Part Three - Best of the Best Travel Gear - Jabra's CRUISER bluetooth device and SPIBelt http://ping.fm/OfVq2

Best of the Best Travel Gear - Part Two - mini projector and surge protector/USB charger http://ping.fm/h2mv0

Best of the Best Travel Gear - Part One - camera backpack and travel audio http://ping.fm/twh4h

Monster trucks have got nothing on this beast - tires bigger than your hot tub!!!

If the mud-jumping trucks at the county fair are called 'monster trucks' then the tires on this bus must earn it the title 'Godzilla of Buses.' Where else are you going to get a chance to ride a passenger bus with tires that stand almost 5 feet tall?

Relatively half way between Lake Louise and Jasper, Alberta, the Athabasca Glacier continues its journey down the Columbia Icefield and mere mortals can drive over its sometimes vertical surfaces. That is, if you take the "Ice Age Adventure" tour in one of their specially outfitted luxury SnoCoaches.

The drive north from Lake Louise couldn't be easier. Go north on the Icefields Parkway - that's it. One road all the way. Sounds boring, but the scenery is breathtaking the entire trip. Download a free, complete travel guide for the parkway here.

Read the whole article here at Examiner.com.

Lake Louise - Alberta photo-feature with slide show.

All my life, I loved looking at magazines articles with photos of the Pacific Northwest. I knew I needed to follow in my great-grandfather's footsteps and head north to capture the beauty photographically.
The quintessential photo of the area for me was always that image looking into Lake Louise from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. I just had to see it for myself. After years of dreaming, August was set as the date to make the trip.
Flying into Calgary, we rented a car and headed west to Banff National Park. Banff is in fact, the birthplace of Canada's park system. In 1885 the park was founded and over four million visitors a year now trek north to enjoy this most pristine place.
Arriving in Lake Louise, we wound our way up to the lake. Checking in to our hostel could wait - I needed to finally see the lake.  Pulling into the parking lot, it all became so familiar. All those photographs I had admired came back like deja vu. It was exciting and new; but, familiar and old at the same time.
With the smell of the lodgepole pines and a cool breeze coming from the glacial waters, we quickly donned our fleece vests and made our way to the water's edge.
To the left of the lake, Mount Fairview rises 2,745 meters almost straight up with a rugged rock face. Straight ahead, we viewed the Upper and Lower Victoria Glaciers, each unique but both perfectly centered and reflecting in the water at the end of the lake. The white of the glaciers contrasted nicely against the dark rock faces to the left.
To complete the story and see the slide show, click here.

Banff National Park is one of Canada's top 10 parks

If scenic beauty and outdoor fresh air are your desire, you couldn't do better than these top 10 parks in Canada. From east to west, the Canadian travel bureau has given us its suggestions for a complete travel and photographic experience.

First on their list is Banff National Park in Alberta. Banff is in fact, the birthplace of Canada's park system. In 1885 the park was founded and will be celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Over four million visitors a year trek north to enjoy this most pristine place.

I last visited Banff in 2006 and was immediately drawn to its friendly people, photographic vistas and opportunities to explore. Trails were easy to follow and the views at the end were worth the trek.

We explored downtown Banff and got great suggestions at the Visitors Center. We first took the cable car to the top of Sulphur Mountain. From there you could see six distinct mountain ranges in an incredible panorama - too bad the clouds blew in just as we got out of the gondola.

To complete the article, click here.

Street Rod Nationals scheduled for June 4-6 in York, PA

3,700+ Souped-up street rods will all be heading to York, PA for the 37th annual Street Rod Nationals. Contestants and visitors come from all across the US and Canada and will be convening at the York Expo Center on June 4-6, 2010.

Street rods are modernized vintage vehicle that must be of pre-1980 manufacture. Many are highly customized including the latest accessories and sound systems. All vehicles must be licensed to drive on the streets and must be driven on to the grounds. Included in this event are muscle cars, those factory produced high horsepower machines from the 60’s and 70’s along with the classics cars of the 50’s.

