Glencoe’s spring sky looked bleak; wrathful clouds glared, threatening imminent showers. Columns of light penetrated the cloud, stood as sentinels guarding entrance to the sweeping valley. The scent of springtime was in the air; a new harvest was approaching.

Animals all around were preparing their nests for new siblings and a busy summer. The echoes of songbirds and their merry tunes sang throughout the valley; the season of courtship was upon us.

A crisp breeze was a reminder of a recent winter; Glencoe was still adjusting to the new season. The wind was the only sound of an otherwise silent valley.

Ahead, a small cluster of trees were dwarfed by the gargantuan mountainside rising steeply from the flat. Foliage managed to climb about a third of the way up the mountain face before conceding to the barefaced rock. It looked impossible to climb; the dominant face was almost vertical.

As the clouds began to clear, the cool, shallow waters to my right reflected an ever changing sky. The lake was fringed by marshland and navigable only by the local wildlife.

I continued my march along the lonely valley road and soon encountered a public house, wonderfully isolated from civilization. It was cast in shadow as the sun hid behind the mountain peaks, threatening to emerge and flood the valley with light.

“Passing through?” enquired the barman politely, breaking his conversation with an elderly gentleman on the opposite side of the bar.

“Heading for the village,” I replied and grabbed the nearest chair to soothe my aching limbs. “Coke please.”

Refreshed and revitalised, I continued my trek along the forsaken road, twisting and turning with the contours of the land.

Glencoe’s history can be traced back over 5,000 years. Perhaps most infamous was one macabre night during the early hours of 13th February 1692. The resurgence of the Jacobites worried King William the Third and he ordered all clan chiefs to declare their allegiances no later than 1st January 1692.

Maclain of Glencoe however was delayed and didn’t sign until 6th January 1692. Unaware of the decision to punish him and his men, Maclain returned to his land believing all was well.

Campbell of Glenlyon led a group of 128 soldiers who stayed with the Macdonalds for 12 nights before murdering 38 of them as they slept during the early hours. Studying this tranquil landscape, it’s hard to imagine such a brutal event ever taking place.

Despite its barren appearance, the land is teeming with wildlife; nature accompanies my every step. In a world seemingly awash with terror and violence, it’s good to know these places still exist. Away from the rigours of city life, Glencoe has evolved as nature intended.

Steven Cronin owns the City Breaks website featuring city break special offers from luxury hotels to budget accommodations. For more information please visit www.sargas.co.uk

There are two things that set the beaches of Ceara, Brazil apart from all others…their beautiful colors and the huge dunes that sweep back from the ocean.

Fortaleza is on a point, which means the beaches where the warm South Atlantic brushes the shore lie in both directions from the city.
If we start at the middle and work out it’s something like this.
Meireles is the beach area of the main tourist area, called Aldeota. There is a large concentration of high-rise condo and hotel buildings along the Beira Mar, or oceanside avenida.

Early in the morning and at dusk, both of which occur around 5.30, either am or pm, you can find hundreds of the city’s population, tourists, and locals, walking, jogging, running or just socializing at one of the manay barracas (pronounced ba-hackas) along the beach, both close to the water’s edge and also along the avenida, depending on whether you want to have your toes in the white sand.

There is also a tourist market each evening, beginnning around 6pm. The vendors start setting up at noon and close around 11pm-12am.
You may purchase everything from cashews to bikinis to shoulder bags to sandals to arts and crafts, in particular, little bottles filled with colored sand poured to make pictures. It’s quite fascinating.
Mostly, it’s the locals who hang out at the city beaches. The tourists take a taxi or onibus and travel a little farther.

Facing the ocean and moving towards your right, after passing the port, you come to Praia do Futuro. Along this three mile stretch of beach, there is cleaner water and many barracas where most tourists and many locals go on weekends, particularly Sundays.

There’s lots of beautiful women, cervaza (beer) and regular or seafood.
The vendors wander through the tables set up under palm frond canopies and sell anything from lobster to shrimp, to CD’s and DVD’s to sunglasses and bikinis.

If you are willing to travel a little further, say about 30km, you come to Prainha, my favorite beach. It is cleaner still…they rake the sand every night…the barracas are just as good and the prices are less than Futuro. That’s because most tourists won’t go that far for a beach and the barracas are filled mostly with locals.

