennedy Space Center also has this cool virtual reality ride. This ride gives you an idea what it is like to ride the space shuttle into outer space.

While visiting Florida, you will have to check out the Everglades and take an airboat ride. It is the only way to experience the glades and really see the alligators and the habitat up close.  

The Florida Keys also offers many recreational activities, such as Jet Ski, boating, glass bottom boating, sailing, swimming, snorkeling, parasailing, and scuba diving. While we were there, we took the children snorkeling off of a catamaran.

So as you can see, there are many things that you can do while visiting Florida and I didn’t even mention, Disney World, Wet-N-Wild, Universal Studio, Silver Springs, and Bush Gardens. So if you choose Florida as a future vacation spot, have fun, enjoy the sunshine, and what Florida has to offer.

Louise



]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:08:58 EastCoastMama West Virginia http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1214313748/ http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1214313748/#num1
West Virginia


West Virginia offers a wide variety of places to see and things to do. After Ken and I were married we took a trip to West Virginia and experienced a thrill of a life time, white water rafting, on the Gauley. It was fun, exciting, and scary at times, but it was so adventurous, that I loved it.

The New River also offers a relaxful and calm boating experience for the whole family. You will see, while going down the river, breathtaking and beautiful scenery.
Also, while in West Virginia you could take a coal mining tour at Beckley. This tour takes you down a once operational coal mine and a history of coal mining from past to present.

In West Virginia, you could take advantage of seeing its many festivals and outdoor dramas. The longest outdoor drama is “Honey in the Rock.” This drama is about the birth of West Virginian during the Civil War. Also you could see the story of the feud between the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s.

West Virginia Rivers are a great place to catch trout and small mouth fish. There are a variety of trails throughout the states parks that you can hike, horseback ride, mountain bike.

The mountains of West Virginia are great for beginners to learn rock climbing and rappelling. The Outfitters offer lessons for various levels from beginners to advance level.

If you like to explore caves, West Virginia is the place for you to go. This state has amazing caves with various rock formations, stalagmites, and stalactites. When you are caving you are stepping into a whole different and exciting new world. This is an experience that you will want to do because you will never forget it. Ken and I experienced West Virginia caves with the Girl Scouts. It was great.

Besides all of this, if you love to golf, baseball, and spending time relaxing at a resort, you can do it all.

You can spend a day walking the Appalachian National Scenic trail, visit Bluestone National River, see Harpers Ferry Historical Park, Heritage Farm Museum, Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum, dine at dinner theater watching a murder mystery, visit West Virginia Independence Hall Museum, and take a 300 mile train ride on New River Train.

So, as you can see, there are a variety of activities that you can do while visiting West Virginia. Here are a couple of websites that you can go to for more information.
http://www.gauley.com/?gclid=COeP07SEl5MCFRSiQQodKAKmYw
http://www.songerwhitewater.co.....nid=162&page=162
http://www.visitwv.com/attractions
http://www.wegoplaces.com/USA_State_WV.aspx
]]> Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:22:28 EastCoastMama Wyoming http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1210007093/ http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1210007093/#num1 Wyoming

I love adventure. Kenny and I have done a number of adventurous things together over the years like caving, scuba diving, sailing on the ocean in a two person sunfish sailboat, and white river rafting. So when my husband asked me a number of years ago, where I wanted to go for our summer vacation I thought about something fun and adventurous for myself and the children. For an Easterner going west is one of the most adventurous things a person could do.

So we mapped out the places we wanted to go to like Mount Rushmore, Custards last stand, Yellowstone, Tetons, Fossil hunting and Panning for gold. It was an exciting trip for the children. The boys loved Yellowstone National Park and the Junior Ranger program. They also loved seeing for the first time some of the wild life like the red squirrels, bighorn sheep, mule deer, black bears, moose, eagle, fox, pronghorn antelope, and bison. It was a wonderful experience for the boys.

