Beach Camping

by Adrienne Wilson on

Going down to the Corcovado National Park during my stay in Costa Rica was a complete accident, twist of fate and hours long of bumpy land and sea transportation. By the time me and my travel companion had arrived to our final destination my stomach was as moody as the ocean’s waters, but I was still up for laying out on the beach and relaxing to the sound of its crashing waves. My afternoon didn’t end there though, I crawled up to my beach hut and unzipped my tent and climbed into the small bed placed inside. Before I divulge any further details I’ll go ahead and let it be known that my style of beach camping wasn’t entirely roughing it, but none the less it was still beach camping. So where was I?

Hmm, yes… I was moving towards this piece found in Washington Post on beach camping. Perfect for those who love either worlds or maybe only one, the article details the pluses of camping out on the shore and how to plan your own trip. This includes the few locations found in the U.S. that are semi-remote enough to allow beach campers. The biggest benefit is cost. With a tent and a few extra supplies one night on the beach can be very inexpensive for the budget traveler, where a night one the fancy resort over-looking the water can cost anyone almost triple. If it’s something you’ve never quite done before, let me tell you it is worth the experience. Even if it involves cheating a little by having a small bed in your tent.

Best Stargazing Destinations in America

by Adrienne Wilson on

The first time I really saw stars I screamed. I ran out onto the beach calling my travel companion to come look. We had found ourselves a small tent placed in a straw hut on the coast of the Peninsula de Osa in Costa Rica’s south region. As a child I remembered seeing stars, but never like this – they were everywhere. Millions of tiny lights fighting to out shine the other. They were fighting to illuminate the deep, dark, night sky. A surge of emotions filled my body along with the cool, salty, breeze off the ocean’s water. I couldn’t have stumbled upon a more romantic place on Earth and there I was spending it with one of my best friends and travel companions. For the first time on our entire vacation I wished to curl my knees up to my chest and be left alone. If I couldn’t share the moment with a handsome stud then I wanted to have it all for myself. Selfish – I know.

That night I wished on not one star, but many. One of my wishes was for more places to see stars the way I did on that very night, so when I saw the latest Nat Geo Adventure magazine featuring some of the best stargazing in America I snatched it off the shelves. Their June/July issue covers the best and top 50 in North America’s National Parks. Before you discover where to go to sleep, trek, raft or gaze underneath the stars, the article titled Night Rangers discusses a unit of National Park Service folk who are out to protect the night time sky. Their duties are incredible and the story in full is packed with mind-boggling facts. According to the article 99 percent of peoplein the U.S. live under a sky that is considered polluted, which means none of us are seeing the stars for what they’re worth. In addition to light-pollution the article also states, Scientists at the Thiene, Italy – based Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute have predicted that the last truly dark areas in the contiguous U.S. will be gone by 2025. If such is true then we haven’t very long.

Here are some of the best stargazing destinations in America and how to experience them:

  • Lake Tahoe – Take off on a full moon paddle excursion.
  • Bryce Canyon – Spend your summer nights hiking the canyon.
  • Pennsylvania’s Lehigh River – Raft through whitewaters under the stars.
  • Chaco Culture National Historical Park – Use powerful telescopes to stargaze.
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park – Check out some 300,000 Mexican free-tailed bats as they fly away from the caves and back.

You’ll want to grab an issue of your own if you haven’t already. If you have a favorite stargazing destination you’d like to share – please do. Otherwise I’ll understand.

America's best campsites

by Karen Walrond on

Let me just say right now:  I am NOT a camper.  My husband, however, is, and he tells me that his goal in
life is to see me strolling away from campfire deep into the woods, with a shovel in one hand, and a roll of toilet
paper in the other… whistling, no less.

I tell him to keep hope alive.

That said, he might
actually have a chance if he takes me to one of Sunset Magazine’s top campsites in the
United States.  Featuring sites from Arizona to Wyoming, this article provides details on what amenities each
campsite has to offer, including how to get your pick of available campsites.  And since some of them actually
have a restaurant nearby, my husband might … might, I say … talk me into doing this.

Once.