High Desert Thrillers in the Mojave

Written by Kriss Hammond


Continued from page 1

One ofrepparttar best places to take torepparttar 105899 air is Washoe Valley, located between Reno and Carson City, whererepparttar 105900 thermals lift hang gliders and paragliders high overrepparttar 105901 ranchlands, pine trees andrepparttar 105902 foothills ofrepparttar 105903 Sierra Nevada mountain range. These strong thermals ­ warm wind currents - lift pilots well over 17,000 feet for superb views of scenic Northern Nevada. Contact: In Carson City, Adventure Sports, 775/883-7070. www.home.pyramid.net/advspts.

Southern Nevada also offers hang gliding experiences, instruction and sightseeing at Las Vegas Airsports, 702/260-7950. www.fly101.com.

Parasailing can be a thrilling experience open to all skill levels, and it's not uncommon for parasailors to soar 100 feet inrepparttar 105904 air before landing. Northern Nevada's parasailing outlets include two at beautiful Lake Tahoe: Action Watersports at South Lake Tahoe, 530/544-5387; and Incline Village, 775/831-4386, www.actionwatersports.com; and Lake Tahoe Parasailing at Tahoe City. 530/583-7245. www.laketahoeguide.com/pages/974037/97403793.html.

In Northern Nevada, Sierra Adventures educates its customers aboutrepparttar 105905 rich history andrepparttar 105906 breathtaking beauty ofrepparttar 105907 Nevada desert andrepparttar 105908 snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range, turning a regular vacation into an unforgettable memory. Contact: Sierra Adventures in Reno at 775/323-8928. www.wildsierra.com

Experiencerepparttar 105909 thrill . Read this entire feature FREE with photos at: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/skydive/nevada/nvsports.html

By Kriss Hammond - Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent at www.jetsettersmagazine.com



Kriss Hammond, Editor, Jetsetters Magazine. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com


El Ocotal Jungle Adventure in Costa Rica

Written by Misha Troyan


Continued from page 1

After several wrong turns, an unexpected Tico fare (who spoke no English, yet still managed to hitch a ride) and a lot of charades, we reachedrepparttar canopy tour. As we were strapped in to our harness and clicked ontorepparttar 105898 steel cable, it quickly became apparent that this was not aboutrepparttar 105899 wildlife, but simply aboutrepparttar 105900 thrill of skimming alongrepparttar 105901 treetops fifty feet aboverepparttar 105902 ground. At each tree platform, our guides clicked, unclicked and reclicked our main links and safety links torepparttar 105903 network of steel cables that snaked throughoutrepparttar 105904 treetops. We were sent sailing forwards, backwards, flying like Superman, even upside down, sometimes as fast as 30 mph, out-howlingrepparttar 105905 howler monkeys acrossrepparttar 105906 forest canopy. Atrepparttar 105907 end ofrepparttar 105908 tour, with our pulses racing, we returned torepparttar 105909 resort to slow our pulses with cool cocktails poolside.

While El Ocotal offers white water rafting, big game fishing, relaxation and a warm, friendly staff, it is best known for scuba diving. Credited asrepparttar 105910 first dive resort in Costa Rica, El Ocotal has a complete in-house dive operation: a dive shop just offrepparttar 105911 beach with enough equipment for more than 30 divers, two top-of-the-line 13.1 cfm Mako compressors, two dedicated dive boats for day trips and two dedicated boats for longer trips. As part of Ocotal's dedication to diver safety and satisfaction, there are never more than 10 divers per boat and five divers per guide. In addition,repparttar 105912 staff carries all equipment onto and off ofrepparttar 105913 dive boats and as if that's not enough, rinses all gear off for divers atrepparttar 105914 end ofrepparttar 105915 day.

Amongrepparttar 105916 more popular dive sites arerepparttar 105917 Bat and Catalina Islands, located an hour to two hours from Ocotal. Divers can expect to see massive bull sharks, tiger sharks and schools of manta rays, some with wingspans as large as 20 feet across. A ten-day live-aboard trip is offered torepparttar 105918 Cocos Islands, some 300 miles from Ocotal. Likerepparttar 105919 Bat and Catalina Islands, divers can expect large pelagic marine mammals, but have to battle strong currents and often churning Pacific swells, all withoutrepparttar 105920 aid of an anchor line. Inrepparttar 105921 event of an emergency,repparttar 105922 nearest hyperbaric chamber is 2 days away in Panama.

High winds and rough seas kept us amongrepparttar 105923 dozens of dive sites near Ocotal. Two days of divingrepparttar 105924 local sites revealedrepparttar 105925 dilemma with diving in Costa Rica. While I saw an amazing variety of pelagic marine life including rays, white-tip reef sharks and turtles,repparttar 105926 visibility was consistently limited to between 20 to 30 feet. A high concentration of plankton and microbial life thrives inrepparttar 105927 75-85 degree Pacific water, which, while attracting a variety of feeder fish and in turn larger marine life, limitsrepparttar 105928 visibility. Visibility typically varies from 20 to 80 feet, sometimes on different dives onrepparttar 105929 same day.

Most dive sites center around volcanic rock pinnacle formations 40 to 80 feet deep. The first dive site we visited was called Virador, just a few miles offrepparttar 105930 coast, around a volcanic rock upwelling roughly 75-85 feet at its deepest point. As I descended, clouds of sergeant majors, grunts and other schooling fish swarmed past me and around me. I passed through a chilly thermocline at 50 feet, but not chilly enough to send me torepparttar 105931 surface. Dozens of pufferfish idled around us and when we reached bottom, we spied a number of rockfish camouflaged inrepparttar 105932 rocks. On our tour aroundrepparttar 105933 pinnacle, eels curiously poked their heads out from shadowy dens. I peered out intorepparttar 105934 murky distance and couldn't help but think that there was an entire audience of massive marine animals lingering just beyond my field of vision, waiting patiently for us to leave.

The second dive featured

Read this entire feature FREE with photos at http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/scuba02/ocotal/ocotal.html

By Misha Troyan - Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent - at www.jetsettersmagazine.com



Misha Troyan Jetsetters Magazine. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com


    <Back to Page 1
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use