Thanks to my father-in-law for cooking up the duck, bacon, fries, and boudin, along with frying up the fresh caught fish. Thank you to Ashlie for making some amazing gumbo to help keep everyone warm (even though it wasn't cold). We even put a pig on the fire! To help keep everyone entertained until midnight, we had the beer pong table going, videos games on the TV's, giant Jenga, pool, darts, Cornhole boards, and a birthday party. December 31st is not only the eve of the New Year, but it is also momma Bakes birthday! Although we had fireworks popping most of the night, once midnight hit the real show started. Thank you again to everyone who made this event so fun and thank yo to everyone who brought food, drinks, games, and fireworks to make the night even more memorable. GalleryThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure
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On December 11th, 2021 we hosted the 3rd annual Bourn Adventure Camp Night here at the Bourn Adventure Headquarters . We are very thankful to all those who were able to make it out, despite the rainy weather. Although we did not have a bonfire, we enjoyed hanging out and playing Jenga, corn hole, beer pong, and video games. We look forward to the next Bourn Adventure Camp Night and hope to see you there! GalleryOn December 5th, 2020 we hosted our second annual Bourn Adventure Camp Night on our property. We are very thankful to all those who were able to make it out and spend time with us. We enjoyed hanging out while the bonfire roared in the background and sipping on that delicious rum as the bottle made its rounds. Although this event was smaller than we originally anticipated, it worked out for the best as it allowed us to figure out what needs to be improved for future events. We look forward to the next Bourn Adventure Camp Night and hope to see you there! GalleryWhen it comes to taking long distant trips, usually there is a lot of planning involved, money saved up for the trip, vehicle inspections, and exact plans to follow; this wasn’t the case for my overnight trip into Virginia on my 2016 Honda Africa Twin. August 24th I woke up and decided to head out for the night. I’ve been out of work for the last 3 months due to an elbow injury and I have not been able to ride my Africa Twin at all this summer. My elbow was feeling well enough for a ride and I told myself “that’s it, I’m going away somewhere”. I left my house at 10:20am and headed down to REI in Marlton, NJ to grab some freeze dried Mountain House meals for dinner and breakfast. At about 10:40am I filled up the bike at Wawa on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ and then proceeded to head south on I-295 out of New Jersey. I made it down to Baltimore, MD when I got the notification that I-66 in VA was closed due to an accident. Google maps rerouted me to I-70 and out to I-81. I ignored the GPS and took highway 340 once I reached Fredrick, MD. About 4-5 minutes after getting onto 340, my gas light came on. I got off at the first exit I saw. When I pulled in and I noticed another guy on a motorcycle at the gas pump in front of me. He walked inside as I was pulling in, I didn’t see his face, all I saw was his back and his bike. As I’m pumping my gas I hear “DUDE! What are you doing out here?” I look up to see my old friend Will! Will use to live in Jersey but then moved to Florida and shortly after he moved to Washington D.C. and then he apparently moved out to western Maryland. It was awesome randomly meeting him there!
Once we left Dinosaur Land, we made our way south on 340 to Luray, Virginia where we stopped again at Cooter’s! I know, the first thoughts when you hear a place named Cooter’s are those that question the family friendliness of the place; needless to say that’s not the case here. Most of us have seen the famous TV show The Dukes of Hazzard and those who have seen the show know that Cooter owned the Hazzard Garage. Cooter’s was the fictional place where the Duke boys had their famous race car (and moonshining car) , a 1969 Dodge Charger name the General Lee, built. Cooter’s in Luray, VA is a museum of The Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia and they have a couple replica cars from the show. During certain times of the year Cooter’s will host a live stunt show replicating the TV show. Will and I toured their gift shop and hung out for a few having a soda before splitting off. Cooter’s was as far south that Will wanted to travel but I had quite a few more miles to travel before I could call it done for the night. We said our goodbyes and I headed towards Harrisonburg, VA. Along the way, going up and over one of the mountains, I dragged my footpeg in a turn. While it doesn’t sound that thrilling, it was my first time finally doing that and I felt proud in that moment! Leaning that far, on a fully packed Africa Twin with knobbies is asking for trouble, but the Shinko 804/805 tires handled it just fine. Right before leaving Harrisonburg, I topped off my tank, filled up the rotopax with gas, and bought myself a Pabst Blue Ribbon (beer) to enjoy around the campfire. My GPS told me to go further south and then back track to the campsite. I thought this was dumb but in hindsight, I should have listened. Sometimes the shorter distance isn’t always the best route. I made my way into George Washington National Forest and then proceeded down the trail which I thought would be the fastest to camp. I wanted to arrive and set up camp before night fall. As I’m making my way down the gravel trail, I come up on a Toyota 4Runner going in the same direction as I was going. He pulled over to let me pass and I stopped to talk to him for a second about where I was going. I asked if the trail I was on would get me to my camp at Flagpole Knob. He said a while back they gated off the area and restricted people from going up there. I said to him that’s weird since I’ve seen people posting about camping up there all the time. He told me to give it a try and that the trail will in fact get me to the top. He told me to be careful and to have fun cause it’s gonna be a challenging trail. I thought to myself, maybe I should turn back and go the way the GPS was originally telling me. “Nawww I’ll be fiiinnneeee” I thought to reassure myself. The trail turns from gravel to bigger sized rocks. Then there was a couple creek crossings but in my luck, the creeks were dried up. I get about halfway to the top of the mountain and that’s when the fun began. The trail was now starting to get worse with bigger rocks, slick mud, and now going up steeper inclines. I was chugging along in 2nd gear, keeping RPMs low so I don’t slide off the side of the mountain or better yet whiskey throttle off the mountain’s cliff. I get to a point where the incline got steep (hard to tell from the photo) and the rocks were more loose than before. Before I knew it, the rear wheel locked up, the bike came to a sudden stop. Then I found myself laying the bike down on its left side. Apparently the RPMs got too low and I stalled the bike. I wasn’t fast enough on the clutch and I wasn’t quick enough to put my feet down either.
