Monthly Archive for October, 2010

Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #3 – 2010 Oct 26

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Well, hello there! Welcome to a fresh, new Byteful Travel Blog Carnival where we discover traveltastic gems originating from every corner of the globe.

I’m pleased to say that I got even more quality submissions this time than the previous carnival, and I’d like to thank each person who submitted an article or spread the word about any of the blog carnivals so far. I couldn’t have done it without you guys, so thanks again!

This, the 3rd edition of Byteful Travel Blog Carnival, takes us from Monaco to Reno, from tropical islands to Iceland, and from the streets of New York City all the way to Uganda. The carnival is a really fun cross-section of the travel blogging community this time, and I’m thankful these talented writers took the time to submit to Byteful Travel Blog Carnival so I can share it all with you today. (You’ll find out how you too can submit to this carnival farther down.)

I was also very surprised to see that Ryan Murphy, in addition to being an excellent photographer, has shamelessly copied me. Just kidding, Ryan! Actually, he’s stumbled across a technique that I’ve been calling Camera Dashing for a while now. I’ve outlined what Camera Dashing is in my article “Why Camera Dashing is Superior to Camera Tossing”, and you see this same effect in his Philippines photos at the bottom of his Project Pagudpud article. It’s great to see that this technique is being used all around the world!

Finally, if one of your articles happens to be in this month’s edition, be sure to retweet and stumble this article to get more attention to your own blog. It multiplies the reaching-power of this blog carnival very much, and you’d be doing your own blog a big favor.

Now let’s plunge-in and see the world through another’s eyes…

Travel Destinations

Jennifer Miner presents:
Cheap East Hampton Vacation Attractions posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“The Hamptons have a certain well-earned reputation regarding the upscale summer travelers who flood in on weekends and change the atmosphere of the towns. But like all vacation destinations, there’s more to East Hampton than its reputation. Here are cheap and free things to do in East Hampton for a more mellow South Fork vacation.”

Lana presents:
Pont du Gard posted at Monaco and Beyond.

Kevin Daniel presents:
Why Move to Iceland | Iceland Quest posted at Iceland Quest, saying,

“Why you NEED to be in Iceland.”

John Gadbois presents:
What To Do If You Only Have One Day in Versailles posted at Versailles.com, saying,

“This is a post I just published for people who have just one day to spend in Versailles, France”

One Family presents:
Reno, NV – Hot Spots posted at One Family’s Blog, saying,

“A look at the great gambling & entertainment city of Reno, NV with a focus on frugal options for travelers.”

Laura presents:
Jellyfish Lake: Where Darwin Has Never Been posted at Travelocafe Travel Blog, saying,

“In spite the fact that the lake remains connected to the ocean through fissures and tunnels in the islands’ porous limestone, this pocket of seawater is sufficiently isolated for the jellies to be substantially different from their close relatives living in the nearby lagoons. The lake is surrounded by high ridges covered in exuberant foliage and the sounds of the sea are muted by the music of the jungle: buzzing insects, chattering fairy terns, the singing of the Micronesian pigeon.”

Travel Photography

Ryan Murphy presents a delightful 3-part article series:
Act One: Project Pagudpud, Act Two: Up Manila Down, and Act Three: Romblon in the Bronx posted at Eleven Degrees North.

Lana presents:
Quedlinburg: A Well-Hidden German gem posted at Monaco and Beyond, saying,

“There are many other European towns and cities noted for their medieval character, but not until you come to Quedlinburg will you discover “the real deal.””

Travel Stories

Jennifer Miner presents:
Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Oahu, Hawaii posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“Swimming with wild dolphins can be more than just a travel activity; I found it to be transformative and thrilling.”

Sheila Scarborough presents:
Your vacation is in your head posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, saying,

“On a nighttime drive out in the middle of nowhere in west Texas, I found myself on a relaxed vacation without an umbrella drink in sight. How? By re-setting my head.”

George Burden presents:
The Caboose Comes First posted at Life As A Human, saying,

“Whether you are a railroad buff or just a curious traveller, it’s hard to resist sleeping in a luxurious caboose at the old train station in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, the only converted rail station in Canada that offers railway cars as accommodation, and only one of two in North America.”

Travel Tips

Jennifer Miner presents:
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Route in New York City posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is as iconic to the holiday as turkey and stuffing. New York City is the most popular travel destination for the Thanksgiving holiday, and most travelers want to see the Thanksgiving Day Parade live on its route through the city. Here are some tips from a traveler who’s been there. Happy Thanksgiving!”

Want to grow your blog’s audience?

You too can be a part of Byteful Travel carnival! If you’re a writer, and you’ve written something that relates to travel in some way, I’d highly encourage you to submit a piece you’re proud of.

Why? Because blog carnivals are a fantastic way to get the word out about what you’re publishing on the web. I know this from firsthand experience because blog carnivals have been incredibly helpful in spreading the word about Byteful Travel.

To request an article you wrote to be considered for inclusion next time, please submit your blog post (no more than 3 articles, please) to the next edition of the Byteful Travel carnival using the Byteful Travel carnival submission form. Your post must provide real value, and no spam-like articles will be accepted. Past posts and future hosts can be found in the blog carnival index. And if you’d like to host the carnival itself, as I have done here, please contact me via the contact page.

Once again I’d like to extend a big thanks to everyone who submitted!
I couldn’t have done it without you all!

The next carnival will be in late December, so be sure to submit your article now before you forget. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your travel articles next time, and I see the number of quality submissions increasing with each blog carnival.

