Thursday, July 17, 2008

Crystal Lake Cave in Iowa

Crystal Lake Cave in Iowa - A Great Vacation and Travel Destination

By: Robert Benjamin
Iowa has some beautiful places that are wonderful vacation destinations. One of the must see places is Crystal Lake Cave. There is an interesting story behind this location. Back in 1868 lead miners were looking for a lead vein and they drilled 40 feet into the ground. And although they were not successful in finding the lead they had hoped for they did find something else even more amazing. What they found was Crystal Lake Cave. Although the cave was discovered for many years it was not open to the public until 1932. Bernard Markus, one of the original miners, played a role in getting the cave open to the public and it finally became so after his death.

While the miners were digging they found quite a few different types of gems and minerals that are on display in the gift shop. There is no other show cavern like Crystal Lake Cave and this is the longest a cave has been "alive" in Iowa. The cave is underground and continues to be one of the most amazing places to visit in Iowa. The tour of the cave takes about half an hour to 45 minutes and it is an adventure like none other you have ever taken. A tour guide will lead you so that you get the most out of the adventure. Keep in mind that no matter what the temperature is outside it will be quite cool in Crystal Lake Cave and the year round temperature is usually around 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

The cave is open from 9 am to 5 pm on weekends in May and daily in June, July and August from 9 am until 6 pm. In September the cave is open from 11 am until 5 pm on weekdays and 9 am until 5 pm on weekends. The cave is open through mid October from 11 am until 5 pm on weekdays and 9 am until 5 pm on weekends. The rest of the year the cave is closed for winter. Prices for adults are $10 and $5 for kids four to 11. Kids under four are free and senior citizens receive a 10% discount. Group pricing is available. The cave is located three miles south of Dubuque, Iowa and 20 minutes from Galena, Illinois.

There is a website that has great information on USA Vacations and Unique Travel Spots Listed State By State and Season, the website is called: Seasonal Vacation Spots, and can be found at this url:

http://www.seasonalvacationspots.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

About The Author

Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years. He first released products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970's-80's.

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Traveler's Cell Phone Etiquette

Traveler's Cell Phone Etiquette

By: Aaron Siegel

Many traveling cell phone users fail to remember to use proper cell phone etiquette while away from home. Cell phones have made it possible for people to stay in touch no matter where they happen to be in the world. While this has great advantages for cell phone users it can also be a means of irritating and annoying fellow travelers and locals. Failing to use proper cell phone etiquette may risk disclosing confidential information as well which can leave you victim to criminals.

Remember to always maintain a privacy range when using your cell phone. Step away from others so that you can have some privacy. Additionally, when someone near you answers their cell phone give them the same courtesy you would expect for yourself. Space yourself from other cell phone users during their conversations.

Keep your conversations non descriptive in means of personal matters including finance and don’t discuss matters of personal distress in public areas. You never know who is listening and a complaint of being lost or not knowing where to spend your money may alert criminals to your vulnerable situations.

Let the person you are speaking on the cell phone with know that you are on a cell phone and why the conversation must be kept at a minimal of disclosure. Better than talking at times may be to text message personal and confidential topics.

When in crowded areas always use your vibration mode as to not annoy others. What you may consider a cool ringtone might offend other people. Try being noise considerate.

Speaking of noise, try not to talk too loudly into your phone. A shouting cell phone user has got to be the number one annoyance in public. Remember if someone asks you to quiet it down, instead of arguing it is best to just wrap it up and talk later.

Keeping these practices during travel can help make cell phones not such a technology pest and possibly reduce the restrictions that more and more public places are putting on cell phone usage.

About The Author

This article was written by Aaron Siegel of http://TopSavings.Net which offers Cell Phone Service to residential and business customers.