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Travel Carnival 4: Nature's Bounty

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Welcome to the 4th travel carnival, where a flurry of travel articles have come in since the 3rd edition. Even during (or perhaps because of) end-of-summer vacations, travel bloggers took time to write or share their travelogues, tips, and musings. The theme this time was Nature's Bounty; however, many off-topic submissions came in and I've decided to include them. Enjoy!

Nature's Bounty

David Stanley presents "Manitou Beach and Last Mountain, Saskatchewan" saying, "In the heart of the Canadian prairies, 126 kilometers southeast of Joni Mitchell's hometown Saskatoon, is a lake with a natural salinity of 12 percent, which is 3.5 times saltier than the world's oceans and 50 percent saltier than the Dead Sea."

Joe Kissell presents "The Perito Moreno Glacier / Breaking the ice rules" saying, "This river of ice in Argentina is much like other glaciers, though on average, it's neither retreating nor advancing. But it's face divides a lake into two, and dramatic, periodic ruptures reconnect the two sections." Joe believes "size matters" and that "hiking on a glacier is like hiking on a giant snow cone."

Smita presents "Igatpuri - Unchartered Territory" where two trekkers go off the beaten path in India to verdant, hilly pastures for (what is clearly) an experience of a lifetime.

Trevor presents "Travels in Nepal #16: The Climb to Namche Bazar" with reflections of his trek in Nepal, reminding us all to stop and smell the proverbial roses (in his case, soak in the views) and set your own pace in life.

Kelly Vaughan presents an article on "Turkey through the eyes of a New York City teacher" about one of her first weekends while living in Istanbul for a year. This piece details a weekend of exploration and paints a colorful image of what you can expect when traveling to Turkey. Ah, Turkey. A beautiful country with a fascinating history.

Mary Jo Manzanares presents "Washington DC: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens" saying, "So much natural beauty so close to our nation's capital. It's worth the time to take a short drive to see the aquatic gardens." The sexy stills of the flowers make me want to fly back east to visit this garden that's on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jennifer Miner presents "GPS Devices and Geocaching" noting, "Geocaching is like a worldwide scavenger hunt. Taking my handheld GPS with me on a trip to Maui forced me to do more than just lounge by the pool..." discovering ancient petroglyphs on the trek. Jennifer also presents "Santa Monica Shangri-la", recommending this hotel for families who desire a 180-degree Pacific Ocean view.

Unrelated to Nature's Bounty ...but amusing nonetheless

Whew. That's a lotta travel blogging. But what insights.

September 15, 2006