Geocaching in Missouri March 2016

We're thrilled that spring is starting to show up so we hit the road with mom and dad and headed to Missouri for a day of caching.  Here's a look at some of our favorite caches of the day.

The cache at Trucks Galore was a clever hide....

Dad made quick work of Kiss a Prince.......

It was hidden near this pretty water fountain....

My favorite cache of the day was No Value Meal Here.   It was hidden in the front yard of the cache owner.  Can you guess the meaning behind the cache name???

Fir Real  was quick and easy....

In all we found 9 caches and then we headed over to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch - Lambert's Cafe  in Sikeston, Missouri.  I've written about this fun restaurant before.  This is the place where they throw huge rolls across the room for you to catch.  Check out the giant drink mugs.  Don't worry, if you don't finish it, they will give you a take home cup for your leftover drink...

They walk around with large bowls of sides for you to choose from, like fried okra, fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes, or black eyes peas.  And you can have as much of any of those sides as you want, in addition to your meal.

Here's an order of fried shrimp with cottage cheese and beets....

This is the meat loaf, mashed potatoes, applesauce and peaches.....

They give  you so much food that we all took half of our meals home and heated them up for dinner.  I'm telling you, if you are ever in southeast Missouri, stop at Lambert's Cafe.  Just get there early.  By noon there was a line going out the door!

Book Review - National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States

Book Review - National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States  8th Edition

This 8th edition of the guide has been published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.  It's been completely redesigned with updated information and maps.  Did you know that there are 59 National Parks?  Pull out your notebook and start making plans because once you open the book, you're going to want to visit a large majority of the parks.  

The guide is broken down into 8 sections:

• East
• Midwest
• South Central
• Southwest
• Rocky Mountain
• Pacific Southwest
• Pacific Northwest
• Alaska

Each section is then further broken down by individual park, which each has a thorough description, a map, and pertinent information such as How to get there, When to go, Visitor Centers, Headquarters, Camping and Lodging.  Furthermore, the entire book features 80 full color maps and over 220 color photographs.   Let's take a look at some of my favorites...


Mammoth Cave

Kentucky Established July 1, 1941 52,830 acres

A Mammoth Cave lantern tour.

One of the world’s great natural wonders, Mammoth Cave National Park sits beneath Kentucky hills and hollows. It earned its grandiose designation in the early 19th century, when tourists marveled at the enormity of its underground chambers. With more than 400 miles of mapped passageways, Mammoth Cave National Park encompasses the planet’s longest known cave system, with five levels and caves yet to be discovered.....

Grand Canyon

Arizona Established February 26, 1919 1.2 million acres

View from Desert View Drive, on the South Rim

Like the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon is an American icon. (It’s almost as if the majesty of the American West has been poured into a limestone riverbed.) Theodore Roosevelt considered it his civic duty to urge every American to see it. And around five million people come to Grand Canyon National Park every year, from all over the globe. Indeed, the canyon is considered one of the seven wonders of the natural world....

Great Sand Dunes

Colorado Established September 13, 2004 149,137 acres

Dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Undulating sweeps of sand—the tallest sand dunes in North America—rise precipitously and improbably from the rolling grasslands of the San Luis Valley in mountainous south-central Colorado. Craggy spires of the Sangre de Cristo range soar directly behind the dunes, reaching skyward more than 13,000 feet. A coalescence of grass, sand, water, forest, and rock forms the visually striking ecosystem that is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve....

Death Valley

California & Nevada Established October 31, 1994 3.4 million acres

Badwater Basin

Hottest, driest, lowest, largest . . . Death Valley dazzles, even intimidates, with superlatives. The largest national park in the Lower 48 has indeed recorded the world’s highest temperature (134° F), nets less than two inches of rain a year, and contains the lowest spot in North America. But those extremes can add up to fascination. Death Valley National Park is nothing short of spellbinding....

Pinnacles

California Established January 10, 2013 27,214 acres

The park’s namesakes are the eroded leftovers of an extinct volcano.

