Cruises are currently in the middle of a big resurgence in popularity. For a few years, it seemed like cruises might have been killed off by an age of ever-faster trains and cheap flights, but something about the romance and the luxury of the experience has managed to keep them alive. For most cruisers today, the cruise is no longer about a way to travel in style from one place to another – instead, it’s all about enjoying your time on the boat itself, living the sea life and relaxing on the ocean waves. This has led to a shift in focus, from trying to make the ship go as fast as possible to it taking weeks for it to get anywhere.

The nice thing about cruises is that your holiday starts as soon as you get on the ship: there’s no sitting around in departure lounges and on planes. Most big cities have a port somewhere nearby, and the chances are that there are cruises no more than a few hours’ drive away from you.

So what can you do once you’re on a cruise ship? Modern cruise ships are basically like big, luxurious floating hotels, and are often truly huge, big enough to include a whole town’s worth of facilities. The world’s largest ship is currently Freedom of the Seas, and listing everything on board would take a long time: it includes swimming pools and a water park, shops and cafes, an ice rink, a boxing ring, and more. The second-largest, the Queen Mary II, is arguably even better equipped, with restaurants and bars, a casino, swimming pools and a planetarium among other things.

The best thing to do, though, is just sit back and relax. Because cruise ships are open at the top, it’s no trouble for them to set sail down towards the equator and give you some real sun to enjoy. All you need to do is wake up, get out of your room and go up on deck, and you’re set.

John Gibb is the owner of cruise-extreme3k.info cruise guidance. For more information on cruises please check out cruise-extreme3k.info cruise-extreme3k.info

No bird watcher is complete without his or her bird watching journals. When you go bird watching, you need to keep your life list.

The Life List

If you are or become an avid bird watching enthusiast, you’re going to need to keep records. The reason for this is you want to keep a running list of the various bird species you’ve seen. Since there are a zillion species, the list can become quite long. Frankly, it becomes a life long project that is very enjoyable. Trust me, you’ll start planning vacations and trips around it. A business trip will soon evolve into a chance to see new species.

Part and parcel to your bird watching life list is your journal. Some bird watchers combine these two while others keep them separate. The bird watching journal is used to fill out your sightings. Information kept in the journal includes things like where you were, whom you were with, the weather conditions, the lighting, time of day and your overall impressions from the sighting.

When keeping your journal and lists, you are going to have sightings of species you’ve seen previously. Most bird watchers will add such sightings to their journals, but not their life lists. The reason for this is there may be peculiar or significant factors in the sighting. Perhaps the bird is not typically found in the area in question or perhaps it is exhibiting some unique characteristic.

New Sightings

When it comes to bird watching, there is no greater joy then sighting a bird you have never seen before. Often called “life birds”, the sighting can be added to your life list and is a feather in your cap. When you first start watching birds, you’ll obviously have a lot of new sighting. As time passes, however, they will become less frequent and you will come to enjoy and value them even more.

Bird watching is an addictive hobby. Part of the thrill is watching your life list grow and reading through your journal of sightings.

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com makers of nomadjournals.com diary and writing journals for bird watching. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles on nomadjournaltrips.com/bird_watching bird watching and nomadjournaltrips.com the great outdoors.

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park has been described as “The most magical national park in the United States of America”.

The Smoky Mountains or “Smokies” are part of the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States and the whole area is steeped in history, folklore and is incredibly beautiful to boot!

The Smoky Mountain section of the Appalachians was called “Shaconage” or “Place of Smoke” (hence the name) by the native American Indians.

Like most places on the planet however the Smokies are not without the risk and threat of environmental damage (some of it caused by humans in the strangest of ways*) caused by either industrial Pollution drifting in the from the Industrial eastern seaboard of the United States and at some times of the year exacerbated by the pollution arising from the vast numbers of cars that drive through the National Park on a regular basis.

It has been said that one of the dangers threatening the Smokies is that they could be “loved to death”

*The Park has a problem with Wild Boars and even this was caused by man. In 1920, it was alleged that more than 100 wild boars escaped from a private game reserve in Murphy, North Carolina and they have been causing havoc and tearing up the park ever since. In the early years of the 21st Century nearly 100 years later and the problem of the wild boars still has to be solved!

The National Park Service claim the Smokies attracts nearly 10 Million visitors a year and this makes it the most popular national park in the US.

