Washington has increased its number of wineries by 400 percent in the last decade. Connoisseurs and the average wine consumer have found a new place to get great wines.

Modern technology has made the process of making wine more sophisticated but the talent to produce great wine is all in the hands of the vintner who uses skills developed over generations of great wine makers sharing their knowledge to have some of the best wines now available at the wineries in Washington.

No, you aren’t in France in the region of the great Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, you are in Washington where the same latitude applies to give the same great growing ability for the grapes to produce fabulous wine. Many of the areas of Washington have been designated as American Viticulture Areas with more under consideration.

No crowds, no hurry, no pressure. Isn’t that what a vacation should be? You will experience the peace and pleasure of great countryside and great wine on a wine tour in Washington. Find the wine you like by going to the wine tastings offered by the different wineries. Find a great place to stay while in the area and make it the most relaxing and enjoyable vacation you have ever taken.

It may be dinner time at your house and what better way to set a relaxing environment than to have a wonderful glass of wine with dinner. Perhaps you are having something that a dry white will enhance or maybe you want a full bodied red to wake up your taste buds. Either can be obtained from one of the wineries in Washington.

Swirl it, Smell it and Slurp it! Get your wine glass, pour in your favorite wine, then swirl it around the glass to get the air to it, smell the wonderful aroma of the wine and then slurp (quietly, gently please) a little to add more air to bring out the full flavor of the wine. The experience will be absolutely delightful.

If just 1% of the wine grapes of Washington are grown on the eastern side of the Cascades then you would think that it was a poor area for wine growers. In fact, it is a great area where the soil is right, the climate perfect and the growing season long to provide fully ripened, fruit flavored grapes with good acid levels and pleasing aromatics. This area will certainly become more of a draw to vintners in the time to come.

The French, Italians and Germans began planting wine grapes in the state as early at 1825 for their own use when they were settling the area. Commercial planting of wine grapes didn’t being in Washington until the 1960’s with rapid expansion of the industry occurring in the mid-70’s. Now there are new wineries opening every couple of weeks for your enjoyment.

The colors in the Upper Peninsula in the fall will be well worth the trip to see. There are nine different areas that are suggested. The first is a trip of 105 miles from Hancock to Lake Linden, on to Lac La Belle, Bete Grise and then to Copper Harbor. Leave Copper Harbor and go to Eagle River and on to Calument and Laurium and back to Hancock. The route covers Mackinac County with the peak color expected in mid-October, Chippewa County with the peak color expected the first two weeks of October, Luce County with peak color expected the first two weeks of October and Schoolcraft County with the peak color also being the first two weeks in October. This is called the Eastern Upper Peninsula tour.

The Central Upper Peninsula tour goes from highway 107 to 64 at Silver City, on to Ontonagon, then hwy 45 to Rockland and Victoria where you backtrack to highway 26 and go to Greenland. You split at Greenland and take highway 38 to Baraga then hwy 41 to Chassel and Houghton where you take highway 26 to Twin Lakes and back to Greenland. This tour is 200 miles and covers Delta County where the peak will be around the second week in October, Monominee County where the peak will be the first or second week in October, Dickinson County with peak being the first week in October, Marquette County with the first week in October being peak and Alger County where peak will be the last week in September to the first week in October.

Now you can take the third tour which takes you on hwy 2 from Ironwood and Wakefield to Watersmeet, Iron River and Crystal Calls on the Western Upper Peninsula. Then take hwy 141 to Covington and then to highway 28 to Bruce Crossing and back to the beginning at Wakefield. Peak season for seeing this colorful route is the last week in September and the first week in October.

The fourth option is to start in Ishpeming on highway 29, go to highway 510 to Nagaunee and Big Bay, then 550 to Marquette and 28 to Munising, where you can take highway H 58 to H 15 to Singleton and highway 28 to Highway 94 to Chatham, Gwinn and then 35 to Palmer and back to Ishpeming. This trip is 165 miles.

The fifth option is a shorter one beginning at Iron Mountain and Norway on Hwy 2 to Spalding and then highway 41 to Menominee and hwy 35 to Cedar River and Escanaba. Just 125 miles long but full of beauty.

Number 6 is from Esdanaba on highways 2/41 to Rapid River. Now take hwy 2 to Manstique and Saint Ignace. This route is pretty straight and is 183 miles long.

Try tour 7 which starts at Whitefish Point and goes on to Paradise on hwy 123. Newberry is next on highway 28. Now go to Seney and take hwy 77 to grand Marais and H58 to Deer Park and back to highway 123 and Paradise. This route is 150 miles in length.

The 8th tour begins at Saint Ingace which is on hwy 75 and goes on to Kincheloe and Sault St. Marie. Then drop down to highway 129 and Pickford where you will take hwy 48 to Goetzville and De Tour Village getting on 134 to Cedarville and then back to Saint Ignace. 150 miles of foliage to enjoy.

