Issue Date: June 3, 2007
Bike tours around the nation
Laura Harrison likes to see the wonders of America on two wheels. The San Francisco resident has gone on many cycling adventures, including biking with active travel leader Backroads through Montana's Glacier National Park, a trip she describes as "pretty rigorous, with long mileage and hills."
"I like the fact that you show up and everything is organized," she says. "They have mapped out the routes, made hotel and dinner reservations, and they transport your luggage."
These are the reasons that week-long organized bike trips have legions of devotees. They allow you to slow down and see some of the most beautiful parts of the country. And the lodging, most meals and sometimes bike rental are included. You stay at inns or B&Bs, although on some lesser-priced trips, you might camp. You bike with like-minded travelers, usually led by professional guides.
But it's critical to select a trip that is best-suited to your athletic abilities. Most companies rate their trips according to levels of difficulty and distances. Many offer a variety of routes on a given day to accommodate individual riders' stamina. If you do tire out, there's usually a van that follows to pick up weary riders. Given the convenience, these trips are not cheap. Prices range from about $1,500 to more than $3,000 per person for six days on a U.S. bike trip.
Other leading bike-tour ventures include Bike Riders, REI Adventures, Timberline Adventures and VBT.
Everett Potter is an award-winning travel writer.
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A clean, fresh taste
This cool Mediterranean salad features yogurt, which helps suppress blood sugar spikes and provides immune boosters. The vegetables supply a variety of disease-fighting antioxidants.
Yogurt Vegetable Salad
2 cups non-fat plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
Salt to taste
1 cup chickpeas, drained
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
In a medium bowl, stir yogurt, cucumber, mint and salt. Add chickpeas and tomatoes. Garnish with mint leaves. Refrigerate until serving.
Serves 4
Per serving: 141 calories, 11g protein, 22g carbohydrates, 1g fat (0.2g saturated), 3mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 273mg sodium
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Custodial accounts for college
Last week we looked at the tax breaks of saving for college with 529 college savings plans and Coverdell Educational Savings Accounts. This week we look at how parents with investment income to shelter can set up custodial accounts for their children.
Pros: A Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) account lets students under age 18 receive up to $850 in investment income each year tax free. Income between $850 and $1,700 is taxed at the child's rate, which is 10% or less. If the income exceeds that, it is taxed at the parent's rate.
Cons: The tax breaks aren't nearly as great as with 529 plans and ESAs. Also, the student gains control of the money usually at age 18 or 21, depending on the state, so your child might use the funds on a Corvette instead of college.
If you're transferring large amounts of wealth, consider a trust account, says Carrie Schwab Pomerantz, Charles Schwab's chief strategist of consumer education. That way, "a parent can have more control over when the money will be distributed, usually later in life when [the adult child] is old enough to handle it."
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E-mail your tech-challenged parents
Receive e-mails and photos via your phone line -- no computer needed.
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When it comes to setting up Mom and Dad with a computer or cellphone, it's feast or famine. If you're lucky, your parents may know their way around a router. If you're not, a mouse is a hairy mammal that lives in the attic.
Luckily, there's a device that can make keeping in touch with the folks at home considerably easier.
The HP Printing Mailbox with Presto Service ($149.99, presto.com) E-mail is great, but what if your loved ones don't need or want a computer? The Printing Mailbox hooks up to a phone line and receives e-mails and photos. It prints up to five times daily, and it can be controlled remotely by an account manager. Only pre-set e-mail addresses can send mail to the Printing Mailbox, ensuring that spam and junk mail don't sneak in.
It takes regular printer paper and lets you choose a font size so the text is easy to read. Service for the Printing Mailbox costs $9.99 per month.
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