Refining Your Adventure

Mississippi will have to wait another week. I want to give it all the attention it deserves and other matters are infringing on my time. Besides, I have a subject I've been wanting to tell you about for some time. The time is now. And it will help you so much when you are planning your own adventure. So grab a cup of coffee and listen up.


As you know, each week I post links to several sites that I feel will be helpful when we decide what we want to see and where to go to see it. Always included in the list of links is a link to order the travel guide for the state we are discussing. I have sent for a travel guide to each of the 50 states. And believe me they are all worth reading. There is so much information about the state and pictures designed to make you want to be there in person. I really do read them from cover to cover.

But I also use the computer links to the state site, the parks sites, and a whole lot of other sites. I usually only post links to the ones I believe will be the most helpful to the largest amount of people. And there are a lot of them. The point I want to make here is that you can do a search for your state and there will be hundreds of links for you to look at.

One of the most interesting things I have found is that many states have a magazine, usually online, that gives information about various attractions in the state. Some even have request forms for you to have them mailed to your home. Then you can look over them at your leisure. They can give you insight into specifics that might not be available due to space in the travel guide.

When you finally decide exactly where you want to go, then you can narrow your search. In the travel guides you will see all sorts of advertisements. Most have links to a web site. You can choose a place to stay, a place to eat, or an adventure to take. They are valuable to check out and you don't get a salesman trying to pin you down until you decide what YOU want.

I've saved the most valuable tool for last. Once you decide where to go, most cities, towns, parks, or attractions have their own links. Many also send mailings if you choose to receive them. They are full of specific information about the specific place you want to see. For instance, I just received a mailing from Munising, Michigan. It is a colorful booklet of less than 20 pages. There are pictures of the area around Munising. There are the usual advertisements. There are short descriptions of the attractions of the area. There is even a list of trails for hiking along with the lengths of the trails, what you can expect to see when hiking, and the best times to see something special.

I guess what I'm trying to say is use every tool at your disposal to make your adventure a memorable one. It really doesn't take long. I do one each week (almost!). It is a good way for each person involved to have some input in choosing the way you will explore your destination. Have a great adventure everyone. And I really would like to hear all about it.

Copas