Thursday, November 5, 2009

Camping 101 - Stay Alert - Stay Safe - Stay Alive



Travel Videos and 101 Tips

                  How To Build a Campfire
                                Essential Camping Tent Tips
                     How To Build a Campfire        Essential Camping Tent Tips     
  • 1.
  • Fire Restrictions
    Before building any fires outdoors, check to be sure there aren't any fire restrictions. Ask the attendants when you arrive at the campground, or, if primitive camping, call the local forest district for information.

  • Starting a Fire
    Learn to start a fire simply with paper, matches, and kindling. I advise against using charcoal lighter fluid, gasoline, or kerosene. If the wood is too wet to burn, then you're better off without a fire as all it will do is pop and spark all night.

  • No Bonfires Please
    Small fires are easier to tend, you can sit closer to them without getting a tan, and the wood pile will last longer. Besides, you don't want kids roasting marshmallows or wieners over a bonfire.

  • First Aid for Burns
    The first response to a burn should be to apply ice or cold water. I's also good advice to include burn ointment and bandages in your camping first aid kit. Sparks and dust flying around campfires can get into the eyes, so include saline eye wash in your kit too.

  • Cooking Over a Campfire
    Campfires don't make very practical stoves or ovens. Sure, some foods taste good and are fun to cook over the campfire, but without appropriate utensils and a proper fire, the food will not cook correctly, and you'll likely wind up with blackened cookware.
  • Before going to bed or leaving the campsite, be sure that all campfires are out. Stir the embers and dowse them with water. Remember, "Only you can prevent forests fires!"
 
  • 2
  • Sleeping in the countryside, away from city lights, out under the stars on a clear night is simply spectacular. But waking up in the middle of the night during a downpour can be quite miserable. Just waking up in the morning covered with dew is bad enough. There is a solution to this problem: put a roof over your head.Your campsite bed is made; you've geared up with pads, mats, sleeping bags, air mattresses, sheets, blankets, comforters and pillows to get a good night's sleep. Now you need to insure that cozy campground slumber with an appropriate tent to shield you from the wind, the sun and the rain and also to protect you from unfriendly outdoor pests like flies, mosquitoes and no-seeums.
    Tents today come in all shapes and sizes to meet a variety of camping needs and weather situations. There are a few things to consider when purchasing a new tent. Look for a tent with a one piece floor, it's less likely to seep water than a floor with seams. Make sure the rain fly is an adequate size covering most of the tent with an extended section at the door to allow entry without soaking the inside of the tent. Make sure the tent is big enough to accommodate all the campers plus a place to stow their gear.
    Particular circumstances, like snow camping, beach camping, or backpacking, may call for specialized tents, accessories or considerations. Let's look further into the aspects of selecting a proper tent.

  • 3.  (Marshmallow Smores  - Video Above)
                      How to Make Campfire S'mores
  • Bring On the Marshmallows
    What's a campfire without the marshmallows? Just be careful to supervise young children and remember that marshmallows and other foods cooked over a campfire will be very hot at first. How to Make Campfire S'mores 





New Mexico Rafting Trips - Rafting and Kayaking FYI from basic to skilled

Lets do this by supplying you with 2premium New Mexico Rafting Companies and 1 Kayaking Information & Guide website. All with outstanding reputations for excellence in safety - experience and customer service.




Company Philosophy

Since our founding in 1990, Kokopelli's goal has been to provide a quality recreational experience to people of all ages. Kokopelli guests can expect the highest quality custom trips, great food, personalized service, and, of course, an exceptional guiding staff. Our professionally-guided tours focus on the natural and cultural history of the region, with plenty of fun and adventure mixed in. We provide everything you need for a comfortable outdoor experience--whether it's for an afternoon or a week.

Commitment to the Environment

The owners and staff of Kokopelli Rafting Adventures love the natural world and do what they can to protect and preserve places of natural beauty. Our most important act of environmentalism is the teaching and example setting demonstrated on all of our trips. We strive encourage and support appreciation, and preservation of our rivers and natural areas. Kokopelli Rafting practices techniques and policies, such as Leave No Trace practices, to minimize impacts on our rivers and riverside environments. Setting this example of reverence and respect for our natural world is our greatest environmental mission. In addition, we seek to run a sustainable operation and improve our practices whenever possible. We recycle all of our food and beverage containers, print release forms on recycled paper, purchase green electricity credits for the power used at our facilities, and consistently look for more areas to improve our operations.


Yahoo Customer Review:
If you have time for a little adventure while you are in the area, this is the company to call. You can book half day, full day or overnight trips that include class II and III rapids. The two-day trip to the Taos Box and the Lower Rio Grande Gorge is a trip to remember. Prices range from $45 for a half-day run to $185 for the two-day trip. The company provides all the equipment. If you are looking for something a little calmer, ask about the kayaking tours.


551 West Cordova Road
Santa Fe, NM 87505-1849
+1 505 983 3734 / +1 800 879 9035
Open Hours9a-5p daily








Our Guides are the Greatest
Good-humored, responsible, dedicated to the outdoor life. They have received the best training on the river and SAFETY is their top priority.

Equipment Counts
We use larger self-bailing rafts on the harder/high water runs. They are safer and drier. For late summer we pull out our sport fleet, smaller boats and funyaks that make threading the low water rock gardens big fun! New Wave provides you with the best boat for the job.


River Trips with New Wave RaftingGreat Food
Robust meals, including our lavish all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, are standard operating procedure.

Protective Gear

We want you to be comfortable. On the Taos Box, we offer you wet suits, booties, rain gear and even gloves! Raingear (tops and bottoms) is also provided on all other trips.
You're Special
We wouldn't be on the river without you. We like our guests and love our work. We don't take you for granted.


