Alaska-

I have always done my blogs on a tropical climate, and a white sandy beach for my dream vacation destinations. For today’s blogs I have decided to change it up a little bit. I have decided to blog about Alaska. I also have a love for the winter lands. The snow, wildlife, and the cultures are all things I would like to be able to see with my own eyes. In Alaska I want to see the Northern lights all the pretty colors of greens and pinks. The aurora is actually the glow of solar particles blown into the earth’s magnetic field more than 60 miles above the earth’s surface at speeds up to 35,000 miles per hour.   There is also whale watching, and glacier tours. You can also take a day cruises most popular destinations found at Glacier Bay, and Kenai fjords and Prince William Sound. There are many ways to travel by air, by sea and by road. I would like to make it a road trip would be very nice to. You could make it a month trip stop and visit all the places you would like to on the way to Alaska. Another way I would like travel to Alaska would be by the sea. Alaska has more coastlines than the rest of the United States combined. I would love to take a curse around Alaska and see the wildlife there. Some of the wildlife you can see in Alaska is polar bears, bald eagles, blue and humpbacked whales, gray wolves, grizzly bears, orcas, lynx, moose, and hundreds of other rare and endangered species.  I would also enjoy renting a cabin in the woods, way up in the mountains and have a big snow storm and just have peace and quiet all to myself. Relax in a hot tub on the back porch of the cabin and enjoy the white snowy country. The winters in Alaska are not as bad as you might think the average temperatures around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This last winter Ohio had temperatures below zero.  It is said that winter is when the fun begins for Alaskans.

Picture taken by: http://www.visitnorway.com/ImageVault/Images/id_4499/conversionFormat_12/scope_0/ImageVaultHandler.aspx

Bora Bora-

I have many places I would love to visit in my life time. Most of these places are warm weather and by an ocean. I think the reason I want to go to all tropical islands is because of Ohio’s wonderful crazy weather. This past winter we had more sunny days than snowy, and in the spring had below thirty degrees at night. I am ready to break out the shorts and bikinis. After looking at the tropical island of Bora Bora I have fell in love. The island of Bora Bora has a lagoon resembling an artist’s palette of blues and greens it’s a love at first sight. It is also said to be one of the most romantic island in the world, I would love to have my wedding on these white sanded beaches. If you are looking for a different but amazing way to spend a vacation try one of the many bungalows. Most of the bungalows that I found pictures of have a glass floor in places so you can see the water below you. After I told my mom that I wanted to visit this place and showed her a picture of the glass floor she said “why do I get this feeling that you would swim under the bungalow and knock on the glass?” well my mom guessed right I would do that. Me and my mom were planning on trying to take a mother daughter trip to Bora Bora I said if that ever happens when we landed and get to the bungalow I am running straight to the end of the dock and jumping off clothes and all!! We haven’t quite decided if we are going to go or not but if we do I would love to stay at the Bora Bora Hilton Nui Resort and Spa. They have many new crazy adventurous things I would like to say I have experienced. Some of the adventures I would like to do are sailing, jet skiing, and windsurfing. How many people can say they went windsurfing in Bora Bora. One last thing I would like to do in Bora Bora is swim with sting rays!

                               Picture by:
http://www.boraboraisland.com/todo/watersports%20images/stingray_girl_19k.jpg

