Traveling Winter

a 1970s Volkswagen Bus, dollops of snow on its icicle clad roof and spare front tire

By

Every year it happens, nearly identical to the way it happened years upon decades upon a century before.

The Earth tilts the northern hemisphere away from the sun and winter blankets the United States. Snowbirds head south to overcrowd RV Parks in Florida, Texas, Arizona. Gas prices drop as the idea of a roadtrip seems as far away as a warm summer day. But for many, winter is prime travel season. Snowboarders (and their lesser neon brethren, skiers) and the industry that supports them migrate to the mountains for adventure and keeping the fires and coffees in the lodges hot. The following is a testament to those who keep travel alive in the winter, especially those who do so without running from the snow.

Lake Tahoe

It’s the blue waters of Lake Tahoe which make it a summer paradise, but the winter brings the ski season and nearly as many travelers seeking the pristine beauty of the area.

Boat on Lake Tahoe

A steam boat floats amidst the ice of Lake Tahoe.

Yosemite Fall Colors in Winter

Early January in Yosemite National Park, the snow has fallen but the leaves haven’t quite heard the news.

Painted in Light

Winter over Seattle. Mount Rainier stands tall in the background.

Aurora Borealis  - Bear Lake, Alaska

Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, shine above Bear Lake, Alaska.

Sail Away (and fast)

Ice sailing.

Carving up the Wet Snow !

Kite skiing on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Ice Boats

Ice boating on Lake Ronkonkma in New York.

Grand Canyon Wrangler

A wrangler rides a mule through the Grand Canyon in winter.

Sierra Nevada's from Train

The California Zephyr, an Amtrak passenger train, winds between snowy trees in Emigrant Gap, California.

Hot air in the cold air and early  morning glow

A hot air balloon travels in front of the Rockies near Boulder Colorado.

Revelers on the bayou

New Orleans for New Years.

Ice Rink Magic

Ice skaters in Chicago’s Millenium Park.

NY: Lighted!

December in New York City.

NBC's 77th Annual Live Holiday Celebration

A soldier returns to New York after a tour in Iraq.

Trees

December in Manhattan.

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep in Glacier National Park.

The Mountain Exhaled

Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Canada, just after the New Year.

Cross-country Skiing

Cross country skier near Anchorage, Alaska.

Purple Sunrise

A beach in Oregon, snow proliferates along the cliffside.

Freebird

Geese migrating for the season.

Seemingly Surreal Swallows in a Spring Snowstorm

Tree swallows arrive to early in the Canadian spring and find winter storms still pounding.

Sandhill Cranes Across The Sun

Sandhill cranes in Arizona.

The Hitchhiker
Though snow is abundant, the road has been cleared.

Abandoned Snow Shack

A well traveled road in the Sierra Nevadas just before New Years.

trek

A hiker in the snow surveys the footsteps of gone before him.

Lifting

Busy ski lift in Pennsylvania.

To the Top of the Mountain, Aspen Highlands, CO

Aspen Highlands, Colorado

Snowboarders At Timberline

Snowboarders at Timberline, Mt. Hood.

Winter

A lone tree remains after a beautiful powder day at Vale, Colorado.

Chili cookoff Terlingua 527

While much of the country is still battling with snow in Spring, RVers flock to Terlingua, Texas for the annual Chili Cookoff.

Snowbird - 4/365

A plastic flamingo covered in snow in Michigan, it’s owners likely snowbirding themselves down in Florida somewhere.

For Rick the Lionhearted

Ice fishing in Michigan.

Ice Flow Sunset

Lake Champlain, Vermont, just before the Vernal Equinox.

Acadia National Park

Explorers approach an ice fisherman’s shack in Acadia, Maine.

roker-snowboards
A snowboarder simultaneously explodes through and becomes one with his sport’s powdery surface.