If you go further you come to Morro Branco, and later Canoa Quebrada. More about them another time.
On the other side of the city, out past Iracema, which doesn’t have clean water really and even the locals don’t swim there, is Cumbuco.
This beach community is the weekend home of many of the rich Brazileiros and their families. There are many mansions along the beach that would match the rich enclaves anywhere in the world.

Further along this coast, you come to Mundau, lagoinha, Paracuru and six hours up the coast, you come to the beaches and incredible dunes of the legendary Jericocoara, on the list of Top Ten Beaches in the World.

The Author is an ex-pat living in Fortaleza for the last 2 years with his Brazilian wife and her 5 year old son.
He moved to Fortaleza from San Diego even though he is a Canadian by birth.
He also runs a small company called Fortaleza Adventure that assists first time visitors to the city who don’t speak the language.
Just type Fortalza Adventure into Google for all the inforation you need about the company’s services and other articles on Fortaleza in particular and Brazil in general.

The “Golden State” of California has long been one of the most famous settlement spots in the United States. After the gold rush of 1848, countless people from all over the world came rushing to this geographically diverse land in search of opportunity and prosperity, seldom went away disappointed.

With almost 100 million acres of land, California is the third largest state in the U.S., next only to Alaska and Texas. It is nestled along the Pacific Ocean with a coastline of 1,264 miles stretching from the Oregon border in the north to the Mexican border in the south. It is one of the most culturally diverse states in the country, with its citizens having varied ethnic backgrounds like Native American, African American, Hispanic, European, and Asian. California climate is also one of the most diverse in the whole United States. With four different climate zones, one could always find a region in California suitable for their taste.

Although mountains and deserts dominate the state’s landscape, real estate lands is not hard to come by. In fact, one could even find an upscale resort community within the Colorado Desert – Palm Springs. It has become famous for its warm winter sunshine and its star-studded population. Other upscale communities can be found in the Bay Area, Central Valley, and the coastal strip between Los Angeles and San Diego. Low to medium scale real estate, on the other hand, could be found on the outlying communities and upland areas.

For business and employment considerations, one could always find opportunities a few hours drive away from their home. Employment and business opportunities in the state are among the highest in the nation due to its continually booming industries.

Tourism remains as California’s leading industry. Some of the well-known tourist destinations within the state are Disneyland, Hollywood, Golden Gate Bridge, and Sea World. There are many more similarly famous theme parks, national parks, and landmarks all throughout the state.

Foreign trade has also been a major industry. Among the leaders in this industry is the City of Los Angeles, whose ports have continually been one of the most busiest in the country for decades. In 1994, the city overtook New York as the country’s premier gateway for foreign trade.

Sports fans would never be disappointed as the state hosts a number of professional teams in different sports. Among the famous California professional sports teams are: the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), Los Angeles Clippers (NBA), Sacramento Kings (NBA), Golden State Warriors (NBA), Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB), San Diego Padres (MLB), San Francisco Giants (MLB), Los Angeles Angels (MLB), Oakland Athletics (MLB), San Francisco 49ers (NFL), San Diego Chargers (NFL), Oakland Raiders (NFL), Anaheim Mighty Ducks (NHL), and the Los Angeles Kings (NHL).

National Security matters is not an issue in the State of California. Seized by the United States Marines at the height of the Mexican-American war (1846 – 1848), San Diego Bay houses the largest concentration of military personnel in any city in the United States.

With its natural beauty, coupled with teeming opportunities, living in the state of California promises a future worth spending in.

For years Niagara Falls has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States and Canada. Visitors from abroad and North America alike cannot seem to shake their desire to visit this dramatic aquatic spectacle. But why exactly? The falls are not particularly convenient to any major U.S. city (apologies to Buffalo), which means visitors to the US will need at least two days to fit in a visit to Niagara. Furthermore besides the actual falls themselves, there is little in the way of cultural or natural points of interest in the area. That is unless you consider a visit to ‘Ripley’s Believe it or Not’ to be a cultural experience. Finally, the climate in the Niagara region is rather daunting for much of the year. The area gets a lot of precipitation throughout the year and winter is definitely rugged in that region.

The short answer to why Niagara Falls has such a following is good PR. People from far and wide have heard of Niagara Falls. I recently asked a friend from Taiwan if she had heard of Niagara Falls before moving to the states. “Of course!”, she replied, “we learned about Niagara Falls in grade school.” She went on to explain that most people who grew up in Asia consider Niagara Falls to be one of the most important sites to see in the U.S. Its reputation is also strong throughout Europe and India. The thought of missing Niagara Falls is akin to missing the Great Wall or the Taj Majal on a visit to China or India respectively.