I tried again, this time getting it 1/2 way up when the rocks under my feet slid out and we both hit the ground again. At this point I was wore out, sweating, panicking and worried that I could not pick it up by myself. I was in the middle of this forest, alone. No cell service or anything. I did have my Spot Emergency GPS if it came down to it but I did not want to give up so soon. I took off my helmet, jacket, and gloves. Upon doing so, I thought to myself “why does it smell like beer?”. I guess I was so worked up over trying to get the bike up that I failed to notice the smell of beer. It was at that point I remembered that I put the 16oz can of beer in the left soft pannier, the same side the bike was laying on. No use in crying over spilt beer even though I did let out a loud F-bomb! It was at that moment that I decided that unpacking the bike would help tremendously with picking it up. I took off the duffel bag, tent, and rotopax. I gave it another try and it went up with ease; I guess all the gear made it a bit too top heavy and a bit too much to lift for one person on the type of terrain I was on. I opened the side pannier to see the can of beer had exploded all inside, covering my food, hat, and my best friend Tim McGarvey’s book, “The Longest Thirty Miles” by Timothy Collins, which I was borrowing from him. The food was fine, hat was soaked along with the book pretty much being ruined. As the beer dripped out of the pannier, I reloaded the bike and tried to start it. After 3 minutes of trying to start the bike, it finally fired up. I guess with it being on its side so long it lost its fuel prime? Once it fired up, I put it in first gear and walked it up to a spot that was easier for me to get back on it. Walking it up was a struggle all in its own since the bike kept wanting to roll backwards and just spin the rear tire on the soft dirt and loose rocks. It did not help that my rear tire was nearing the end of its life and did not have the same kind of grip it would have when it was new. After what seemed like forever, I was back on the bike and heading up the mountain. The rest of the trip to the top was fairly simple but still big rocks and mud plagued the trail. I was so exhausted and sore at this point. I made it to the top, and found that it was a decent gravel road at the top. I was happy to see that. Caught up in the pleasure of the gravel road, I passed where I was suppose to turn to get to camp. In the middle of turning around, a truck was coming up the road and stopped to allow me to turn around. In my mind I told myself to rush so I’m not blocking the trail and so I’m not making the guy mad. Wouldn’t you know my foot slips and down the bike goes again. I looked at the truck and did the “come here” motion with my index finger. The guy got out and gave me a hand lifting the bike. I explained why I needed his help and told him about what had happened earlier. He laughed and said no problem. We got the bike up and on I went to camp. Pulling up to the free camping site at Flagpole Knob, 4100 feet above sea level, I see someone else had already set up camp there for the night; a mountain biker. I pulled up and kindly asked if I could pitch my tent on the other side from him and he said sure. Upon first impressions, the guy seemed cool, boy was that an understatement. I introduced myself to him and he introduced himself as Steve. I pitched my Kelty Salida 2 and unpacked the bike. I got my Jetboil out and began to heat up some water for my Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki dinner. Steve was warming up his dinner as well, using a portable titanium stove that uses kindling as its heat source. We began to get to know one another over dinner and we had a great conversation about the solo adventures we were on. After dinner, I fired up a cigar I brought with me and I offered my spare cigar to Steve. He kindly accepted and we enjoyed a nice smoke by the campfire. We started to run out of wood and Steve offered to go and grab us some more. As he was out grabbing firewood, a truck pulled into camp and made the loop around our tents and then stopped. The three guys got out and began talking amongst themselves. I walked over, assuming they were locals, and said to them “Now where I come from, locals usually ride around the forest with beers in their trucks; do you have any? They responded with “We’re not locals but yeah we got some beer”. I asked if they wouldn’t mind sparing two and then proceeded to tell them about my Pabst exploding. They all laughed and handed me two Bud Lights. I walked back up to camp just at the same time as Steve was coming out of the woods with the firewood. I told Steve about my beer incident earlier as we had dinner. When he sat down the wood I passed him a beer I scored and he was all like “DUDE!! You scored beer!!! Awesome!” We said cheers and enjoyed our beers together around the campfire. I finished up my beer and cigar at about the same time the fire was starting to die out again. Now with the wind blowing harder and the temps dropping, Steve said he was turning in for the night and agreed to do the same. The temps had to of gotten down into the high 30s or low 40s that night. It was COLD but I stayed cozy inside my Big Agnes 15 degree bag and slept great on my Nemo 20R insulated sleeping pad. That next morning, I didn’t want to leave my sleeping bag or my tent since it was so warm.
I had to head south to get to the southern entrance to Skyline Drive, so I went the way that my GPS originally told me to go to get up to camp. Here the route was 2-3 miles of gravel road and the rest was asphalt. “Well damn” I thought to myself. I should have listened to the GPS the day before. Oh well, at least it was an easy descent off the mountain. With it being cold and coming up to the on ramp for I-81, I spotted a coffee house and decided to stop to warm up a bit. After a nice hazelnut latte, I got back on the road and headed 25 miles to the southern entrance of Skyline Drive. Once I got to the entrance, I put the 1 gallon of gas from the rotopax into the tank of the bike and proceeded to the park’s entrance. Upon arriving at the gate, the park ranger said that it was no fee to get into the park today. I was surprised and questioned him on the special occasion. He stated it was free weekend due to the celebration and anniversary of the U.S. National Park System. I told him “That just made my weekend even better!” and I rode off into the park. It was a pleasant ride along Skyline Drive, starting at 10:30am and ending at 1:50pm. Once I made it to the north entrance, I set my bearings toward home. Making it home by 7pm with a logged mileage of 779.8 miles in just 33 hours. It was one heck of an overnight adventure but I loved every second of it! It was everything I hoped and wanted it to be. My only regrets was having the beer in my soft pannier and not getting Steve’s contact info. Steve was cooler than cool and definitely someone I would gladly call my friend. It’s in these types of trips where I meet strangers and find out that the world is more loving than what we see within our scrolling of Facebook, or watching of the five o’clock local news. It’s these types of bonding and experiences that has me addicted to adventure and travel. I cannot wait for the next one! Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Guest Author: Lee Jones 2019 was another fun filled year with adventures all over the world. Some were places we had visited in years past and some were new destinations, but one thing remained the same; we made sure to Capture the Journey! Although the majority of our adventures were overseas, that does not mean we missed out on opportunities stateside. For instance, we finally accomplished our goal of driving our 2017 John Cooper Works MINI to all lower 48 states. Watch that road trip video here: mini MINI Road Trip Review We also bought 36 acres of property which has plenty of room for camping, walking trails, bonfires, and anything else we can imagine. This of course is also the new headquarters for Bourn Adventure and we celebrated that with our first ever Bourn Adventure Camp Night in December. Click the links to learn more about the Bourn Adventure HQ and see more pictures from the Bourn Adventure Camp Night. Here are the photographic highlights from 2019! IllinoisSt. Louis, MOGreat Smokey Mountains, TNCriel Mound, WVKentucky Peerless Distilling Co, KYJim Beam Urban Stillhouse, KYVisited All Lower 48 States With The MINIPetra, JordanWadi Rum, JordanJabal Umm al Dami (Tallest Point in Jordan)Cotonou, BeninSacred Forest, BeninOuidah, BeninPortuguese Fort, BeninPython Temple, BeninJakarta, IndonesiaMonkey Forest, IndonesiaBali, IndonesiaBorobudur Temple, IndonesiaGaruda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, IndonesiaPrambanan Temple, IndonesiaKota Bogor, IndonesiaSingaporeManila, PhilippinesMount Samat National Shrine, PhilippinesSubic Bay, PhilippinesAround the PhilippinesNew Bourn Adventure Headquarters1st Bourn Adventure Camp NightThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Your Adventure starts here!On December 7th, 2019 we hosted the first ever Bourn Adventure Camp Night on our property. We are very thankful to all those