Posts Tagged ‘uncategorised’

Camping And Snowmobiling

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Do you like camping out in the winter? Have you ever been camping in the Pocono Mountains with your tent on your back? Well, one thing is for sure, it is not a family style holiday! It is unquestionably an extreme sport for the hardened outdoor person. Whether you go traipsing through the snow on skis langlaufen style, use huskies and a sled or go by snowmobile, it is still an arduous enterprise. Issues from the cold such as frost bite and hypothermia are very real hazards.

Vacations such as these must definitely not be undertaken lightly. The days in the Pocono Mountains during the winter are cold enough, but at night the temperature just plummets. If you have never had such a holiday before, then you are not ready to take one on your own now. You will have to have specialized knowledge either from the military or from other such institution.

Planning and research are the two most essential aspects. You will need to be aware at all times of where the nearest help centres are. Places such as mountain rescue, hospitals, towns, shops, garages and first aid centres. You should also be conscious of the weather conditions and future weather forecasts.

Staying overnight on such an arduous trip only increases the chances of coming across danger. Besides the cold there are wolves and bears. Wolves are not normally dangerous unless they are famished, but bears can be a problem. You will have to know how to keep a clean camping site so as not to attract wild animals, but you will also have to know what to do if they do come poking about.

Warm clothing are indispensable for any winter activity like snowmobiling and they are even more vital if you are going to sleep outdoors overnight. If you stay outdoors overnight you will also need a very warm sleeping bag. You will also have to take account of how long you will stay away and what provisions you will need to survive the length of time of your holiday. You will obviously have to eat, so suitable, nourishing food will have to be taken with you, unless you intend travelling from town to town.

Water will not be a problem with the snow available which is very handy for re-hydrating dried foods such as packet soups and drinking chocolate, both of which are very warming after travelling all day in sub-zero temperatures.

Fuel will be a major concern for your snowmobile, but if you plan your journey carefully, you will be able to pick up a few containers of petrol every day. In this manner, ten to fifteen gallons should be enough to see you through every day.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is presently concerned with Poconos camping. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations

Buying Camping Gear And Supplies

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

When the weather becomes fine, the minds of millions of families, individuals and groups turn to camping whether it is for a long vacation or just a few days break. The need therefore arises for these people to begin thinking about where to buy camping gear and supplies. If you are a keen camper, then you will in all probability already have most of your camping gear, but everyone needs to stock up on supplies before they actually depart.

Fortunately, there is no lack of suppliers of camping gear and supplies and with the Internet as well, you will never be short of somewhere to buy camping gear and supplies. However, before you rush to get your wallet out, you first have to work out what you need. It is often useful to split the stuff you have to have to go camping into two separate types.

First there is camping gear or equipment. which includes thing like the tent, sleeping bags, rucksacks and tools and then there are the supplies, by which is meant foodstuffs, toiletries, matches et cetera.

The first type of places to try for buying camping gear and supplies is sport shops, if there is no dedicated camping shop close to you. Many sports people such as fishermen and hunters take a tent with them when they venture out, so you will find almost everything you need for camping at these sports shops as well. You are certain to find a hunting and fishing or sports shop close to you or you will find huge sports shops on line. The sports section of a large department store is also likely to stock these items.

Department stores may not stock such a wide variety as camping and sports shops, but you will often find that the prices are lower. Be careful of the quality though. Equipment bought from a sports shop will generally be robust and of high quality, whereas gear from a department store may be for children to use in the backyard. It is better to do some research on line for respectable brands and then go to see what is obtainable locally.

Army and navy surplus stores often provide high quality, military grade camping equipment. After all, if people trust their lives to this gear in battle, it must be good enough for you to go away for a week or two camping, must it not? As long as you like camouflage colours, that is.

No happy greens, yellows, reds and blues in the army and navy surplus stores though. Still, they are excellent if you want to study nature or go fishing. They will also have the correct tools as well, like foldable spades and camping stoves.

You could break camping supplies up into two parts too really: luxuries and essentials. The luxuries, such as Coco Pops, beer and the like are far cheaper in the supermarkets. Try to buy the dried varieties of anything you take, like dried milk and instant coffee, especially if you are hiking a long way.

The necessities can be bought in the supermarket too, but you may find some interesting food products in the army and navy stores as well. There might be soldiers’ ration packs and instant fire lighters. These are serious products intended for soldiers on active service, but you may like to try them out for amusement and experience.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is currently involved with Poconos camping. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations

Would You Like A Beautiful Cottage Rentals?

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Most people look forward to going away on holiday and a lot of people like to make intricate plans and bookings. After all you usually have to make allowances for flights and hotels. However, there can also be car, tour and bicycle bookings as well, depending on the category of vacation you want.

Instead of a hotel, you might want to think about renting a private cottage. Cottage rentals are a good option to a hotel or guest house. In general, cottage holidays are self-catering, so you would have to be ready to put in a little more work than if you went on an all-inclusive hotel stay. A small cottage on the coast in a secluded location would suit many people, but a holiday cottage on the coast could be better for others.

If you choose the right spot, you can have whatever type of cottage you want. Go to the coast if you like sailing or snorkeling. A coastal resort location would offer more night life probably. If you want a quieter fishing vacation with canoing or boating, a quiet lakeside hideaway would be more fitting. Then there are mountain huts and several other degrees of solitude and nightlife too.

If you would like to go to see museums and other touristic sights, you should choose a location near an appropriate city. It just requires a little forward preparation and consideration.

We live in Wales and there are thousands of rental cottages of all types in all manner of locations. If you have a big family, you could hire several cottages close to each there and live in a kind of old fashioned community. There are also modern camps like ‘Center Parcs’ which have hundreds of very modern cottages in small groups of four or five so that families or friends can stay in a group together.

