Do you ever feel like you're chained to your computer? Are you a slave to your emails? It's time for you to regain some of that lost freedom and rediscover what life is all about! With the stress of trying to make a living and the rising cost of everything, it's even more important now for you to get away and enjoy really living!

Picture yourself riding horses with your family down a peaceful mountain trail. As you ride along you see images that you have only dreamed about, until now. Pine trees tower over you with a fragrance that makes you want to breathe deeper than you ever have before. Flowers line the trail as if they were sent there to welcome your arrival. Deer and squirrels dart through the forest, playing hide and seek with you. Cool mountain streams ramble along the trails and gradually descend down the mountain, occasionally dropping and creating small waterfalls.

As you take all this in, your mind drifts back to how nice it was to wake up this morning in a cozy little cabin in the woods. No alarm clock, no place to be, and the smell of pancakes and bacon on the stove, the scent mixing with the crisp mountain air. As you remember the serenity and quiet you experienced, all of a sudden you ride into a clearing that reveals a gorgeous mountain meadow filled with wildflowers. It's enough to take your breathe away and make you want to stay here forever. You now understand that this is what life is all about as you look at the big smiles on the faces of your family. Something you haven't seen in a long time.

If you are ready to reclaim some of that lost freedom and not have to break your budget to do it, here are 3 of the top travel destinations for 2008 to deliver you from those shackles that hold you down:

Sequoia National Park, Ca.
Imagine the thrill of exploring underground caves, or hiking mountain trails. Maybe you enjoy fishing in a cool mountain lake. Whatever your hobby, you will find plenty to do here in Sequoia National Park. Located 78 miles East of Fresno, Ca., Sequoia will give you more than enough to make you want to come back again and again. For more information, visit http://www.visitsequoia.com/.

Redwood National Forest, Ca.
Home to the largest Redwood trees in the country, Redwood National Forest is definitely a place you need to see firsthand. Talking about it can never give you the feel that you will experience of looking up and not being able to see the tops of the trees, or what it's like to drive your car "through" a tunnel carved out of the base of a giant redwood. Located along the Northern coastline of California, you need to have the experience of the Redwood National Forest at least once in your life. To find out more, visit http://www.nps.gov/redw/.

Yosemite National Park, Ca.
How would you like to stand in front of Bridal Veil falls, a huge 620 ft waterfall that drops into the Yosemite valley? Or maybe stand in awe of Half Dome, a massive rock formation that will take your breathe away? Yosemite will provide more adventures for you than you can fit into one trip. To find out more,http://www.nps.gov/yose/.

Learn more about this author, C. A. Pruit.
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