Pinnacles—America’s newest national park—is a geologic playground, a rumpled volcanic landscape of protruding lava spires, massive rocky bastions, and crenellated cliffs interlaced with dense, woody chaparral and woodlands of oak and pine. Located in west central California, in the Gabilan Range (part of the Coast Range), Pinnacles National Park offers 32 miles of hiking trails and an impressive roster of fauna (there are more than 500 species of moths in the park alone)....

Sequoia & Kings Canyon

California Sequoia Established September 25, 1890 Kings Canyon Established March 4, 1940 865,964 acres (total)

Horses work the trail.

The largest tree on earth (by volume). The highest mountain in the contiguous United States. One of the deepest canyons in North America. Some of the most remote wilderness in the Lower 48. It’s all about grand scale in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks—and yet these adjoining and jointly administered parks also offer a multitude of intimate natural treasures and experiences, in the backcountry as well as closer to the heart of things....

Crater Lake

Oregon Established May 22, 1902 183,224 acres

Snowmelt feeds Crater Lake.

More than 5 trillion gallons of water fill the crater— what remains of Mount Mazama. With a surface area of 21 square miles and depth of 1,943 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. In addition the size of Crater Lake National Park, it is the stunning sapphire water that etches itself in memory...

One of the things I liked best about this guidebook is the size - with dimensions of 5.3 x .8 x 8.4 inches and 496 pages it's perfect for carrying in the car, a suitcase or a backpack.  As I read through the book I found myself making lots of notes of the places I'm adding to my bucket list.  Somebody give me a camper - I want to leave now!

All of the images are from National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States 8^th Edition.  All photos credit:  Photo by Phil Schermeister/National Geographic

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.   Get your copy here

(I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  Images are the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without consent.) 

Geocaching in Hobart Indiana

Last weekend we took a little road-trip to Hobart, Indiana to do a little geocaching.  I don't know about you, but by the time February rolls around, I start to get cabin fever and I'm itching to hit the road.  But since we plow snow for a living, we can't venture far from home from December until the beginning of April.  To keep my wanderlust at bay, we plan day trips so we can get out of town and see some sights.  Lucky for me that we can combine day trips with geocaching.

Old Settlers Cemetery was small and out of the way.  I do love an historic cemetery.

Check out the old tilted headstones.  They remind me of crooked teeth....

Go Navy   was located at a military memorial.  Unfortunately the high winds last weekend broke and blew down 2 of the flags.  We found them flapping on the ground.  We picked them up and tried to secure them off the ground before we looked for the cache...

Another well hidden cache....

 Life is a Gas was my favorite cache of the day.  It was a gas nozzle - very clever!  We had actually tried to find this cache last year when we were in the area, but it had been missing.  We were happy to see that it had been replaced....

Here's an example of a well crafted and nicely hidden cache.  It was a hollowed out bolt....

How do you like this well  hidden cache?

Rocket J was a perfect name for this squirrel in a tree cache....

I always like to find an ammo can cache....

Or a small cache hiding out in a tree...

How do you Measure Up?  is a great example of a creative cache.  The log sheet was taped onto the measuring tape and you had to pull it out to sign it.  I have to remember this one!

We had a great day in Hobart, Indiana.  It's right next to Merrillville, Indiana where we went geocaching last July.  This area is ripe with fun caches.   In fact, there is a forest preserve there with a bunch of great caches around it that I am eyeing.  Future day trip - here we come!

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Vintage Wedding Photo

I have always loved my Grandma and Grandpa's wedding photo. They were married in 1928.  Late last year my parents gave me the photo.  It's such a great picture of them.  I think my grandma looks so elegant in her dress and headband.  Check out the huge bouquet of flowers with the draping ribbons.  This is the only time I've ever seen my grandma with short hair.  I remember her brushing out hair that reached all the way down her back and then twisting it into a braid before she went to bed.  During the day she would wrap it up into a neat bun that she piled on top of her head.  This photo of her as a young bride gives me a glimpse into her past and lets me see her as someone besides "Grandma."

