Whether you are a novice or a hard-core backpacker, you will find the immense amount of information at backpacker.net (or Backpacking Lightweight) a welcome resource. I had the site in one of my old bookmark folders and hadn’t thought about it or checked it for a while, but I just spent some time noodling around the site and was really impressed by all the information that is there. There are gear reviews and feature articles on hikes, there are checklists to help you prepare for your next trip and several planning primers. There are lists and reviews of backpacking books and magazines. A fine resource for backpackers and campers alike.
Photo of the Day (6/25/2006)
I haven’t done a great deal of black and white photography myself. I’ve always wanted to immerse myself into it, but the few times I tried to shoot B&W, my stuff came out too contrasty. Well, a photographer over at the Gadling Flickr site, Kouiskas, does a nice job with B&W, as in evidence by this photo of a desert trail.
Simple, but elegant, and a nice blend of contrast and light. It gets our POTD.
Roadside America
Everyone has heard of the World’s Largest Ball of Twine and the odd assortment of Americana that dots much of the American Highway System. But what about the Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida? Or, say, the Stevedore Man in Everett, Washington.
These and many more quirky, but fun sights can be found and mapped over at Roadside America, a site dedicated to American arcana. I was surprised by how elaborate and well organized this site is, and have bookmarked it just in case my next big trip out of the city involves extensive driving. Because, let’s face it, we just don’t see enough off-beat, cheesy tourist destinations in our regular day.
National Park Woes
Keeping up on our posts about the National Parks and their current state, I’d like to direct your attention to a piece at the Washington Post about how difficult it may be to experience the parks this summer. Due to budget shortfalls and an (alleged) lack of commitment to keep the parks up to date, our parks system, says a group of retired park employees, will offer fewer park rangers available to respond to emergencies, fewer law enforcement officials patrolling, and fewer rangers giving interpretive walks and answering questions. The article examines a detailed study of 37 of the nation’s parks that was put out by a nonprofit coalition that “found almost without exception that parks are operating well below the established standards for service and for resource and visitor protection.” So take this into consideratin as you plan the week-long excursion to Yellowstone with the family.
Nude Resorts Big in Western Florida
Many of you may not know where Pasco Country, FL is, but I know its location quite well. It’s about 20 miles away from my homes digs in Tampa, FL and to my surprise a booming spot for nude tourism. According to this USA Today piece popular nudie resorts like Paradise Lakes, Lake Como and Caliente Resort and Spa are doing all they can to bring in more tourists. Whether it’s family-style with activities like nude camping and karaoke or flashy medical spa facilities they want your business. And despite the older looking couple photographed on the side they are encouraging college-age kids to take it off. For the upscale Caliente resort they are looking to grab the attention of the Ybor City party crowd, while Paradise has teamed up with a USF public relations student to promote free admission, cheap brew and reverse strip poker. Hmm…
I’m not going to lie. I’ve done the whole nude thing a time or two in Ibiza, but my bare-skin activity went no further than basking on the warm beach in search of the perfect tan. Something about singing my karaoke favorites in a room full of naked people freaks me out. As if displaying the rather large birthmark on my bottom isn’t bad enough, now I have the opportunity to demonstrate my lack of singing skills in the nude. (Shudders.)
Whatever floats your boat.