who were able to make it out on such short notice. We enjoyed hanging out while the bonfire roared in the background and sipping on that delicious rum as the bottle made its rounds. Although this event was smaller than we originally anticipated, it worked out for the best as it allowed us to figure out what needs to be improved for future events. We look forward to the next Bourn Adventure Camp Night and hope to see you there! GalleryVideosThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Anyway, the Bourn Adventure Headquarters sits on 36 acres, with the majority of that being wooded area. Depending on the route, we have approximately two miles of walking trails set up through the woods. We also have large, group camping space available in two large fields along with smaller camp sites available in the woods. All of the sites are designed for primitive style camping and some areas are accessible by vehicle, which works out perfect if using a rooftop tent or pull behind trailer. We also have a large stocked pond, a big shop, and other outbuilding on the property. This space will allow us the opportunity to grow Bourn Adventure even more. In the future, we hope to host plenty of events, such as mod days (wrenching on your rig in the shop), range days, (yes, we plan on putting in a shooting range), education days (classes geared for the off-road community) and of course, camp nights! GalleryThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure The United States of America is the fourth largest country by area with more than 3.6 million square miles. This, along with our freedoms, natural beauty, man made wonders, and diversity make the United States a truly uniq place to explore. Whether it is the sights of Acadia National Park, a view from Top of the World, the engineering marvel of the Hoover Dam, or a cultural influence from another part of the world, we should take the opportunity to Explore America, even if it is a drive down the road to the woods or a cross-country road trip. GalleryThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure There is so much to see and do in life. Unfortunately, our time here on earth is limited so it is up to us to make the best use of it. Here is a look at the places we want to visit before clocking out from Bourn Adventure! Do you have a Destination Bucket List? If so, share some of the locations on your list with us in the comment section below. Domestic
International- North America -
- South America -
- Africa - - Europe -
- Asia -
- Australia / Oceania -
- Antarctica -
Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure
Due to the creativity, foresight, and hard work of so many men and women beginning over 100 years ago up until now and hopefully proceeding much longer into the future, we have the opportunity to Explore America through recreation. As much of a gift as the National Park system is to the American people, that does not mean it is only for us to enjoy. Each year millions of visitors from all over the world travel thousands of miles just to experience our National Parks. Although it is estimated that over 100 countries have areas which are designated as national parks, ours are the most visited. What America lacks in historical sites (compared to the rest of the world) we make up for in wide-ranging, natural beauty which has been preserved for the betterment of the people. HistoryThe National Park Service (NPS) was officially created on August 25, 1916, after President Woodrow Wilson signed the act into law. This was known as the Organic Act which placed the National Park Service under the United States Department of the Interior. Since their creation and the aid of additional legislation, they have been given areas which at one point were under the control of other U.S. Federal Agencies such as, the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture. As it stands today, the National Park Services scope of responsibility includes more than 400 areas which is encompassed in the following categories:
Today all of the land that is deemed natural, cultural, historical, and recreational falls under the control of the National Park Service, but that was not always the case. Since America is still relatively young, balance and control of certain areas has been - and still is a work in progress. Before 1916 some state and federal lands were split up amongst several different controlling entities, which made it difficult to manage and protect. Now, it is a more streamlined process which makes it easier for the government to preserve and more importantly, the visitors to enjoy. To see a full list of units under the control of the National Park Service, please click here: List of the United States National Park System official unites National Park Service AbroadTaking it one step further, the United States National Park Service has also assisted in the creation of other counties national parks and protected areas. This has happened more through guidance and consulting help rather than physical or financial aid. Although that may not seem like a lot, to the people who are currently appreciating beauty in their country, that is! It is all part of a larger picture. The world is filled with amazing areas and due to the efforts of the U.S. National Park Service and people all across the globe, more and more areas are being preserved than ever before in recorded history. Some of these countries include, but are not limited to:
The FirstYellowstone National Park is the first National Park created in the United States and was signed into existence by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. This was known as the Yellowstone National Park Act and is the foundation of which all U.S. National Parks would be "built" on. It is also considered by many as the first National Park in the world. However, there is some controversy regarding which park or even country holds this distinguished title as the Mongolian government is said to have established Bogd Khan Uul National Park in Mongolia in 1778. Whether it is the first or second National Park, there is no denying that it plays an import role in our nation's history as it helped set a precedence of what would become of America's magnificent natural and man-made wonders. As mentioned above, Yellowstone National Park is considered the first U.S. National Park. However, the Yosemite area was the first time land was set aside with the intent of preservation. This was known as the Yosemite Grant which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. Although the Yosemite Grant predates Yellowstone by almost a decade, it did not officially receive the National Park designation until October 1, 1890. Therefore, Yellowstone holds that esteemed title while Yosemite technically is the third oldest National Park in the United States. It should be noted, out of the more than 400 parks in the National Park System, there are only 60 with the designation of "national park". The rest fall into the other categories which were mentioned above. Here is a list of the 10 oldest National Parks in the United States:
The BiggestThe United States of America, to include its territories is the third largest country by land mass covering approximately 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers). Although America does not have as much protected land as other countries, that does not mean it makes the U.S. National Park Services job any easier. They are responsible for approximately 131,250 square miles (339,935 square kilometers) of land located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, America Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It takes an estimated 20,000 National Park Service employees and several hundred thousand VIPs (Volunteers-In-Parks) to help keep those areas in tip-top shape. Here is a list of the 10 largest National Park in the United States by size:
If You Build It, They Will ComeIn 1983, an American novelist and historian by the name of Wallace Stegner stated this, "national parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." As someone who has an affinity for our National Park system myself, I could not agree with his statement more. What started as a bold idea has turned into a lifestyle and one that draws people in from all walks of life, cultures, and locations from around the nation and the world. People are willing to drive or fly thousands of miles just to wait in lines to enter our National Parks and walk with crowds of people just to experience the beauty of America which has been so tirelessly preserved. This speaks volumes and helps to solidify the suggestion that in fact, this was Americas best idea! It is estimated that in 2017 approximately 330 million domestic and international visitors walked through the gates of our National Park System. This number is up from years past and is expected to be even higher in the years to come. Since recreation visit records started being kept in 1904 up until now (2017), approximately 13,918,617,696 people have visited. In my opinion, the National Park Service does a phenomenal job of accommodating and educating such a large number of people. At the time of writing this article, the 2018 numbers were not published on the National Park Service website. Once they are, this section will be updated. Here is a list of the 10 most visited National Parks in the United States:
It's All About The MoneyEach year the National Park Service, as part of the Department of the Interior, submits their budget to Congress for their review and approval. Although the National Park Service is funded by the United States Government, that does not mean that is their only source of revenue. They receive additional money through the use of park entrance fees, recreational fees, and partnerships. The entrance fees can vary based on the Park and other factors to include, per vehicle, per person, per motorcycle, and Park-specific annual passes. To view these fees and options, please click here: Entrance Fees by Park If you live near or frequently visit National Parks or other areas associated with the National Park System or National Park Service, an annual pass might be right for you. They also offer annual 4th grade passes, senior passes, volunteer passes, access passes, and U.S. Military passes. To learn more about these and other passes, please click here: America the Beautiful Passes If you time your visit just right, you can take advantage of enjoying the National Parks for free. Typically, these days and dates change yearly so be sure to check before going. To learn more about this, please click here: Free Entrance Days in the National Parks To learn more about the National Park Service, please click here: NPS ConclusionWe here at Bourn Adventure have been fortunate enough to visit 20 National Parks (some more than once) and more than 100 of the 418 total other areas associated with the National Park System. The majority of these areas we have visited can be found on our website under the "ADVENTURES" tab. All of them have pictures from our time there and most have a story or stories of the adventure we had during our visit. With all due sincerity and respect, I thank all the men and women who work for the National Park Service and strive each day to make these areas and this country even better. Without their efforts or the efforts of volunteers, there is no telling what the American people along with those of other countries would be missing. Our goal is to continue to grow our collection of sites visited within the National Park System and deliver that content to you via our website, social media pages or emails. Although there is a world of information on the internet, it is not always easy to navigate. Our desire is to bring all of our travels, adventures, and experiences together into one, easy to find place, which could help identify locations for a future trip. Our hope is; by using information found on our website it makes your next adventure that much easier to plan, execute, and enjoy. There is no better time than now to get out there and Capture the Journey as you Explore America and Live Your Freedom! Sources: NPS.gov | Wikipedia.org | Worldatlas.com | Theculturetrip.com | Budgettravel.com | Tripsavvy.com - Please help us reach more people by liking and sharing this article on social media! - Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker GalleryWe would like to give 2018 a proper farewell before getting too comfortable with 2019. Just like in years past, 2018 had its ups and downs, but just like anything else, its all about how you handle that rollercoaster ride. For us at Bourn Adventure we try to always look at the positive side of things and 2018 was filled with plenty of them! I would say Bourn Adventure (formally Bakes FJ) is better known for our massive road trips across the United States, some more than 10,000 miles long. On those adventures, our main focus was to Explore America and encourage others to do the same, even if it was just a short drive down the road. Adventure is everywhere and often times we overlook the closest opportunities to experience one. For so many of those road trips, our old Toyota FJ Cruiser was the focus and inspiration behind the journeys. After the loss of the FJ due to a roll over and following rebrand from Bakes FJ to Bourn Adventure in 2017, we have strived to expand our adventures. Here are the highlights from 2018! Petra, JordanDead Sea, JordanJerash, JordanAmman Amphitheater, JordanBaptism Site, JordanAmman Citadel, JordanBelizeCozumel, MexicoMuscat, OmanSinkhole Park, OmanWadi Tiwi, OmanAl Hazm Castle, OmanTropic of Cancer, OmanNew Orleans, LANational WWII Museum, LAAbita Brewery, LAPensacola, FLNairobi, KenyaThe David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, KenyaNairobi National Park, KenyaMt. Longonot, KenyaEquator, KenyaChicago, ILThe Morton Arboretum, ILSt. Louis, MOThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Your ticket to adventure is here!While on our GX Winter Road Trip: 2018 we visited The Morton Arboretum which is located off of Route 53 in Lisle, IL. Their property sits on a sprawling 1,700-acre plot of land and is home to more than 222,000 plants. They stay busy hosting events and their doors are open 365 days out of the year, which means there is always an adventure to be had and something to explore. One of the events The Morton Arboretum is most known for is the Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum. Although they are open year round, this Illumination event typically begins mid-November and run until the first few days of January. This is an entrance time controlled and ticketed event. They recommend purchasing tickets online and doing it in advance due to them selling out frequently. This was the first time experiencing a show like this and to be honest, I figured it was just trees with lights on them. Well, it was much more than that. Not only is it trees with lights, but it is a full-on production with several different themed sections. Throughout the mile-long walking path, you are greeted by dazzling light displays which use trees, bushes, and grass as the canvas to paint beautiful scenes. One such display takes a life of its own due to the use of tall trees, lights, shadows, and audio. We did the 6:30 pm show in mid-December. It was dark, cold, and misty that night, which in my opinion made for a much better display as the lighting bounced off the misty air. It was without a doubt an adventure and one we would gladly do again if we are there that time of year. To learn more about The Morton Arboretum, visit their website by clicking here. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker GalleryAt some point you might have to swap out your old CV axles due to damage from the trail or just normal wear. You can either pay a shop to do it, which is easier, but more costly or you can do it yourself. If you prefer the second option, but have some hesitation because you have not done it before, hopefully this "How-To" article will provide some insight and make your fix easier! Even though this article is specific to a Lexus GX470, the process is very similar on other makes and/or models. We had access to a vehicle lift while doing our axle swap, but this can also be done in the driveway or on a trail, it just might require a few extra four letter words. * Most of the example pictures are from the driver side, but the process is the same regardless of which side you are working on. 1) Remove tire 2) Remove dust cover 3) Remove the cotter pin, cap, and axle nut *35mm socket for axle nut 4) Remove brake rotor and brake caliper 5) Remove cotter pin, castle nut, and outer tie rod end 6) Remove bottom bolts from spindle 7) Remove axle from spindle and axle housing 8) Replace seals on spindle and axle housing 9) Insert new CV axle using caution not to rip the rubber boots 10) Replace everything in reverse order and add gear oil *Front axle nut torque is 173 ft. lbs. *Wheel lug nut torque is 83 ft. lbs. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Traveling the world and interacting in new and different cultures is a very rewarding experience. Having said that, it can also be a little overwhelming at times, especially if you are new to international travel. One of the most problematic areas where people struggle is understanding foreign currencies. Thankfully, we have modern technology, more specifically, applications that can make that a little easier for us. Although the United States dollar (USD) is widely accepted as a means of payment in many countries around the world, when possible, I prefer to use the currency of the country I am visiting. I do this for a few reasons:
