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There is nothing better than a day at the beach. Swimming, sunning, picnicking and playing volleyball bring memories that last a lifetime. Other fun beach activities include driving ATV’s and dune buggies over the sand. Driving over sand requires specially made beach tires.

Beach Tires Are Not Your Ordinary Tires

Beach tires are different from regular tires in several significant ways. They have to travel over hot sand without sinking and grassy areas without disturbing the grass that is growing. If you have ever tried running in sand you know that sand can be difficult to move through and of course, heavy vehicles will have a tendency to sink into it, so beach tires have to be able to somehow move through without sinking.

Another thing about sand tires is that they are usually going to be softer than regular street tires. They also have to have more traction than other tires. Some even have paddles that help a vehicle move quickly and efficiently through the sand, while others favor a “balloon” style that helps the vehicle “float” on the sand.

Its Many Uses

Other great uses for sand tires include beach carts for rolling your picnic lunch out to the beach as well as wheelchairs and mobility carts that allow people of all different ability levels enjoy the beach. The paddle type tires tend to be best for larger, heavier dune buggies and ATV’s and the balloon types are usually for smaller lighter vehicles and carts.

Another thing you want to look for in beach tires is a nice wide width for the larger vehicles which helps the vehicle move more efficiently even through soft sand. Lighter vehicles and carts require a narrower tire which makes them easier to maneuver.

There are several specialty tire shops where you can find beach tires that are created for use in sand and they are usually located conveniently near a beach. However, it is much easier to order your tires online since they usually have a better selection and you will be able to find exactly the tire you need for your beach vehicle or cart. You will usually be able to find a better price by shopping online as well.

Do Not Rotate

Keep in mind when buying your tires that unlike those meant for other types of vehicles, you might need to purchase not only different tires for the front and back, but in some cases there is a specific tire for the left and right sides. These tires should not be rotated since they are designed for a specific wheel to improve traction.

Comparison Shopping

It is strongly suggested that you take the time to read customer reviews online before you purchase your beach tires and also check your owner’s manual to determine the diameter and the width of the tires you need for your beach vehicle. Check several different websites to compare pricing and keep your eye out for free shipping deals which will save you more money than most of the sale prices you will be able to find. Taking a little time to compare tires and prices will save you time and money in the long run.

South Beach diet has taken America by storm. Many are swearing by its ability to knock of those unwanted bulges and the knack of keeping cholesterol in control.

Followers of South Beach diet are asked to abstain from bad carbohydrates abundantly found in processed food and food products made from refined flour. Instead, they are asked to consume food containing good carbohydrates. Similarly, the dieters are asked to opt for mono saturated fats instead of saturated fats.

South Beach strongly disapproves of fast food like pizzas, burgers and other ready-to -eat foodstuffs made up of refined flour. However, many times people find it rather inconvenient to cook food that is as per the recommendation given by South Beach diet. This is especially true for those who are hard pressed for time.

However, there are brands that offer frozen food. Many might find the thought of frozen food and South Beach diet a little difficult to digest. But the pairing is possible, especially if you are developing the products in consultation with the doctor who formulated the diet.

Take for instance Kraft Foods. This giant in the food industry has brought a whole line of products targeted towards those South Beach diet followers. This includes frozen food products. Kraft Foods have developed these products in consultation with Dr. Arthur Agatston. Hence, you can lay to rest any doubts you may have over the suitability of these products. All the products are made from whole grains, vegetables and fruits approved by South Beach diet. Only olive and canola oil are used in preparation. In case of non–vegetarian products, only lean meat is used.

South Beach followers can look forward for three options when it comes to frozen food.
In case you are interested in choosing entrees, the following options are available:

1) Mediterranean Style Chicken with Couscous

2) Garlic Herb Chicken with Green Beans Almondine

3) Savory Beef with Cheesy Broccoli

4) Beef & Broccoli with Asian Style Noodles

5) Savory Pork with Pecans & Green Beans,

6) Penne & Chicken in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce,

7) Cashew Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

Caprese Style Chicken with Broccoli & Cauliflower

Kraft Foods’ South Beach line of frozen products also includes frozen pizzas. Those who love pizza will find frozen pizzas as a healthy alternative to those served by ordinary restaurants and hotels. You can look forward to having:

1) Grilled Chicken & Vegetable

2) Deluxe

3) Pepperoni

4) Four Cheese.

