Grand Canyon- A Rafter's Tale (Part 3)

YouTube provided me with many excellent videos of the Colorado River rapids in the Grand Canyon. The one I posted above was well done, giving the viewer not only a feel for some of the rapids, but also of the magic of the canyon. There are 4 other parts with the same title, each one dealing with different aspects of the canyon. I highly recommend watching all of them! Two other videos that are very entertaining and amusing are titled "G Man Does Lava Falls" and "Upset Rapid". Lava Falls is one of the largest rapids in North America, and it is the most difficult one in the Grand Canyon. Fortunately, our raft made it through it without flipping, but my son and his friend were immediately propelled out of their raft by huge sideways waves crashing into them. Ironically, the unmanned raft never flipped and it executed the rapid flawlessly. Had I watched some of these videos before taking this trip, I'm not sure I would have joined my family on this daring adventure. Of course, YouTube was not around in 2004, but for future treks and adventures, YouTube will be most helpful in anticipating and choosing our destinations. We can also post videos of our crazy adventures for our family and friends, so that they, too, can experience it vicariously. Hulu and Fancast can also be used during travel, since you can watch your favorite missed TV episodes on your laptop while on vacation, or when you return home. My daughter especially finds these websites useful, living in a UW dorm without a television in her room. She catches up on movies and television series on her laptop. All in all, I find streaming video a fun and positive tool in the realm of travel.

Facebook Friends

My experience with Facebook has been extremely positive and fun! Shortly after signing up with Facebook, an old college friend contacted me on the site, a friend I haven't seen in years. I, of course, confirmed her friend request and was excited to see all her photos in the albums she has posted. My husband and I were shocked to see how much she has aged, since we obviously don't age at all! She also requested that I become a friend of her son who is a Navy SEAL in Iraq, and a couple of her son's military friends who are also overseas. I immediately agreed and am now posting on unknown soldiers' walls, a simple act that they are so grateful for. My 2 young adult children would not confirm my friend requests and were horrified that I might even be able to look at their pages. Now that I think about it, I don't want to see the comments that are posted on their walls or their questionable photos! I can see the advantage of using this for travel since you can make albums of your vacation photos and friends can look at them, simply by having a Facebook account. Also, you can keep in contact with loved ones who are traveling, with postings or using the private Inbox. A new feature Facebook also has is online chat, displaying which friends are simultaneously online. I hope to use this feature when my son is traveling in Southeast Asia for five months this fall, but first I will have to convince him to be my friend!