Play Region

You are hanging onto a sheer rock face, hundreds of feet above the ground. You grope for your next handhold or foothold as you slowly make your way to the top. Suddenly, a little voice speaks to you: “are you absolutely out of that little bitty thing you call a mind?”

The answer of course is yes in a way. You have bitten by the adventure travel bug and there is no cure. All you can hope to do is keep feeding the bug until you are too old and gray (hey wait a minute, I am getting old and gray myself) to keep it up.

But at least you will have plenty of stories to tell your kids - unless you let go of this rock face.

I am thinking these thoughts because I just read an article called Adrenaline Nation in the April 2006 Outside magazine about the little town of Fayettville, West Virginia. It seems to me that this little town has more opportunities for adventure vacations than any other area of the U.S. (I welcome any disagreement to this point as your feedback will probably give me other places to check out).

For example:

• Whitewater. There are several Class III and IV rapids open all Spring and Summer in the area. And in September and October, the Summerville Dam opens to create Class V+ rapids for those of you with stomachs of steel.

• You can also take Kayaking classes offered by North American River Runners on the New River. Beginners can learn on tamer sections of the river, while advanced kayakers canget wet (really wet) in currents and the Class III rapids. Check out their website at www.narr.com if you dare.

• Mountain Biking for those of you who prefer to stay dry (but don’t mind getting muddy, cut and scraped) The Fayettville Trail stretches 2.8 miles from town, while another trail called the Cunard-Kaymoor Trail is 7 miles and takes you around the Summerville Lake.

• Rockclimbing. For the seriously brain damaged among you, the locals call it simply, “the Discombobulated.” I can’t help but think that is what happens to you if you fall off this 511 foot sheer sandstone wall that rises above the New River Gorge. I hear the view is awesome if you ever make it to the top. You can check it out at www.newriverclimbing.com.

• But when the day is done, you will want to eat. Outside magazine recommends Smokey’s On the Gorge, a place known for its gormet buffet with wild boar ribs and a spectacular view of the New River Gorge.

If I still haven’t convinced you to steer clear of Fayettville, you might want to check out these other websites. Perhaps sanity will prevail:

http://www.usatourism.com/wv/wvout.htm
http://www.passagestoadventure.com/
http://www.westvirginia.com/newriver/outdoor.cfm
http://www.rivermen.com/west_virginia_outdoor_adventures.cfm
http://www.visitfayettevillewv.com/
http://www.discoverourtown.com/WV/Fayetteville/Recreation-3340.html

COPYRIGHT © 2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.

Think budget travel equals boring travel? Think again! Learn the Guerrilla Traveler’s insider secrets to budget adventure travel to the world’s most exciting places and experience the coolest travel adventures without spending a bundle. Charles Brown is a former attorney who now spends his time indulging his passion
for travel and shares the unique travel destinations and adventure travel bargains he uncovers on his blog, Guerrilla Traveler - Adventure on a Budget, http://www.guerrillatraveler.blogspot.com

Held in Cordova, Alaska, the Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival is a bird watcher’s dream come true. Hundreds of thousands birds migrate to the delta for your sighting pleasure.

Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival

Held every May, the Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival is the place to be if you want to view shorebirds. Literally millions of birds migrate to the delta on the way to breeding grounds throughout the Arctic. The little town of Cordova knows a good thing when it sees it.

The Copper River Delta is essentially a refueling spot for the migrating birds. As you probably know, migrating birds will haul tail when the migration urge overcomes them. Many of these birds will fly for days on end until they must have food. In the grand plan, Mother Nature has arranged for the river delta to be the fast food stop for these birds.

Due to the frenetic pace undertaken by the migrating birds, food becomes a major issue. As they arrive at the Copper River Delta, they land and eat…and eat…and eat. It is the rare opportunity where you get to see so many birds grounded for such a long period of time. Put another way, it is a deluxe bird watching opportunity.

Birds

So, what can you expect to see on the delta? With so many birds, I’m not going to go into specifics other than to say you can see a wide variety of Loons, Grebes, Herons, Swallows, Yellowlegs, Tattlers, Sandpipers, Swans, Chickadees, Wrens, Ducks, Thrushes, Magpies, Warblers, Alcids, Finches, Jaegers and Turns to mention only a few. Put another way, you won’t run out of things to see.

Getting There

Getting to Cordova isn’t the easiest of things to do. You’ll have to fly in from Anchorage, Juneau or Seattle. Alternatively, you can hop on one of the Alaskan ferries, but need to look into the specific mechanics involved.

It is the rare day indeed when a birder can view millions of birds in their natural habitat. The Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival offers you that day every year.

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com makers of diary and writing journals for bird watching. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles on bird watching and the great outdoors.

If you’ve been a regular reader of mine, you can probably guess my favorite pieces of backcountry gear. I’ve written about having a good time while bird watching, geocaching, camping, hiking and many other awesome outdoor activities, and I believe more fun can be had if you have the right equipment. Many things are more important than my choices. For instance, if mosquitoes are thick, insect repellent would be a good thing to have. If it’s cold, anything that provides heat would also be nice to have. Rain gear, a first aid kit, sunglasses, food and water are obviously very important, but let’s talk about cool stuff now. I’m talking hi-tech. So what are my favorite backcountry toys?

My favorite piece of backcountry gear are my binoculars. I carry the Nikon Monarch ATB 8 x 42 mm. These are the best binoculars you can own for under $300. I use them birding, hunting, hiking, sight seeing - I use them every time I’m outdoors. As you step into the backcountry, the landscape becomes larger and in many cases more distant. Always have good optics with you.

I won’t be caught off the pavement without my trusty GPS Unit. The Garmin eTrex Vista is in my pack. Having a high quality GPS unit allows me to travel freely on trails or when trailblazing. I know how to navigate with map and compass, and you should too, but that’s my backup plan. My GPS is my first choice in navigation. I use it hiking, hunting, geocaching, trail riding, exploring and sometimes just for the fun of it.

When I’m in the wilderness, I am almost always with some else. Therefore, two-way radios are in order. I happen to use Motorola’s Talkabout T6400. It keeps me in contact with my friends and gives me a lifeline to others with FRS or GMRS radios, should I need it.

Finally, I love my Bushnell Outdoor Camera. It’s a digital camera that is rugged-ized, weather resistant and has built-in digital zoom. Just this past week I took pictures of wildflowers growing out of a boulder, a sunrise, a sunset, my friends, a Coyote, a Praying Mantis and a Harris Hawk.

These are my favorite pieces of backcountry gear. I always have my binoculars, GPS, radio and camera with me when I enter the backcountry. Without them, I’d still have a good time, but with them, I get the most out of my outdoor life. Get Outdoors!!

Chuck Fitzgerald, The Outdoor Guy, has written a beginner’s guide to bird watching call “Learning to Bird.” Visit http://www.birdwatchingebook.com to see just how easy and how much fun Bird Watching really is. Chuck is the owner of Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store helping you to have fun in the great outdoors. To get maximum enjoyment out of your outdoor life, visit http://www.BackCountryToys.com where you’ll find great gear and the Tips & Tales e-newsletter, “FreshAir.” (800) 316-9055.