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Bird Safaris: Timbavati's Most Desired Plumage
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EXPLORE THE WONDERS OF ALASKA WITH YACHT CHARTER
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Olympic National Park - Washington
If you love the color green, Olympic National Park. With plenty of rain throughout the year, the park is in a constant state of insanely beautiful green. It contains 922,651 acres including glacier-capped mountains, 60 miles of wild Pacific coast...
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Oregon Coast Town Revisits Glory of Glass Floats
For decades, Japanese glass floats were a big find on Oregon's
coastline, having drifted thousands of miles after fishing boats
lost these smooth, crystalline balls, used to keep their nets
afloat. It was a tradition among coastal visitors to scour the
beaches for them, and many locals still adorn their cabins or
porches with them. They practically disappeared in the 80's, and
are extremely rare finds these days.
Now, a new glass float tradition is rising on the coast, with a
few artisan glass ball blowing shops showing up in the last
couple of decades and creating beautiful, ingenious works of
art. They come in a myriad of colors and unique designs, and are
now considered one of the more treasured finds on the coast -
even if you can just buy them.
However, Newport - on Oregon's Central Coast - is giving
visitors a chance to win these valuable catches throughout the
winter. No beachcombing in stormy weather is required to find
one of these 200 luminous beauties, which are considered
collectables. Each is engraved with "2006," created by the
highly acclaimed Schmitz family of Pyromania Glass Studios in
Newport, Lincoln City and Depoe Bay.
Until January 31, 2006, several will be given away each week by
various businesses around Newport. Visit one of the shops listed
on
www.newportchamber.org, or on a map provided by the Greater
Newport Chamber of Commerce. Fill out an entry form, return it
to the float display at one of the businesses on the list, and
wait for the weekly drawing there (which will arrive by mail).
Call 800-262-7844 for more information.
The promotion is part of Newport's "value season," which
features numerous lodging specials throughout this adorable town
with two lighthouses.
Here, you'll find the ancient Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, only used
for three years back in the 1880's and open for tours. Then
there's the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, sitting atop a
majestic
basalt headland, towering into the sky and blinking its
signature flash still to this day.
Other family attractions include the awe-inspiring Oregon Coast
Aquarium (including its 360-degree view of the ocean from inside
a glass-like tunnel), and the famed Hatfield Marine Science
Center with its cutting-edge scientific research and displays
for all ages.
There's a legendary wine bar in the charming Nye Beach
District called Blu Cork, regular wine tasting at Nye Beach
Gallery, a heavily supported art scene, and the streets of that
neighborhood are made up to look somewhere between America at
the turn of the century and Old Europe. The district is becoming
famous for its many fine cuisine choices, such as the stellar,
Mediterranean-themed fine dining at April's at Nye Beach, the
unique pizzas at Panini Bakery, and the family-style gourmet of
Café Stephanie. Or shop until you drop at a dozen distinctive
sellers of various interesting ideas for yourself or for gifts,
such as the kid's clothing at Bambini at Nye Beach, surprises at
Illingworth's Gifts or the global fare at Jovi. There are dozens
of places around Newport that are part of the Glass Treasures
Promotion, but in Nye Beach you can find them at April's and at
the Viking Cottages & Condos.
In the meantime, you'll want to explore the pristine beaches of
Newport - most of which are up against Nye Beach. You may still
run across a real Japanese glass float that has been wandering
the oceans for decades.
For more on Nye Beach, see www.nyebeach.org. For a
detailed virtual tour of Newport and Nye Beach, see
www.beachconnection.net/vtour_newport.htm
About the author:
Andre' Hagestedt is editor of Beach Connection, a
tourism publication that covers the upper half of Oregon's coast
- some 180 miles.
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