The most popular time of the year and the busiest is the fall when hundreds of thousands of people drive up through the park to view the spectacular autumnal colours. Though not quite as high profile as “New England in the fall”, the Smokies probably (in fact they do) attracts more visitors.

After the fall, the next busiest part of the year is the springtime. Thanks to the mild mountain air, the wildflowers and other warm weather attractions come into their own. The months of late April and early May are the best times for viewing the wild flowers.

For those wishing to view the spectacular blossoming of the vast amounts of Rhododendrons, then June and July is the time for you. July is statistically the wettest month of the year with sudden and torrential thunderstorms being quite common.

The range of temperatures experienced by visitors to the park is quite wide and it is well worth remembering that the higher you go (you can travel to an altitude of in excess of 6,000 ft) it can get quite cool whilst at the same time lower down (below 3-4,000 ft) the temperatures can regularly reach in excess of 90 degrees.

The park is open all year round and if you plan carefully and well ahead of the busiest weekends then a great and magical experience can be had by everyone.

Stephen Morgan is an independent journalist writing about a number of matters. A diagnosis of acute High Blood Pressure lead him to start exploring a whole number of ways to maintain good health. One of which is the great outdoors. Further information on this article can be found at smokymountain.name smokymountain.name and at Smoky Mountain Cabins Online smokymountaincabinsonline.us smokymountaincabinsonline.us Further information about High Blood Pressure can be found at his own site Living with High Blood Pressure Net livingwithhighbloodpressure.net livingwithhighbloodpressure.net

Grant Park, bounded by Atlanta Avenue, Sidney Street, Cherokee Street and the Boulevard, is named for Colonel Lemuel P. Grant, a civil engineer for the Georgia Railroad who helped bring the railroad to Atlanta and earned the name “Father of Atlanta.”

Grant Park is near the site of the battle for Atlanta in the Civil War and defensive
breastworks, constructed under the supervision of L.P. Grant, can still be seen in the
144-acre recreation area. The land for Grant Park was at one time part of Colonel
Grant’s extensive land holdings in young Atlanta. Dogs are welcome on the scenic
trails although they are not permitted around the two prime attractions of the park:
Zoo Atlanta or the Atlanta Cyclorama, the 360-degree painting of the Battle of
Atlanta.

Nearby to enjoy with your dog is Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
less than one hour north of Atlanta.

Most rivers meander and change course over time but the Chattahoochee River is
locked in place by the 320-mile Brevard Fault that divides the Appalachian
Mountains and the Piedmont Plateau. As such, it is one of the oldest rivers in
America.

President Jimmy Carter created the Chattahoochee River National Recreation
Area in his home state to protect 48 miles of the slow-moving waters south of Lake
Lanier. Today the 4,100-acre dog-friendly preserve – Chattahoochee means place
of flowered rocks – is one of the most popular destinations in the national park
system, attracting more than three million visitors each year.

Two visitor centers, Paces Mill at the southern access and Island Ford near the
center, service the Chattahoochee River NRA’s 14 land units and more than 50 miles
of trails. Much of the canine hiking on these day-use trails is easy, through
meadows and wooded gorges along the river. Expect a cool swim for your dog when
she plunges in – the water temperature rarely warms to more than 50 degrees.

The stability of the Chattahoochee River has enabled much of the history of
inhabitation on its banks to remain in place. Keep an eye out for archaeological
remants of the Indian tribes that lived here for hundreds of years. Among the 19th
century structures that can be seen are the ruins of antebellum textile mills.

One of the premier places to hike with your dog is the Jones Bridge Trail, a 2.6-mile
jaunt that hugs the Chattahoochee for most of its length before ascending a small
ridge.

To reach the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Paces Mill travel on
US 41, north of I-75. Admission to the recreation area is free but there is a
nominal parking fee.

copyright 2006

Doug Gelbert is the author of over 20 books, including The Canine Hiker’s Bible.
To subscribe to his FREE Newsletter on hiking with your dog and receive a copy
of Rules for Dogs in 100 of the Most Popular National Park Service Lands, visit
hikewithyourdog.com hikewithyourdog.com In the warmer months he leads canine hikes
for hikewithyourdog.com tours, guiding packs of dogs and humans on hiking
adventures. Tours, ranging from one-day trips to multi-day explorations, visit
parks, historical sites and beaches.