Number 9 is off highway 28 where you join highway 123 and enter Eckerman. Follow 123 north to Paradise and then back to the intersection to turn east toward Curley Lewis Scenic Highway. You will stay on this to Bay Mills and Brimley. Of all the suggested tours this is the shortest being only 90 miles. A Tour of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Taking the time to travel in the Upper Peninsula during the fall will be a sight you will want to repeat many times. With nine different suggested tours you will see an array of beauty you won’t soon forget. The first trip has you leaving Hancock and going to Lake Linden, then on to Lac La Velle, Bete Grise and Copper Harbor. From Copper Harbor to to Eagle River and then Calument and Laurium and back to the beginning at Hancock. This trip is 105 miles. The peak season for the tour runs from first week in October through the second week. This is referred to as the Eastern Upper Peninsula tour.

The Central Upper Peninsula tour goes from highway 107 to 64 at Silver City, on to Ontonagon, then hwy 45 to Rockland and Victoria where you backtrack to highway 26 and go to Greenland. You split at Greenland and take highway 38 to Baraga then hwy 41 to Chassel and Houghton where you take highway 26 to Twin Lakes and back to Greenland. This tour is 200 miles and covers Delta County where the peak will be around the second week in October, Monominee County where the peak will be the first or second week in October, Dickinson County with peak being the first week in October, Marquette County with the first week in October being peak and Alger County where peak will be the last week in September to the first week in October.

Now you can take the third tour which takes you on hwy 2 from Ironwood and Wakefield to Watersmeet, Iron River and Crystal Calls on the Western Upper Peninsula. Then take hwy 141 to Covington and then to highway 28 to Bruce Crossing and back to the beginning at Wakefield. Peak season for seeing this colorful route is the last week in September and the first week in October.

The 4th tour starts in Ishpeming on highway 29 and goes to highway 510 to Nagaunee and Big Bay, take highway 550 to Marquette and then 29 to Munising, on to highway H 58 to H 15 for a drive to Singleton and then highway 28 to highway 94 to Chatham, Gwinn and then on 35 to Palmer and back to Ishpeming. All toll this route is 165 miles long.

Tour 5 is a little shorter beginning at Iron Mountain and Norway on Hwy 2 to Spalding, hwy 41 to Menominee and Hwy 35 to Cedar River and Escanaba. This is 125 miles long.

Number 6 is from Esdanaba on highways 2/41 to Rapid River. Now take hwy 2 to Manstique and Saint Ignace. This route is pretty straight and is 183 miles long.

Whitefish Point starts tour 7 where you go to Paradise on hwy 123 and to Newberry and hwy 28. Seney is where you take 77 to Grand Marais and H58 will take you to Deer Park and back to highway 123 and Paradise. Another trip of about 150 miles filled with color and memories.

If you thought you had taken all the tours of this area you are wrong, there are two more stunning experiences for you to enjoy. Tour 8 starts at Saint Ingace on hwy 75 and toes to Kincheloe and Sault St. Marie. Now head south to highway 129 and Pickford to highway 48 for a visit to Goetzville and De Tour Village where you will get on 134 to Cedarville and then back to Saint Ignace. Another trip of 150 miles.

Number 9 is off highway 28 where you join highway 123 and enter Eckerman. Follow 123 north to Paradise and then back to the intersection to turn east toward Curley Lewis Scenic Highway. You will stay on this to Bay Mills and Brimley. Of all the suggested tours this is the shortest being only 90 miles. A Tour of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Computer are a core part of any SOHO office computer equipment because it is increasingly critical that we have the ability to digitize work products, not to mention photographs and other treasures. There are other practical uses as well, a scanner allows you an efficient way to archive news and magazine articles. Today, your don’t need a physical fax machine to send a fax any longer, and a scanner allows you to convert documents into a digital format that allows you to send a fax. Scanners are cheap, you can pick up a basic one as low as $50.

To choose a scanner, consider the tasks that you want to complete. Then purchase a scanner that meets those needs. For most home or small office purposes, all scanners today are good enough to handle documents and photographs with excellent clarity.

Setting up a scanner is also easier than ever. Today, most hardware auto installs itself. You simply insert the software CD and the software installs and configures everything. You should always wait to follow the instructions prompted by the software, because you usually need to install the software before plugging in the hardware.

Compatibility used to be an issue, however, increasingly, you can find scanners that work with both the Mac and the PC. The three top manufactureres of scanners today are HP, Epson, and Cannon. There are lots of different types to choose from, so choose a scanner that meets your needs and functionality. The All-In-One scanner is becomoing more popular now, combining a printer, a scanner, and a fax. HP makes a popular line of all-in-one multi-function devices such as the Photosmart at around $120. It is an excellent scanner to send off to college with your college student.

You can check out the features and styles of different scanners at any online retailer. If you have already got a printer, you should definately consider a Cannon CanoScan Flatbed Scanner which is extremely fast and has QARE technology that helps reduce dust and scratch impacts on images and automatically corrects fading and bad lighting. It’s an intuitive machine that is cheap, usually under $50.

If you are more into photos, then check out the Epson line of scanners. They make the Perfection Photo Flatbed Scanners line which is a little more pricey, but often considered a bit more professional of a model coming in at around $179. It’s really good at making it easy to scan slides and negatives in to archive your old photo collection. So no matter what your interests are, choose a scanner that is right for you.