For many of us when we think about Wyoming we just think about Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons but as I just found out there are other wonderful places that you can go to and activities that you do. Here are some other places that you could visit: Devil’s towers; Sinks Canyon State Park- Popo Agie river vanishes into a large cavern and then reappears in a trout filled pool. Visitors might see porcupines, black bears, red squirrels, bighorn sheep; Seminoe State Park surrounded by giant dunes of white sand, pronghorn, sage grouse and acres of sagebrush; Keyhole State Park variety fishing and water sports, camping, picnicking, hiking, and bird watching; Hot Springs State Park edge of Thermopolis built around the worlds largest single mineral hot springs; Hawk Springs State Recreation; Guernesy State Park; Glendo State Park is one of southern Wyoming’s most popular boating parks; Edness Kimball Wilkins A pond with a sandy beach is an oasis in the summer months, while the river provides habitat for a variety of wildlife; Curt Gowdy State Park- The foothills of the Laramie Mountains, separating Cheyenne and Laramie; Buffalo Bill State Park: Surrounded by fantastic, mountainous scenery, the park offers camping, picnicking, excellent trout fishing and is Wyoming’s premier wind surfing reservoir; Boysen State Park is surrounded by the Wind River Indian Reservation; Bear River State Park and Visitor Center, along I-80 on the east end of Evanston, is a day-use only park that features bicycle and foot paths as well as several picnic shelters

Many of these parks offer a variety of activities, wild life and sceneries for a visitor to enjoy like hiking, swimming, biking, fishing, boating, wind surfing, and water skiing .

For more tourist information you can go to http://www.wyomingtourism.org/

Fun Facts about Wyoming:

Nickname: Big Wonderful Wyoming, Equality State, Cowboy State
State motto: "Equal Rights"
State flower: Indian Paintbrush
State mammal: Bison
State bird: Western Meadowlark
State tree: Plains Cottonwood
State gemstone: Jade
State fish: Cutthroat Trout
State reptile: Horned Toad
State Fossil: Knightia
State dinosaur: Triceratops
State coin: Golden Dollar
State Song: Wyoming by Charles E. Winter & George E. Knapp
State Mythical Creature: Jackalope
State Grass: Western Wheatgrass
State Soil: Forkwood
Ok so I am also curious what this mythical creature, a jackalope looks like. When I find out I’ll let you know.

Historical Facts:

“ The U.S. acquired the land comprising Wyoming from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. John Colter, a fur-trapper, is the first white man known to have entered the region. In 1807 he explored the Yellowstone area and brought back news of its geysers and hot springs.
Robert Stuart pioneered the Oregon Trail across Wyoming in 1812–1813 and, in 1834, Fort Laramie, the first permanent trading post in Wyoming, was built. Western Wyoming was obtained by the U.S. in the 1846 Oregon Treaty with Great Britain and as a result of the treaty ending the Mexican War in 1848.
When the Wyoming Territory was organized in 1869, Wyoming women became the first in the nation to obtain the right to vote. In 1925 Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman governor in the United States.” Taken from infoplease.com

For more information about Wyoming you can go to:  http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108293.html
And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming

Hopefully, I have gotten you excited about visiting Wyoming. It is a wonderful place. I am sure Debbi could tell you more about her home state and why she loves living in Wyoming. For myself, I fell in love with the scenery and wild life. It is so beautiful. It is one of my favorite places to visit and I hope it will become yours too.

Louise
]]> Mon, 5 May 2008 10:04:53 EastCoastMama Hawaii http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1207839301/ http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1207839301/#num1 Hawaii is one of my favorite places to visit. My husband and I went there for our honeymoon and then again with my in-laws’ for their 50th wedding anniversary. It is a place that you will never forget and a place that you would go to for those special vacations.

“Hawaii is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia.”  Hawaii was admitted to the United States for statehood on August 21, 1959. Honolulu is the capital city and is located in Oahu.   “This state encompasses nearly the entirety of the volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles.” Mauna Lea is the tallest mountain in Hawaii standing 13,796 feet.

“All of the Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanos erupting from the sea floor from a magma source described in geological theory as a hotspot. The theory maintains that as the tectonic plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean moves in a northwesterly direction, the hot spot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes. This explains why only volcanoes on the southern half of the Big Island, and the Loihi Seamount (Lōʻihi) deep below the waters off its southern coast, are presently active, with Loihi being the newest volcano to form.”

