You may think it would be challenging to find great activities to occupy your time in the middle of November in the “Windy City.† Chicago, however, is a booming place to visit any time of the year. There is a strong sense of community among citizens of the city, and the social scene is always warm. Â
Places You Need to Visit if You Love Fishing
The world is chock full of amazing places to visit if you love fishing. Each corner of the world holds its own odd, mysterious, large, small, poisonous, or downright ugly catches, and each pocket is waiting to be discovered. They call it fishing and not catching for a reason. It’s not always easy to get a fish on the line, in the net, or in your hand. If you’re into catching crab or other monsters of the sea, the task becomes even more toilsome as the labor and destinations get colder and more exotic.
Whether you visit to actually do some fishing, or you visit to see the landscape that is home to some of the best fishing in the world, here are places you absolutely need to visit if you’re into all things fishing:
Alaska
Alaska is a land that is magical and dangerous in its own right. First of all, it’s huge. It is the biggest state in America, but it’s often hard to believe because when you see a map of the state, it’s usually out of proportion in comparison to other states. Being that it’s so huge and so far up north, the land is pristine as it comes in the United States.
Alaska has 8 national parks, so if you love the outdoors, it’s the first place you need to go. The rivers and lakes don’t end, so you’ll never be in danger of overfishing the waters, and since the state is so big and there’s so much wilderness to go around, you’ll never have to worry about hooking your line to another fisherman’s bait.
Minnesota
Summertime is a time that is full of fishing. The weather is great, the early mornings and evenings provide the perfect weather for catching something good, and you’ve got the time to lure in something good.
However, if you limit your fishing to the summer, you’re cutting yourself short. Fish do live throughout the whole of the entire year, afterall. If you really love fishing, are committed, and want to do something different, head over to Bald Eagle Lake in Minnesota during the wintertime and do some ice fishing. You’ll freeze your tush off, but maybe you can make a little igloo while you’re at it. That’ll be a fun story to tell the grandchildren.
The Amazon
Exotic and scary, perhaps, but if you love fishing, you can’t pass up going to the amazon basin in Brazil. With surrounding jungles and rushing rivers all around you, you’re bound to catch some pretty interesting things. Though there’s a lot of fear around piranhas, you can still catch them and eat them. Imagine having one of those badboys tacked on the wall for display.
Exploring Canada: Things to Do and See
Canada is a naturally beautiful country, which is why many people come to visit every year. It’s the second largest country in the world, so as you can imagine; there’s a lot to get through! Here are some amazing things to do and see while you’re out exploring Canada.
See British Colombia and The Canadian Rockies
Never heard of the Canadian Rockies? They’re the famous cathedrals of North America. You must visit the Fairmont Chateau found on Lake Louise too, which will give you an idea of what old Europe was like.
The wax museum and gardens just outside of Victoria are worth a visit, so make sure you hop on a ferry after visiting Vancouver.
Visit Toronto City
This city is one of the most cosmopolitan in the world, and definitely somewhere you need to go if you’re in Canada. The city is so varied, there’s no end to the things you can do here. There’s interesting art, tasty food, fun fashion, and even opportunities to just be entertained. Visit in the summer time to go to a great Canadian festival. They’re on all the time here!  [Read more…]
Seven Tips for New RV Drivers
If you’ve ever wanted to be the captain of your very own boat, but the thought of riding the waves makes you a little nauseous, then an RV might be just right for you. Driving what essentially amounts to an apartment complex on wheels is a lot of fun and a great way to explore America’s highways. However, there are a few things you’re going to have to understand before you feel comfortable barreling down the freeway in 6+ tons of twinky-shaped steel. It would be a good idea to take a defensive driving course before hitting the road so you can learn a few of the basics. Here are seven additional safety tips to help you on your way.
- First things first. Although it might feel as light as a feather when you get it out on the open road, the truth is that your RV is incredibly heavy. That means that you’ll be needing some extra distance between you and whatever vehicle is in front of you. Play it safe and be sure to stay several car lengths back. Also, give yourself plenty of stopping distance for things like intersections and crosswalks.
- Wide vehicles can be difficult to keep in the center of a lane, especially for inexperienced drivers. A great way to get a feel for where your RV sits on the road is to make a small mark on the side of your windshield and then manoeuvre the vehicle so that the mark lines up with the fogline from your point of view in the driver’s seat. Exit the vehicle (make sure you do this on a deserted road so as not to inconvenience other drivers), and make a note of where this reference places the RV on the road. Adjust the mark and try again, until your RV is in the center of the lane. This may not seem like an important exercise when you’re enjoying wide lanes and empty roads, but as soon as you find yourself in construction zones or surrounded by cars in a traffic jam, you’ll be glad you took the time.
- Know exactly how tall the RV is, and be sure to watch for any low clearance structures such as bridges, signs, or even some power lines. If you misjudge the height and get jammed up under an overpass… well, just watch the video.
- When you’re merging, be aware that other drivers might become impatient with your large vehicle, and that may lead them to make unwise decisions. Physics is pretty clear about what happens when a smaller body smacks into a large one while traveling at high speeds, but that doesn’t prevent some people from risking their lives to save a few minutes on their commute. So, be the better driver and keep your eyes constantly open. With practice, you’ll learn how to keep your attention on every direction at once.
- Making turns in your RV requires a lot more room then it would in a regular car. If you cut it too tight, you could find your back wheels clipping the curb, ripping out shrubbery, or even plowing over signs. The problem is the RV’s length, and the solution is pulling farther out into an intersection before beginning the turn. Be careful, because some smaller cars may not be familiar with the necessary turning radius for RVs, and might attempt to pass on the side while you’re turning.
- A large rig such as an RV requires a lot of energy to get up to speed. It also creates massive amounts of wind resistance. However, once you get up to speed, it becomes more difficult to slow down, and you’ll more easily pick up speed on downhill slopes. Take all of this into account, and be prepared to shell out some serious cash at the gas pumps.
- When it comes to parking, it’s better to find a few empty spaces farther from the entrance than to attempt to shoehorn your RV into a spot between two cars and then have to crawl out the window. Also, RVs are not emergency vehicles, so don’t park them along red painted curbs.
With just a little bit of time behind the wheel, you’ll get the hang of driving RVs. Just take it slow, pay attention, and above all, be safe. It would also be a good idea to plan out your trip in detail before hand. Here’s a list of 10 Road Trip Stops For Nashville Music Lovers you might want to check out if you’re a country music fan. Have fun!
Images via Bill Ward and Traffic Safety
Escape the Winter to a Brazilian Beach
The winter can be a wonderful season but the heavy snow isn’t exactly by everyone’s taste – some people still crave the hot Sun’s beams in the summer and wish they could find some relaxation on a beach and escape the winter. And the truth is, if you know how to get the most of your travels, you should be able to find a fantastic place for relaxation at one of Brazil’s great beaches.
However, you should never rush such trips. You can ruin all the magic of spending a winter on a beach if you aren’t properly prepared for the whole ordeal – and the best way to prepare yourself is to simply read up! Make sure you take a look at this list of the ten top beaches in Brazil, in order to get a good idea which places are worth visiting. Be prepared financially as well – you’ll need to provide yourself with some reliable transportation to get around the different beaches you may want to visit, and this can sometimes be a costly issue in Brazil.
Also, remember to take pictures – it’s not every year that you get to spend the winter relaxing on a beach, and it’s guaranteed to make quite a party story – so ensure you have the proper material to back that story up and snap a few shots of your relaxing trip. Keep all this in mind and we guarantee you, this would be a winter you’d hardly ever forget!