Welcome to the September issue of The Traveler

You blinked and now it's already autumn. For us here at The Traveler, as some may already know, fall is our favorite time of the year. We're autumn people. And we always marvel, come the autumnal equinox, at how quickly another year is going by. It's a tradition. But, of course, our very favorite thing about autumn is the color. The sun casts a longer shadow - and the trees!

Now is the time to be checking in with our fall color page to find out everything you'll ever want to know about fall color, from where the best places are right now to see fall color, to the anatomy of a leaf in the throws of autumn.

Here we've got three great feature articles for you. Brought to you by our world network of travel writers, we start with an adventure trek through China's Tiger Leaping Gorge; then to Dagestan at the southern reaches of the Russian Republic; and then back to North America for some great rafting fun in Maine.

The September Travel Writing Pick-of-the-Month is a classic South Sea adventure from one of our favorites, Jack London. And finally, as always, we've got the latest in travel resources, ideas, and bargains for your fall and winter travel planning.

So let Fall begin and enjoy!

A special note for all our loyal readers:
The Traveler is moving to a new home! With this issue we begin the task of moving our subscription list to a new service. Starting on Monday October 2nd, we will begin the process of moving the list over to the new server. You should receive an email asking if you would like to receive The Traveler (and we really, really hope that you do). Please confirm that message if you do. Alternately, you can simply send an email to the_traveler@aweber.com to get the process started. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we'll do everything we can to make this move as easy as possible for all of us. And rest assured, making this move does not change our stance on spam. We hate it. No, we really, really hate it. All this change means is that a new service will be handling our mailing for us. You will not receive any spam on our account. We promise.

Feature Articles

A Trek Through Tiger Leaping Gorge
Leave the boat trip through the Three Gorges to the throngs of tourists.

Discovering Dagestan
Never mind the gunfire, it's all part of scenary

Maine-ly for the Fun of it - The Finest Kind!
Why visit Maine? Well...

Travel Writing Pick-Of-The-Month

After spending five months in Hawaii, Jack London and his wife Charmian set out in the autumn of 1907 aboard the Snark for an eighteen month adventure into the South Seas, journeying to the Polynesian and Micronesian Islands. Drawn largely from his cultural experiences in the Pacific, this is a dark collection of London's tales about the South Sea. Originally published in 1911, the collection includes "Mauki" and "The Terrible Solomans."  South Sea Tales (Modern Library Classics)

Travel Ideas, Resources, and Bargains

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Vacation Packages/Rentals:
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Interesting Stuff:
Florida Discovery Bicycling Center Opens Soon
On November 12 the new Florida Discovery Bicycling Center in Lake Helen will roll out its inaugural training and touring program - the first of its kind in Florida. The FDBC's first five-night, six-day program will begin November 12 with a full day of cycle training by League of American Bicyclists-certified safe cycling instructors. The remainder of the program will include a schedule of daytime tours with stops for wildlife sightings, historical briefs and nature explorations along the scenic St. Johns River. Get all the detail at the Florida Discovery Bicycling Center Website

The Ever-Popular Top 25 from Sherman's Travel
This Week's Top 25 Travel Deals!

The Gold Country in Autumn
Mark Twain came here and wrote of the Notorious Frog Jumping of Calaveras County. The historic gold rush area of Calaveras County always has some history to experience, romance and adventure. Murphy’s, a lost-in-time Victorian town, has many wine-tasting rooms, restaurants and boutiques. Find out more about all the area has to offer, places to stay, and things to do at the Visit Calaveras website.

World Beauty Spots may Limit Visits
Alison Hardie, senior news writer for The Scotsman recently wrote an article concerning the impact of mass tourism and climate change on some of the world's most popular and ecologically sensitive tourist destinations, and the possibility of limits on future visitors. Read her report and some other readers comments at The Scotsman.com

Last Minute Travel
Click here for a Promo Code / Coupon to save $59 on a Last-Minute Travel Package

Seattle Travel Package Includes Tickets to a Special Da Vinci Exhibit
Tickets to Leonardo Da Vinci; Man, Inventor, Genius at Seattle's Museum of Flight are included in the Inn at Harbor Steps' new stay/dine package for fall and winter 2006. Get more details on this and other package specials at the Inn at Harbor Steps website.

The Perfect Idea for Your Best Fall Photos
You'll be out taking great shots of this year's fall color. Instead of having those beautiful scenes languish on your hard drive or in a musty album, Kodak lets you make a masterpiece with your photos

What's New at TouristTravel.com

Our third annual Fall Color issue (part 2) soon hits the press! The Fall Color issue has been is always popular here at The Traveler. We're excited to bring our third annual series of Fall Color issues for 2006. Part 2 is due out in mid-October. If you love Autumn (did we mention it's our favorite time of year?) and the magnificent color that comes with the season, then you'll love the Fall Color Special issue of The Traveler!

We've got new stories posted on our website, make sure to check them out! Look at past web features articles (not shown here in The Traveler) out our monthly feature article index page.

We're always adding new resources and features for your travel and adventure. Make sure to check out the latest by visiting our Home Page

Concerned about climate change and global warming? Check out our new site: GlobalWarmingisReal.com - Find out what causes global warming, the current science surrounding the issues of climate change, and what you can do about it. We've also just started our blog at GlobalWarmingisReal.com/blog/

What would Thomas Paine think? The Traveler is involved in a new project sponsored by WorldHistory.com. The idea is to blog historical figures of the past, using their own words to current events and life in our modern world. Check out our little bit of this interesting project at ThomasPaineBlogging.com

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Have a comment or suggestion about a great travel destination, or a particular good (or bad) travel experience? Let us know! Email us your tip or comment and we may include it in a future issue of The Traveler!