“The climate of Hawaii is typical for a tropical area, although temperatures and humidity tend to be a bit less extreme than other tropical locales due to the constant trade winds blowing from the east. Summer highs are usually in the upper 80s°F, (around 31°C) during the day and mid 70s, (around 24 °C) at night. Winter temperatures during the day are usually in the low to mid 80s, (around 28 °C) and (at low elevation) seldom dipping below the mid 60s (18 °C) at night. Snow, although not usually associated with tropics, falls at the higher elevations of Mauna Kea (13,796 feet/ 4,205 meters) and Mauna Loa on the Big Island in some winter months. Snow only rarely falls on Maui's Haleakala. Mount Waiʻaleʻale (Waiʻaleʻale), on the island of Kauai, is notable for rainfall, as it has the second highest average annual rainfall on Earth, about 460 inches (38 ft. 4 in., or 11.7 m). Most of Hawaii has only two seasons: Summer from May to October, and Winter from October to April.”
If you would like to know more about Hawaii and its culture, history, and climate you can go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii

There are a variety of activities that you can do while visiting Hawaii. One of my favorite spots was the Polynesian culture center.  It is about one hour from Waikiki. You will be able to visit 7 villages and experience a luau. You will experience one of the best Polynesian night shows ever. It is an experience that you would never forget.

I discovered that they now have a water park at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. This sounds exciting and fun if you have children.

Some of the other activities that you can do are listed here and can be found at any Hawaii activity websites.   Hawaii Whale Watching; Hawaii Pearl Harbor Tour; Hawaii Volcano Tour; Hawaii Dolphin Encounter; Snorkeling any of the Bays; Visit Diamond Head & Waikiki Beach; Hawaii Bike Tour; Hawaii Shark / Ray Encounter; Hawaii Jet Ski; Hawaii Kayaking; Hawaii Day Cruise; Hawaii Scuba Diving; Horseback riding on beautiful Kualoa Ranch, a 150-year old cattle ranch; Cruise the bottom of the ocean in a submarine and see two sunken ships; Learn to windsurf and surf the waves; Learn how to surf; Tour the entire island riding a Harley Davidson; Visit Sea Life Park and see a 300,000 gallon tank filled with marine life and learn how to safe endanger species.

All this and more you can do in Hawaii. It is a wonderful place to visit and just think I haven’t even mention the helicopter and plane rides that you can do so that you can get an aerial view of the different islands.

Here are some sites that you can go to if you are interested in visiting Hawaii.  
http://www.hawaii.com/
http://www.gohawaii.com/
http://www.allhawaiitours.com/.....amp;eType=Activities




]]> Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:55:01 EastCoastMama Virginia is For Lovers http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1203959854/ http://www.deborahbedfordbooks.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1203959854/#num1
Virginia
Is for Lovers

Virginia is definitely a state for lovers. It was at Virginia that my husband Ken and I first met and fell in love. I remember when I first met Ken that he filled my days with Virginia’s sights and sounds.

One of our favorite places was Virginia Beach. I’m sure, I am not the only one who likes to play in the sand and ride the waves. Virginia Beach is clean and well kept. It is a fun place to go for the whole family. Besides being entertained by riding in on the waves, a person can explore the water front shops and amusements. Some other sights you can see at Virginia Beach are The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, Rudee Inlet where you can catch a boat for deep sea fishing or a Jet Ski, and parasailing, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and Cape Henry Lighthouse.

Nauticus National Maritime Center at Norfolk, VA is a great place for fun and exciting hands on interactive science with a maritime theme. It is a great place for children to explore. Also, one of the largest battleships built, the USS Wisconsin is berthed right there next to Nauticus.

If you are interested in history Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg would be a fun place to visit. It is one of the world’s largest living history museums. The town stays in a colonial like setting 24 hours a day.  You can visit the shop keepers, townsfolk’s, farm families, marching militia, and tavern folks. The town dresses and speaks like the colonial people during that time period.

Also, while you are at Williamsburg Virginia you will want to spend some time at Busch Gardens Europe amusement park and Water Country USA.

Some other historical sites you should see are Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate and Jamestown settlement. While at Jamestown, the whole family will be able to explore a Powhatan Indian Village, three English ships, and a colonial fort.

For those of you who love excitement and roller coaster rides you will enjoy Kings Dominion. King Dominion has one of the largest coaster collections on the East Coast. It also features Waterworks’, a 19 acre water park. Kings Dominion is about 20 miles north of Richmond.

For those who are interested in beautiful scenery a trip through the Shenandoah Valley would be fun.  There are many resorts  in the area that have biking, hiking, pools, golf, boating, and horseback riding.

There are still many more places to visit in Virginian then what I have mentioned here. If you are interested in visiting Virginia you can visit the Virginia Travel information center at: http://www.virginia.org/

For me Virginia holds a special place in my heart. It was a fun place to live but more than that it was where I met Ken. It was in Virginia that my husband proposed to me and then three years later we had our first child. So I hope, if you visit Virginia, that you will make some fond memories like I have.

Louise



]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:17:34 EastCoastMama