Unique American Excursions

Click on over to the Roadside America site for 6,000+ listings of unusual tourist attractions. Discover little known places like Newark, Ohio, home of the world's largest basket, hand-woven from hardwood maple and embellished with giant fake apples. It serves as the seven-story edifice of the Longaberger Basket Company's corporate headquarters.

Please direct your browser to the America's Best and Top Ten site for lists of the Most Unusual Places to Spend the Night, Best College Sports Towns, Top Ten Treehouse Rentals, and much more. How else would you know to drive out of your way to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels, Texas?

Buckle up and take the information superhighway to the World Web exit to find annual festival listings organized by state. Stratford-upon-Avon...PSHAW! Try Avon, Ohio for the Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival honoring the history and heritage of the world's "Duct Tape Capital" through duct tape art, sculptures, and fashion.

For those of you interested in hitchhiking across the galaxy, America's UFO Hotspots are listed at the Burlington UFO Center site. The frequency of foo fighters seen from Gulf Breeze, FL is described as "sort of a paranormal 4th of July." Should you make a sighting or be thoroughly probed, please file an extensive report on the experience at the Alien Observer site.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

"The car has become a secular sanctuary for the individual, his shrine to the self, his mobile Walden Pond." - Edward McDonagh.

The following books (in alphabetical order by author) will hopefully rekindle your interest in auto travel:

On the Back Roads: Discovering Small Towns of America by Bill Graves

Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

There are many places to go hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering, etc., but I only know of one place where you can learn to climb 75-foot-tall trees. TCI offers a range of courses (listed below) for the beginner through the expert. I read about this place in an article that appeared in The New Yorker, and I hope to take the beginner's climb course before the end of 2005. Check the site for directions, costs, and course calendar.

Beginner's Climb
This course is for people with no tree-climbing skills, and all of the necessary equipment is supplied. Group climbing events can also be arranged on days when the Beginner's Climb course isn’t scheduled.

Basic Tree Climbing
A two-day course teaching all of the necessary skills to climb a large tree using the double-rope technique. Learn how to select and assess the condition of a good tree, climbing technique, knot-tying, safety rules, and tree care guidelines. The course concludes with an exam consisting of a solo climb and written test to determine if you are ready to climb independently.

Rigging
This is a one-day class geared toward the basic tree climber and focused on recreational rigging. Learn the rules and procedures for hauling equipment into trees, treeboat placement, branch walking, and rescue.

Facilitator
A three-and-a-half-day course where students learn how to work with individuals and groups to run their own tree-climbing events. Facilitators set up the ropes, tie the knots, and help others learn the art of tree climbing. Students will practice setting up a tree with multiple climbing stations as well as detailed rescue procedures. To complete the course, facilitators must pass written and practical exams which include management of at least one tree-climbing under an instructor’s supervision and a period of apprenticeship. Students are mentored by TCI-certified instructors following graduation from the course.

Instructor
An apprenticeship to become a professional tree climbing instructor for experienced students who will learn how to prepare a designated climbing tree that can be safely used for frequent events.

While Miami is the biggest draw for Florida tourism, my absolute favorite beach town is the lesser-known Destin. Destin is along the panhandle, Gulf-side of Florida, and is often referred to as the Emerald Coast or Redneck Riviera.

The weather may be somewhat erratic, as Destin can experience a torrential downpour or cloudless skies within the space of ten streets. However, when the sun is shining, the white sandy beaches and crystal-clear water is entrancing.

Just below the Destin bridge, you will find an armada of 10 to 200 boats, all anchored within a central location. The collection of watercraft will remind you of a parking lot during a busy shopping day at the mall. This is Crab Island, where Destin and Ft. Walton Beach residents navigate their boats to while away time on hot summer weekends. The underwater island ranges anywhere from three to ten feet deep, dependent upon the spot where you drop anchor.

One of my best friends lived in Ft. Walton Beach for four years, and I visited him once or twice per year. It is hard not to enjoy yourself in Destin, but the one day we spent at Crab Island was easily the most memorable moment among all of my visits. Remember to bring a bag full of snacks and a cooler full of beverages since you won't want to leave until sunset. You would also be remiss to not mingle with the sunseekers partying on other boats... you're going to want to find a group to join you at AJ's and Helenbach later that evening.

If you are visiting Destin without a boat in tow, there are plenty of rental places awaiting your call and your cash. You should try to schedule a boat early to secure a newer model, and I would suggest that you request a spacious pontoon vessel. Occasionally, events are planned to draw bigger crowds, and July 4th is by far the most popular time for the locals. It will be much more difficult to find an available rental on these days.