Texas RV Travel blog

Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you are out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number.

Locked Out of Car

Does your car have remote keyless entry? If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home from your cell to their cell. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button while holding the clicker close to their cell phone.  The car will unlock. Update 11/19/08: According to Snopes, this is impossible.  However, I have had people report they have unlocked their car. Try it before you need it.  Let me know if it works.

Battery Reserve Power

If your cell battery is very low, press the keys *3370#.  Your cell phone will restart in reserve power mode.

This was sent to me in an email from a friend.  I had heard of the remote unlock, but not the other two.  If it helps you in a pinch, I am glad.

Posted by CyberCelt under Alerts & Did You Know & Education & Trouble | 12 Comments »

Click here for more infomation on

Ballooning in Texas and Southwest USA

2008 Hot Air Balloon Festival Schedule

(Dates are subject to change by the respective balloon festivals but this is a good starting point for general planning purposes: Date Festival Commentary April 3-5 Cajun Hot Sauce Festival This festival features Zydeco bands, food, fun, and balloons. May 3-4? Celebration of Flight Balloon Fest Carthage, Texas This balloon festival is located deep in East Texas (think Tyler, Longview, Nacogdoches) and features about 20 balloons.  The proceeds all go to scholarships to Panola College. May 23-24 Heritage Flight Festival Palestine, Texas This festival will be held at the Palestine Municipal Airport; While there, you must enjoy a trip on the restored steam powered railroad which does day trips to Rusk and back. July 11-13 Great Texas Balloon Race This East Texas festival is held in Longview and typically features ~ 75 balloons.  Visitors are given field access and the post balloon show includes vintage planes, T6 trainers, tearman Bi-Plan and hopefully a B-52D flyover. Aug 6-8 BFA SE Championship Baton Rouge, La A BFA championship balloon competition held in Baton Rouge, LA Aug 15-17 Annual Lions Balloon Festival at Highland Village Copperas Branch Park, Highland Village, Tx This is the only balloon festival in North Texas where spectators are permitted on the field with the balloons and balloonists, providing an excellent photo opportunity as well as opportunity to converse with pilots and crew. Labor Day Weekend Aug 30 - Sept 1 Big Bend Balloon Bash (Alpine, Texas) Alpine, Texas is located on the foothills of the Davis Mountains and on the Southern most part of the Rocky Mountain fault line.  The air is clean and clear.  The people are warm and friendly.  And the scenery only looks better with beautiful balloons for dramatic affect. Sept 19-21 Ravenna Balloon A-Fair Sunbeau Valley Farm, Ravenna, Ohio Sept 18-21 Plano Balloon Festival This is the 2nd largest  balloon festival in Texas.  Held annually in North Dallas, the festival features live music, a great midway, and LOTS of balloons. Sept 14-16 White Sands Balloon Invitational Alamogordo, NM If you’re interested in capturing the beautiful shapes and colors of balloons dancing across a white sand dune canvas, this festival is for you. Sept 26-28 Big Country Balloon Festival Abilene, Texas - A charming festival in West Texas with the best of the best in balloon festival emcees (Glen Moyer) Oct.3-12 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque is the largest balloon festival in the WORLD.  If you want to see 800+ beautiful balloons in a Southwestern setting, this is a must attend festival! Oct 24-26 Pirates of the Canyon, Amarillo, Tx This delightful festival features a Friday and Sunday morning flight at Palo Duro Canyon, 2nd largest canyon in the US.  The colors and imagery of this flying are amazing. Oct 31-Nov 2 Houston Ballunar Liftoff Festival cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan This festival, held annually at NASA in Clear Lake, is Texas’ largest balloon festival.  The sight of 90+ balloons floating over Clear Lake is a photographer’s dream. Dec 6-7 Red Rock Balloon Rally Gallup, NM This annual festival features some amazing photographic opportunities.

Posted by CyberCelt under Bed n Breakfasts & Camping & Family Fun & Guided Tours & RV Travel & Skywatching | 2 Comments »

About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds. Unfortunately, it is children who die most often.

Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families.

There are effective programs to break this spiral. For adults, there are “food for work” programs where the adults are paid with food to build schools, dig wells, make roads, and so on. This both nourishes them and builds infrastructure to end the poverty. For children, there are “food for education” programs where the children are provided with food when they attend school. Their education will help them to escape from hunger and global poverty.

Hunger and World Poverty Sources: United Nations World Food Program (WFP), Oxfam, UNICEF.

Posted by CyberCelt under Blog Events & Causes | No Comments »

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have pledged “unstinting resolve” in pursuing an end to the Darfur genocide.

Be a voice for Darfur. Join one million people declaring with one voice: The next president must make Darfur a Day One priority.

Sign the postcard now urging our next president to keep his pledge—and take decisive action to help end the genocide. To our great national shame It is past time. Years, behind . . .

Please take a few moments to send a postcard, reminding our next president that all America has left is its word and its word is its bond.

Posted by CyberCelt under Causes & Charity & Personal & Remember | No Comments »

Jazz has a long and distinguished history in Texas. Like most genres of music developed here, the music has its roots in many cultures. That is why you really should go to at least one of these festivals. The fest in Brownsville will provide an opportunity to hear all the types of Jazz music as it developed south of the border and then migrated to Texas.

Brownsville 12th Annual Latin Festival

October 9-12, 2008
Various venues in and around Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville Texas is celebrating its 12th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival with more Grammy Award Winners and Nominees than ever, the World Salsa Dance Champions, free music clinics, free dance lessons, art shows, after-show jams and the premier Salsa dance event of the Rio Grande Valley! Bring the family, stay the weekend, have great ticket and hotel discount packages! Call 956-831-9590 for more info.

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Another one of my favorite festivals is the Old Settlers Reunion held in Nocona this month. Nocono is a great place to buy a new pair of cowboy boots, if you wear them. Includes events related to the Chisholm Cattle Trail, chuckwagon cooking, and some of the best music in the world.

Gary Nicholson has produced two Grammy winning records and many poplar records.  In 2006, Nicholson was nominated to the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Over four hundred of his songs have been recorded in various genres including country, rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, and pop by such diverse artists as BB King, Garth Brooks, Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, Etta James, John Prine, Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, Emmylou Harris, Keb Mo, George Jones, the Neville Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Del McCoury, Guy Clark and so many more. In addition to his Grammy winning records with Delbert McClinton, who has recorded twenty five of his songs, he has produced records for The Judds, Wynonna, Pam Tillis, T Graham Brown, Chris Knight, and others.

Click HERE for more information.

Posted by CyberCelt under Animals & Fairs/Festivals & Family Fun & Food/Wine & Golf & Guided Tours & Historic travel & Horseback Riding & Music & Nature & Performing Arts & RV Parks & RV Travel & Rivers | 3 Comments »