Those interested in having quick meals or snacks in between can look forward to the refrigerated sandwich warps that are launched by Kraft Foods, under its line of food for South Beach diet followers.

The following varieties are available:

1) Southwestern Style Chicken

2) Grilled Chicken Caesar

3) Turkey & Bacon Club

4) Deli Ham & Turkey

So if you are interested in following the South Beach diet, but are daunted by the fact that there are no ready-to- eat stuff available, then worry not! For now, you have Kraft Foods, which has come out with a whole range of foodstuff, especially tailored to suit the needs of the South Beach diet followers.

Playing beach volleyball is a fun and exciting sport, for both competition and recreation. Instead of being cooped up in a building or gym, go outside into the fresh air and feel the sand between your toes, as you play one of the world’s favorite sports. You will be addicted, and if that addiction leads you to build your own personal sand court then you need to know the correct dimensions. Serious players need a worthy court to play on.

Beach volleyball court size differs from indoor volleyball courts in several ways, including the feeling of diving into sand for that famous dig, versus slamming into a hardwood floor! The court should be a rectangle shape that measures 16 x 8 meters, or if you are not used to the metric system, 52′6″ x 26′3″. Indoor volleyball is 1 meter narrower and 2 meters shorter in length, which gives you a bit more room to maneuver with sand.

When building a sand court, boundaries are very important. The court is marked with two endlines and two sidelines, there is no center line. All the lines are 5 to 8 centimeters wide or 2 to 3.75 inches. Lines should be some kind of sturdy material and contrast sharply with the sand, so they are easy to see. The beach volleyball court size is also bigger than an indoor court because the sand boundaries, outside the lines, are larger as well. You don’t want your players diving across a line to make a save and hitting rocks or cement. There should be a 3 meter perimeter around the actual court, and for professional competition there must be a minimum of 4 meters on all sides.
There are several other measurements to remember for beach volleyball that include…

o Net Height - Men - 2.43 meters (7′ll 5/8″)
Women - 2.24 meters (7′4 1/8″)

o Sand should be at least 40 centimeters deep and made up of fine, loosely compact grains. The sand needs to be leveled and uniform, so there are no holes, dips or valleys to contend with.

o The sand should be free of anything that could harm competitors (i.e. glass, rocks, etc.)

o Net posts need to be round and smooth, padded if possible, for the safety and protection of players.

Whether you are a recreational player or a world class competitor, having the correct beach volleyball court size requirements is necessary to the game. As a professional, knowing the boundaries improves skills and is an asset. If you are an amateur but have a love for the game and want a place to invite family and friends for a friendly match, then you know what you are in for in building your own. Either way, get out and play!

If you are thinking about a beach vacation in sunny southern California then you should consider Huntington Beach. It is quite possible one of the best vacation spots in the world. There are so many activities that you will have a vacation full of fun. You can easily go surfing, golfing, play tennis, skateboard, or do beach volleyball. There is truly something for every sport enthusiast out there.

If you are not into any of the above sports and want a little more relaxing vacation or if you need a break from the great surf then why not try out some of the activities and locations below.

Within Huntington Beach

Within the city or very close to Huntington Beach there are tons of great sports to visit. There is the Huntington Beach art center and the International Surfing Museum as well as a Surfing Hall of fame. These are both fun activities that can take up an afternoon. You might also want to check out the great shopping in the downtown area where you are sure to find some cool new flip flops or a new bathing suit. There are also some great restaurants in the downtown area of Main Street.

If you are a really Shopaholic then you might want to try either Fashion Island Shopping Center or South Coast Plaza. These two malls house some of the best shopping in the world. South Coast Plaza in particular has a ton of great high end fashion and clothing stores and a great book store to boot. If you get hungry and need a break from shopping there are some great eateries around the mall and even in the mall. Why not try something different at California Pizza Kitchen or at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant.

