Activists To Launch 15,000 Mile, 5-Month Road Trip To Promote Clean Drinking Water In Americas

Two adventurers are preparing to launch what promises to be an epic road trip adventure across the Americas in an effort to promote clean drinking water initiatives in that part of the world. Later his week, American Paul Cebul and German Steffen Mueller will embark on a five-month long journey that will cross 15 countries and culminate in Rio de Janeiro in time for the World Cup in July.

Cebul and Mueller will set out from Boston on Saturday and begin heading south. Their trip will take them across the U.S., into Mexico and then on into Central America. Eventually, they'll cross over the Panama Canal and move into South America, before eventually reaching Rio around July 13. Along the way, they'll pass through 70 different cities and visit an estimated 65 colleges and universities as they spread their message about the importance of clean drinking water, particularly in developing countries.

The two men are calling their expedition Water for the Americas, and while they have a website set up to support their initiatives, the site doesn't offer a lot of information at this time. Hopefully they'll update it before they hit the road, allowing us to follow their progress and adventures as they go.

Clean drinking water is one of the hot button topics across the globe right now. While most developed nations don't struggle with having water to drink, poorer nations have a difficult time, especially as climate change begins to take its toll on the environment. Cebul and Mueller hope to educate people about this issue, particularly in nations that are being most hard hit.

While I applaud their efforts, this sounds like just an excuse to make a months long road trip to the World Cup. I kid! I kid!

30 Great Adventure Travel Destinations For 2013

We're now just about halfway through the month of February, which means we're far enough into the new year that we should be thinking about our own adventures for the year ahead. Our friends over at The Active Times are here to help with this task, offering their selection for the 30 Best New Trips for 2013.

The AT broke their list of suggested destinations and activities down into region, offering the best options for Africa, The Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe & The Middle East. Each of their selections in those regions is a wild adventure that is far from the norm and decidedly not for the traveler who likes to sit on the beach watching the world go by. On the contrary, these are active, often demanding, journeys that will be reward adventurous travelers with once in a life time experiences and satisfying cultural, physical and historical encounters.

For instance, one of the options for intrepid trekkers is a 100-mile long hike through Kenya's Tsavao National Parks. The trek takes 11 days to complete and guarantees some memorable animal encounters along the way. Other options include new backpacking options in Patagonia, exploring the Mongolian Steppe on horseback and mountain biking the Himalaya in Bhutan. No matter what activity or destination you love, there are some good suggestions here, most of which will fill your adrenaline quotient while also providing plenty of amazing experience that simply can't be found elsewhere.

Over the past week or two I've been lamenting the fact that I've been home for far too long. Lots of work and a few bumps in the road of my personal life have kept me firmly rooted at by base of operations for far longer than I would like. I'm hoping to change that soon, as the wanderlust is certainly becoming harder to ignore. I see plenty of tempting options on this list for places I'd love to visit and experiences I'd like to add to my travel resume. It's time for me to choose my next adventure. How about you?

Lost City Discovered In Honduras

A team of of researchers has used advanced technology to locate ancient ruins in the depths of the Honduras jungle. The site, which falls inside the fabled Mosquito Coast, could be the lost city of Ciudad Blanca (The White City) which inspired treasure hunters, archaeologists and historians for centuries.

The research team from the University of Houston used a survey plane equipped with a laser-based light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system to discover the site. These lasers are able to penetrate the thick canopy of the jungle and map the surface below it at an incredibly accurate level. The system has been used in recent years to get a clear picture of the Honduras' countryside but it has also helped to reveal these kinds of surprises too. The lasers have been accurate enough to map the newly discovered site, which includes a large central plaza with two pyramids at either end, one large one small. There are numerous other structures of various sizes near by as well.

The legend of Ciudad Blanca has been around since at least the 1500's when Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes went in search of the city. Cortes believed that it was a site with great wealth, including vast hoards of gold. He never found his treasure but that hasn't stopped other expeditions from continuing the search. Over the centuries some have claimed to have discovered it, but there has been no concrete evidence to support those claims and most archaeologists today regard the city as just a myth.

Whether or not this site is indeed Ciudad Blanca remains to be seen, as aside from the fact that researches now know it exists, little else is known about the ruins. A major archaeological expedition will need to be mounted to go in search of the place and excavation will likely not proceed for years. Such an expedition will be a challenging undertaking as the dense jungles of the Mosquito Coast will not be easy to penetrate, but those who do make the journey will be witnessing a lost history that man has not seen for a very long time.

If that expedition is in need of a blogger to join them on that journey and chronicle their findings, I'd be willing to come along!