Games You Can Play On A Long Road Trip In The Car

Although modern cars have all manner of entertainment gizmos like DVD players, a long trip can get boring quickly. One way of reducing boredom on such a journey is by playing games with other passengers. Here are some fun games you can play on a long road trip in the car:

License Plates

License Plates involves calling out license plate letters of passing cars in alphabetical order. The first person to call out the letter “Z” wins. Take note you can vary the way you play this game with others. For instance, you can ask players to call out numbers, letters in doubles, or out¬-of-state license plates. In general, you can tweak this game to be as exciting as possible.

Count

This game involves counting objects or people that passengers can spot along the way. These objects could be specific vehicle models, animals such as cows, cyclists, or telephone masts. Nevertheless, players should be in a car with excellent visibility.

I Spy

I spy involves one person giving others a clue to an object that is visible outside. For example, “I spy something that starts with the letter F”. The acceptable norm is to give a clue about an object that will be visible to players for several minutes, not an object that whizzes by in a few seconds.

Name the tune

Name the Tune involves humming/whistling/singing a part of a mystery song. You could also play a snippet of a song stored in your smartphone or tablet. It is up to the other players to name the tune of that particular song. Take note this could be the tune of a popular song, TV show/series theme, or movie soundtrack.

Slug Bug

Players simply keep track of Volkswagen Beetle cars (bug) seen on the road. The person who spots a bug first gets a reward such as tapping the nearest passenger. The original game involved slapping/hitting another passenger but this can get out of hand easily.

A long road trip does not have to be boring. You can make it entertaining by playing road trip games such as Name the Tune, License Plates, I Spy, Slug Bug, and Count with others.

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Tips For Choosing A Camping Tent

Choosing a camping tent can be a hard task given the large number of tents on the market. To make this task easier, here are tips for choosing a camping tent:

Sleeping Capacity

Choose a tent that can accommodate the number of people you would be willing to accommodate while on a camping trip. The sleeping capacity of tents varies from one to as many as eight people. Check the manufacturer’s label for information on number of people a tent can accommodate.

Design

Design is an important factor one should consider when buying a tent. Design touches on aspects such as floor space, doors, storage options, and height. For instance, floor space dimensions allow one to determine how many people can fit inside a tent as well as available space for storing personal effects. If you are planning to go camping in winter or during a rainy season, go for a tent with enough space to stand and turn without bumping into another person or the roof.

Waterproof Capability

A tent should keep you and any other person sleeping inside dry. To keep the inside of a tent dry, manufacturers use waterproof coatings like silicone, polyurethane, or a mixture of both. In addition, they use numerical figures, which range anywhere from 1200mm to 3000mm, to show the capability of a tent to keep inhabitants dry. In general, the higher this figure, the better a tent is in terms of waterproof capability. For instance, 2000mm means your tent’s fabric can prevent a water column 2000mm tall from seeping through.

Material

Most tents are made of synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon. In fact, the upper part of a tent, the canopy, is usually made of tough, nylon material. Before buying a tent, check the denier value of its nylon fabric. In essence, a higher denier value denotes a heavier and stronger the nylon fabric and vice versa. Polyester fabrics are usually reserved for the rainfly or floor. Nevertheless, you will come across tents with polyester fabric canopies and nylon fabric floors or various combinations of synthetic materials.

Some of the important factors to consider when choosing a camping tent include the sleeping capacity, material, waterproof capability, and design.

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What You Need In A Car Emergency Kit

When driving, you should always be prepared for roadside emergencies. Keep a well stocked car emergency kit to be ready for those unexpected events. Be prepared for a flat tire, a dead battery and being stranded along the road in the cold of winter or the heat of summer.

The best stocked car emergency kit will have all of these elements included in it.
1. Extra fuses for lights and other electronic components which may blow a fuse and stop working.
2. Blanket just in case it’s cold and the car won’t start allowing you to turn on the heat.
3. Flashlight with fresh batteries so you can see what you’re doing in the dark.
4. Tools to us for making repairs like a set of screwdrivers, vise grips, pliers and an adjustable wrench.
5. Roadside flares to alert other drivers to your location along the side of the road.
6. First-aid kit to attend to wounds you may have suffered while fixing your car.
7. Gloves to protect your hands as you do the necessary work on your car.
8.  At least two quarts of oil
9. Jumper cables for a battery charge.
10. One gallon of antifreeze
11. Brake fluid
12. Tire inflator
13. Tire pressure gauge
14. Rags and a funnel for pouring fluids in the proper places.
15. Quick fix tools including a duct tape and paper towels.
17. Washer fluid in a spray bottle
18. Ice scraper to clear your windshields in the cold.
19. AAA or roadside emergency card
20. Triangle reflectors and flares to make your car more visible to passersby.
21.   Pocketknife for cutting.
22. Bottled water to rehydrate.
23. Granola or energy bars to eat if you’re stranded a long time and can’t get to a food stop.

Keep everything in one easy to access location, like in a small plastic tub placed securely in your trunk.  Some optional things you could add to your kit include a good book in your favorite genre or fully charged Kindle, a pillow, a beach chair and a tasty treat.

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Plants And Animals You Will Likely Encounter When Traveling To Utah

Utah is home to many different habitats, including wetlands, forest, and deserts. There are many different plants and animals that live in each of these habitats. In order to survive, these plants and animals must adapt differently to their environments. American Southwest Magazine offers useful and fun information about the different habitats, plants, and animals in Utah.

Desert Habitat

Most people who have traveled to Utah have come across a very large, hot and dry area that probably made their drive seem very long. Desert habitats are extremely hot. In Utah, for example, a high temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in the southern part of the state. However, nights in the deserts are cool. Because of these extreme temperature fluctuations, plants and animals have to adapt and change how they live.

Some of the desert plants and animals in Utah include:
• King birds
• Leopard lizards
• Jack rabbits
• Big brown bats
• Spadefoot toads
• Tarantulas
• Agave plants
• Cactus
• Desert sand verbena
• Ironwood trees
• Mesquite trees

Forest Habitat

Forests cover one third of Utah and have many different plants and animals. The temperate forests of Utah go through all four seasons and the plants and wildlife all have to adapt to survive the challenging weather throughout the year.

Some of the most common forest plants and animals in Utah include:
• Black bears
• Garter snakes
• Honey bees
• Red fox
• Three toed woodpeckers
• Mole
• Quaking aspen trees, which can grow to heights of 40 to 50 feet.
• Blue spruce trees
• Gamble oak trees
• Cottonwood trees
• Currant bush
• Chokecherry trees

Wetlands

Wetlands are habitats saturated with water, which flows from another source, for part of the year. There are seven different types of wetlands, also canned Riparian zones, in Utah. They include mud flats, shrub swamps, wetland, salt marsh, forest wetland, aquatic plant bed, wet meadows, and bog. However, they all have a few characteristics which are the same.

Some of the most common plants and animals in Utah’s wetlands include:
• American beaver
• Tiger salamander
• Mallard duck
• American bullfrog
• Water scorpion
• Tiger trout
• Cattails
• Duckweed
• Arrow grass
• Baltic rush
• Stream orchid
• Southern maidenhair fern

These are the most common plants and animals you will likely encounter when traveling to Utah.

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