The Gabon Experiment
This politically stable central African country has just set aside a tenth of its territory in a bid to become the continent's top ecodestination. It's got the virgin forest, the elephants, and the gorillas. But is the country ready for the big league? BY TOM CLYNES Read excerpt >>

Fall's Fast Escapes
Friday's coming—any weekend plans? Autumn's crisp days are prime season to make a hasty getaway, and we've found just the place—40 places, actually: the best quick trips in the land, from north to south and east to west, by bike, boat, and boot. Plus, the best ways to get there. BY JEFF RENNICKE Read excerpt >>

Gauley-Palooza
Each fall, West Virginia's Gauley River gets turned on like a faucet and briefly hosts the world's most frenetic white-water scene. Six years after he joined the ragtag army of river guides, MARK SUNDEEN returns to the capital of beer and flipped boats. Read excerpt >>

Into Harm's Way
Everyone knew that hurricane Iris was coming. But the American scuba divers enjoying the trip of a lifetime on Belize's famed reefs didn't need to worry—that was their captain's job. The warnings were clear, yet the outcome was tragic. So what went wrong? BY CARL HOFFMAN

American Wilds
Come back to Glen Canyon. As drought affects the West, stunning slots and rock towers drowned by Lake Powell 40 years ago are emerging from the depths. Now, activists say, let's go all the way and kill the dam. BY GRETCHEN REYNOLDS Read excerpt >>

Tip Sheet
A palmed $20 bill will carry you safely across borders and through many an overseas snafu. But you've got to hone your technique. Rule number one of extreme tipping: Smile like a beauty queen. BY ROBERT YOUNG PELTON

World on the Cheap
Whales, fjords, boreal wilderness, and the best darned bouillabaisse this side of Provence converge in backwoods Quebec. BY CLIFF RANSOM Read the story in our trips database >>

Global Health
Hydrate or die, right? A growing trend at America's most famous parks shows that it's possible, and dangerous, to drink too much water. The best prevention? Junk food. BY JIM THORNTON

The Essentials
Leave the Ben-Gay at home. The fourth in this do-it-all series presents bike touring done the easy way. BY EARLE HOWELLS

Books
R.A. Scotti's Sudden Sea reconstructs the 1938 hurricane that killed hundreds and devastated the American Northeast. Plus 3,000 misguided miles through Mongolia. BY ANTHONY BRANDT

Adventure on the Web
With ongoing terror threats, is there anywhere safe to visit in Southeast Asia? Plus, the best bike routes in America, and more.

Pelton's World
Our guru of out-there travel reports from Baghdad, where urbane residents live among looters, fake artifacts, and mass graves. And no one's home at city hall. BY ROBERT YOUNG PELTON

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GEAR

Daypacks
Small bags are the most innovative and coolest-looking ones this fall, whether you're running trails or catching the bus. Plus, new uses for Velcro. BY MELISSA WAGENBERG

The Leading Edge
Testing convertible gear—tents and sleeping bags that claim to go from balmy to zero in a zip. BY STEVE CASIMIRO

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