Fiji islands-

My second trip I would love to take would be to the beautiful Coconut Grove at the islands of Fiji. Coconut Grove has many cottages is one I would enjoy staying at would be Beachfront, it is a small resort located directly on the ocean with a private, white sand beach. Awww sounds like a little piece of heaven. Some of the many things to do at Coconut Grove are extraordinary diving, snorkeling, incredible nature walks. Somosomo strait is rated as one of the top five dive locations in the world. Also if you are interested in night diving this is the place for it. For all the ladies and some men out there that need a relaxation day there is a massage and yoga. Most places that offer massage you would think are outrageous prices about $90.00 per hour, at Coconut Grove $55.00 per hour. Taking a trip to Fiji is not always about vacation or relaxation since the opening in 1993, Coconut Grove has hosted dozens of weddings have been performed on the private white sandy beaches. Everything about this trip sounds so inviting. I am the type of girl who is always up for a new adventure. Snorkeling and diving are on my top new list of fun things to do. When I was younger my family always called me a water dog, so naturally I would love to swim around and be a fish for a day. Like many other women out there I would love to have a relaxation massage. I have never had a professional massage and would love to experience one. Fiji islands have a typical slight seasonal temperature variation, if anyone in Ohio knows about how fast weather can change its spring time and we are in temperatures of 35 degrees I would love to be able to wear shorts and tang tops all year around. My second trip I am planning to go on is to the amazing, tropical, magical islands of Fiji.

Picture taken from:

http://www.travel-guider.com/fiji-islands.html

The Dead Sea

Picture by:dead-sea-cosmetics-shop.com
 http://www.dead-sea-cosmetics-shop.com/files/images/224.jpg

The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is one of my many dream spots to visit. The Sea is located between Jordan and Israel. It is the lowest place on earth the depth in places can reach 1,400 feet. The Dead Sea is not a sea at all!!! It is a saltwater lake. The biggest reason people visit The Sea is for therapeutic value of mud and water. The water is so dense that a person can float on the surface without trying, you could sit back and read a book and not worry about waving your arms to stay afloat. Egyptians used mud from the Dead Sea in their mummification of the deceased. For the Dead Sea being 3 million years old I would love to have the chance to roll around in its therapeutic mud. I have also read that the Sea’s unique salts can treat acne, I am a teen who like most suffer from acne and ready to feel my skin clearing up. The salt content is about 33 percent which is almost 10 times the amount of salt in ordinary seawater. After I go into the Atlantic Ocean and taste the saltiness compared to normal fresh lake water, I could not imagine the taste or feel of the salt in the Dead Sea. You may ask how the Dead Sea stays so salty, well the sea has rivers flowing into it but no water leaves the sea other than by evaporation. Once a portion of water has evaporated the minerals and salt are left behind and add to the remaining water. The leaving behind of the salt and minerals is what makes up the wonderful Dead Sea and its body cosmetics we have today. The Cleopatra was the company who recognized its cosmetic benefits and had retreats and factories built along its shore to harvest its minerals and make them available for everyone. When you think about places overseas from the United States you may think of Paris, Rome, great wall of China even, not me I think of the adventure it would take to get to the Dead Sea some many benefits to our bodies and I would love to lay around in float in a body of water and not have to worry about marine life and float on my back and just relax and enjoy.

Picture by: travelphotos.picturetheplanet.com

http://travelphotos.picturetheplanet.com/Jordan/The-Dead-Sea/i-brjjkMd/0/L/Dead-Sea-jordan-3-L.jpg

Why I am blooging, and a little about me

Picture of: me

Picture taken by: Lora Champ of Champs Imagery

My name is Melinda. I am writing about travel, when I was a kid my mom and dad have always taken me on vacations to experience new things. I enjoy visiting the popular cities around the world but I have always been interested in places that have more meaning and less visitors. My dad and I have recently discovered the new unexpected things of Florida. You would think of going to Florida to be a beach bum but my dad and I go gator hunting. It is a totally different experience in the hunting world more action packed, and adrenaline pumping. On the Second trip we took to Florida my dad had the chance to have the Miami Herald news crew follow my dad around and write about the hunting trip. After they published the news article The Palm Beach Post News and The Logan Daily published the article to my dad became famous in two states. During are trip I also love going on the airboat. The family we stay with have their own airboat and one day on the lake the captain let me drive the airboat it was a little confusing to operate but after I got the hang of it I had a blast. From my experiences I have decided to blog about the unexpected but obvious places around the world. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/floridas-gator-hunting-season-pits-man-against-reptile-865754.html

Picture of my dad Roger McCulloch

Picture taken by:  JOE RIMKUS JR./Miami Herald