Arizona: Grand Canyon Skywalk

Admission: 

The Legacy Package for adults is $40.96 or for children ages 3-11 it is $35.17.

This package includes photo opportunities with Hualapai members and hop-on-hop-off shuttle to all three viewpoints, which include Eagle Point, Guano Point and Hualapai Ranch.

The Gold Package is $75.54.

This package includes a Skywalk ticket to walk on the glass bridge over the Grand Canyon and a meal at the viewpoint of your choice, in addition to the contents of the Legacy Package.
**This package must be purchased in order to experience the Skywalk.

The VIP Package is $311.99.

This package includes a private tour with a Hualapai guide and an authentic Native American souvenir, in addition to the contents of the Legacy Package and the Gold Package.

There are additional add-ons for purchase that include horseback riding, stagecoach rides, meal vouchers, helicopter rides, overnight cabin stays, ground tours of the Grand Canyon and a helicopter ride/pontoon float trip down the Colorado River. 

The Skywalk is located in Grand Canyon West and was built on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. David Jin designed this structure, with help from the Las Vegas design firm Lochsa Engineering, to hold the weight of approximately 11.5 million pounds and withstand winds up to 100mph. It was opened to the public on March 28, 2007.

The transparent floors and railings allow tourists to be able to experience the Grand Canyon like never before. The glass walkway extends out 70 feet from the rim of the canyon and stands 2,000 feet above its base. 

Viewpoints and Activities:

1. Eagle Point
At this location, there is a walking tour of the authentic Native American dwellings within the Native American village that depict multiple tribes, an amphitheater where live Native American performances from multiple tribes are demonstrated continuously all day and a showing of handmade and authentic Native American jewelry and crafts.

2. Guano Point
At this location, there is a highpoint hike that offers panoramic canyon views of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, the remnants of a historic tram that stretched 8,800 feet across the canyon to a guano mine discovered in the 1930's and the opportunity to interact with Tribal members offering Native American jewelry and crafts at the Hualapai market.

3. Hualapai Ranch
At this location, there is cowboy entertainment, wagon rides, western hospitality and presentations on how to rope and quick draw the cowboy way.

Source: http://www.grandcanyonwest.com

Fort Bragg, California: Glass Beach

After devastation from the San Francisco Earthquake, in 1906 the town of Fort Bragg began using the ocean as a dumping field for their trash. From 1949 to 1967, this beach was publicly the Fort Brag Dump and everything was dumped there, such as cars, household appliances, batteries, cans and bottles. This apparently was a common practice of seaside cities for centuries. In 1967, the North Coast Water Quality Board made plans to move the dump away from the ocean after realizing the dump's negative impact on the water quality. Amazingly, the glass from these perishables has been smoothed down by the ocean's powerful waves and redeposited onto the beach, as seen in the photo above. In some areas the glass completely covers the beach. 

There are actually three glass beach sites. Each site was the town's dump for a period of time, Site 1 from 1906 to 1943, Site 2 from 1943 to 1949 and Site 3 from 1949 to 1967. In 2002, the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased Glass Beach Site 3 and incorporated it into MacKerricher State Park. 

"All park cultural features are protected by the law and may not be removed or disturbed, including glass found at Glass Beach," says California State Parks regarding Glass Beach at MacKerricher State Park.

Grindavik, Iceland: Blue Lagoon

Admission for Winter (September 1 to May 31):

The standard admission is €35 for adults 16 years and older. Teenagers of the ages 14 or 15 are €20 and children under the age of 13 are free. This includes a visitors pass and entrance to the Blue Lagoon only; there are more expensive packages that can be purchased for that include various offers.

No children under the age of 2 can gain admission.

Admission for Summer (June 1 to August 31):

The standard admission is €45 for adults 16 years and older. Teenagers of the ages 14 or 15 are €20 and children under the age of 13 are free. This includes a visitors pass and entrance to the Blue Lagoon only; there are more expensive packages that can be purchased that include various extra offers.

No children under the age of 2 can gain admission.

Accommodations:

There are single and double rooms available, prices ranging from €190 to €300 depending on the size and date of reservation. Included in these prices are all taxes and service charges, complimentary breakfast and complimentary entrance to the Blue Lagoon.

Things to Do:

Activities at the Blue Lagoon include swimming in the lagoon, spa amenities, in-water massages and beauty treatments.

About the Blue Lagoon:

This relaxing geothermal water includes three active ingredients, including silica, algae and minerals. The blue color comes from the silica and the way it reflects sunlight. During the summer the water can have more of a mint green hue due to the algae multiplying more quickly because of the direct sunlight and heat. The sun makes the water look blue, but the water itself is actually a milky white.

