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A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving Your Car
We all love our cars. They give us the freedom to come and go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But automobiles also effect the environment by polluting the air we breathe and, in...
Photovoltaic Systems - Energy from the Sky
As people search for alternatives to fossil fuel energy, solar
energy emerges as one of the cleanest and most practical sources
of electricity. Solar panels can be installed on rooftops or any
area that receives a lot of sunshine. The solar...
Saving Energy in the Kitchen
Saving Energy in the Kitchen (312 words) The kitchen, with all its appliances, gadgets and heat, is a real hotspot for potential energy saving. As the oven uses the most energy and creates a vast amount of heat while cooking foods, it is a good...
Sustainability Today
Sustainability Today
Achieving a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount
importance for the health of future generations. The devastation
of our natural environment by individuals and corporations who
carelessly pollute the water and...
Top 10 - Proven Oil Reserve Countries
This is a list of countries with proven reachable oil reserves in billions of barrels, and is a rough estimate based on the ability to recover the oil by current technological and economical means. Saudi Arabia - 262 Saudi Arabia is the largest...
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National Parks - Get Out of Your Car!
The national park system in the United States is full of beauty
and surprises. Still, you'll be wondering if they're worth it
when you run into the crowds of other visitors.
Road Side Viewing
Sure, millions of people visit our national parks each year,
miles of cars creep through at a painfully slow pace, parking
lots are full and busses are packed. Cars stop in the middle of
the road to view wildlife, backing up traffic for miles.
Is it all worth it? Should I just get stuck in a Los Angeles
traffic jam with DVD player showing some nice mountain scenery?!
I travel through the Rocky Mountain Nation Park, using Trail
Ridge Road, on a regular basis throughout the summer to reach
some of my favorite fly fishing spots on the other side of the
divide. I also have hiked many of the park trails. Let me tell
you, I have seen the frustration of the gridlock national park
experience.
Do you think the national park experience is looking out the
window of your car or bus? How about stopping at the most
popular scenic spots that are located within a stones throwing
distance from the parking lots? If you do, well, you
likely have
missed out on 95 percent of the park and a serine magical
experience that only those willing to put on the hiking boots
get to see.
The system of roads in a National Park is designed to minimize
the impact on the park. It is not designed to get you to the
best places. If you do not get off your butt and hike a bit, you
are not seeing the beauty of the park. Sure, you may have to
deal with the cattle drive to reach your desired trailhead, but
a leisurely stroll of about 1 mile leave the hordes of arm chair
park goers long behind. You could be standing shoulder to
shoulder with hundreds of people looking across Bear Lake at one
moment, and in near solitude one hour later if you're willing to
exert just a bit more energy than the majority of the park
visitors.
Thanks goodness for the fast food armchair lifestyle!!!! Get on
those boots and leave the crowds behind. It's worth it.
About the author:
Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of
hiking journals. Writing journals make great Christmas gifts for
him or her. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to hiking
stories and hiking articles.
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