FOREIGN CURRENCIES Although symbols, shapes, sizes, and numerical amounts differ from country to country, some similarities remain the same. In most cases, the physical bill size is proportionate to its value. Meaning, the smaller the bill size, the smaller the amount it is worth. Typically, their size goes from smallest to largest, which makes it easier to recognize value placements of currency when dealing with several different bill denominations. The same is also true with coins. Even though you might have a bill from a non-English speaking county in hand, there is a good chance somewhere on that bill the numerical value is represented in English. For example: if you are purchasing goods in Jordan and they tell you 50 dinars (JOD)" you can do the math by simply locating the numbers. Omani (OMR)currency WHAT DID YOU SAY? In my opinion, the language barrier problem is often overlooked when paying for something using a currency other than the local one. Example: let's say you are in Bangladesh and you find a souvenir or something you want, but only have USD. You go to pay and they tell you "3,000 takas (BDT)". If you do not know the exchange rate, your response most likely would be, "what is that in USD"? If they do not speak English or you do not speak Bengali, chances are there is going to be quite a bit of confusion. This could have all been avoided if you just exchanged currencies and when they told you the amount, you handed it to them. Although the language barrier still exists, 3,000 takas is still 3,000 takas. YOURS FOR MINE Exchange rates (the rate at which one currency is exchanged for another) can often lead to confusion, hair pulling, and the occasional four-letter word. This can be amplified when you are in a hurry or other stress-induced situations. To further complicate things, most exchange rates have daily, weekly, and monthly fluctuation. Although the differences might be minute, they still exist and should be factored into your travels. If you do not like the idea of always checking, fear not, some counties have fixed exchange rates! For instance, the Omani riyal (OMR) has a fixed rate to the United States dollar (USD) of approximately 0.38449. This simply means, one USD is worth approximately 0.38 OMR. From my experience, the list of fixed rate countries is smaller than those who do not have one. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the article, there are applications that make it simple to track exchange rates. There are several great currency converters out there, but the one I use the most on my iPhone/iPad is called XE, which can be located in the App Store. They also have a website (xe.com) in the event you are using a computer. On the plus side, if you are using the local currency, it takes a lot of the guesswork out of it when paying for goods and receiving change back, but you should still be mindful of the exchange rate to determine the true cost/value of something. For example: if you are visiting Kenya and exchanged your currency (let us say USD) for the Kenya shilling (KES), which has a fluctuating exchange rate (minimal movement) and want to buy a painting from a local artist for 5,500 shillings (KES). Before making your decision, you would probably want to know the amount/value in your currency (USD), which at the time of writing this article would be about $54.00 USD. Understanding that helps ensure you make an informed decision. Whether you are in a country that has a fixed or fluctuating exchange rate, the locals will know the exact exchange rate at the time. If you are not up to date, there could be a chance that you pay a different amount and it will not be in your favor. PLASTIC MONEY The majority of vendors in most countries accept credit/debit cards as a means of payments, but that does not mean it will always work. This could happen for several reasons:
If your card does not work, cash is king, but if you only hold your country's currency and they do not accept it, then you might be in a bind, especially if it is for a service they already provided (meal, taxi, tour, etc.). This is another reason to have local currency on your person, even if you plan on using your card everywhere. CONCLUSION In my opinion, if you are in a country for more than a few days, it is a good idea to exchange money, especially if you plan on site seeing. Keep in mind, typically there is a fee associated with exchanging money and sometimes those fees are more if you do it in "convenient" place like airports, banks or hotels. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Not only do we document our travels, but we also sell rad stickers, patches, and other products as a way to help others show off their adventures! Going to the mountains? We have a patch for that! Going camping? We have a sticker for that! Sun beating down on your head? You guessed it; we have a hat for that! Since we launched our store in 2012, we have shipped products all over the United States and to more than 30 countries. To see all the places our products are in use, please click here: BAG Products World Map. We are blessed to have so many people around the globe rocking Bourn Adventure Gear. We wanted a way to personally thank them for their order. Our solution was to create Bourn Adventure postcards. This allowed us the opportunity to give each order a personal touch while continuing to share adventures from all over the world. We breathe new life in our postcards by periodically changing destinations and showcasing new locations. Each postcard series is assigned a number and runs for a limited time. Once that particular postcard is gone, it is done! So far all of the postcards have been a big hit and some people even started collecting them! Aside from that, customers have told us of conversations generated by the postcards hanging on their refrigerator or in their office. Hearing that something so simple could spark curiosity and encourage adventure brings a smile to our faces. To place an order and get your Bourn Adventure postcard, please visit our retail site: Bourn Adventure Gear Postcard Adventures
Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker All around the world are amazing sites and structures. Some are well known and some are not. Our goal in this section is to showcase those places. Come take an adventure with us around the world as we Capture the Journey! GalleryThe internet is filled with good explanations of all things Blockchain, to include all other related information pertaining to cyptocurrency and the technology supporting it. Due to all the resources available, it can be difficult to filter through all the websites and find the information you are looking for. These are some of the articles we came across that helped us understand the space better and we hope it helps you too. Although this list contains similar articles, each one includes additional details or explanations that others did not. If you know of any articles that should be added to our list, please contact us. - Blockchain -1: How Does the Blockchain Work? (June, 2016) – Michele D’Aliessi 2: Blockchain Explained: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding How Blockchain Works (March, 2018) - Ray King 3: What is Forking? – Hard Fork and Soft Fork in Cryptocurrency 4: Blockchains & Distributed Ledger Technologies 5: Review of the 6 Major Blockchain Protocols – Bryant Nielson 6: Guide to Forks: Everything You Need to Know About Forks, Hard Fork and Soft Fork – Aziz - Cryptocurrency -1: Types of Cryptocurrency (April, 2018) - Adam Levy 2: Token vs Coin: What’s the Difference (March, 2018) - Ray King 3: Different Categories of Cryptocurrencies (January, 2018) - Phil Glazer 4: Understanding the Different Types of Cryptocurrency (March, 2018) – Ray King - Wallets -1: Cryptocurrency Wallet Guide: A Step-By-Step Tutorial (2017) – Ameer Rosic 2: How to Choose the Best Cryptocurrency Wallet (April, 2018) – Ray King 3: Guide To Cryptocurrency Wallets: What Do You Need To Know? - Aziz 4: My EtherWallet Review: Full & Detailed Guide (April, 2018) – Ray King - Investing -1: Cryptocurrency Trading for Beginners: How to Start? (March, 2018) – Ray King 2: What is an ICO? Understanding Initial Coin Offerings (April, 2018) – Ray King - Miscellaneous -1: Decentralized Application: What is a dApp? (March, 2018) – Ray King 2: What Is a Smart Contract and How Does It Work? (March, 2018) – Ray King 3: A Complete Guide On What Is Bitcoin Mining and How Does It Work? (March, 2018) – Ray King 4: What Is a Bitcoin and How Does Bitcoin Work (March, 2018) – Ray King 5: Beginners Guide: What is Bitcoin? (August, 2017) - Vincent Wondra 6: Cryptocurrencies are the "future of money": The United States Congress (July, 2018) Resources: Hackernoon.com | BitDegree.org | Cryptodecoding.com | Coincentral.com | Bitcoinwarrior.net Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, nor am I giving suggestions, recommendation, guidance, advice, or tips. I am simply stating my opinion and giving my observations of the market, Cryptocurrency, or other related topics. If you decide to act on or follow any of the information provided (past, present, or in the future) you are doing so on your own free will and not on my recommendation. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone.
-Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Occasionally your air conditioning drain line can become clogged. This could happen because of dirt or in my case, due to a Mud Dauber that plugged it up. Without regular inspection, you may not know that it is clogged. One of the telltale signs is water dripping onto your passenger side floorboard. If you see this, chances are you need to clear your line. You can locate the AC line protruding out of the firewall on the passenger side. It can sometimes be viewed easier from the bottom side versus the top side. 1) Using a coat hanger or old dip sticker, gently clear the line Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone.
-Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Cryptocurrency (crypto) pretty much got its start in 2009 with the creation of Bitcoin. Early adopters saw the advantages of the genius technology behind Bitcoin, but for the most part cryptocurrency laid dormant for several years. Due to media attention, word of mouth, and social media, cryptocurrency saw an influx of activity in 2017. People from all walks of life, living all over the world took notice as the market capitalization of cryptocurancy began to rise. Wide-eyed and eager to make money, people began investing without understanding what this “new” fangled blockchain technology was. To their credit, there are a lot of confusing words, terminology, acronyms, and definitions that get thrown around in the crypto space, which can be difficult to keep up with. Much like the stock market, the crypto market is a place where investors can see some serious gains or losses depending on how they invest. There is always a risk when investing money, but even more so when one does not understand the space they are operating in. Our goal is to help educate people who are just entering crypto by putting the most commonly used verbiage into one easy to locate area. This is something we wish was available when we first started lurking around. Keep in mind, these are basic definitions, not full historical or technical break downs of how the technology works. There are numerous articles out there that explain in depth that type of information. To make life simpler for you, we have compiled a list of informative articles, which we found extremely helpful. (click here to see our list). Nonetheless, this is a good starting point. Cryptography: The art of writing or solving codes. Hash Function: Any function used to map data of arbitrary size to data of fixed size. Cryptographic Hash Functions: Take data of any length as input and output a shorter, fixed length hash, which can be used for a digital signature. Cryptocurrency: A digital asset, which works as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to secure transactions, control creation of additional units, and validate asset transfers. Blockchain: A digital database, similar to an open ledger. Nodes: Network containing many computers. Consensus: Group agreement among nodes through mining. Mining: When nodes verify transactions/data, they are rewarded for their work, usually a predetermined/specific amount of currency native to that blockchain. Block: When nodes verify a transaction, the information/data is added to a block (hence the term Blockchain) and protected using cryptography. Symmetric Cryptography: Sharing a key between sender and receiver (cryptography techniques). Wallet: A means (online/hot/mobile or cold storage) to store and protect digital assets with the use of keys. Public Key: A key that is public and allows for receiving digital assets only (think of it as your email address). Private Key: A key that is private/secret and allows the sending of digital assets (think of it as the password for your email address). Smart Contract: A computer protocol which digitally facilitates, verifies, or enforces the negotiations or performance of a contract. Coin: A digital asset native to its own blockchain (NEO, Bitcoin, Litcoin, ect.) Token: A digital asset created on existing blockchains (ETH/ERC-20 or NEO/NEP-5) Alternative Coin: Anything other than Bitcoin. Store of Value: An asset that can be saved, retrieved, or exchanged at a later date and be predictably useful when used. Peer-to-Peer: A distribution application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers within a network. Market Capitalization: Total dollar market value of a company’s shares or assets. Also known as Market Cap. Bull Market: Trending up. Bear Market: Trending down. Purgatory Market: Limbo, not moving that much in either direction. Exchange: A place to purchase or trade cryptocurrency. Fiat Currency: Legal tender whose value is backed by the government who issued it. Pump and Dump: An asset that within a short time has been deliberately manipulated by certain investors with the intention to increase price (pump). Once the value is raised, they quickly sell, causing the asset price to fall rapidly (dump). Moon: When a coin or token takes off and the value skyrockets. Could be the result of natural or popular growth or due to a “pump and dump”. Bag/Bags: Left holding a bag or bags of poo after buying an asset or assets when it was high and now it is worth much less. Altcoin: Anything other than Bitcoin. DApps: Decentralized Applications ICO: Initial Coin Offering (similar to a Initial Public Offering on the stock market) KYC: Know Your Customer (typically used by ICOs or exchanges as a way to verify their investors) ROI: Return on Investment P/E Ratio: Price-Earning Ratio (sometimes referred to as the price multiple or the earnings multiple is a calculation to help determine the amount of money an investor is willing to pay for current earnings) TA: Technical Analysis DCA: Dollar Cost Averaging (spreading buys and sells over a period of time to reduce portfolio volatility ATH: All Time High (pertains to the highest price/market cap an assets has reached) ATL: All Time Low (pertains to the lowest price/market cap an assets has reached) RSI: Relative Strength Index (measures the speed and change of price movement, which oscillates between zero and 100. Often times the RSI is considered oversold below 30 and overbought above 70) FUD: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt or Disinformation (news, real or fake, that could or does causes sell off of an asset or assets) FOMO: Fear of Missing Out (rushing into an investment while its on the rise). Could lead to holding bags HODL: Hold On for Dear Life or Hold (don’t sell/long term/ride it out) IoT: Internet of Things (a network of devices and other items equipped with software and other electronics that allow objects to connect and exchange information) P2P: Peer-to-Peer DLT: Distributed Ledger Technology (a consensus of digital data spread across multiple platforms) PoW: Proof of Work (measure to deter service attacks and abuse by requesting and requiring work from the user/computer/network) API: Application Programming Interface (set of subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools for building application software) Dev Team: Development Team Resources: New Oxford American Dictionary | BitDegree | Wikipedia | Investopedia Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, nor am I giving suggestions, recommendation, guidance, advice, or tips. I am simply stating my opinion and giving my observations of the market, Cryptocurrency, or other related topics. If you decide to act on or follow any of the information provided (past, present, or in the future) you are doing so on your own free will and not on my recommendation. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone.
-Bourn Adventure Author: Baker In July of 2017, my husband Stephen and I took the boys (ages 8 and 10 years old) to Colorado for their first time. They had a blast seeing real snow-capped mountains and snow for the first time despite it being the middle of summer. Since then, their Christmas wish has been for us to take them back to Colorado to play in the snow for Santa’s arrival. With my husband and I being in love with Colorado, we were happy to oblige! We made reservations for December 23rd-27th using VRBO (online vacation rental booking site), which we had never used before. VRBO was recommended to us by one of our friends in Colorado, who used the service for ski weekend getaways. We compared locations and prices with Airbnb (also an online vacation rental booking site), which we have used before, but found better deals on VRBO for this trip, especially since we were bringing the kiddos. We reserved a one bedroom condo with a fold out couch and full kitchen that was within walking distance from downtown Estes Park. What exactly do we mean by walking distance? A town block! It was super convenient. We have had the pleasure to visit Estes Park several times before and love the downtown area. It is a very quiet and family friendly place with cute shops, quaint restaurants, encompassed by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park has two entrances just outside of town for easy access to mother nature’s treasures. We highly recommend the park; it holds a special place in our heart as it’s where we got married on a road trip in 2016! That’s a whole other story, but I digress, we thought this would be a great location to take the boys for Christmas and to play in the snow. Alright, so one thing Southerners need to be ready for is snow, and driving in the snow! Do not take risks and do not drive like normal. We kept a close eye on the forecast as the date approached, and were alerted to a winter storm in the works. With that in mind, we left a couple of days ahead of our reservations in order to beat any travel hiccups. The first leg of our trip was a short trip from Austin, Texas to Fort Worth to stay with my aunt for the night. We were lucky to have my mother meet us there to pick up our family dogs. While we would have loved to of brought them with us, the VRBO we selected did not allow pets. The next morning we departed at 0430 bound for Morrison, Colorado. Our good friends, The Odvody’s, opened their home to us to accommodate an early arrival in Colorado. Since we packed most of our gear on the roof, we decided to keep a small selection of clothes and shower gear in a suitcase in the cargo area in the back of our car. We drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has pretty great amenities but it could definitely use more trunk space. During the summer we purchased a Thule roof rack to help out with this issue. It has come in pretty handy - especially when both kids and dogs are in tow. During the summer we were not as concerned about weather conditions as we were this trip, so before the Christmas road trip, we purchased some pretty sweet duffle bags to throw up on the roof. We also have some old Army duffle bags that we just waterproofed by