The real key to Niagara Fall’s enduring lure, however, may be simply that it does not disappoint. The falls themselves have an undeniable dramatic beauty. Furthermore, the ever popular Maid of the Mist boat ride that takes tourists directly into the falls is truly thrilling. Beyond that, the town of Niagara Falls, Ontario has a certain dilapidated charm. As you stroll along Queen Victoria Park facing the falls on the Canadian side, you cannot help but get a sense of what it must have been like to visit in more innocent times; before we were jaded by extreme vacations and adventure tours. To think of someone actually climbing into a barrel and heading over the falls in 1901 (actually done for the first time by a 63 year old school teacher) still captures the imagination.

To get more insight into what impression Niagara Falls makes, I interviewed 40 people who had visited the Falls in the past several years. The survey, taken from a semi-randomly selected sample, is patently unscientific. However, the results are interesting nonetheless. (A few words about the sample: most respondents were not born in the US but were living here, the age range was from young adults to retirees, most had begun their trip in either New York City or Boston, and most had gone to the Falls on a bus tour.)

Here is a summary of the feedback:

Was it worth visiting?
A resounding yes. Most respondents acknowledged that the eight hour trip from New York City was long, but surprisingly few seemed to mind. Several people expressed how much they enjoyed seeing the countryside and getting a sense of the “real” United States. Those who included a visit to Niagara Falls as part of a tour of Canada were the least likely to complain about the distance. Only one respondent expressed regret that he made the trip. He said he just did not find the falls themselves that impressive and did not think it was worth the long bus trip.

Most recommended attractions?
Hands down the Maid of the Mist boat tour was suggested as the must-do activity. Several people also pointed out that this was the best way to view the falls for those who were not able to go to the Canadian side because of visa re-entry issues. The Cave of the Winds tour, which takes you by elevator to the bottom of the falls, got high marks for those who preferred not to take a boat ride. The helicopter tour also got raves, but only one person in the survey took a helicopter tour. The nighttime illumination of the falls got mixed reviews, with some calling it “stunning”, while others found it “tacky”. Several people who traveled with children also recommended exploring the town of Niagara Falls, Ontario. It offers typically touristy attractions that are sure to please kids.

How long should you stay?
Almost everyone answered either one or two days. A few people thought only a few hours were sufficient to see the sights, and no one suggested staying more than two days.

When should you go?
This is a little hard to decipher. Not surprisingly most people visited Niagara Falls in the summer. The few who did go in the winter said they were impressed by the falls surrounded by ice, but expressed regret that they could not go on the Maid of the Mist (it stops running in October). In short, it seems like you should not go to Niagara in the winter unless you are prepared for the cold. A few also recommended going in the fall to enjoy the foliage in Upstate New York along the way.

Bottom Line: Most people sampled in this informal survey thought Niagara Falls was a great weekend getaway and a good place to take visitors from abroad. If possible, include a stop in Niagara Falls on a visit to Toronto for a great long weekend trip from New York or Boston. Chances are you will not be disappointed in a trip to Niagara Falls if you go when you are prepared for the weather, do not stay more than two days, and do not have high expectations of the attractions outside of those related to the falls.

Lila Kahn is the Marketing Manager of GotoBus.com, the leading online marketplace for bus tickets and tours in the USA. You can find out more information about the company and contact information for the author at: http://www.gotobus.com/

Let’s give a definition to autoresponder first. So, what is an autoresponder? Think of it as a ‘fax on demand’ service. When a customer sends an e-mail to the autoresponder address, this smart ‘robot’ sends back an e-mail response, usually informative letter.

You can set up hundreds of autoresponders. You can use them literally for anything you can think of, including customer support, new product offers, ezine broadcasts and a whole lot more…

Autoresponders can save you a lot of your hard earned dollars. They can be your best marketing tool, therefore, it is important to have a reliable service under hand. There are quite a few autoresponder services around that you might consider using.

But before you do so, I want you to read the following tips that will help you to choose the right service for you. The following features are the basic ones that would be worth your attention.

Personalized messages

Sending personalized messages is a powerful way to improve your customer loyalty, which will then result in better response rate, and better response rate leads to more sales. So, make sure you can do that.

