It’s Mardi Gras, people. Time to party. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

There are celebrations being held all over the world, but the two best are Carnival in Rio and the craziness of America’s own New Orleans. By best I mean the most drinking, parades, and public nudity. You may have your own ranking system.

If you can’t get to Brazil or New Orleans there are plenty of other places to enjoy the celebration before Lent sets in (although, my personal experience has shown a lot more people seem to partake in Fat Tuesday than Ash Wednesday — go figure).

St. Louis throws a nice party as does Mississippi’s West Coast (both of which offer lots of family fun). Most cities feature some sort of celebration, although they tend to focus on Fat Tuesday (February 21) rather than weeks of debauchery. San Diego claims to have the best party out west, but I recall one Fat Tuesday in Seattle that brought out police in riot gear, which is always a sign that things are pretty wild (also a sign that it is time to duck down an alley and get the heck out of there).

If you want something that the kids will enjoy (not that they won’t get a kick out of the above, but the parents will probably have a nervous breakdown), then check out the rolling good times at Disneyland. Yes, Disneyland. Parades start tomorrow (February 10) and the fun runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in New Orleans Square (check link below for dates, subject to change).

Disney’s New Orleans Bayou Bash has all of your favorite Disney characters, street performers, food, and music, and runs well into March.

Unfortunately there isn’t any drinking at Disney’s party, but a quick walk through Downtown Disney, one of the Disney hotels or Disney’s California Adventure can wet your whistle quick enough. Please note, they do tend to frown on public nudity.

Party on!

Photo: Mark Gstohl via Flickr

Madera Canyon is a lovely little tucked-away spot in southern Arizona. My husband and I discovered it one weekend while we were whiling away the day in the Tucson area. We followed a winding road that crossed over low desert, then started to climb until we suddenly found ourselves among tall trees and greenery. Madera Canyon and Madera Creek traverse four different “life zones” which supports a variety of flora and fauna in a relatively small area.

The area is considered to be the third-best birding destination in the United States – ornithology enthusiasts will be able to sight over 256 documented species of birds, including 15 different kinds of hummingbirds and 36 species of wood warblers. Patrons of the canyon’s parks and trails will frequently come across small herds of deer and flocks of wild turkeys – even black bears, mountain lions and bobcats have been spotted on occasion.

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My husband and I are avid Jeep fans, and new Jeep owners. We’ve been eager to have a Jeep for quite some time, and were finally able to “give” ourselves a Jeep this past Christmas. We love to explore around our home state of Arizona and have been finding all kinds of new and exciting places that our Jeep can navigate.

A couple of weekends ago we headed out to Lower Sycamore Creek, which is in the Tonto National Forest in the Mesa area. This is an extremely active and busy system of trails traversed by Jeeps, dirt bikes, ATV’s, and other off-road recreational vehicles. Normally my husband and I choose more remote and private areas, but Lower Sycamore’s proximity to our home (only about a half-hour away) drew us in its direction.

Some general advice about going off-roading:

- If you’re not sure of your route, DON’T GO ALONE.
- If it looks like the trail is too hard to traverse, TURN AROUND.
- Take plenty of water, extra gas, a spare tire, a basic tool kit, a first aid kit, a change of footwear and a couple of blankets.
- Take a ration of high-protein snacks that keep well – jerky, nuts, granola bars, and trail mix are great.
- Take an actual folding map or atlas as well as a GPS, so you’re not depending on a battery.
- Tell people where you’re going and when you expect to be back. If you change your plans, let them know.
- Lots of areas lose cell phone reception, so don’t depend on your cell. Better yet, if your vehicle has OnStar, which depends on satellites and not sketchy cell reception, you’re much better off.

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South Carolina is in the news this week because of the GOP race. Don’t let that keep you from grabbing a short stack of Dino’s pancakes. In fact, four out of five candidates agree that breakfast should be the first meal of the day. And how do you pass up the best breakfast in North Myrtle Beach?

If you plan on visiting the Myrtle Beach area make sure you check out the new sky wheel and their popular boardwalk! Also, vote.

This post is part of Uptake’s Tuesday Roadside Diners & Attractions Series. If you have a photo of an odd, funny or interesting roadside attraction that you would like to see featured here please submit it via the link in the sidebar with subject line: Roadside.