This full-day river trip traverses 16 miles of wilderness gorge, encountering demanding rapids guaranteed to get you wet. This is our most exciting rafting adventure and is NOT for the timid. The Taos Box trip meets at the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center at 10 AM, and returns there at approximately 4 PM.
Weekend: $115   Weekend Group of 10+: $100   Weekday: $100  Weekday Group of 10+: $90


New Wave Rafting    P.O. Box 70, Embudo, NM 87531    Phone: 1 800 984-1444
Email: sales@newwaverafting.com
Headquarters Located at:
2110 Hwy. 68, at Mile 21, 21 miles north of Espanola, and three miles south of the Taos/Rio Arriba County line. Please feel free to stop by.




Kayaking - Its own specialty sport - Be Skilled and cautious - Only experienced Kayakers should try this alone or without the safety net of a guide accompanying you. Use this informative site below when preparing, I recommend them for safety and a myriad of information on the local area - rivers - and best agencies.



Rivers, Rafting, Kayaking

Not only are New Mexico's infrequent rivers lifeblood to the arid state, but they're also a source of wet ecstasy for intrepid Kayaking adventurers who regularly ply their waters in all manner of craft, from kayaks to canoes to hypalon rafts. Given that nearly all of the waterways rely on melting mountain snowpack for sustenance, it makes sense that the most exciting whitewater runs abound in the northern part of the state where most of the mountains are located. The unbridled Rio Grande west of Taos is the river of choice for experienced whitewater kayaking enthusiasts, while a tributary, the dam-controlled Rio Chama, is preferred by those seeking a gentler ride. Apart from these two premier runs, which are regulated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an assortment of smaller rivers can be navigated during the short spring runoff season, which typically begins in April. Portions of other dam-controlled rivers, including the Rio Grande from south of Santa Fe to the Texas border, can be floated year-round when enough water is released.


Rafting, canoeing and kayaking are wilderness experiences and take place miles from the nearest telephone and often the nearest road. Boaters are on their own to solve problems that arise and they must have corresponding skills. Like most wilderness adventures, boating is not predictable. 
 
Commercial River Outfitters
For those lacking such skills and experience, 16 outfitters offer trips on the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico and 12 companies will take boaters down the Rio Chama. Excursions range in length from half-day to multiple days. The Bureau of Land Management maintains a list of outfitters at:




www.nm.blm.gov/www/tafo/rafting/commercial.html


For other general information, including maps on these two rivers, you may also contact the Bureau of Land Management, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, NM 87571; (505) 758-8851, www.nm.blm.gov. For recorded river information call (505) 758-8148.

Scenic Wonderland - Alamogordo - White Sands National Monument


White Sands of New Mexico:

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field.
White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.



White Sands Institute
Have you ever wanted to take a photography workshop led by a professional photographer in New Mexico’s most visited national park area? Or learn about the unique animal and plant species of New Mexico’s White Sands?
Field seminars combining a mixture of outdoor field excursions along with classroom presentations. Will be taught by renown experts. Information about other classes for the 2010 season will be posted later in fall of 2009.


The White Sands Institute field seminars combine a mixture of outdoor field excursions along with classroom presentations. All courses will take place at White Sands National Monument. The field seminars will be taught in small groups, so interested individuals are advised to register as soon as possible before classes fill up. To register for classes or for more information, contact New Mexico State University – Alamogordo’s Office of Community Services at 575-439-3842. The class schedule for 2010 will be posted in early 2010. Please check back at that time.

 Did You Know?
Only a handful of gypsum dune fields exist and the white sands dune field is by far the world's largest, covering 275 square miles.


Nature and Science
Gypsum dunes

The largest pure gypsum dune field in the world is located at White Sands National Monument in south-central New Mexico. This region of glistening white dunes is in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert within an "internally drained valley" called the Tularosa Basin. The monument ranges in elevation from 3890' to 4116' above sea level. There are approximately 275 total square miles of dune fields here, with 115 square miles (about 40%) located within White Sands National Monument. The remainder is on military land that is not open to the public. This dune field is very dynamic, with the most active dunes moving to the northeast at a rate of up to 30 feet per year, while the more stable areas of sand move very little. The pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) that forms these unusual dunes originates in the western portion of the monument from an ephemeral lake or playa with a very high mineral content. As the water evaporates (theoretically as much as 80" per year!), the minerals are left behind to form gypsum deposits that eventually are wind-transported to form these white sand dunes. Many species of plants and animals have developed very specialized means of surviving in this area of cold winters, hot summers, with very little surface water and highly mineralized ground water





Photo of kangaroo rat

Did You Know?
Because there is virtually no fresh water within the white sands dune field, animals that live in the dunes must get almost all their water solely from the food they eat. Desert animals have evolved many ways of conserving moisture. The kangaroo rat eats only dry seeds and never drinks water.

Did You Know?

Did You Know?
Unlike most other birds, which have three front toes and one back toe, the roadrunner has two front and two back toes, allowing it to run down its prey. Look for its distinct X-shaped tracks on the white sands.




Photo of white lizard

Did You Know?
Three species of lizards, one pocket mouse and numerous species of insects have evolved a white coloration for survival in the white sands.


Videos on New Mexico - I found a bundle - Link it Peeps

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View videos from the state of New Mexico

Here you will be able to take a visual journey through one of the most beautiful states in the union. Our video and web team have worked diligently to provide you with the best experience for viewing our visual wonders. Please come back often as we continue to upgrade and add new videos. Click on the image to view the video. Thank you and enjoy "The Best Place In the Universe New Mexico"

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