Unlimited followup messages

Even if you don’t have a big subscriber list at the moment, your list will grow along with your business. So, you should look for autoresponder service that has unlimited followup messages feature included in the account.

In other words, you should be able to broadcast unlimited autoresponder messages to your subscribers who will become your customers, your most powerful buying force. It will save you a lot of time and hassle in the end.

Unlimited length of your messages

You might have a lot of news or a long article that you would like to squeeze into one e-mail. What if your messages are restricted in length? Of course, you can split it into two parts, and send the second part in the following month, if you run a monthly newsletter. It’s up to you to decide, but is it really worth your time? You should be able to write as long messages as your imagination allows.

24/7 technical support

It’s important to send your messages in a timely fashion, if there is any unexpected problem with your autoresponder, quick round the clock technical support is invaluable. So, having access to 24/7 technical support might be vital for your business. While checking out any service, be advised of this feature.

24/7 access to your account

Edit, add or make any other changes to your account at any time. In Internet things happen fast. Sometimes, while surfing the net, you might get a new idea popped up in your mind. And you say ‘hey, it’s a good idea, I think it might interest my subscribers’. And you want to jot it down when the idea is still fresh and insert it into your autoresponder to be sent in the next broadcast. Having unlimited access to your account will help you effectively manage your e-mail campaign.

Toll-free phone support

Today business is not business without customer service. If you get live support over the phone, it takes a lot less time to solve a problem than it would using other means of communication like e-mail. It’s a quickest and most reliable method in dealing with any issue. Be sure you have access to it.

Free trial

Trying a product for free is the best way to get the feel of it. It gives you a full picture if the product is the product it claims to be and if it meets your expectations. After the trial, you will have a pretty good idea if the product is worth your investment.

With all the above features present, there is no reason in the world that would stop you from giving it a try. So, give it a shot. I am sure you will find an autoresponder right for you in the end. Because a good autoresponder service will reward you in spades, making you more money every time.

Enjoy!

Health cover commonly isn’t top priority when budgeting for a college education. At that age, the last thing on a student’s mind is health insurance. Teens are wont to think they are immortal and of course they will not find themselves suffering from an illness. Unluckily, regardless of how fit an individual may appear, it is no guarantee of their continuing good health. Inexpensive student medical insurance is not a luxury, it’s really an essential. For individuals fortunate to be included in a parent’s policy, by and large most of them will include a college student up to their 23rd birthday. For the student who doesn’t have medical coverage via their family plan, obtaining insurance plans for affordable student health insurance should be an essential part of budgeting for a further education. What must a student look out for in an insurance plan designed specifically for students? So what’s a deductible? It’s a yearly amount you have to pay before your medical benefits start, in the same vein as an auto insurance policy. To use an illustration, should the deductible be five hundred dollars, you must to pay that sum before receiving any benefits associated with your plan.

So what is meant by the term co-pay? When your deductible is met, usually for each physician’s visit, medicine, and operation you will need to contribute a part of the cost. This, in a nutshell, is a co-pay.

What is the scope of insurance coverage? Numerous plans are Health Maintenance Organization and PPA. This usually means certain doctors might not be included in your list of health providers and might not be covered on the health insurance policy. A list of approved health professionals are included with your health insurance policy, study this thoroughly when you select a medical policy for college students.

Catastrophic insurance coverage: There may be a restriction on medical insurance designed for students in particular concerning more serious illness, the amount of coverage included in virtually all student health insurance is by and large less than any regular policy. Limitations: Affordable student health insurance policies often include a number of limits. Study your insurance policy and find out the scope of your cover. Have your health insurance cards safe no matter where you travel. It’s not just impossible to predict an accident or an illness, they are also liable to come about at an inconvenient time. Ensure you are au fait with the parameters unique to your health plan even if you are included in a family policy.

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Mexico has beautiful beaches on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean. In this article, we look at two hot spots on the east coast – Playa del Carmen and Cozumel

Playa del Carmen

With one of the prettiest beaches on the Caribbean coast, Playa del Carmen was the hidden gem of Mexico for years and years. About 10 years ago, the word got out and now Playa del Carmen is exploding. If you’re looking for solitude, this isn’t the place with cruise ships and so on packing the place during high season. On the other hand, this is definitely the place if you like a lot of “resort” in your beach vacation.

Playa del Carmen has a lot to offer to visitors. Of course, the beaches are beautiful and I highly recommend you catch the sunrise, which is some of Mother Nature’s finest work. Staying up shouldn’t be a problem since the nightlife in Playa del Carmen is plentiful.