layering the insides with thick trash bags. We usually take road trips several times a year, and we always make sure to take a few things: tire jack, jumper cables, fix-a-flat, baby wipes, power inverter, and of course snacks and water. My favorite road trip snack is definitely white cheddar popcorn….it is literally the most impractical (especially if you are the driver) but it is the most delicious thing ever! Bringing the kids along we wanted to make sure to have some healthy snacking options, so we brought: apples, Gatorade, and Z-bars (Kid Cliff Bars, our kids prefer the oatmeal and chocolate brownie). We also included two thick blankets, jackets, hats, gloves, snow cables, and several jugs of water in our back cargo area where they were easily reachable. You want to be a pessimist when traveling like this and be prepared for anything, especially with kids so you can keep your family safe and warm if the worst case occurs. Here are some pics of our gear on the roof. Two small waterproof duffel bags, one large green duffle full of our snow gear, two bags for the boys, snow scooters, and the tire jack. We strapped all of this down using three ratchet straps, but two are sufficient. A quick review of our Adventure Lion waterproof bags, they seem awesome. Our only complaint is we wish they were a little bigger, like the same size as my Army ones - we purchased the largest they offered which is 40 liters. To their credit, they are meant more for kayaking so smaller is probably better for that situation. They held up nicely to the wind, rain, ice, snow, and strapped down nicely. *Links to: Waterproof dry bag and Kids snow scooter Arriving in Morrison, COAlright, so we arrived in Morrison, Colorado that evening as planned and caught up with our friends. We stayed there for two nights before moving on to Estes Park. Just a note here is that our original plan was to depart Fort Worth, Texas in the wee hours of the morning and head straight to Estes Park but we modified that plan according to weather because we knew we had alternate places to stay along the route. Departing Morrison for Estes Park COThe drive up from Morrison to Estes Park was smooth sailing. We were careful to check the road conditions constantly using this site: Cotrip.org Arriving in Estes Park, COIt finally started to snow on us about ten minutes out from Estes Park and by the time we parked it started getting heavier - we were thrilled! The boys were super excited too, so we all worked together to get the car unloaded and settled into the condo before heading out to play in the snow. Downtown was lit up beautifully for the holidays. We enjoyed the sites and had tons of fun playing in the freshly fallen snow. That night I went to the grocery store and picked up breakfast, lunch, and dinner essentials for the week. We did not eat out once the entire stay! I cooked quick and easy recipes like chicken noodle soup, chili dogs, and hamburger helper for dinner. Breakfast was typically eggs, toast, and bacon. Not to mention we were not eating fast food. I despise fast food, but sometimes it is unavoidable on the road. I know these still may not seem like the absolute healthiest, but they were easy and kid friendly! Day 1 - YMCAThe first full day we found some snowy spaces at the YMCA of the Rockies which was literally like a 5-minute drive from our condo. We had a blast and were freezing by the end of the day! One side note - I did get us stuck by trying a 17 point turn in a snowy parking lot. I think subconsciously I was testing my limits on the snow in a populated area. Luckily some friendly passersby helped us get the jeep “unstuck” and we continued the mission. Of course, the running joke for the rest of the trip was that we were about to get stuck again every time there was snow in view! The views from the area where we played that day were absolutely breathtaking! We also found a small piece of a tree to take back to the condo and decorate for our Christmas tree. That night we made a gingerbread house, decorated the tree, and ate cookies! It was Christmas Eve so of course we saved some for Santa too. Day 2 - Christmas DayChristmas day we woke up to find out Santa did know we were in Colorado! The boys enjoyed playing on their new tablets, and we all stayed warm and bundled up inside for a while. That afternoon we took a walk around downtown Estes and picked up a few souvenirs for ourselves and some family. This was kind of our down relaxing day where we just enjoyed the views and stayed warm. We were all pretty exhausted from all the playing the day before. Day 3 - Hidden Valley Snow Recreation Area in Rocky Mountain National ParkAlright, this place was amazing. When we first arrived, we thought it was closed due to snow on the trail leading up to it. However, we found out we were wrong and on the last day made it up there. We were definitely worried about driving on the snow packed and icy roads, but we had snow cables in case. We did not end up needing them though. We drove very slow, like between 10-20 mph, the entire way up. It was a 6-mile drive into Rocky Mountain National Park, but only about 3 of them were super snowy. Our Jeep Grand Cherokee is not four wheel drive, so we wanted to be sure to be very careful. We had the most fun of the whole trip this last day! I even went snow sledding face first on our snow tubes, and it was incredible. The boys preferred their snow scooters. I will warn you it is a hike up the hill each time you sled down. It can definitely get exhausting, but it is totally worth it. I have added some pics from our drive and our snow play below. *Link to: Hidden Vally Snow Recreation Area Day 4 - Headed HomeThe last morning we woke up and ate breakfast then packed up all our stuff and headed out. Check out was a breeze because VRBO does everything through an app and the door auto-locks itself. We will definitely be returning! I will say the only complaint about our condo was some sound coming from stairs in the condo above kept squeaking, other than that it was stress-free and relaxing. We pulled off the trip home all in one day. I wanted to write this post to encourage families to take trips and travel with your kiddos. It was a great trip where we all got to experience new things together and make tons of new memories. We absolutely love to travel and learn more about ourselves, each other, and this world we live in every time! I hope this post encourages you to go take a trip and Explore America! Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Guest Author: Cheyenne Izaguirre A few days ago when the crypto market was a sea of red, I was scrolling through the top 100 on coinmarketcap.com when I stumbled upon a high climbing coin I had not heard of before. Now, I have only been in this space for several months, so it was no surprise I had not seen this coin before as there are so many, but the name is not what caught my attention. You see, as I was scrolling through, I was focusing on the "Change" tab which shows the percentage (up/down) of change for each coin or token within a 24 hour period. This particular coin had a positive change of 2,156.20% while the others, above and below, were ranging from negative 5.70% (red) to positive 9.48% (green). Although the change was showing green, the percentage was a red flag to me. After seeing that, I curiously clicked on this fast-moving, must have crypto which goes by the superhero name of E-coin. Superhero? Of course! It was the only coin that was successfully battling and surprisingly beating this bearish market we were in at the time. Not only was it beating the bear, but it was also roundhouse kicking it, with both feet, right in the baby maker. Upon closer examination, it appeared E-coin (ECN) was less of a superhero and more of a manipulation, which meant, impulsive "when Lambo?" investors would be the lucky recipients of those kicks. If some, most, or all of the other coins or tokens had similar rapid growth, then maybe 2,156.20% change would not be so out of place, but since nothing, anywhere, was remotely close to that, it's what the F.B.I. would call, a clue. -Screen shot from Coinmarketcap.com I put on my snazziest Columbo tie and dug in a little deeper. Looking at E-coins (ECN) history charts, I noticed it had never seen movement like this before. At the time, E-coin (ECN) was trading for $127.96 USD per coin, with an all-time high (ATH) of approximately $23.12 USD. Throughout its history, it has had several spikes, but for the most part, it was reasonably level. Shortly before jumping to 31 in the top 100, the price was hovering around $6.00 USD per coin. -Screen shots from Coinmarketcap.com To me, this signaled a "pump and dump." If you are not familiar with that term, basically it means, a group (typically organized) using a specified marketplace/exchange invests heavily into a particular coin or token (can also apply to stocks) at a lower price with the intention to sell everything at a higher price. This sudden, large movement drives the price up, causing that Cryptocurrency to gain attention and attracting more investors (most unaware of the sell plan) thus pumping it higher. Suddenly, massive amounts of coins or tokens are sold off, causing that crypto to fall or dump drastically. Usually, this sell-off occurs once that crypto reaches a predetermined worth, on a predetermined date/time, or there is a sell command internally given to those in the "know." Those who are outside of the "know" who bought on the high are now left holding bags of poo and getting roundhouse kicked in the adult area. There are three types of investors involved in a "pump and dump." 1: Those initiating and controlling it (in the know) -little to no risk as long as they sell when it is time 2: Those who see it, identify it and want in on the action (outside of the know) -Medium risk, but requires said investor to actively watch the market in real time and wait for visible signs of sell-off. If not and it dumps before said investor can sell it, they can take heavy losses 3: Those who do not recognize it, but invest because they see huge gains (outside of the know) -High risk and