Comfortable Camping Trips need planning! Mention camping to some people and they’ll run a mile. The idea of sitting in a freezing cold tent, hoping that the rain isn’t going to leak through and soak all of your stuff doesn’t sound like a fun way to spend your time. But camping doesn’t have to be like that. Most people that have had bad camping experiences were just unprepared. If you plan properly and take all of the right equipment, camping can be amazing. There are some amazing camping spots around the world where you can really get up close and personal with nature. It’s the best way to see natural landscapes and it’s so relaxing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you’ve written off the idea of camping, it might be worth giving it another try. This time, make sure you get everything on this essential camping equipment checklist.
[Read more…] about 6 Essentials for a Comfortable Camping TripHere are the 5 Best Camping Spots in Ireland for Nature Lovers
Here are the 5 Best Camping Spots in Ireland for Nature Lovers! If you are an outdoor lover, as I am, I have heard and seen incredible things about the natural beauty and pristine forests of Ireland. Whether arriving to taste traditional drinks at a local village pub or taking part in one of the summer festivals, there are always things to do. Ireland has some amazing camping spots that will help you relax and take a break from civilization. Here are some of the ones I have heard of!
Sherkin Island, Cork
Not far from Baltimore, a small fishing village lies Sherkin Island. You can explore the small island by foot, enjoy the clear waters, the pristine environment, and the local hospitality. The island can be reached by a ferry, and is great for a camping trip or a hiking expedition. During the summer, you will find the place crowded, but in the fall and spring you can enjoy the tranquility of this place.
Beara Peninsula
In Co Cork and Kerry, you will find great camping spots in the mountains. If you would like to visit Ireland and connect with the land that was the home of your ancestors, this is a great place to start. You can hire a bike and cycle around the peninsula, or drive up the slopes and camp up. Don’t forget to check out the hiking routes around the area, including the over 200 kilometer long Beara Way, consisting of a variety of terrain.
Black Valley
In the Black Valley, nestled between the Moll’s Gap and the Gap of Dunloe, you will find plenty of spots to pitch your tent. As you will be in one of the most remote parts of Ireland, don’t be surprised if you meet fairies and leprechauns on the way. You are not likely to get disturbed by civilization here, as even phones and electric points are rare in the area.
Sperrin Mountains
This mountain range is a perfect spot for adventure travelers. The untouched landscape will capture your heart, and you will hear the sound of nature better than anywhere else. You can go fishing by visiting the Glenrandel river, and even camp by the water. The Ulster Way hike is challenging, but will reward you with wonderful scenery.
Blacksod Bay, Belmullet, County Mayo
If you are looking for a lovely village with a beach, you will love this place. You can ride donkeys, shop at family run businesses, and jump on the ferry to explore the shoreline of Ireland. You will need to be careful with the weather, though, as if you camp here, you will be exposed to the wind and the rain, as you are in a remote location. You should get some professional Tents and Camp Gear if you are serious about spending the night here.
If you want to enjoy the untouched pristine scenes Ireland has to offer, you might get your camping gear ready, hire a car and explore some of these remote locations where you can really connect with nature and the spirit of the place. I know I want to!
If you want to enjoy the untouched pristine scenes Ireland has to offer, you might get your camping gear ready, hire a car and explore some of these remote locations where you can really connect with nature and the spirit of the place. I know I want to!
Collaborative post.
The Texas Camping, Festivals and RV Travel Guide for 2018 is here!
Want to Rent an RV? https://rvshare.com/partner/travels-with-tam-rent-an-rv
Owners, want to rent out your RV? https://rvshare.com/partner/travels-with-tam-rent-your-rv
I have never “rv’d” on a road trip, and I would love to! Here is the guide to doing it in Texas!
THE 2018 RV TRAVEL & CAMPING GUIDE TO TEXAS
HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE FESTIVALS ACROSS THE LONE STAR STATE
265,000 copies of the coffee table quality travel guide are being distributed at RV shows, visitors’ bureaus and campgrounds
in Texas and across the country
CROWLEY, Texas, Jan. 9, 2018 — The 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is now being provided to consumers at RV shows, visitors’ bureaus and campgrounds in Texas and across the country.
“Our theme this year is festivals, the most interesting of which we highlight in each region of Texas,” said Brian Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), which publishes the travel and camping directory.
Although the camping directory is available in a mobile friendly format at www.TexasCampgrounds.com, Schaeffer said printed directories remain in high demand, largely because they can be faster and easier to use than online directories and don’t require precious cellphone data.
TACO’s printing covers 265,000 users of the 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas, the first of which were distributed last weekend at the South Texas RV Super Sale in San Antonio and the Tarrant County RV Show in Fort Worth.
The guide will also be distributed at the All Valley RV and Outdoor Show, Jan. 11 – 13 in Mercedes, the Houston RV Show, Feb. 7 – 11, and the Austin RV Expo, Feb. 15 – 18. Anderson’s Brochure Distribution Service will also distribute the guide at 25 other RV shows across the country.
