From the monthly archives:

July 2008

Affordable Adventures: Part 2

by Alan Rider

Call me a tightwad, but I tend to look at things in terms of “bang for the buck.”  Which means I get kind of excited when I discover a truly extraordinary experience that’s absolutely free!
 Yes, I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch.  But while you may have to invest in a couple of tanks of gas and a motel room or two, I think you’ll find that the fun-per-dollar quotient of these three all-American adventures is off the charts:

 Woodward Dream Cruise:  Every August, Detroit hosts this 12-hour automotive spectacle that attracts more than 1.5 million people and 40,000 custom and classic cars.  Simply put, it’s the coolest car [...]

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Travel-Size Me!

by Alan Rider

Now that the airlines are charging to check even the first piece of luggage, I think it’s a safe bet that more people will be schlepping carry-on bags through airport security checkpoints than ever before.
If you’re new to this whole carry-on suitcase drill, you should know that you’re going to need to pack travel-sized versions of all your usual personal-care products to comply with the TSA’s new rules on traveling with liquids and gels (for details on the new policy click here). 
Ultimately, this downsizing isn’t really a big deal once you get used to it.  But I can tell you from personal experience that finding travel-size versions of your favorite brands [...]

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Affordable Adventures: Part 1

by Alan Rider

If you’re feeling like you need to take out a second mortgage to buy groceries or fill your car’s gas tank, let me first say that I feel your pain. 
But just because skyrocketing prices for food and fuel are putting a strain on the family budget, don’t automatically assume you can’t afford to go out and have yourself a truly extraordinary experience. 
To prove my point, here’s the first of a three-part post featuring nine thoroughly remarkable once-in-a-lifetime adventures, all of which can be had for about $100:
 Surfing Lessons:  Four decades after the endless summer sun set on the Beach Boys first hit, American surf culture is hotter than ever (if [...]

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Beat The Heat

by Alan Rider

]With record-breaking temperatures expected throughout the West this week, I’ve been thinking about one of my favorite ways to cool off.

While lots of people will be packing up the kids and heading to their nearest commercial waterpark, allow me to suggest a more natural alternative: Good old-fashioned swimming holes.
 My personal favorite is Slide Rock State Park located in Oak Creek Canyon on Highway 89A just north of Sedona, Arizona.  A smooth channel worn into the red rock streambed here creates a natural waterslide that’s great fun for kids and grownups alike and the stunning scenery is pretty darn hard to beat.
 If you can’t make it to northern Arizona, check out [...]

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The Height of Haute Cuisine

by Alan Rider

Over the years I’ve eaten my share of fancy food. I’ve also chowed down at picnic tables with million-dollar views.  But I’m not sure anything I’ve ever experienced combines those two elements quite as dramatically as a new attraction they call “Dinner In The Sky.”
The concept is at once so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself and so far out there you’ll wonder about the sanity of the Belgian businessman who did.  Picture a 17- by 30-foot rectangular platform dangling up to 180 feet in the air from the boom of a 200-ton portable crane.  Now imagine yourself strapped securely into one of 22 high-backed leather [...]

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