And while you’re here, why not leave a comment to thank our submitters? They make this carnival possible!

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  1. Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #4 – 2010 Dec 14
  2. Byteful Travel Carnival #2 – 2010 Aug 30
  3. Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #7 – 2011 July 26
  4. Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #10 – 2012 Jan
  5. Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #5 – 2011 Feb 22
  6. Byteful Travel Carnival #1 – Inaugural Edition
  7. Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #6 – 2011 May 31

Coors Brewery Tour: WAY More than Free Beer

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Chemistry. Biology. Efficiency.

While you may not associate these words with a brewery at first, you’ll come to see that these words truly sum up the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado — the largest single brewery facility on the planet!

During my trip to Colorado, I got the chance to explore this enormous facility firsthand; and I must say, the free self-guided tour was pretty fancy (in a good way). The tour allows you to experience beer-making up close, leaving you with a greater appreciation of how this famous beverage is carefully crafted from hops, grains, and barley, fermented in massive brew kettles (that will probably remind you of Willy Wonka), cold-filtered, packaged, and even served fresh right in the factory. In fact, Coors likes to brag that the free sample you get towards the middle of the tour is the freshest beer you’ll ever taste, and I can’t say I’ll argue. Where can you taste fresher beer than from the factory itself?

Coors Brewery entranceCoors even provides a great little shuttle bus to and from downtown Golden, Colorado to the brewery’s main building. And as I emerged from the shuttle bus, I knew immediately we were in the right place, because there was a huge brew kettle outside.

Historic and Huge

The huge brew kettle, which could hold over 8,000 gallons, hadn’t been used for decades but instead served as a small monument beside the brewery. Beside the huge kettle was a plaque explaining how it was used for brewing in the original brewhouse during the late 1800s and early 1900s. By the 1950s the kettle was removed from service, but in 1993 the kettle was restored for the 120th anniversary of the Golden Brewery. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, that wasn’t the last gigantic brass thing I’d see that day…

Surprisingly Interactive

Inside the brewery, I was really pleased to see that Coors had plenty of hands-on exhibits and descriptions of how the beer-making process actually worked, making the public much more aware of how involved beer-making truly is. (Hint: It’s more than just a few steps.) Hops, Grains, and Barley were on display so everyone could literally get a feel for what beer is actually made of. At some parts of the tour, there were even helpful cartoon illustrations about how beer is malted and fermented.

However, hands-on exhibits weren’t all that was along the tour. In fact, much of the tour was a transparent look at the brewing process itself. Often I was able to see right onto the factory floor from above, including one of the main computer control rooms which was filled with a rainbow of a billion tiny lights and glowing computer displays.

Dozens Massive golden-brass brew kettles

Yet without a doubt, my favorite sight within the entire brewery was seeing the dozens of massive brass brew kettles. These gigantic kettles, with their graceful curving brass and sheer awesomeness, looked like they were taken right out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

But unfortunately none of Wonka’s fizzy lifting drinks were anywhere since these kettles were designed to ferment barley instead of fizz.

The Freshest Beer You’ll Ever Taste

After passing the Quality Control Lab (which looked interesting from the outside but was closed to the public), I arrived at the beer-tasting area. A short line had formed in front a counter where a chrome spout the delivered what Coors describes as “the freshest beer you’ll ever taste.”

They weren’t wrong.

Cute Coors girl serving the freshest beer behind counter

Now, I’m not usually a beer drinker; but I had come all that way, so I decided to take the opportunity to try a little. I asked the cute girl behind the counter if I could try some in one of the small plastic cups they had and received a few ounces of the hyperfresh drink.

It was indeed very fresh. And it was welcome relief after being in some of the warmer brewery rooms.

And so I continued down the hall and found myself in Coors’ enormous packaging room, full of conveyor belts and other wondrous machines that packaged the beer cans into boxes without a single human ever touching the cardboard. The package assembly line didn’t surprise me. What surprised me was the sheer speed of this packaging room. Boxes whizzed by me at what must have been 45 miles per hour, the sight of which was slightly hypnotizing if you gazed at it for too long.

Yes, Free as in Beer

Concrete Coors building spraying water beside green hillAt the end of the tour was the Coors Beer Tasting Lounge where everyone was allowed 3 free beers of their choice. All of the popular Coors beers were on tap, of course; and I’ve gotta give credit to Coors for being smart about how they designed this tour. They could have been stingy and only gave out the single super-fresh sample provided at the middle of the tour, but by providing 3 free beers at the end of the tour, they encourage people to try out beers they’ve never had before since there’s no financial risk to them. Very smart, Coors.

Even though I’m not a lover of beer, I really enjoyed the Coors Brewery Tour. The brewery was fascinating on more than one level, and you could tell that a lot of effort was put into making the tour engaging as well as educational. You leave the brewery feeling smarter (and not just because you’ve had some beer!) as well as with a greater appreciation for American ingenuity itself.

If you ever find yourself in Colorado, I highly recommend you experience Coors Brewery for yourself. The tour is completely free (free as in beer?) and since it’s in Golden, CO, it’s only 15 miles west of Denver so you have no excuse for missing it! (Detailed tour information is at MillerCoors.com)

It may not quite be Willy Wonka’s factory, but you can’t get much closer than this.

And Now, the Continuation

Continue the Journey —>

— — —
Photos from this trip are in the Coors Brewery Tour album. All photos in the Byteful Gallery can be used as desktop wallpapers.

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