With Kids

Bring your children along with you on the vacation as there are many activities in and around the area that they can have lots of fun doing. For example there is the Huntington Beach Central Park which is the largest park in Southern California. You can easily burn off some that that childhood energy at this park. They will have lots of open space to run and scream and be kids. There are restaurants, picnic tables, and even an Adventure Playground that ar4e sure to pique even the adults.

Nearby Destinations

If you still can’t find anything to do you can always adventure a little beyond Huntington Beach where you will quickly find a bunch of great activities. For example Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Wild Rivers and Aquarium of the Pacific are all within a 30 minute drive and can offer a lot of fun activities to do. Then after a full day of having fun on the rides or looking at the beautiful fish return to the nice peaceful resort style living of Huntington Beach.

As you can see this is nearly the most perfect vacation spot on earth. In fact once you stay a week on vacation you will never want to leave. It has year round perfect temperatures, great surf, great shopping and great food what more can you ask for.

Albania has a long coastline on the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Much of it is very pretty with many sandy beaches, virtually untouched by main stream tourism. Identifying beach resorts in Albania and obtaining sufficient information about them to plan a vacation is still not easy. The Albania beach holiday travel tips that follow are intended to help identify and describe three of the country’s beach resorts.

Himara

The small port of Himara is situated at the foot of the Keravnia mountain in southern Albania, about eighty miles north of the Greek border and nearly opposite the Greek island of Corfu. As well as its close geographical proximity to Greece, the local inhabitants are mainly Greek speaking and the general atmosphere of the area provides an insight into how Corfu must have been in the days before mass tourism arrived.

Himara Travel Tip:

You will find several travel web sites listing accommodations in Himara. If you feel insecure about making your own arrangements in such an undeveloped country, holidays in this resort can also be booked through Sunvil, an ABTA tour operator.

Dhermi and Drymades Beaches

Several spectacularly beautiful beaches can be found in the Dhermi and Drymades area. There is even an over-sized, open air club called the Havana Bar on the main Dhemi beach. But otherwise the beach has made few concessions to tourism. The sea here is crystal clear and must surely be amongst the cleanest on the planet.

Between Dhermi and the next major beach at Drymades, there are numerous pebble beach coves located between picturesque, rocky outcrops. They are all totally deserted and most are ideal for swimming or snorkeling.

Drymades Beach is enormous, yet even at the height of summer, there are usually very few people to found on it. It has one relaxing little beach bar and behind it is a campsite and beach bungalows. There is also a holiday village complex offering good accommodation in the form of villas, cottages and hotel rooms. The complex has been developed tastefully and does not in anyway spoil this beautiful area.

Drymades Beach Travel Tip:

Consider staying at the Drymades Beach Complex if you are looking for a high standard of accommodation at very reasonable prices.

Golem Beach Mali Robit Resort

Mali Robit is a resort, situated on the Adriatic coast at Golem Beach. It is situated about 30 miles from Tirana, the capital of Albania and six miles from the port of Dures. The beach here is sandy and provides safe bathing. It is a resort with a spectacular backdrop of rugged mountain scenery but it has made more concessions to tourism than most, with its beach being one of those long, straight, sun-bed and parasol types you find all over the Mediterranean. The major provider of accommodation is the Mali Robit resort hotel. This offers modern facilities, forty five apartments and five villas. There are other modern hotels at Golem beach and plenty of other types of accommodation.

Golem beach travel tip:

Although there is plenty of unspoilt places to visit in the surrounding area, only consider this resort if you priorities high standards of accommodation and tourist facilities over staying in the “Real Albania”

Go to Albania now before it is spoiled.

Albania remains one of Europe’s poorest countries and it may take some time to develop its tourist potential to the extent where it becomes a mass tourist attraction. However, development of beach resorts in a country that is desperate for income can often occur haphazardly and without official sanction or well thought out planning. A picturesque village one year can be turned into a mess of half built concrete shells the next. Sadly, there are already plenty of examples of this having occurred. The best travel tip for enjoying the tranquility and beauty of Albania’s coastal areas is to go now before it is too late.