The water temperature fluctuates between 37-40 degrees Celsius (98-104 degrees Fahrenheit) year-round and the lagoon contains 6 million liters of water. The water is also self-cleansing and renews itself every 40 hours. The pool's depth varies, but most of it is between 2 to 4 feet deep. The deepest point is about 5 feet deep.

The water originates about 2,000 meters below the surface, where freshwater and seawater combine at extreme temperatures. It is then harnessed via drilling holes at a nearby geothermal power plant, Svartsengi, to create electricity and hot water for nearby communities. 

The geothermal water is said to have many benefits and is a perfect temperature for relaxing.

Suggestions While Visiting:

Stay hydrated, use conditioner, remove all jewelry and skip the goggles (The water is too blurry to see underwater). Also bring sunglasses, a bathing suit and a towel.

Source: http://www.bluelagoon.com

Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile: Moai

The statues that are scattered across Easter Island are made out of single blocks of stone and are called Moai. The rectangular stone platforms that the Moai are mounted on are called Ahu. The statues vary in height and weight, but average to be 13 feet tall and 14 tons. The largest Moai, named "El Gigante," is 71.93 feet tall and approximately145-165 tons. There are approximately 900 statues that are scattered across the island.

There is no written history and very little oral history over the island, so there is no known reason for why these statues were built. However, it is suspected that they were built to honor ancestors, chiefs, or deities within Rapa Nui because all of the Moai face inland and not out to sea.

The weather is said to be pretty nice year-round, but most tourists travel there during the Southern Hemisphere summer, which is from January to March.

Flights to reach the Island can be taken from Santiago, Chile and Tahiti. The extremely isolated island sits roughly 2,300 miles west of South America and its closest island is still 1,100 miles away.

Cars, motorcycles and bikes are available for rent to visitors who want to explore the island, with its many scattered archaeological sites and beaches available to the public.

An excavation process, called "The Easter Island Statue Project," revealed what lay below the mysterious heads that littered the island. As shown above, the excavation found that the heads actually have bodies as well.

Waitomo, New Zealand: Glowworm Caves

Admission: (Adult $49, Children ages 4-14 $21.50,  Children under the age of four are free)

This tour consists of a boat ride through the Glowworm Caves into Glowworm Grotto and a walkthrough tour through the two levels of the cave. The upper level is called the Tomo, which is also the cave entrance and the lower level is called the Cathedral. This cave was formed over 30 million years ago and is a must-see for any world traveler.

Tours are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (April 1 to October 31) or during summer hours from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (November 1 to March 31). The tours depart every 30 minutes and each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes. Comfortable walking shoes and a warm jacket are suggested!

Source: http://www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-Glowworm-Caves/Pages/default.aspx

Peggy Chambers

Blog Title: “Views from the Hammock”

Blog URL: http://peggylchambers.com

Main Points about Peggy Chambers:

·      Author of The Apocalypse Sucks and Secrets of Sandhill Island. She also has a middle-grade fantasy novel coming out mid-April called Glome’s Valley and she currently has five unfinished manuscripts.

·      She is 62 years old and has two children, five grandchildren and lives with her husband and dog. 

·      “She adores travel, Yoga and curling up with a good book in front of a roaring fire.  She loves the great outdoors, even if it is just taking the dog for a walk and once ate wart hog pizza for lunch when she followed her husband across deepest, darkest Africa. She even climbed the pyramids at Chichen Itza.

·      She attended Phillips University, the University of Central Oklahoma and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma.  

·      She is a member of the Enid Writers’ Club, Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc., Oklahoma Women Bloggers and Ozark Writers’ League.

·      She won blogger of the month for March 2015 at Oklahoma Women Bloggers http://www.oklahomawomenbloggers.com/why-i-blog-4/

·      She just retired this week from Atwoods to spend more time on her writing. She worked there as part of the E-Commerce department working on the new website and as part of the customer service department.

Main Points about her Blog:

·      She has been blogging for 2 years and blogs close to once a week.

·      Purpose of her blog: “I love to meet people across the country, but I originally began blogging to promote by books.”

·      She blogs from her home in Enid, Oklahoma.

·      Her blog has 88 followers. The blog is linked to her Twitter account where she has 1207 followers and to her Facebook page where she has 254 followers. The blog also links to her author page on Amazon.

·      Her blog does not make money, but it does promote her books, which ends up making her money.

·      Chambers says, “Blogging helps me introduce myself and allows me to vent about things I want to discuss.”

·      Why her blog is unique: “I’m not just trying to sell my books, but networking with people with similar interests.”

·      Her advice for fellow bloggers is to learn to build your own website and to change it as your attitudes change. She also suggests joining a blogging group.

·      You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BraWars, or connect with her on Twitter at @ChambersPeggy.