heavy losses are almost always guaranteed On top of the apparent "pump and dump," I noticed another odd thing. The E-coin website was not loading, which might be because of a high volume of traffic, the link was broken, or the website was nonexistent. Given the information and multiple red flags, I knew this was not an investment opportunity for me. I'm sure there were people who saw this and FOMO'ed (fear of missing out) in and bought high. Once the dust finally began to settle, E-coin was nestled in the 348th spot and worth $3.53 USD per coin. A difference of $124.43 USD in less than eight hours. It was the only red in a sea of green. Several hours after that, it continued to drop in value and rank. -Screen shot from Coinmarketcap.com Looking at the coin or token history charts, you can see when "pump and dumps" took place. This was the first time I had seen one on the pump. When I identified it, I decided to take pictures, follow the action and stick around for the aftermath of the dump. I figured this might be beneficial information to help prevent people from becoming the third type of investor during an active "pump and dump." The ability to identify these types of market manipulation can mean the difference between a profitable investment or a loss of investment. It is essential to understand, just because a coin or token is doing well, does not mean is it a victim of a "pump and dump." It is up to you to identify any positive or negative indicators and determine if the growth is natural or unnatural. Also, "pump and dumps" might not follow the same type of inflated and aggressive rise up as demonstrated here with E-coin, it could be more subtle with a longer gestation period before sell off. It is also worth noting, "pump and dumps" are not just specific to a coin or token. If enough large investors get together, they can influence the market, causing a potential "pump and dump" on a massive scale. Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, nor am I giving suggestions, recommendation, guidance, advice, or tips. I am simply stating my opinion and giving my observations of the market, Cryptocurrency, or other related topics. If you decide to act on or follow any of the information provided (past, present, or in the future) you are doing so on your own free will and not on my recommendation. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to travel and see new places and experience new things. I had always enjoyed road trips, which my mom and I took together when I was younger. Over the years I have done a reasonably good job at pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and taking on adventures. Some include moving across the country without much thought, planning or even money. I will admit, picking up and moving several thousand miles without a care in the world could lead to failure, but I made the best of it and enjoyed every moment, good and bad. As I got a little older (dare I say "matured") I learned a few things when it came to traveling, more specifically, road trips and how crucial it is to plan rather than rely on luck alone. Now to explain the article title and how it ties into the picture. At the time (November 2014), I was in the process of planning a road trip from Lafayette Louisiana to Washington state, down to California and back. In total, this trip would span approximately 8,000 miles and cover 14 states. I had taken several long road trips before, but never to this extent. The primary purpose of this trip was to spend Christmas with my mom, who at the time lived in Washington state. The way the holidays fell, along with vacation days, I could take a significant amount of time off work, making it possible to visit Mount Rushmore, Yosemite, the Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and other areas I had not yet seen. I wanted to take advantage of this once in a lifetime trip as I did not know if or when an opportunity like this would present itself again. Since this trip would take place in December a considerable amount of planning and preparation was warranted because my route took me through mountainous regions which were subject to harsh weather conditions and road closures. Even though I would be making the journey in my modified Toyota FJ Cruiser (vehicle article coming soon), which had four-wheel drive, recovery gear, and other equipment, I knew that was not sufficient. I needed to have enough supplies (fuel, food, water, medical, clothing, ect) onboard that could sustain living in the vehicle for several days in the event of an emergency. The more I thought about it, the more time I spent second-guessing myself. I thought about just flying to Washington instead as I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the planning and logistics of the drive. All of this was rushing through my head as I walked down the dark, desolate streets of downtown Lafayette. It was early in the morning, and I was on my way to meet a few friends for breakfast. I had walked this stretch several times before and never noticed what I did that morning. There, in the windows of the Children's Museum, read the word DISCOVER. Not only was it in large, bold print, but it was lit up. It stopped me in my tracks, and I felt as though life was dropping a not so subtle hint. Before completing my walk, I pulled out my iPhone and snapped this shot. Over the course of the next few days, I repeatedly looked at this picture which eventually encouraged me to take action. About a month later I was on the road, discovering parts of America I had never seen. Was it a coincidence? Possibly. What I do know for sure is, that was the moment that changed my mind about the road trip that later changed my life. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Outside of traveling, photography, vehicles, and other interests, we have recently become involved in Cryptocurrency. We are still relatively new to this space. Several months ago we decided to dip our toes in the market to get a feel for it. Since then, we have jumped into the deep end. After the metaphorical dive (us, not the market) we have learned a decent amount of information regarding the technology behind crypto, the markets, and of course, the coins/tokens themselves. Every day more knowledge and experience is gained. I make a conscious decision to digest as much information as I can on all things related to crypto. Why? Because I want to make informed, well-thought-out investments rather than just blindly handing money over in hopes of success. I will be the first to admit, I have made several mistakes (learning points) since starting, and I'm sure I will make more along the way, but I have no problem calling myself out and sharing that information in future articles. GoalsOur goals with any upcoming Cryptocurrency articles is to share our experiences, thoughts, failures, successes, and anything else that might be beneficial to people, especially those new to Cryptocurrency. How Does Crypto Tie Into Travel?What we have learned is, a lot of people within the "travel/adventure" community are also involved with crypto, which makes sense. Here are a few of the reasons why I say this:
By no means are we experts in this field. We are just starting, but that doesn't mean we can't share what we have learned with others. We have no intention of abandoning our travel content; the Cryptocurrency related articles is what is known in south Louisiana as, Lagniappe (something given as a bonus or gratuity). Since we believe in the possibilities of crypto and the crossover between it and travel, it only makes sense that we would cover this space too. We hope that you will continue with us as we journey down this new path. I hope you found this article enlightening. If so, please feel free to interact with us in the comment section of this post. Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, nor am I giving suggestions, recommendation, guidance, advice, or tips. I am simply stating my opinion and giving my observations of the market, Cryptocurrency, or other related topics. If you decide to act on or follow any of the information provided (past, present, or in the future) you are doing so on your own free will and not on my recommendation. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker If you are having issues operating the passenger windows from the driver's control switches and just recently disconnected/replaced the battery, no worries, the problem is normal and can be fixed! You may have noticed, the only window you can control is the driver's window, but the auto up/down feature is not working properly. This is the same for all windows. They only work from their switch. You may have also noticed the lights are flashing on the individual window switches and drivers control switch panel. The windows need to be reinitialized. Once this process is complete, the driver will have control of all windows and the auto up/down feature will be available again. This is a simple fix, one that will take about 16 seconds plus walk around time. 1) Place the key in the ignition and turn to on, auxiliary or running. 2) Start with any window (no specific order required). 3) Hold the window switch down (two-stage switch, be sure it is all the way down) till window is in the down position. Once down, continue holding the switch down for an additional two seconds and release. 4) Hold the window switch up (two-stage switch, be sure it is all the way up) till window is in the up position. Once up, continue holding the switch up for an additional two seconds and release. 5) Once complete, the window switch light should change from flashing to solid and the auto up/down features should be available again. Also, the window(s) should operate from the driver's window switch panel. 6) Repeat the same process on all windows, to include the driver's window. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker |
AuthorsBaker and Ashlie are the owners of Bourn Adventure and together they author the majority of the articles and content found here. Guest AuthorsCheyenne Izaguirre Categories
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