Travel Tips and Tricks

Cape Disappointment

2008-09-19T14:16:26-07:00

Destination: Ilwaco, WA Cape Disappointment State Park Site 14 Located two miles southwest of Ilwaco, Washington in Pacific County, Cape Disappointment (formerly known as Fort Canby State Park) is one of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks. And it's anything but disappointing! We stayed at Cape Disappointment for 5 days, and it wasn't nearly enough. Inside the park you've got two lighthouses, an Interpretive Center and a museum. The surrounding area includes a number of other historic interests from the Lewis and Clark journey; the cave rescue scene in The Guardian was filmed nearby (so you know...

Bruneau Dunes State Park

2007-06-27T15:13:50-07:00

Destination: Bruneau, ID Bruneau Dunes State Park Eagle Cove Campground Site 90 When I booked my reservation online, I was surprised to see that the Eagle Cove Campground was virtually wide open with just one reservation; while the nearby Broken Wheel Campground was nearly sold out. And that was perfect for me since I was taking a large group of campers with me, making it easy for everyone to make their own reservations and still have us all be centrally located on the same loop. I learned later why this campground was wide open, and the other nearly fully booked....

Holiday Travel Reminders

2006-11-21T09:02:03-07:00

It is estimated that 25 million travelers will take to the skies this Thanksgiving weekend. With elevated security measures in place at airports across the nation, the Transportation Security Administration is taking steps to make sure everyone understands the rules. The big change from years past is the whole issue of taking liquids on board flights. Ever since the failed terrorist plot in England this past summer, the TSA has cracked down on all liquid items. TSA's education campaign calls it 3-1-1, meaning you can now take containers of up to three ounces of liquid, in a one-quart Ziploc bag...

National Threat Advisory: HIGH

2006-08-10T11:29:07-07:00

The U.S. threat level is raised to Severe, or Red, for all commercial flights flying from the United Kingdom to the U.S. The U.S. threat level is raised to High, or Orange for all commercial aviation operating in the U.S., including international flights.

Three Island Crossing State Park

2006-07-22T15:41:11-07:00

Destination: Glenns Ferry, ID Wagon Wheel (Upper) Campground The Oregon Trail was the scene of one of the greatest migrations of people in this country's history. Over 50,000 men, women and children (some historians say as many as 300,000) traveled over the 2,000 mile trail in search of a better life in Oregon. History tells us that traveling the Oregon Trail was difficult. At what is now Three Island Crossing State Park, the emigrants had a difficult decision to make. Should they risk the dangerous crossing of the Snake, or endure the dry, rocky route along the south bank of...

Crazy, Like a Fox

2006-07-13T12:33:22-07:00

Destination: Donnelly, ID Lake Cascade State Park West Mountain Campground Site 156 For the record, Site 156 is not the worst site in the West Mountain Campground; but it is easily the worst spot that is large enough to accommodate an RV, which explains why it was the only RV site not reserved a full 9 months in advance, and why we were able to obtain a reservation for that site on such short notice, on a busy Independence Day 4-day weekend. Weve been working very hard in recent weeks to make repairs to the RV, including replacing an entire...

Accidents Happen

2006-04-30T16:10:54-07:00

If youve ever been involved in a serious accident, you know how easy it is to say or do the wrong thing in the moments that follow. Heres a checklist to help you make the right decisions when your life gets out of control. 1. STOP. Stay calm. DO NOT leave the scene of the accident (unless you fear for your life). If possible, move your car to the side of the road for safety until the police arrive. 2. CALL 911. Call for an ambulance if there are, or even if you suspect that there could be injuries. Many...

The High Price of Gas

2006-04-28T16:27:20-07:00

It seems that, at least here in the US, weve all had about enough of the current prices at the pump. It also seems that every time the price gets to about where it is now, people start circulating schemes via email, and MySpace Bulletins, to somehow put it to the gas companies. But they all lack the one thing that could actually do the gas companies harm, and actually do the rest of us some good. All of them except one, that is. Weve all seen the emails that suggest we dont buy gas on a certain day. Most...

Standing Room Only

2006-04-25T15:49:05-07:00

Im not a small man. Nor am I what youd call super-sized, either. But when Im seated in coach on your average airliner, particularly if Im seated next to someone about my size, I do find myself feeling a little like what I imagine a sardine might feel like all jammed up in that tiny little can. But things could be worse. According to the New York Times, Airbus is reportedly pitching a Standing Room Only (SRO) seating option for its new A380 to Asian carriers. If Airbus is successful in its pitch, airline travel could actually get even more...

Be Prepared

2006-04-16T01:53:12-07:00

Those that know me best know that Im notoriously prepared anytime I venture into Idahos mountains. Some might even call me over-prepared. But its easy, very, very easy to screw up and find yourself in a situation that you werent prepared for. Its even easier than you think, and it just happened to me this past Friday. Idaho experienced record snowfall this past winter, as did much of the Northwest. And while all that snow made for excellent skiing, its now melting; and all that water has to go someplace; its all been traveling downhill; and its all been creating...

Soaring Prices

2006-04-12T11:54:13-07:00

On Monday I read about a sale at United Airlines offering unbelievably low fares. So I searched all the markets that I regularly monitor for a reduction in fares. Much to my dismay, all of those markets were up a few bucks. Yesterday I got notices that, in all of the city pairs that I regularly monitor, the ticket prices had increased an average of about $100 each. Still more dismay. The unbelievable sale, like most things that are too good to be true, was short-lived and virtually unobtainable. And what little truth there was to be found in that...

And Still They Suck

2006-04-10T17:55:26-07:00

Jill Aldape recently traveled to Cancun, mostly aboard America West, with her family, for a wedding. "We got to the airport in plenty of time, we're checking our bags and our first hint that something was wrong was when the ticket agent said this flight is overbooked," said Juliana Aldape. Their flight was overbooked, and despite confirmed reservations, the Aldapes were involuntarily bumped from the first leg of their flight. America West gave the Aldape family some travel vouchers and suggested they drive 300 miles to Salt Lake City to catch a different connecting flight to Denver. "That presented a...

Airline Service Still Declining

2006-04-03T12:07:33-07:00

People are flying again. In fact, people are flying as often today as they were prior to 9/11. But service has declined since 9/11, and it shows no signs of getting any better, anytime soon. Meals are history; some airlines charge for their crappy snacks; flights are hopelessly crowded; there are fewer flights to choose from; and according to a recent study by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Wichita State University, there is only a 77.3% chance that youll actually arrive on time. That report also says that Customer Satisfaction last year was at its lowest since 2000....

The Upgrade Game

2005-06-02T18:05:22-07:00

Have you ever noticed that when you rent a car, assuming that you are renting in a class that leaves room for an upgrade, youll almost always be offered an upgrade of your reserved class for something paltry like $4 a day. If you plan for that upgrade when you make your reservation, thats your chance to save some money! For example, I recently made a 5-day business trip to Tennessee with three other people. We knew wed need a large car such as an SUV or Mini-Van to comfortably accommodate all of us, and our baggage, on the 4-hour...

Rental Cars

2005-06-01T18:03:29-07:00

If you plan on flying into the Orange County Airport (SNA) for your Disneyland trip, and if youll be staying in Anaheim, or at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels, and if your theme park plans are limited to Disneyland and California Adventure, you might think about skipping the rental car on your Disneyland trip. The Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) system runs, on the average, every 20 minutes on several different routes through Anaheim and Disneyland during Disneylands hours of operation. A 5-Day Pass is just $12 (which gives you one day for free), and kids under 10 ride free...