"The National Street Rod Association (NSRA) is thrilled to celebrate thirty years in York, PA. This year marks the first time the event will be open to vehicles manufactured prior to 1980," noted Jerry Kennedy, special event director for NSRA. "As an organization, we're excited to share our passion with a diverse group of enthusiasts. It's amazing to think you'll be able to see not only street rods but muscle cars, customs and specialty vehicles, all in one place."

For the rest of the article please click here:  http://ping.fm/HvlnZ

NASCAR Hall of Fame now one more reason to visit Charlotte NC

Grand opening of Hall of Fame | AP Photo/Chuck Burton

Tuesday morning, with streamer blasts colorizing the air, the NASCAR Hall of Fame was declared officially open. Teresa Earnhardt, Ron Hornaday, Jr., Jack Ingram, Darrell Waltrip, Lisa France Kennedy, Brian France, Richard Petty and Junior Johnson were all at the podium for the festive event.

Opening ceremonies in Ceremonial Plaza were open to all and a great crowd waited for the 9:00 a.m. kickoff ceremony. Drivers made appearances throughout the day with autograph sessions for the fans.

Inside, those with tickets were finally able to enjoy the new Hall of Fame and its interactive exhibits. Throughout the day, visitors got to see a who's-who of racing fame as all the following made appearances:



Read the complete story at Examiner.com  http://dbhas.info/bD23fV

How does your summer vacation destination compare with this year's Top Ten list?

In a press release this morning, Orbitz Worldwide announced the top destinations for travel this summer. Based on bookings for hotels and airfares between 6/1 and 8/31, Orbitz has come up with a top ten list. Some are quite surprising to me.

Monday, I wrote about ways to enjoy Las Vegas without gambling, and golly, everyone must have anticipated my article, because that's the number one destination in their survey. With a surprisingly low average daily hotel rate of just $75.00, it does appear to be affordable.

I'll be Las Vegas in a week, and personally, I "Pricelined" a nice 2-1/2 star hotel for $42.00 per night. At $373.00 round trip for airfare from Cleveland, I chose to use frequent flier miles instead, finding a round-trip flight that only required 37,500 points.

"Summer travelers are taking advantage of the off-season deals in destinations like Cancun, Riviera Maya and Punta Cana, all of which make our Top 10 list this year," said Jeanenne Tornatore, Orbitz Travel Insider. "While average summer airfares appear to be trending higher year over year, travelers will find significant hotel savings, with the majority of the season's top destinations averaging less than $150 a night."

Click on the following link to read the whole story: http://dbhas.info/9PKEXQ

Some of my favorite memories of Glacier Natl Park on its 100th birthday

Today is the 100th birthday of Glacier National Park in Montana. Festivities will be going on all day at the Glacier National Park Community Building in West Glacier. But it's too late to get there if you haven't left already....so what's in it for you, you ask?

Whenever a national landmark like Glacier reaches that venerable mark, obviously people start to want to do something special to commemorate the occasion. In short, let's party. But, smartly, the Park Service realized that just one day wouldn't be fair to all Glacier's fans, so they are stretching the celebration out for months to come. That means you can still benefit from the park reaching the century mark. For a list of all the festivities, check out www.glaciercentennial.org .

My last visit to Glacier was in 2008 and was one of the best times I can recall. I've got a brother-in-law who thinks I'm crazy, but I loved all of it, including getting a flat tire on my rental car at 11pm in the middle of wolf country, 30 miles from civilization, with no cell phone coverage and not being able to release the spare from under the chassis for over an hour. That gives you time to observe more stars than I've ever seen in the sky at one time. Lying on your back on the ground gives you new perspective on the universe.

Read the whole article at Examiner.com  http://ping.fm/XEHrF

Looking for fun in Las Vegas - without the gamble

Just announced yesterday, in honor of National Tourism and Travel Week, TourGuy.com has launched a new website. With Las Vegas as its first market, they offer a one-stop shop for selecting any type adventure or ecotourism package.