“Our biggest sources of distribution are the Texas Information Centers, the Points of Entry into Texas,” Schaeffer said.
The 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas not only includes detailed information on campgrounds, but lots of information about places to visit and things to do in Texas. The guide also includes a two-page section with information on parks and attractions in Oklahoma. The big focus this year, however, is regional festivals, which attract Texans as well as well as out of state visitors. Here’s a sampling of some of the festivals highlighted in the guide:
— Cajun Catfish Festival in Conroe: This annual event, scheduled for Oct. 12 – 14 includes Cajun and Texas music on three stages all weekend, plus a unique variety of food including catfish, boudain, gator, etouffe, jambalaya and crawfish pie. The event also includes arts and crafts vendors and a kid-zone area with activities for children and a special performance stage for local dance teams. www.conroecajuncatfishfestival.com
— Dickens on the Strand in Galveston: This annual holiday street festival takes place during the first weekend of December. Based on 19th century Victorian London, the festival features parades, non-stop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and other entertainers as well as Victorian style crafts, holiday decorations and gift items. www.galveston.com
— Grape Fest in Grapevine: This annual event, slated for Sept. 13 – 16, includes grape stomp competitions as well as the “People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic,” the largest consumer-judged wine competition in the nation. www.GrapeFest.com
— Kerrville Festival of the Arts: This annual art festival, one of the largest in Texas, is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, May 26 – 27. www.kvartfest.com
— Lamesa’s Original Chicken Fried Steak Festival & Balloon Rally: This event, scheduled for April 27 – 28 at Forrest Park in Lamesa, features a chicken fried steak cooking competition, food booths, and decorative hot air balloons that take off each morning at sunrise. www.ci.lamesa.tx.us
— National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration in Lubbock: This annual event, slated for Sept. 7 – 9, features Western entertainers, storytelling, poetry as well as film and movie seminars, horse handling demonstrations, a horse themed parade, a youth Wild West Day and a national championship chuck wagon cookoff. The event also includes Native American presentations and exhibits of Western artwork and merchandise. www.cowboy.org
— Sand Castle Days in South Padre Island: This annual event in early October includes sand castle sculpture competitions, live music and a variety of entertainment for children, including children’s water slides, bouncers and mechanical bull rides. www.sandcastledays.com
— Shrimporee in Aransas Pass: This annual event, scheduled for June 8 – 10 at Johnson Community Park, includes live entertainment, dancing and plenty of shrimp as well as a parade, an outhouse race, carnival games, arts and crafts and a Miss Shrimporee Pageant.
https://www.aransaspass.org/shrimporee/
— Texas Onion Fest in Weslaco: This March 24 event celebrates the development of the Texas 1015 Onion in Weslaco. Activities include an onion eating contest, arts and crafts, food vendors, cooking demonstrations, live entertainment and a Miss Texas Onion Fest Pageant. www.weslaco.com
— Texas Rose Festival in Tyler: Activities included with this festival include the annual Rose Show, a display of more than 7,000 rose blooms; The Rose Parade; the Queen’s Coronation; and The Queen’s Tea. www.texasrosefestival.com
— Terlingua Chili Cookoff in Terlingua: The town of Terlingua is the site of two major chili cookoffs, including the CASI Terlingua International Chili Championship, which takes place Nov. 3. For more information, visit www.visitbigbend.com and https:www.casichili.net/terlingua-273604.html
— Winter Texan Expo & Health Fair in McAllen: This free event, slated for Jan. 16 – 17 at the McAllen Community Center, includes free health screenings, vendors, giveaways and entertainment. www.wintertexanexpo.com
Locator maps are provided at the beginning of each regional section of the guide, with numbered listings of the campgrounds for each region. Campgrounds are also alpha-indexed by city and park name.
Each campground listing includes a grid that lists the park’s facilities, services and amenities as well as driving directions, a miniature locator map and many parks have panoramic photos showing off what campers can experience. The directory also features a Texas Saver Card, which provides 10 percent discounts at participating parks and an entire page is used to highlight the winners of TACO’s park awards competition.
The guide, which was designed by Texas Advertising, also features display ads from every major campground chain, including Equity LifeStyle Properties; Jellystone Parks; Kampgrounds of America (KOA); Northgate Resorts; Quality Resorts and Sun Communities to name a few.
The guide also has a unique four-page rollout ad at the beginning of the book from the largest RV consignment dealer in the country PPL Motorhomes, which showcases its dealerships in Houston, Cleburne, and New Braunfels.
The guide also has a section devoted to parks with rental cabins and cottages and features ads from several park model RV manufacturers in Texas, including Athens/Champion Homes, Diamond Park Homes and Platinum Cottages. Camp with the conveniences of home!
RV and camping enthusiasts can order the directory online by visiting www.texascampgrounds.com. The 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is also posted on the website in digital page-turning format.
