Forget the golf
PHOENIX - Not long ago, a friend was packing eagerly for a trip Phoenix. I asked him, "What's the attraction of a city that brings to mind stately cactus, canyons and desert critters?"
( By MARY FOSTER, The Associated Press, 10/14/2002 06:50 AM PST)

Scenic cycling for the family
A hundred years ago, locomotives lumbered up Whitetop Mountain with loads of iron ore and timber. The plodding route gave the train its name: the Virginia Creeper.
( JIM MORRILL, Staff Writer, 10/07/2002 07:10 AM PST)

Wilderness loop draws hikers, backpackers
Hickory Creek is accessible and scenic wilderness. The 8,663-acre tract -- one of only two federal wilderness areas in Pennsylvania -- is a cool place, especially under the shade of the hardwoods on a hot summer's day.
( Bob Downing, Beacon Journal, 10/07/2002 07:07 AM PST)

You like to hike to waterfalls? Here's a bunch
Seven Falls is one of the most popular destinations in the canyons that rise above Santa Barbara. Hikers, however, risk getting lost because there is a paucity of signs leading to Mission Creek and Seven Falls Trail.
( Bob Downing, Beacon Journal, 09/30/2002 08:18 AM PST)

Challenging 349-mile hiking trail has it all
The Long Path goes from civilization to wilderness -- hikers start in Fort Lee, N.J., pass by New York City, walk through hilly farm country and the Catskill Mountains, then finish near Albany, N.Y.
( Mary Esch, Associated Press Writer, 09/30/2002 08:41 AM PST)

New courses to consider
Last year alone, a whopping 17.3 million Americans played golf while on vacation. That, says the Tourism Industry Association of America, translates to one out of every eight travelers.
( Brenda D. Farrell, The Associated Press, 09/30/2002 08:44 AM PST)

More Thai visitors opt for brutal workout
``Jab! Jab! Jab!'' shouts my trainer. I fire a series of lefts into his upraised boxing pad. ``Teh! -- kick!'' he urges, and I twist my hips and launch a roundhouse kick that slams my right shin into the pads.
( By Michael Kovrig, Associated Press, 09/23/2002 12:11 PM PST)

Kayaking the Alaskan wilderness puts you among 'berglets,' bears
Millions of visitors see Alaska from the decks of cruise ships, spectators of the state's spectacular scenery. From a kayak or an island beach, it's an entirely different story. It's an experience that's felt as well as seen.
( BY MERI-JO BORZILLERI, The Orange County Register, 09/09/2002 07:23 AM PST)

Classical rafting: an adventure in music, with a river on the side
Imagine, if you can and if you will, the audience at a symphony concert. Picture their age, what they're wearing, how they're groomed. Now, imagine them sweaty. Imagine them with squirt guns.
( BY ALAN SOLOMON, Chicago Tribune, 09/03/2002 07:58 AM PST)