Tourism in Denali National Park, home to 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, could get a lot greener before we know it.

If you've been to Denali you know that the park forbids personal cars for the 92-mile length of the park road. Instead, visitors catch a diesel bus near the park entrance. The road is the only way to get into and out of the park.

Park officials are now testing out a hybrid tour bus to eventually replace the fleet of 110 diesel buses that take thousands each year to view North America's highest mountain and the wildlife that surrounds it.

Officials tell the Associated Press that these hybrids reduce the amount carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by another 20 percent and particulate emissions by 30 percent.

That translates into a much more environmentally friendly vehicle for one of the country's most beautiful...environments.

Officials are also touting the gas efficiency of the hybrids, since diesel fuel in the area is topping out at around $5 a gallon. The hybrid bus requires around 70 percent less fuel as the park's current diesel buses.

The hybrid system combines a diesel engine with an 80-kilowatt powertrain that incorporates a transmission, batteries and an electric motor, the AP reports.

Right now the park is looking to slowly phase out its diesel fleet, and officials tell the AP it could replace anywhere from two to 12 buses each year with the hybrid models.

But this will come with a significant price tag: Each hybrid bus costs $200,000 -- twice as much as the buses currently in use.

It may come as no surprise that San Francisco ranks as America's #1 walkable city, but what about the rest of the country? After compiling a list of the "walkability" of 40 American cities, Walk Score gives us a good idea of what cities are pedestrian friendly and which ones require cars. The bottom ten cities on the list give us a few places where pedestrians are far and few between and driving is the name of the game (read: expect to spend a lot of money on gas). So where can you plan on packing away your walking shoes and donning your driving cap?

1. Jacksonville
2. Nashville
3. Charlotte
4. Indianapolis
5. Oklahoma City
6. Memphis
7. Kansas City
8. Fort Worth
9. El Paso
10. Mesa
    

The listing of cities does however lay out their most walkable neighborhoods, so if you're planning a trip to one of these places, give it a look.

[Via Huffington Post Green]

I've never put an animal in an airline's care before, but I have friends who have. Friends of ours shipped their dogs to and from Singapore. One person took a parrot and another shipped two cats. All went well in these instances.

The situation where the dog was lost by United Airlines this past week is not common, I would guess, otherwise it wouldn't have made it to the national news. Grant gave a Gadling heads up, and this article on ABCNews this past Monday outlines more specifics about the unfortunate situation when Jeddah, the beloved dog of John and Ronia Weisner went missing at Dulles International Airport after only an hour in the airline's care.

If you are wondering what the statistics are for problems when shipping pets, and the airlines involved with the mishaps, check out this PDF file to Air Travel and Consumer Report published by the Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings: Aviation Consumer Protection Division.

May 2008 was just posted this month. On page 38, you'll find the recent stats for pet troubles. Here's the summary:

No animals were lost in May.

Two were injured. (Alaska-1; Skywest-1)

Four died. (Continnental- 3; United-1)

The chart doesn't list the specifics of the incidents, but you can click on the airline name in the chart in order to get the report summaries.

In the Weisner's case, I can't imagine what it must be like to have such a significant change already in ones life such as a move to Saudi Arabia for a year only to have it start out with a missing dog.

See that guy over there, the one wearing a business suit lying on the floor inside an orange tent at the airport? The first time I saw that picture on The New York Times website, I laughed, and then I thought to myself, genius, absolute genius. The Mini Motel, a one-person tent complete with air mattress, pillow, reading light and alarm clock, that's what Frank Giotto, a business traveler, created after an unscheduled stay at a German airport.

There's one problem with the luxury tent, and it's a pretty big problem. Simply put, it's a tent. Personally, I can't see too many passengers interested in buying a tent. I mean who in their right mind wants to lug that thing on the airplane - just in case there's a delay, or cancellation, or something that would cause one to set up tent? Nor do I see the airlines purchasing it. Not when they're getting rid of things - namely employees - in order to save money. So who do I see desperate to get their hands on a luxury tent aimed at stranded people at the airport? Flight attendants of course!

According to Wikipedia, Commuting is the process of traveling between one's place of residence and regular place of work. For most people, normal people, commuting means getting in the car or hopping on a train and taking an hour long ride to the city where the office is located. Commuting for a flight attendant is a whole other animal. We cross cities, as in several cities, in order to get to work. Yet it's what a lot of flight attendants choose to do, particularly the ones based in New York - like me! Yes, I am a commuter. I commute from my home in Los Angeles to New York where I start my trips at one of two New York airports. I know I know, it's a little crazy, but it works.

If you're heading to Prague this summer, one of the first things you'll notice when arriving at Ruzyne Airport is the number of car services competing for your business.

Prague's airport is not serviced by the city's subway network, though talk is ongoing about eventually extending it. If you go the public transportation route, that means a bus, usually the 119 that takes you to end station on the green, or A, subway line.

But there are other options. Bohemia Prague Airport Transfers is one. The company recently contacted Gadling to tell us a bit about their efforts to corner the market to and from Prague's airport and train stations. The outfit runs a fleet of cars and vans around the clock and can accommodate one to 16 travelers.

We took a look at the company's Web site, which is professional looking, with rates clearly shown, and the fact that you can book cars ahead of time does make Bohemia Prague an attractive option.

I've used the service once before, for a visiting family member a couple years ago, and it worked fine. I'd definitely recommend it if you're arriving at the airport and happen to be staying in a location out of the city center.

But Bohemia Prague's claim to be the official transport to and from the airport and train stations is a little overstated. They're not the only game in town. And be a little leery of the fact that, as advertised, the company charges a flat rate for anywhere in Prague. That's usually a sign that you'll be overcharged if you're heading to the prime tourist spots.

