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Best travel advice to save money and have fun on any budget!
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It's not too late to make plans for the rip-roaring Cheyenne, Wyoming Frontier Days Frontier Days, held July 23-August 1, 2010. Frontier Days is considered the "Daddy of them all" and has been held in one form or another since 1897. This celebration of Western spirit takes place the last full week of July yearly, and brings together rodeo fans, country music lovers, western enthusiasts and fun seekers from every corner of the globe.
Once upon a time, cowboys of the Wild West would return to their ranches after months out on the range and organize friendly bucking-horse competitions with other cowboys in the area. In 1897, they organized these impromptu matches into the first Cheyenne Frontier Days and a new tradition (along with America's 1st extreme sport) was born. Come to watch bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, steer wrestling and even the famous wild horse race. LED screen ensure you don't miss any of the action.
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Think about the 1978 movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind with its classic, five-note...da, da, da...dah...da and you'll have an "aha" moment. That was Devils Tower, proclaimed America's first National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River and is considered a sacred spot for the Northern Plains Indians, a place for prayer and renewal.
Devils Tower is actually the core of a volcano caused by an upheaval 60 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains were formed. This rock formation became exposed when millions of years of erosion and weather stripped away the softer rock layers, creating Devils Tower. FYI: The rocks and boulders around the base have fallen from the sides. There is a good chance that I would spend my time nervously looking up for falling rocks. Other than just gawking in amazement, there are quite a few activities around Devils Tower.
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Estes Park, Colorado is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and the first place my Denver resident son, Joel Comm of The Ad Sense Code and Twitter Power fame, takes Colorado visitors. Estes Park is only a short one-hour drive from Denver. You can spend all your time in Estes Park or move on into Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park has Free Visitor Shuttles during the summer season with nearly all primary access routes to the core business located on the shuttle routes. Just leave your car one of the Visitor Centers' parking lots and ride east to amusement and lodging areas, west to the Fall River Gateway Visitor Center or southwest past several of the area's campgrounds on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park's Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.
Estes Park has more than 150 lodging properties that range from campgrounds to hotel rooms and many have pools, playgrounds and other amenities. Shopping can occupy a day in itself (ask my daughter-in-law) with more than 300 small shops selling treasures from the world, region and Estes Park. Want to eat a burger? Wild game? Check. Sit on a patio and enjoy mountain views? Check. Barbeque and/or picnic at one of the campsites? Check. There is no lack of diversions just in the small town of Estes Park, Colorado but don't leave without spending at least one day in Rocky Mountain National Park...
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Not terribly far from Pikes Peak (almost every visitor to Colorado heads to Pikes Peak) is the old mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado. A ranch hand named Bob Womack spent 15 years scouring the southwest slope of Pikes Peak for gold back in 1890 until he struck it rich in Poverty Gulch that later became the boomtown of Cripple Creek. For the next 20 years, the area was known as the World's Greatest Gold Camp as prospectors flocked in from all over the world to make their fortune. These minors didn't know what they were looking for even how to get it when they loaded up their wagons, and adopted "Pikes Peak or Bust" as their slogan. Since Pikes Peak was the first mountain they saw on the journey West, they stopped there to find their fortunes.
Today, the Cripple Creek Historic District has been designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service with lots to do:
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While visiting Colorado, there are two free and completely opposite "liquid" tours that sound interesting and would be fun for the family.
On the "dry" side, the Celestial Seasonings tea factory is located in Boulder, Colorado. Celestial Seasonings was founded in 1969 by a group of young entrepreneurs who felt their flavorful, all-natural herbal teas could help people live healthier lives. They harvested fresh herbs from the Rocky Mountains by hand, dried, blended and packaged them in hand-sewn muslin bags to be sold at local health food stores. Today, Celestial Seasonings is the largest specialty tea manufacturer in North America.
This is also the world's most advanced tea production plant and you can see first-hand how the ingredients become your favorite Celestial Seasonings teas. The free 45-minute tours leave on the hour and it's always a good idea to arrive well ahead of the tour you wish to take. For safety reasons, children under 5 years of age are not permitted on the factory portion of the tour. Tea lovers will also have a chance to enjoy free samples of every tea Celestial Seasonings makes, browse the gift shops and grab lunch in their cafe.
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ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and Travels With Sheila just returned from a family trip to Colorado and I had forgotten how much there is to do in the summertime. One of my favorite activities is whitewater rafting. So easy, that even wimps like us can do it. You can float downriver or paddle like mad through Class V rapids. Pick a half day, full day or multi-day trip. Make it as difficult or easy as you want. And whitewater rafting is available throughout the State of Colorado. Check out a very few of the many rafting companies listed below.
Mad Adventures is celebrating 25 years on the river. (They must be doing something right.) It's an easy journey from Denver to their Downieville office for all Clear Creek Rafting trips that range from 1/3 of a day to 1/2 day on whitewater that tumbles through historic Idaho Springs. For more of a challenge, visit their Kremmling office for upper Colorado rafting trips that range from 1/2 day to multi-day camping in the wilderness.
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Whether you are Alaska-bound this Summer on a large cruise line, an inside cruise, tour, fishing or hiking, an interesting article just crossed my desk about the Great Alaska TourSaver Book filled with 2-for-1 travel deals. I wouldn't exactly say the book is inexpensive at $99.95 but tour excursions off Alaskan cruise ships, whale watching and other sights aren't exactly give-aways and it's easy to see how this book could pay for itself after using just one coupon.
The compact guide features more than 130 travel deals: flights, cruises, lodges, fishing, whale-watching, adventures -- the works. If you are skeptical over the savings, spend some time surfing on line and see what individual tours cost without a coupon. Below is a small sample of just a few 2-for-1 offers that certainly appeal to me:
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