For more information about the directory or camping in Texas, please call Brian Schaeffer at 817-307-0129 or visit www.TexasCampgrounds.com and www.TexasCabinRentals.net.
Top Delicious Reasons Why It’s Worth It to Visit Italy
by Guest Blogger Rebecca Crawford of Hiking Mastery!
Top Delicious Reasons to visit Italy! We know Italy is great for sightseeing, hiking, beaches and beautiful scenery. But it is also world-renowned for its food. There are 20 different regions in Italy, and they all have a signature dish.
In this article, we are going to take you on a tour of Italy, food style, and discuss some of the top dishes within this amazing European country. So, grab your fork, because this is going to be a tasty read!
Lombardy
The Lombardy region of Italy is known for not only the fashionable Milan, but osso bucco and risotto. This region is known for making many dishes with rice versus the popular pasta. Risotto is a rice dish that can include various other foods like onion, cheese, shallot, mushrooms, or with no frills.
You follow the recipe until the liquid is all gone and the rice is al dente. You will also use broth in many recipes with can be from beef or vegetables.
Osso bucco is braised veal shanks. It is made with items like white wine and vegetables. The food’s name translates to bone with a hole, which is generally centered on the plate. This dish is most often served with the above risotto as a side.
This northern region is also known for the many cheese like Blue Veined Gorgonzola and Provolone, as well as Gran Padano. Many of these cheeses can be used when making risotto or osso bucco.
Emilia-Romagna
This northern Italian region’s capital is Bologna, where many famous foods are from. This area likes meat and pasta, and is a region known for curing meats. It’s also famous for the delicious Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
In this region, tortellini is popular, along with both balsamic vinegar of Modena and Bolognese sauce. Tortellini is a pasta that is shaped in a ring. You can boil this pasta and make it into a carbonara, primavera, or use a Parmesan cream sauce.
You can also make the locally known Bolognese sauce, which is a mixture of bacon, vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs heated into a pot with water. One other famous sauce there is the balsamic vinegar Modena which has a main ingredient of white Trebbiano grape juice and is made by boiling it over fire for several hours.
If you can’t get enough tortellini and want to take it on the trail with you, be aware of wild animals. They can smell food and will come to your location. Using the best odor-proof bags will keep wild animals away so you can have some tortellini as you camp out in Italy.
Tuscany
Most regions in Italy have their own cheese. The Tuscan region has Pecorino cheese, which is made of sheep’s milk. They love salt free bread and use fine olive oils and meats. Here, Chianti wine and steak alla fiorentina is king.
Steak alla fiorentina is what many call a Porterhouse steak that is grilled to rare condition, over a wood fire. You will only use salt and olive oil while cooking the steak. While cooking, air must circulate around the steak, because it needs to dry.
Pair this with some Chianti wine and some vegetables and you have a great meal!
Lazio
The Lazio region is in central Italy and is well known for its pasta, artichokes and zucchini, as well as porchetta. This region is known for the foods artichokes alla Romana, bruschetta, and spaghetti alla carbonara, which we will go over below.
Artichokes alla Romana are made with mint, garlic, oregano and olive oil. It is then cut in half and cooked until done.
Bruschetta is world known and it consists of antipasto with bread and garlic along with some salt and olive oil. You can top this dish with literally anything from tomatoes meats, cheeses, beans and other vegetables.
Spaghetti alla carbonara is made with bacon, garlic cloves and salt to taste. You will use egg in this dish as well. Many also throw in some meats like meatballs or pork, along with cheese custards.
Campania
This region is the home of pizza! Here, some of the best tomatoes, the San Marzano tomatoes, are grown along with eggplant, figs, lemons and more. The capital city here is Naples, the birthplace of pizza.
We all know that pizza is a round or square piece of cooked dough that includes tomato sauce and many toppings. This region is also home of the calzone, which is like pizza but is folded over with the contents within.
Buffalo mozzarella cheese and limoncello liqueur, which is lemon flavored liquor, are also from the Campania region.
Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in the entire Mediterranean Sea and is located in southern Italy. This area is known for lemons, olives, almonds and blood oranges. Pork is popular here, along with veal, and the locals like to use a lot of tomato sauce in their dishes as well as eggplant.
Caponata is famous here because of the locally grown eggplant. It is made with other vegetables like tomatoes and celery. The eggplant is fried and given sweet vinegar along with some capers. They also make a sweet and sour sauce to pour over it.
Veal Marsala is made with veal, or if you want you can make chicken Marsala. The meat can be interchanged. You will cook the meat until done and serve with the Marsala carmelization. Marsala is a wine that is used to give you a rich flavor in your dish.
It is very sweet. Once your veal is done and the wine is caramelized you are ready to eat!
Conclusion
While Italy is absolutely stunning and offers a lot to travelers, many people go there to experience the food. As you can see, these dishes are amazing and made from locally grown foods that are popular in that area. Each region is known for different dishes, which makes them unique, and makes us want to tour each region and try a dish or two!