So often, people come to Vegas just for gambling and quickly lose their enthusiasm as their wallet quickly flattens. In another scenario, people come to Las Vegas for conventions, bringing their families, and look for something fun to do before or after the business portion. For both groups, TourGuy.com seems to have the ideal answer for salvaging those trips.

TourGuy.com has launched their site initially with more than 30 tours. Experiences include west and south rims of the Grand Canyon (Arizona); Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon, and Valley of Fire (Nevada), Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park (Utah); and Death Valley (Nevada/California). On each of the tours, their website allows vistors to leave ratings for future travelers to read.

These aren't all "pack in a bus and observe through the big glass windows" tours. You could also find yourself hiking, riding a horse, flying in a small plane or helicopter, luxuriating in a hybrid SUV, or bouncing across the desert in a race car.
For more of the story, check my complete article at Examiner.com. http://ping.fm/rJeCe

Studio strobe lighting setups

For those of you who are just starting to experiment with studio strobe lighting, here's a great tutorial on the many kinds of setups you might try. While our good friends at Pro Photography 1010 point out there is no one right or wrong answer to how to light, it helps to understand why you might use one versus another. This helpful article will get you started the right way.

Free photo training from some of the best in the industry

It's the photo event of May 2010. Eight internationally known photographers will be teaching at Escalate Live 2010 in beautiful Newport Beach's Lido Theatre. Can't make it to California - keep reading.

Since the Lido Theatre is not that large, only a few hundred people will be able to attend in-person. But that's where it gets interesting. Recognizing that fact, the organizers plan to stream the training live to anyone who cannot attend - for FREE!

The two days of training will focus on photographic skills, business skills, the creative process and social media. Instructors are a veritable who's-who of the industry. Assuming no changes occur, plan to see:

[B]ecker - Photographer and Founder of [B] School Network for Photographers
David Jay - Photographer and Creator of Showit
Jasmine Star - American Photo's Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World
Jeremy Cowart - Humanitarian and Portrait Photographer
Jerry Ghionis - American Photo's Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World
Jessica Claire - American Photo's Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World
Dane Sanders - Photographer and Author of "Fast Track Photographer"
Julieanne Kost - Photographer and Adobe Senior Digital Imaging Evangelist

Read more here. 

Camp under the stars - right in San Francisco

Camping usually entails leaving the city and driving miles into the countryside. The rewards are trees, places for campfires and serene settings.

Well, now you can have it all - a close in location with all the city attractions just minutes away AND a campsite with a large campfire circle, new restrooms and an indoor "Great Room" for educational programming.

Rob Hill Campground reopened May 1st, as San Francisco's only overnight campsite. Rob Hill is part of the Presidio property immediately south of the Golden Gate Bridge. Formerly Rob Hill operated as Camping at the Presidio (CAP) which offered camping opportunities to children who might not otherwise have had opportunities to go camping in a national park.

Now the site is open to everyone. David Shaw, director of communications and marketing for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy said, “The campground is designed to serve both the CAP program and the public.  We have already received a strong response from the community to reserve for this year, but still have some availability.” As they continue to evolve, expect even more availability next year.

For the entire article, click here:  http://ping.fm/6RhVp

2010 Travelers Choice destinations announced

Golden Gate Bridge by Doug Bardwell

TripAdvisor just released the results of their 2010 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards. In it's second year, the awards cited 576 of the most desirable travel destinations in the US and the world.

The Travelers' Choice awards are based on reviews and comments of the website's user community. "Millions of travelers rely on TripAdvisor for travel inspiration and have helped identify the world's most outstanding destinations," said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "From stunningly beautiful locales to hot spots with amazing attractions, the 2010 Travelers' Choice Destinations Award winners are truly incredible places that travelers love."

Taking home the equivalent of the Emmy award for best actor/actress were:

Best Destination in the U.S. - San Francisco, California
Best Destination in the World - Monte-Carlo, Monaco

For the best of San Francisco's things to do and places to see, check out this  article by resident Examiner Karla Erovick.

For the rest of this article, click here: http://bit.ly/dpqBqe

MapQuest 4Mobile

Free voice-activated GPS navigation for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Not an intro offer, just free all the time. http://su.pr/2TAylU