Camping In Montana With AliensWritten by Steve Gillman
Ten minutes out of town, we found dirt road that goes up to Storm Lake. We had been there before, shortly after moving to Anaconda, Montana. The road was hard on car, but we couldn't resist going. This time we would hike up to tundra and stay night. My wife Ana had never been camping above treeline.There were a couple cars, but nobody in sight. The lake was sparkling in sunlight, and mountains of Anaconda-Pintler range rose up all around it. It was quiet and cool here at 8,000 feet. We put on our packs and started up trail. Twenty minutes later we were past lake, and trail steepened. Hiking With Guns In Montana After an hour of zig-zagging up mountain we met another hiker. We talked briefly, and noticed handgun on his belt. This is common in Montana. We've seen guns on hiking trails and in bars, and bank tellers don't even blink when customers walk in wearing guns - they probably have their own. We never did ask this hiker why he had one, and didn't find out until later that there are grizzlies in area at times, something some "experts," have denied. At least we had our freon horn to blast if we met a bear, but then maybe that would just get bear angry. The trees got smaller as we climbed, and ended just before Storm Lake Pass. Ana waited patiently at pass while I ran five minutes - which became twenty - up to peak of Mount Tiny, about 10,000 feet high. Small, compared to some of surrounding mountains, but it seemed almost rude to give a beautiful mountain a name like that. Later, past goat meadow, Ana waited again while I scrambled up rocks to top of Kurt Peak (also about 10,000 feet). I couldn't find route where I came up, so I went back up, then down west side and finally back north to grassy slope where Ana was waiting.
| | Beach Breaks – The Quick Tan Top UpWritten by Robin Richmond
When most British holidaymakers think of a weekend break abroad, they tend to think of a city break. Indeed, city breaks have rapidly become one of most popular short holiday choices for British public. Cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona are busy throughout year with Brits enjoying a little break from their everyday lives. To many thought of going on a beach holiday for a short break would break with tradition, however growing numbers of savvy travellers are discovering joys of being in work one minute and then basking on a sun kissed beach a couple of hours later...Traditionally, British are very predictable when it comes to holidaymaking. Every year literally thousands of people take there usual two weeks off to find some sunshine in Spain, Greece or Florida. Beach holidays are seen as main annual break where people can switch off for a fortnight, sit in sun and unwind. Long weekend’s and shorter breaks throughout year usually involve visiting a hotel in UK or a perhaps a city break abroad. However, forward thinking companies such as http://www.superbreak.com have started to challenge these traditions and open up UK consumers to idea of beach breaks that can be enjoyed over a shorter period of time. Perhaps one of main reasons why such breaks are becoming more accessible are discount airlines such as http://www.aerlingus.com or http://www.easyjet.com offering cheap return flights to popular sunshine resorts such as Ibiza, Gran Canaria and Cyprus. Combining these discount flights with abundance of hotel and accommodation deals that are on offer means that beach breaks are becoming increasingly competitive. Popular Destinations Until escalation of problems in Middle East, Dubai was seeing year on year increases in volumes of tourists. Since 2003 numbers have dropped slightly but in reality Dubai is an extremely safe destination – with a host of beautiful beach resorts available to avid sun seeker. The consistent climate means that sunshine is guaranteed all year round – with only five days of rainfall expected in average year. However, beware – in summer months heat can be unbearable and temperatures can sore to high forties!
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