My mom just told me "Her dress was blue velvet and she had made it herself. I still have a piece of the ribbon from the bouquet. She also carried a blue hanky that I carried at my wedding and two grandchildren of hers carried at their wedding. It is so fragile now that I have it framed along with the flower ribbon."

A week or two after they gave me the photo they had this frame laying by their front door because they were going to get rid of it. The frame was an ugly brown, made out of plastic, but it had a beautiful domed glass insert.   For some reason it also had this picture of a raccoon in it....

I tossed the frame into the trunk of my car and there it sat for a couple of weeks because I forgot about it.  When Tony put his cap and gown in the trunk for graduation, we told him the raccoon picture was his graduation present and made him pose at school with it.  My son has a good sense of humor and played along with our joke.  LOL!

I finally brought the frame inside and decided to paint it.  I mixed Aqua Smoke with a hint of black and got a really great gray/aqua color.  The photo doesn't do it justice, but take my word for it - it's a great color and beautifully offsets the black and white picture.  Then I popped Grandma and Grandpa's wedding photo into the frame.  It's a whole new look.

The framed photo is headed to the lake house.  It's going to look wonderful in my bedroom.

Gear Review - Lewis N. Clark ElectroLight Backpack

Gear Review - Lewis N. Clark ElectroLight Backpack

I recently discovered Lewis N. Clark Travel Accessories and Outdoor Gear and I couldn't wait to share this company with you.  The first product I was given to try out is their ElectroLight backpack.  They come in several color combinations and I'm partial to the blue/green colors.

(image courtesy of Lewis N Clark)

The backpack is constructed using an ultra light fabric that is water and stain resistant.  It comes with 2 adjustable shoulder straps, a top loop for hanging, a double sided zipper and a roomy interior with a large interior pocket. 

From their website:

ElectroLight is the packing solution that’s perfect for everything from camping to overseas trips.

Featuring bright bold colors and durable silnylon, these items are so lightweight that they will meet the needs of even the most minimalist travelers and backpackers.

With the ability to organize daily essentials and equipment alike, ElectroLight is the collection for anyone who doesn’t want to put up with heavy bags or disorganization.

• Ultra-lightweight packing organization
• Durable silnylon fabric is water- and stain-resistant
• Unfolds from compact pouch to full backpack
• Pouch can be used as a separate ditty bag
• Non-slip, adjustable straps
• Internal pocket
• Great for a light jacket, book, magazine, water bottle, and other small essentials
• 17in x 13in x 6in

Weight 3 oz.

I've been looking for a small, lightweight backpack.  Anyone who follows my blog knows how much time I spend outside hiking, geocaching and taking pictures.  A lightweight, yet durable backpack is a must for me and this one fits the bill perfectly.  There was ample room for my camera in the large compartment, and a water bottle and my wallet in the side pocket.  I tested the backpack at the RV Show last weekend.....

 After 2 hours of climbing in and out of RV's, I noticed how comfortable the backpack was and how my lower back was not aching at all.  The ultra light material is also cool.  I imagine this will be a huge bonus this summer when I'm hiking in the woods.

I also tested the backpack while we were out hiking and geocaching yesterday and it was fantastic!  I noticed a nice feature about this backpack - I could easily reverse it and wear it with the zipper side facing my back, making the inner contents inaccessible to anyone else.  I felt this was an added security feature, especially when I'm using the backpack out on the street or in a mall.

I guarantee that this backpack will be getting a lot of use.  It looks like it would be easy to toss into the washing machine if it gets dirty too.  How many backpacks can you say that about?

There's another reason why I'm crazy about this backpack - it comes with a ditty bag.   Check this out - the entire backpack easily folds up and fits into this 4" x 3" bag.

Can you imagine how convenient this is??  Simply fold up your ElectroLight backpack, stuff it into its sack and toss it into a suitcase, your purse, the glove compartment, a larger backpack, a gym bag, even your jacket pocket!  The Lewis N. Clark ElectroLight Backpack is perfect for camping, traveling and every day use.