Their rate from the airport -- 550 koruna or $32 -- isn't bad, and perhaps it's even cheap compared to other European capitals. But you can also hail a yellow AAA taxi -- they're everywhere outside the airport -- which use meters and direct routes and will end up costing less than 550 koruna, especially if your destination is the Mala strana side of the river.

And of course, if you have time on your hands or are particularly budget conscious, the public transport connection isn't really that bad, and will wind up costing you about $3 for a 20-30 minute journey to the Dejvicka metro, which has rapid connections to the rest of the city.

In reviewing Bohemia Prague's rates, the one thing I'm compelled to say is do not contact them -- or any other taxi or car service, for that matter -- for transport to and from Prague's train stations. Folks, Bohemia Prague's 370 koruna ($21) set price for one way travel is a rip off, especially from Prague's main train station.

The first mishap was when we nailed a possum in Illinois east of Chicago the first night of our road trip to Montana. The critter was lumbering across the interstate about 10:30 p.m. That was a sad moment.

Thursday, driving to and from Regent, North Dakota we had several sad moments. Honestly, there are some things that can't be avoided.

I already posted about the two pheasants we hit. The chipmunk and the blackbird came later.

We didn't hit them all at once, but over the course of several miles. Such is one of the realities of traveling on small two-lane highways--but this was ridiculous. Particularly when two raccoons made a mad dash in front of us as I was typing the previous sentence. The second one didn't make it.

With each thump, I'm shouting out from the passenger seat, a strangled "Arggh!" Seriously, it was a nightmare. "That's one way to damage a car," I said.

"It's not like I'm trying to hit them," said my husband. It's true, he wasn't, and swerving too much is dangerous. He pointed out the deep ditch on the side of the road.

There he is, the little monster. Yes, he's an adorable little monster, but a monster nonetheless. Whether he's traveling with you or he's headed toward you, either way, he's on the flight with you. Near you. I feel for you. Really, I do.

Traveling sucks, most of you will agree, but what's even worse than traveling is traveling with children, even when it's your own kid you're traveling with. Why? Because the people around you give you the please-don't-sit-by-me look. Because you've only got two hands. That's it. One. Two. It's not easy carrying the kid, the car seat, the stroller, the diaper bag (that's been stuffed full of fun things things to do, causing it to weigh more than the kid and the car seat alone) while you're doing whatever it is you have to do in order to keep the kid happy - and quiet - on-board an aircraft, surrounded by all those people giving you that look.

Like I said, traveling can suck, but you don't have to let the stress of travel ruin your trip. Here are a few tips I've used when traveling with my own little two year-old monster who has flown once a month since he was three months old.

Over at Slate, Tim Hardford, the "Undercover Economist" and a favorite economist of mine*, tells people to stop blaming speculators for high oil prices. It's an often-repeated myth that oil speculators-- investors who bet on whether the price of oil will rise or fall-- are responsible to a large extent for the increase in oil prices.

Some of the major airlines even spammed their customers last week, asking them to raise a stink to their elected representatives about these greedy, America-hating speculators.

Harford contends that some speculators-- the profitable ones-- actually help stabilize the price of oil. For this he calls them "veritable philanthropists." He writes: "When they think oil is going to become more expensive, they buy and hoard oil, or they buy oil futures, encouraging others to buy and hoard. This raises oil prices when they are relatively cheap and lowers them when they are relatively expensive."

So it's the bad speculators we need to worry about then? Not so fast. "True, when speculators make mistakes, that is destabilizing. But in the case of oil prices, it's hard to see that speculators are playing much of a role. For one thing, inventories don't seem to be rising. If the inventory data are correct, consumers were burning all that $135 oil."

So maybe it's our fault for using so much oil. But how satisfying is it to blame ourselves?

[*Yes, I have a favorite economist-- actually several. They're like my baseball players.]

Here's an interesting, weird story-an "I didn't know that" kind of tale. Most people know not to leave valuables visible in a car. It's an invitation for a break-in.

Turns out, don't leave pornography visible either. Actually, it was a naked Barbie doll on the dash board that called attention to the car that was parked at the Ocean View Service Plaza in New Jersey.

People who saw the Barbie peeked in the car out of curiosity, I suppose.

According to this recent article posted on NBC10.com that a friend sent to me, the car owner said he was in the process of moving and that's why he left those magazines with explicit photos on the seat. For some reason, there was a thong, a Bible and a cross as well. Odd. He swears it wasn't a shrine as some have said.

Anyway, the man was arrested for maintaining a public nuisance. From what I understand from reading the article, the car had been left at this service plaza several other times while the man got a ride to Atlantic City where he had a job. There had been other complaints.

He's out on bail and now realizes that he can't just keep any old thing in his car.

If for some reason you have the urge to lug pornography with you in your travels, please get a brown paper bag-or put it under the seat. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a predicament that you didn't count on.

The man did say he thinks leaving the naked Barbie doll on the dash was not the brightest idea, but that the situation has been "majorly way overblown."

On a positive note, at least he has been carpooling.

Greetings from Belize!

In San Pedro, "the big town" on the Belize island of Ambergris Caye, the preferred form of transportation is a golf cart. (Most of the roads are not paved and the main inhabited part of the island is only a few miles long.)

Although golf carts don't have seat belts, there are some rules associated with using these things.

Most importantly, the first two weeks of each month, you are supposed to park them on the right side of the road. The second part of each month, they should be parked on the left side. It's only fair to those who live on those streets, I guess.

So far, I have seen a golf cart used as a vehicle for:

• grocery shopping
• place to conduct cell phone calls while driving (with a toddler or two on one's lap)
• doing "donuts" in sand
• place for local youngsters to kiss
• a way to distribute "sticky green" to those interested
• and, of course, preferred form of transportation for lazy tourists who can't walk a full mile into town.