Before the Cancun airport opens its new runway to jets, runners will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to try out the surface. The Cancun airport run on Oct, 10 is open to anyone who wants a chance to jog along a  air strip.

The event should be a cakewalk for experienced runners. The runway’s mercifully flat, of course, and since the 5K and 10K races start at 7 a.m., participants won’t have to face the full heat of the tropical sun. Registration is $200 pesos (about $15 U.S. dollars) if you register before October 8, or $250 pesos ($19) to register late.

But for runners, it should be worth every centavo. After this event, you can only try the course if you’re willing to be pursued by security officers.

Of course, Cancun is really just excited about the new $67 million addition, which will allow the airport to have simultaneous takeoffs and landings on both runways. Its new control tower, the airport brags, stands more than 315 feet, making it among the 20 tallest in the world.

Our September issue’s roundup of great coastal roadtrips, has me daydreaming about a wonderful drive I took last month.

About 20 of us gathered for a family reunion in the cute town of St. Michaels, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where we shopped, wandered, toured and ate our fill of seafood. We stayed at the Harbourtowne resort just outside of town, which was a delight. Our group had a separate wing with adjoining patios, and we talked into the night as a cooling breeze blew off the Bay.

After we said goodbye, I took a meandering route back to D.C, driving shaded country roads to the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, which calls itself the nation’s oldest privately run ferry, dating to the late 1600s. The ¾-mile trip crosses the Tred Avon River, and is a wonderful chance to get out on the water. Along with cars, there were plenty of bikes on our Sunday morning crossing. The area has some of the best cycling routes in the country. But even from the driver's seat of a rental car, I could tell we were somewhere special.

Photo: Talbot County Office of Tourism

This week the best surfers in the world are gathered in Huntington Beach, dubbed Surf City, USA for its ideal surf conditions, for the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing. Spectators have come from all corners of the country to fill the grandstand built on the beach. With the junior competitions and men's trials completed, the men and women's championships get started Monday. Also on tap for the week: concerts, a fashion show, and hall of Surfers Hall of Fame inductions. Click here for more information.

Many vacation spots are rolling out deals this summer. But here’s one that promises, sun, beaches, and bargains through October. Plus a bottle of rum.

For the INNtimate Treasures Promotion, just book a four-night stay or longer at a small inn or B&B on the U.S. Virgin Islands, and you’ll feel like a game show contestant. Goodies include a $50 dining certificate, $50 in coupons, a gift bag, t-shirt and the aforementioned bottle of Cruzan rum.  Rates at these inns can be as low as $100 a night. The deal is available through travel agents or when booking through the island’s tourism web site.

The U.S. Virgin Islands offers a fascinating blend of Caribbean and American cultures. For a look at how the islands celebrate the Fourth of July, check out this story.

Hotels on St. John participating in the promotion include: Coconut Coast Villas, Estate Concordia Preserve and Harmony Studios. On St. Croix, chose from Arawak Bay: The Inn at Salt River, Carrington's Inn, Club St. Croix and Colony Cove (Antilles Resorts), Company House Hotel, Frederiksted Hotel, Hibiscus Beach Resort, Holger Danske Hotel, Hotel Caravelle, Hotel on the Cay, King Christian Hotel, The Palms at Pelican Cove, Sand Castle on the Beach, Tamarind Reef Hotel and Villa Greenleaf.

And on St. Thomas, At Home in the Tropics Bed & Breakfast, Galleon House, The Green Iguana, The Inn at Villa Olga, Miller Manor Hotel & Guesthouse, Pavilions and Pools (Antilles Resorts), Pineapple Village Villas, Sapphire Village, Crystal Cove and Watergate on St. Thomas. Plus the Virgin Islands Campgrounds on Water Island.

Another promotion offers $300 off a vacation package, plus the fourth night free at your hotel. But that one, alas, doesn't include the rum.

Executive Editor Sara Anderson was in Monterey this past weekend for the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions celebration, sponsored in part by Coastal Living. While there she e-mailed me about an exhibit that adults and kids are going wild over—The Secret Lives of Seahorses. While there you can view more than 15 different species of these fascinating sea creatures and learn how you can save them.

See some of Sara's snapshots below.

 

Our editors think we've all earned a great vacation this summer. Will you go away or take a use the new a 'stay-cation' instead? We've teamed up with CNN Money to find out how the economy is affecting your vacation plans this summer.

Tell us how the current economic crunch has affected your travel outlook by taking this poll.

Photo by scazon via flickr

Maybe they're not quite as cuddly as panda bears, but sea turtles are hot. People have begun to recognize their beauty, importance, and threatened status.

You can travel to the far ends of the earth to see these magnificent reptiles, but it’s not necessary.

Florida’s Atlantic coast is the second best place in the world to see loggerhead sea turtles nesting. The first is the Gulf of Oman, according to the newspaper website TCPalm.com.

Florida has a thriving population and the state park system offers regular night tours. If the group’s lucky, it can witness a female turtle digging a nest and laying scores of eggs, and then heading back to sea. Rangers say the chance of witnessing a nesting is about 80 percent.

Tomorrow, May 15, at 8 a.m. Eastern Time, Sebastian Inlet State Park will begin taking reservations for June night tours at 772-388-2750. (On June 15, the park will begin booking July tours). These four-hour excursions last from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., and can be incredibly exciting. The park’s on the Atlantic coast near Melbourne, about 90 miles southeast of Orlando.

You won’t be able to buy any mouse ears, but, even better, you may get a glimpse of something truly magical. Our recent story about helping baby Ridley sea turtles return to the sea led many readers to book a volunteer vacation at a very special Mexican resort.

Have you ever seen a sea turtle nest? Share your experience in the comments below.

 Photo by Henry Gonzalez

Once again, it’s possible to tour one of the most intriguing lighthouses on the Chesapeake. The Thomas Point Shoal Light is one of the rare offshore working lighthouses open to visitors. It was the last of the region’s lighthouses to be automated -- a lightkeeper continued to work the beacon until 1986. And it wasn't a cushy job.

The light is located in the middle of the bay – a good 30-minute ride from the Maryland shore. The ride can be bumpy and then visitors need to transfer to the lighthouse dock, and climb a steep ladder leading through a small hatch. (For more, check out this Washington Post story about visiting the light, and its history).

Tours are managed by the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and run $70. They sell out quickly and are only available on eight dates, although there are three trips a day, on Sundays between June and August. Contact the museum to book a tour at 410-295-0104.

If that only whets your lighthouse appetite, consider the two-day historic lighthouse tour offered by Chesapeake Lights. It passes by 12 lighthouses, with guests overnighting on shore. It’s not a luxury trip, but it's sure to light up the face of any lighthouse nut.