During the day, you can loaf on the beach or head out for some diving in the clear waters of the Caribbean. Should you get tired of the beach, you can head inland for some surprisingly quality hiking.

Cozumel

An island off the Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel is a slice of Caribbean paradise. With smooth, crystal clear waters, Cozumel has the white beaches you see in the Corona beer commercials. On the island proper, one can loaf on the beach, pursue world class diving or just loaf on the beach. Dolphin petting and sitting in the hammocks of Xal-Hal are touristy, but fun things to do. Although Cozumel is on cruise ship circuit, it maintains the relaxed atmosphere found in smaller destinations in the Mexican Riviera.

Unfortunately, Cozumel was in the news through much of the last week of October 2005 because Hurricane Wilma pounded it. Given a few months, Cozumel will be on the mend and a great location since prices will undoubtedly be low to attract visitors.

If you are planning a visit to the Mexican Riviera area, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are definitely worth your consideration. Personally, I would pick Cozumel in a heart beat.

Rick Chapo is with www.nomadjournals.com – makers of writing journals. Travel journals are great travel accessories and travel gifts for student travel, family vacations and adventure travel. Visit www.nomadjournaltrips.com for more travel articles, travelogues and travel stories.

In 1788 a British thoroughbred stallion named Messenger arrived in
Philadelphia. This unheralded immigrant soon began a breeding career that
launched the sport of standardbred racing in America. When Messenger died in 1808 he was buried with full military honors.

Horses were our first sports heroes. Eager crowds approaching 100,000 would
gather to watch fabled horses race in the 1800’s. Today, our equine athletes are no
less revered. More American museums celebrate horse competitions than any other
sport.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New
York (Union Avenue and Ludlow Streets, Saratoga Springs 12866, 518/584-0400) is
a thoroughbred racing shrine. Inside the brick building across from the Saratoga
Race Course the Museum winds in a racing oval around a central courtyard. Gracing
the courtyard is a statue of Triple Crown winner Secretariat. On the front lawn sits
an eighth pole that was on Belmont Racetrack when Secretariat won the Belmont
Stakes by a remarkable 31 lengths in 1973.

Inside the Museum, entered through an actual starting gate, the highlight is
the extensive Hall of Fame honoring horses, jockeys and trainers on black, brown
and green plaques in illuminated booths. Fans can summon information on their
favorite inductees or any of Americas 130 racetracks from computerized video
monitors in the booths. A wide screen movie theater, featuring Race America plays
inside the Hall of Fame.

The history of thoroughbred racing is traced through galleries of equine
paintings and photographs. A skeleton of a horse in extended action helps explain
how a 1500-pound thoroughbred with impossibly fragile ankles is a perfect motion
machine, acclerating to 42 mph in just over 2 seconds. The race track atmosphere is
recreated in a simulated paddock area and jockeys changing room.

Across town, tucked into the back grounds of the Saratoga Raceway sits a
rustic dark green wooden building with a green and red striped roof. With its wide
porch and landscaped front yard it could easily be the local garden center. In fact it
is The Saratoga Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame (352 Jefferson Street,
Saratoga Springs 12866, 518/587-4210), a little gem of a sports museum devoted
to harness racing in Saratoga Springs which dates to 1847, 16 years before the
beginning of the more celebrated thoroughbred racing in Saratoga.

Harness racing equipment, photographs and exhibits abound as tributes to the
horses and horsemen that have raced in Saratoga. A large side room features a
collection of antique sulkies including two cutters from the 1800’s with blades
instead of wheels, which were used for winter racing on ice. Each visitor to the Hall
of Fame receives a free pass to the harness races at Saratoga Raceway. You are
encouraged to sit on the Horseshoe Bench before leaving the Museum to test your
luck at the races.

The Hall of Fame of the Trotter in Goshen, New York (240 Main Street, Goshen,
10924, 914/294-6330) is in the famous Tudor-style Good Time Stable in the center
of town. Inside the Museum the atmosphere of the stable, built in 1913, remains.
Stalls have been fashioned into exhibition rooms and hay chutes transformed into
miniature stages for statues and trophies. Behind the Museum is Historic Track, the
first sporting site in America to be designated a Registered National Landmark.