Go over and visit the Lewis N. Clark website.  They have an amazing line of travel accessories and outdoor gear including electronics, health and personal gear, luggage and packing solutions, outdoor gear and travel security.  You can also visit their Facebook Page.

(I was provided a backpack for review purposes and asked to give an honest review.  All opinions are my own.)

Fiber and its Benefits

Fiber and its Benefits 

We’ve all been asked the question “how much fiber do you eat?” by doctors, nutritionists, dietitians, family members, and/or friends.  The topic usually comes up when you’re having some kind of problem in the bathroom and need some advice to find relief.  But what is fiber? Where do you get it? How much do you need? What are the benefits? There’s two types?

All these questions will be answered right here and now in the quickest way possible to save you all from hours of internet searches and endless contemplation.

What is Fiber?

Fiber is a part of plants that cannot be digested by the human body, which allows it to remain mostly intact while it passes through the GI tract.  Many of you have probably heard of soluble and insoluble fiber and may be wondering “whats the difference?”  Basically, it comes down to how the fiber acts in relation to water.

Soluble fiber:  Soluble fiber absorbs water and swells inside the GI tract.  This can slow down transit time and carry pathogens, fat, and cholesterol out of the body.

Insoluble fiber:  Insoluble fiber does not absorb water so it is said to add “bulk” to stools.  Insoluble fiber decreases transit time and makes stool elimination more simple. 

Sources of Fiber

Fiber can be found in many types of foods, but different foods usually have different types of fiber in different amounts.

Soluble fiber: Oatmeal and oat bran, beans ( black, pinto, kidney, navy, lima, and many more), all fruits and vegetables (especially oranges, avocados, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes), and nuts.

Insoluble fiber:  Whole grains (foods that say whole wheat or whole grain), vegetables (especially leafy greens, onions, bell peppers), popcorn, beans, and most fruits (especially raspberries). 

Benefits

We started this conversation by talking about fiber helping out with bathroom related issues. It is true that fiber, both soluble and insoluble, can decrease problematic evacuation.  It is also true that insoluble fiber is seen to be more beneficial for this purpose than soluble fiber.  But surely there are more benefits of fiber than that right?  Correct!

People who consume enough fiber have been shown to have lower risks of certain cancers, diabetes, obesity, and many other medical complications

Cancer:  Studies have shown that increasing fiber intake decreases ones risk for colorectal, ovarian, prostate, and lung cancer.  People who have the highest intakes of fiber generally have the lowest risk for these types of cancer(when only fiber consumption is taken into account)¹.  

Diabetes:  Fiber, especially fiber from whole grains, has long been shown to decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Possible mechanisms for this are improved control of blood sugar (improved glycemic control) and body weight².

Obesity:  Fiber has also been suggested to decrease the risk for becoming obese and gaining body fat³.  Fiber slows down digestion and elicits a feeling of fullness and satiety, which can decrease immediate and post meal calorie consumption.  Foods high in fiber are sometimes very low calorie in comparison to their volume (they have a high volume to calorie ratio), which increases fullness with fewer calories consumed.  This is especially true of fruits and vegetables. 

Amounts needed

 **These values are based on total fiber.  No specific recommendations for insoluble fiber intake currently exist.

In conclusion, fiber is important.  It helps stave off constipation and can decrease your risk for certain medical conditions.  There are two types of fiber, but you should only worry about your total fiber intake unless otherwise directed by your medical doctor or dietitian.

Written by Anthony Scornavacco.  If you missed his post on Iron, please go back and read it here.

References

1. Kunzmann AT, Coleman HG, Huang WY, Kitahara CM, Cantwell MM, Berndt SI: Dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer and incident and recurrent adenoma in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2015;102:881-890.

2. Meyer KA, Kushi LH, Jacobs DR Jr, Slavin J, Sellers TA, Folsom AR. Carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and incident type 2 diabetes in older women. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:921-930

3. Liu S, Willett WC, Manson JE, Hu FB, Rosner B, Colditz G. Relation between changes in intakes of dietary fiber and grain products and changes in weight and development of obesity among middle-aged women. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:920-927