These modern cottages are very luxurious, with Jacuzzis, swirl baths, large flat screen televisions and all manner of entertainment equipment and satellite TV. The cottages are set in acres of woodland and wildlife abounds. There are deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels and dozens of types of birds including kingfishers, geese, ducks and swans.

The swimming pools are fully heated and go inside and outside into the woods, so that even in the middle of winter you stay warm. There is also archery, boating and hiking with many courses of differing hardship to follow. It is great to walk in the woods knowing that you cannot get lost with animals around every corner.

The wildlife is used to human company, so much or it is not scared and they come right up to you if you stop for a picnic. These holidays are not so cheap as going to a self-catering private holiday, but they are safe, particularly for young families.

You can find cottage rentals through a travel agent, but you can also find them by looking in your local newspaper. These are some of the best finds because the cottages might be only a few hours drive away, but that is remote enough to make a big change. You do not really have to get on a plane to have a great vacation with a difference.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Poconos rentals. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations

Natural Mosquito Repellents

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

We all know that mosquitoes are pests. None of us likes being bitten by them. Most people say ‘bitten’ although this not true. ‘Stung’ is also not factual. What the mosquito is really doing is taking some of your protein in the form of blood though her proboscis, so that her eggs will have something to feed upon while they are developing.

In consequence, your blood is supplying the albumen (the ‘white’) of the mosquitoes’ eggs. It therefore follows that it is only the female mosquito that ‘bites’. In the course of sucking your blood, the mosquito squirts some juices into you. It is not fully understood what these liquids contain, but one is an anti-coagulant to keep your blood fluid and another might be a pain-killer so you do not feel the proboscis entering your pore. Some think that there might also be an antiseptic, but it is not accepted by every one.

Some mosquitoes also introduce other parasites into you, which can cause diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever and Japanese jungle encephalopathy. Mosquitoes are to blame for killing millions of people every year. Luckily the fluid that they inject comes from another source other than where they store the blood they have already taken, otherwise they could spread AIDS as well.

Having said all that, another indirect cause for alarm is in the deterrence of mosquito bites. The single most effective method of preventing mosquitoes landing on you is spreading mosquito repellent on your skin, and the most effective mosquito repellents contain DEET. However, it is now considered that the frequent use of DEET can cause neurological issues. Consequently, it worth looking for natural mosquito repellents.

Regrettably, there is no mosquito repellent as reliable as DEET, but some combinations of treatments are nearly as effective. For example, some people say that mosquitoes are drawn to people who have eaten bananas, so you could avoid bananas if you are nearby mosquitoes. Others say that mosquitoes are less likely to go for people who have eaten garlic or Yeastvite or Bovril.

Mosquitoes abhor the smell of lemons, so a local application of lemon juice is very efficient although the effect only lasts about thirty or forty minutes. However, there is a plant called the citronella and this deters mosquitoes equally as well. The citronella does not smell of lemons unless it is disturbed, but then it is very aromatic.

Grow them in pots on your window cills, on your deck or on your patio. The wind blowing through them is enough to release the smell. You can also collect the dead leaves and put them in your pillow. You could also rub green leaves directly onto your skin.

There are quite a few natural mosquito repellents, but they do not all work for everybody and nobody understands why. One theory is that diet and alcohol affect your appeal to mosquitoes. It is also possible that mosquitoes in different regions like different kinds of people, so it is always worth asking for local advice.

Owen Jones writes articles on several topics, but is currently concerned with Hand Held Insect Killer devices and static units at Electronic Insect Killers.

The Importance Of Choosing The Right Camping Ground

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

When the weather turns warm, the minds of millions of people turn to a camping holiday. Once you have all your camping equipment and all your supplies, you will have to select a camping ground. It is safer to camp on a designated camping site than just somewhere in the woods because of the danger presented by wild animals such as bears and stags. If you are going as a family, then you are better off with the bathroom facilities provided on a camping site as well.

The first thing to determine is where you want to go. Many people go only a few miles down the road from where they live, others choose to go to a favourite destination such as the Pocono Mountains. Unfortunately, it is not easy to gauge the quality of a camp ground from its telephone number and not all camp grounds are on line yet. Going to a poor camping ground can ruin your camping vacation, so it is worth checking the camping site on the Internet or asking to be sent a brochure.

Another good reason for looking at some advertising material is so that you can weigh up whether the on site amenities make the camping ground good value for money. Again there are no hard and fast rules, some people like to see a different show every night while others prefer to walk about or just sit and talk with neighbours or each other. If you are taking children, there should be something for them to do during the day such as organized nature rambles or and a swimming pool and other sports amenities.

Adult amenities should include fishing rights, boat hire facilities and nature trails and a swimming pool during the day, while at night, any shows that they put on should not be so loud as to spoil the impression of communing with nature for others. Many people leave the cities for a camping holiday in order to escape the noise, if you think like that, then make certain that you pick a camping ground that does not cater specially for younger people who might want to dance and carouse all night.

In the same vein, if you have a young family and you as a parent want to go to the shows, are there baby sitting facilities available or is there at least a park warden who patrols the camping at night who could look in on your kids every now and then?

Other facilities to look out for are shops, hairdressers and a first aid centre and the cost of using these facilities. Often the camp shops are a lot more expensive than similar shops in the local village, but do you really want to be going off site every time you want a loaf of bread or a six pack? Of course, you can take supplies with you but if you are going for a week or two, it is never sufficient and you are bound to forget something. A trip into a near by village every other day while sightseeing would be all right though, if there are any communities near by that is.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is presently concerned with Poconos camping. If you are interested in a rental in the Poconos Mountains, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations