Alpine Valley Skiing

Skiing is a very popular sports in USA during winter days. As I have no idea about skiing just want to try this sport with my friends. We all went to Alpine Valley,  near Detroit to know about this fun sport. We took one hour class for skiing an tried our best.

Skiing is a recreational activity and competitive winter sport in which the participant uses skis to glide on snow.

The word 'ski' has its origins in the Norwegian word skíð which means a piece of wood!

Skiing as a competitive sport is generally classified as Alpine, Nordic and Freestyle skiing. Broadly speaking about differences, in alpine skiing people ski with fixed heel bindings, Nordic skiing does not have a fixed heel, and freestyle skiing involves jumps and performance based routines.

Equipment used in skiing includes:

Ø Skis

Ø Boots and bindings

Ø Poles

Ø Helmets and ski suits

All the above snaps are took in Alpine Valley,  near Detroit Michigan.

Portland Zoo

The Great Northwest - A Journey From The Mountains To The Sea

The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo in Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. 

Zoo is located 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Downtown Portland, the zoo is inside Portland's Washington Park, and includes the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge Washington Park & Zoo Railway that connects to the International Rose Test Garden inside the park. Opened in 1888 after a private animal collector donated his animals to the City of Portland, the 64-acre (26 ha) zoo is now owned by the regional Metro government.

A member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, it has species survival plans for twenty-one endangered/threatened species, among which are successful breeding programs for endangered California condors, Asian elephants, and in recent times, African lions too.

The zoo has many major exhibit areas:

Ø Great Northwest,

Ø Fragile Forests, Asia, Pacific Shores and Africa,

Ø Africa Rainforest

Ø Africa Savanna

Ø Elephant Lands

Ø Bears

Ø Dinosaurs

Ø Predators of the Serengeti

Animals of the Oregon Zoo

Ø 1,955 individual animals represent 232 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates*

Ø 22 endangered species and 37 threatened species live at the zoo.*

Ø The zoo is active in 21 Species Survival Plans.*

Ø  (*Zoo animal data as of December 31, 2012)

My Journey To The Great Northwest

Crabtree Falls

Crabtree Falls is located in the George Washington National Forest in Nelson County, Virginia, and is one of the tallest sets of waterfalls in the United States east of the Mississippi River.

This is the first large cascade you’ll encounter on the hike

Crabtree Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Virginia, and certainly the tallest. It is commonly referred to as the tallest waterfall in the East. This is a mistake because Crabtree Falls is actually a series of waterfalls, all beautiful and tall but not one distinct drop. Crabtree Creek flows from Crabtree Meadows through a rare hanging valley for this region before plunging 1,080 feet towards the Tye River.

Crabtree Falls Trail is probably Virginia’s best-known waterfall hike. The hike is located a short distance from the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail climbs alongside the falls and ends at an overlook of the Tye River Valley. It is one of the classic “must-hike” Virginia trails.

          Elevation: 1,670' (509 m) ,           Height: 1,214' (370 m) ,           Number of drops: 5

However, the title of tallest free-fall vertical drop goes to Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee's Fall Creek Falls State Park.

How to Reach Crabtree Falls can be reached from the Blue Ridge Parkway by travelling to milepost 27. Exit onto VA 56 going east and follow the signs to Crabtree Falls (about 6.3 miles). It is open from dawn to dusk daily.

Crabtree Falls

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

Massies Mill, VA

  

Crabtree Falls Campgrounds

11039 Crabtree Falls Hwy, Tyro, VA 22976

Crystal Cave

Crystal Cave Pennsylvania

Crystal Cave is a cave near Kutztown in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. It was found by William Merkel and John Gehret. Greenwich Township farmer Samuel D. F. Kohler bought 47 acres of land, including the cave, for $5,000 in 1872.

Some rock formations in Crystal Cave are a half-million years old. The lowest point, Devil's den, is 155 feet (47 m) below the Earth's surface and in it live thirty to forty North American brown bats. The highest point in the cave is 65 feet (20 m) below the Earth's surface, in an area that is called "Lookout Point", for it gives a view of two-thirds of the cave. The cave remains at 52 °F (11 °C), 54 °F (12 °C), and 56 °F (13 °C) in different areas all year round. From the main entrance of the cave to the back of the cave, it measures 500 feet (150 m) long.

One rock formation is called "The Upside-down Ice Cream Cone", for the different-colored calcite deposits that look like vanilla ice cream and chocolate ice cream, along with moss and plant life that looks like mint ice cream. Also, there is an enormous drop rock that separates a room in two creating a natural bridge.

Lancaster Amish County

Amish County in Lancaster PA

Lancaster County is home to the second largest Amish settlement in the world. 

The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships, closely related to but distinct from Mennonite churches, with whom they share Swiss Anabaptist origins. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology. The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish.

The Pennsylvania Amish of Lancaster County are America's oldest Amish settlement, where thousands still live a centuries-old "Plain" lifestyle. Arriving in PA Dutch Country allows you to step back in time to enjoy a slower, more peaceful pace – one where the horse & buggy remains a primary form of transportation, and where windmills dot the landscape, providing power harnessed from nature. Always a vital part of Lancaster County culture, the PA Amish are involved in agriculture as well as an array of businesses and cottage.

Amish Attractions in Lancaster County PA

ü Amish buggy ride

ü Tour Amish exhibits or homesteads

ü Tours on  Countryside Amish farms

ü Traditional Amish buggy in Amish country Lancaster pa

There are numerous ways here to learn more about the Amish lifestyle and what the Amish believe.  This is a place were we can get away from the fast-paced urban lifestyle and find a more relaxed, slower-paced atmosphere. 

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. state of Virginia. This national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and Valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east.

Skyline Drive, which runs for 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains, is flanked by a rumpled panorama of forests and mountains.

Although the scenic Skyline Drive is likely the most prominent feature of the Park, almost 40% of the land area 79,579 acres has been designated as wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Shenandoah National Park Fact Sheet

ü Location: Virginia

ü Established: December 26, 1935

ü Park Size : 197,438.76 acres (includes 79,579 acres of wilderness area)

ü Over 60 peaks with elevation over 3,000 feet

ü Highest peak - Hawksbill at 4,051 feet (1,235 m)

ü 236 miles of roads (including 105 miles of Skyline Drive)

ü 75 overlooks

ü 518 miles of hiking trails (including 200 miles of designated horse trails and 101 miles of Appalachian Trail)

ü July 3 is the Birthday of Shenandoah National Park. On July 3, 1936, President Roosevelt dedicated Shenandoah National Park.