Exhibits in the Original Stall Area tell the stories of legendary horses including
Hambletonian who sired over 1300 foals and to whom all trotters can trace their
lineage. A fun exhibit portrays the extent that horse racing has permeated our
everyday language. Terms such as start from scratch, flog a dead horse, champing
at the bit, and hold your horses are just a few sayings originating in the equine
world. Also on display are weathervanes from the 1800s which borrowed heavily on
the trotting horse.

The Living Hall of Fame of the Trotter is among the most attractive of horse
museum exhibits. Each living member is honored with a colorful 12′ clay statuette in
life-like surroundings exhibited in a plexi-glass case. Upon their passing, Hall of
Famers automatically become enshrined in the adjacent Peter D. Haughton Room of
Immortals.

In a large side gallery hang many of the nearly 200 trotting prints by Currier &
Ives collected by The Trotting Horse Museum. In the back of the museum the
Historic Track clubhouse has been re-created, providing a glimpse of turn-of-the
century elegance. Upstairs, the Sulky Loft sports a collection of sulkies, wagons, and
sleighs dating back more than 100 years which demonstrate the evolution of the
sport. Also on hand is the first mobile starting gate, welded to the back of a Ford
Model-T, which solved the problem of how to fairly start a harness race.

The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington (I-75 and Iron Works Pike, Lexington,
606/233-4303) is actually several museums. The International Museum of the
Horse chronicles all breeds of horses as you travel on a circular ramp past exhibits
and artifacts. The exceptionally colorful American Saddle Horse Museum depicts the
world of the American Saddlebred. Dazzling dioramas explore the elegant saga of
the quintessential American show horse. An innovative exhibit puts you in the
saddle of such champions as Imperator, Skywatch and Wing Commander. The
Museum also houses the United Professional Horsemen’s Association Hall of Fame.

In a corner of the Park is the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame with exhibits
and artwork on polo ponies. A display of polo clothes shows how the sport gave the
world the button-down shirt, introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1900. Also on the
grounds is The Man O’War Monument, burial site of the great racehorse.

Down I-64 under the familiar twin spires of Churchill Downs in Louisville is the
beautiful white Kentucky Derby Museum (700 Central Avenue, Louisville, 40201
502/637-1111) where every day is Derby Day. The order and winning silks of every
Kentucky Derby comprise the Time-Line around the first floor Great Hall. The boots,
not shoes, worn by first Derby winner Aristedes in 1875 are on display. Other
unique artifacts from Derby history include an 1896 silk purse awarded Kingman.

In the center of The Great Hall a life-size statue of the current Derby winner
and rider stand inside a replica of the Churchill Downs Winners Circle before a tote
board lit with final results. Embroidered blankets of Triple Crown winners hang from
the two-story ceiling. A 360-degree multi-image presentation shown with 96
projectors on a 225-foot screen around The Great Hall unveils the drama of
Kentucky Derby Day. The film is updated each year to honor the current Derby
champion.

Many computerized hands-on exhibits bring horse racing alive. In Time
Machine Theater videos of 65 Derbies are available at the touch of the screen. Place
Your Bets is a computerized race that demonstrates how placing bets change the
odds of a horse race. Derby Trivia is a
computer test of your Kentucky horse racing knowledge. Horse Talk teaches you the
language of the backstretch . Would-be jockeys can pick up a saddle and weigh-in
for a race. Hundreds of artifacts capture the magic of the Kentucky Derby. There are
trademark mint julep cups and winners blanket woven with 600 roses. Guided
walking tours of the Churchill Downs track are included in the Museum admission.

In Amarillo, Texas three galleries at the American Quarter Horse Horse
Heritage Center & Museum (2601 I-40 East, Amarillo, 806/376-5181) celebrate this
supreme equine athlete. An Orientation Theater acquaints newcomers to this
fabulous horse. The Museum contains photographs, artifacts and videotapes of
historic horses, colorful people, and landmark events associated with the quarter
horse. A special collaborative exhibit with the Smithsonian Institution traces the
impact of the horse on American life. Live quarter horse demonstrations are
periodically scheduled for the adjacent outdoor arena.

Is there one true American sport? Upon leaving the action-packed ProRodeo
Hall of Fame and Museum (Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919, 719/528-4763) you
would be hard pressed to name another sport as wholly American as rodeo. Rodeo,
which evolved from everyday Western work chores into sport, is a totally American
experience. Your precisely orchestrated semi-guided tour takes you through two
video presentations and past a stunning collection of cowboy gear.