Normal wheelchairs cannot easily pass over certain surfaces, making access impossible in some natural parks, trails, and beaches. Snow, gravel, mud, and sand can cause the wheels of a wheelchair to sink and become stuck. Beach wheelchairs make it possible to travel over almost any kind of uneven or difficult terrain.

Wheelchairs can be fitted with wheels specially designed to make travel possible over difficult surfaces. Thick, puncture-resistant rubber is used to make extremely wide, air-filled tires which do not get stuck or sink in mud, sand, or snow. Some pneumatic tires can be attached to a wheelchair’s wheels which can move over sand, but balloon tires are the best option for traveling anywhere.

Plastic wheelchairs are available for use in pools or on the beach. The hard plastic frame is usually designed to be disassembled and transported easily. Some plastic wheelchairs have reclining backs, allowing you to lay by the pool and tan without having to leave the chair.

Popular tourist beaches often have wheelchair rental services. Most of the time, wheelchairs modified for the beach have no method included to push yourself without help. They tend to be designed with four identical balloon tires, which means you’ll need someone else to push you along, like in a transport wheelchair. It is harder to push yourself over an uneven surface, even with beach modifications to your wheelchair.

If you can pay for it, a wheelchair designed for use on the beach which is either manual or electric can be purchased. A one-time trip to the beach may not be worth the investment, but if you frequently visit the beach, live on the coast, or travel often on difficult ground, it is a worthwhile purchase. If you will not use it on a regular basis, you may want to use a more economic option.

Portable beach platforms are available allowing you to ride in your existing electric or manual wheelchair on top of a wheelchair dolly. This is an economic option, but you will have limited access to certain areas and it may be a bumpy ride.

Prefabricated kits can be used to turn a manual wheelchair into a beach mobility device. These kits generally don’t use wheels that will allow you to push yourself, but it is the cheapest option. You also may want to make sure your wheelchair will not suffer any corrosion or rusting if it is exposed to sea water.

There are other products available for people who have limited mobility and wish to visit the beach, including floating wheelchairs, walkers with balloon tires, and disks for crutches and canes which evenly distribute weight on sand.

In addition to going on a trip to the ocean, beach wheelchairs can also offer you access to any natural area with rough ground or snow, and all the places your usual wheelchair can’t take you.

Do you want to enjoy the luxury of great beach vacations but find it hard to pick a destination? You’re not alone, that’s for sure. There are a lot of great beach vacations by the East Coast that you can go on from Bermuda to Georgia. Here are 5 suggestions that might pique your interest and help narrow down your choices of great beach vacation places.

Luxury in Bermuda

A popular port for cruise ships is only a two-hour flight from New York City, so it’s a top great beach vacation destination from the East Coast. When you’re in Hamilton you can take a romantic horse and buggy ride and explore this quaint country. At one time, and it might still be around, there was a great club within a cave, with stalactites, stalagmites natural lakes and all that’s only a 20-minute Hansom cab ride from the dock on Front Street. If you’d like a bit of luxury check out the Ariel Sands, which offers you 47 guest rooms, gourmet food and breathtaking views.

Seclusion and Romance in Jamaica

Jamaica is the home of some of the friendliest people in the world. There seem to be countless choices of beach vacation places on this Caribbean island. With unique rooms and splendid views of the Caribbean, gourmet cuisine and amazing beaches, The Caves resort in Jamaica helps to set your beach vacation mood like never before.

U.S. Virgin Islands Luxury Vacations

At this vacation destination you can enjoy luxury, blue waters and sandy beaches. You can’t go wrong with Caneel Bay on St. John with its 7 beaches on the property. And the Ritz Carlton, and St. Thomas resorts offer you the best of luxury hotels during your beach vacation in the Virgin Islands.

Beach and Golf in Georgia

The Cloister at Sea Island in Georgia is another popular East Coast destination. There you will find 54 holes of championship golf, sandy beaches, and a wide array of things for you to do.

A Water Park and More at Lakeside Resort Georgia

If you’re traveling to Georgia another great choice is the Lake Lanier Islands near Atlanta. They offer a golf course for you and a water park for the kids with water rides, slides, and water attractions that the whole family will enjoy.