Less Extreme Adventures
Extreme adventures are becoming more popular all the time.
What if you want to have the excitement, without so much risk
of injury, without getting shot at or kidnapped like Robert Pelton,
and without spending a fortune? Here are some ideas for less
extreme adventure travel.
- Find and summit the highest peak in your state. This might
be less-than-adventurous in some states, but it will at least
be an excuse to get outside and get some exercise.
- Take a canoe down a river you've never been on. There might
be an interesting one an hour away from you. You can rent the
canoe, and bring a picnic.
- Go cliff-diving. Stick to small ones, like those on Lake
Superior, near Marquette, Michigan. You'll get a fifteen-foot
jump into crystal-clear water.
- Take climbing lessons on Mount Ranier in Washington. This
is sure to be more exciting than my trip up a local sledding
hill with my ice-axe and crampons.
- Go treasure hunting at the beach. Rent or buy a metal detector
and spend a relaxing but interesting weekend finding coins, jewelry
and who-knows-what in the sand.
- Go vagabonding. Pack for several days and start driving,
with no destination in mind. Just see where you end up, and discover
what you can.
- Take surfing lessons in Montanita, Ecuador. Don't forget
to bring your Bob Marley CD to this hippy/reggae/tourist area.
The beaches are beautiful and the lessons are cheap.
- Tom Sawyer day. Find the nearest river that is large enough
and has some public forest, then build a raft from dead trees
and float downstream for a day.
- Travel from monastery to monastery. You can make it a spiritual
adventure or just relax. They usually have reasonably priced
accommodations, and they are in beautiful places.
- Hot springs tour. Drive around for a few days with a guide
to hot springs or directions copied off the internet. Bring suits,
towels and a cooler full of refreshments. For added adventure,
seek out the ones that you have to hike into the wilderness to
find.
- Waterfall tour. If you live near an area of waterfalls,
drive around for a few days to find all the ones you haven't
seen. try to find ones that you can go swimming in.
Adventure is any activity you engage in that is somewhat new
to you and doesn't have a predictable outcome. It doesn't have
to be too dangerous to be interesting and fun. It can even include
a trip to the nearest large city for a weekend tour of the bars.
Of course, depending on the bars you choose, that could be one
of the more extreme adventures.
|