In the Hall of Champions the stock is honored along with the cowboys. During
the summer months a champion bronco lives in the backyard stable area. After his
retirement the Hall of Fame bucking bronco Descent made his home in the stable
area. You were thus able to meet a living Hall-of-Famer at the site of his
enshrinement, something not possible at any other sports museum.

These museums are only the largest of America’s horse museums. There are
others honoring different breeds and local horse communities. Whatever your
equestrian passion there is an exciting museum for the horselover to enjoy.

I am the author of over 20 books, 8 on hiking with your dog, including the widely
praised The Canine Hiker’s Bible. As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we produce the
innovative A Bark In The Park series of canine hiking books found at
http://www.hikewithyourdog.com During the warm months I lead canine hikes as tour
leader for hikewithyourdog.com tours, leading packs of dogs and humans on day
and overnight trips. My lead dog is Katie, a German Shepherd-Border Collie mix,
who has hiked in all of the Lower 48 states and is on a quest to swim in all the great
waters of North America – http://web.mac.com/crudbay/iWeb/Katies%20Blog/Katies%20Quest.html I am currently building a hikewithyourdog.com tours trailer to
use on our expeditions and its progress can be viewed at http://web.mac.com/crudbay/iWeb/Teardrop%20Trailer/Building%20A%20Tour%20Trailer.html

Christmas shopping online is not for you? If you are one of those that share this thought, you probably like to enjoy the atmosphere of physical shopping. Doing your Christmas shopping online despite all its convenience, lack the festive mood. The convenience of online shopping has reduced the shopping experience to a browse and click mode, no mood and very little atmosphere.

So, you might think that despite the staggering numbers that shows how many people are actually doing their Christmas shopping online, they are just a minority out of the entire Christmas shopping population. Well, while I do not have the statistics to back this up -this thinking is likely to be true

To ascertain the fact that the Christmas shopping online folks are really a sub-set of the Christmas shopping crowd, just visit Marcy’s, Barnes and Noble or one of the large departmental stores during the pre-Christmas period, and the crowd you see would highlight the fact that a very large proportion of shoppers are still doing their shopping offline.

And of course, it is this crowd that give rise to the Christmassy feelings. Never mind that you have to wait an hour to find a parking lot or half an hour to pay for your purchases, this feeling enhanced by the jingles that flood the stores is something that doing your Christmas shopping online would never be able to offer.

Having said so much about the value of shopping physically, are there any merits to doing your Christmas shopping online? Yes, from my own experience there are at least two major contributions that doing your Christmas shopping online can provide.

First, Christmas shopping online eliminates the hassle of browsing and deciding at absolutely ground zero on the spot. Imagine you are doing shopping with only a vague idea of what to buy for whom and your only reference is some scribbling on a post-it note.

Enter online Christmas shopping, and you are able to browse online and zero in on the category of items that you would like to get for your love ones. One of the biggest value of Internet is it allows you to conduct your research and craft a comprehensive list of items that you would like to get for your love ones. So that, when you are doing it physically, all you have to do is to choose from the different brands and decide on the ones that have the best value. Thus, saving time and allowing you to buy for more people in lesser trips.

The other contribution of online Christmas shopping is that it is able to take care of your ‘bulk purchases’. What I mean is during this festive season of giving and sharing, there would be lots of gifts exchange, and gifts giving to acquaintances.

So, for this group of people, you would probably be getting something that is nice but would not invest too much thought into it, and then you would buy plenty of it to last through the season. Doing your Christmas shopping for these folks online frees out more time for you during those shopping mall trips to choose something special for your love ones. It also takes care of the inconvenience of bringing a lot of stuff yourself (online shopping would have the purchase deliver right to your door steps).

There you have it! Online Christmas shopping allows you to do a thorough research on the gifts to get for your love ones and it also gives you more time in physically shopping for those gifts by allowing you to buy the generic stuff online. So, using technology allows you to enjoy the magic feeling of shopping under the thick Christmas atmosphere provides by shopping malls with lesser things on your mind to worry about.

Having said all these, I hope you folks would integrate (what a word!) online shopping to brighten your overall Christmas shopping experience and enhances the joy and magic buying for those special ones…

Merry Christmas!

About The Author

Ebe is the editor of www.christmasgiftsshopping.com, which provides quality Christmas related links and articles to better the joyous occasion. He reviews and ensures all contributions lead to a fun and easy online shopping experience for Christmas gifts: editor@christmasgiftsshopping.com