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Adventures West - Winter: Escape or Embrace
We’re of two minds when it comes to winter: Take cover or take charge. With our “Escape or Embrace” Travel Guide, you get to take your pick.
Winter. It brings out the true nature in all of us. If you’re of the sun-and-fun sort, it’ll bring out groans and a desire to stay wrapped up indoors. But you can still break up the winter doldrums with some travel that’ll give you that post-holiday break and keep your cowboy soul stoked with some Western R and R. Or, if you’re the kind that lives for winter, we’ve got just the trips for you, too. It’s all about escaping or embracing, and we enlisted the help of a handful of field-tested correspondents to give you our best bets for winter travel fun—whatever your style.
Escapes
Northern California: Coastal Contentment
Austin: Hill Country Heaven
Central Florida: Where Seminoles Survive
Hawaii: Island Getaway
Nashville: Country's Heart and Soul
Embraces
Montana: Up Bozeman Way
Colorado: Rockies Retreat
Michigan: Up in the U.P.
Lake Tahoe: A Glimmering Winter Beacon
Albuquerque and Santa Fe: Warm respite and winter thrills
ESCAPES
Northern California Coastal Contentment
Why suffer the pangs of winter when relief is just a whisk away? Here are five picks sure to cure those wintertime blues with a bountiful dose of balminess and pure Western diversion.
Jaw-dropping views of a cliff-strewn coastline delight visitors making their way north from San Francisco. The panoramic ocean views inspire “oohs and aahs” at almost every turn as motorists
maneuver Highway 1 up the northern California coastline. The wild and untamed
beauty calls to the adventurous in spirit to explore its misty shores and ancient redwood forests.
Stick close to the beach and hike along the coastal bluffs or paddle the ocean by kayak. There are a number of companies that provide instruction and excursions for the novice as well as the more advanced ocean kayaker. Listen to seagulls screech overhead and watch pelicans dive bomb into the waves searching for a fishy snack. The winter months offer a unique opportunity to see the gray whale migration as they make their way south from Alaska to their breeding grounds in Baja California during the months of December through February and return north with young calves during the months of February through April. Bring your binoculars, and from many highway
turnouts it’s possible to watch pods of whales slowly make their way along the shoreline.
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Riding under the virgin redwoods on the Redwood coast |
For a real treat, wind your way up to Mendocino and plan a horseback ride with the Ricochet
Ridge Ranch. California’s unique climate offers riding days even in the dead of winter. The ranch is close to MacKerricher State Park, at the south end of Ten-Mile beach—a swath of surf-pounded sand that arcs north to Ten-Mile creek. It is the kind of place where you can live out a fantasy of cantering along an isolated beach past crashing waves toward a misty horizon, while the tang of a sea breeze scents the air and the wind tussles your horse’s mane.
Ricochet Ridge Ranch offers rides for all levels of ability, but excels at providing endurance-trained horses for epic journeys such as a week-long Redwood Coast Riding Vacation that meanders through majestic redwood forests, across working cattle ranches, and along deserted coastal beaches. A well-trained stable of Russian Orlov and Arabian horses offers experienced riders an opportunity to test their riding skills and to learn new ones. A special package offered this winter is a 3-day “Surf and Turf,” which includes lodging as well as a private ride along a beach and in a redwood forest, as well as a boat ride to go whale-watching, crabbing, or fishing for rock cod.
—Gigi Ragland
AUSTIN: Hill Country Heaven
About as Texan as it gets, Austin offers respite from wintertime chills with its moderate climate and warm hospitality.
This tree-covered state capital is a year-round hot spot for live music, great food, and dancing away an evening.
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An Austin landmark: Allen's Boots |
In a city that bills itself as “live music capital,” the Broken Spoke is the last of the true Texas dance halls. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the broken wagon wheel and the rusty bus out front. Once inside you might hear the likes of the Derailers (scheduled about once a month), who say their music is the kind that “mirrors the shuffle of happy boots on a hardwood floor.” In any case, be sure to sample what the Broken Spoke claims is “the best chicken fried steak in Texas.”
If you happen to wind up in Austin on a cold day (yes, the precipitation does occasionally freeze here), warm up in the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, where they’ve dragged in a full-sized windmill and an IMAX screen. Or get some new gear at Allen’s Boots, tucked in among an assortment of shops on South Congress. On a night after Thanksgiving, snuggle under a blanket in a horse-drawn carriage for a ride along Congress Avenue. You’ll pass lights shaped like guitars and stars strung across the street, and end up at the State Capitol building, which looks white when bathed in spotlights. Visit again in daylight, and you’ll plainly see those early Texans used pink granite on it. During the winter months, carolers often fill the rotunda with the sounds of holiday cheer. Just don’t stare up at the big dome too long, or you’ll feel plenty dizzy.
Later on, if you’re not dizzy enough, join Austinites twirling around under an enormous tree of lights at Zilker Park. Hold onto your hat and look up, if you can.
—Carol Middlekauff
Central Florida: Where Seminoles Survive
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Sizing up a gator at Billie Swamp, near Florida's Seminole Reservation |
The best trips educate. The Seminoles are a first people, and have lived 12,000 years in this part of Florida.
Originally cow people looking to domesticate wild bovines left by the marauding Spanish, the Seminoles of the early 19th century fought three wars against a government intent upon the displacement of native peoples. Forced off ancestral lands, the Seminoles resolutely refused to give up their ranching ways. Hunted through the swamps of central Florida, a band of Seminoles would stumble upon a wayward cow, and they would convene an impromptu celebration: “waca wilanua defiskilan” it was called. Literally, “to-kill-cattle-and-get-all-messed-up.”
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Seminole tribesman with another native resident of these parts |
A hundred years later, the children of that last generation to hide among the alligators began the thoughtful, carefully planned maturation of the tribe as a political and financial force. The first meetings took place under a council oak on the Seminoles’ Hollywood reservation, not far from where Seminole
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino stands today at 1 Seminole Way, just 25 miles north of Miami. Order the ribeye, medium rare. Avoid waca wilanua defiskilan.
That steak will have been born 15 miles west of Okeechobee, Fla., on the Seminole Nation Ranch, near Brighton, along Highway 72 between Highways 70 and 78. The Seminoles, now the 12th-largest beef producer in America, are branding their product through their Hard Rock operations. They were the first in Florida to use electronic identification of the animals, but the old ways remain on the Brighton and Big Cypress ranches.
Drive down to Alligator Alley and cut across to Big Cypress. If you’re lucky, the day’s work will be calling for movement of the herd. See top hands in the saddle;
the great-great grandson of Osceola rides there. But your education will not be complete until you’ve seen the herd dogs. Watch those dogs work, and you will know Florida economics at its primal, unforgiving heart.
—John Brown
HAWAII: Island Getaway
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Paniolos on the big island |
Was it the hotel’s thick, pink guava juice sipped between bites of buttery croissant that made me
want to live here forever? Or the slender, swaying palms against an azure sky paired with the soft splash of water along smooth, white sand?
It turned out to be all of the above, plus the simple fact that I wasn’t shoveling snow and breaking ice off water troughs. If only I’d known how deliciously warm winter could be, the visit would have been more than my first taste of “Mele Kalikimake”—
Merry Christmas, Hawaiian style.
For warm-weather seekers longing to escape the Christmas crush, the same five hours spent scouring malls for last-minute gifts can carry you from California’s LAX airport to the land of luaus and lava, hulas and horses. Verdant mountain slopes, rainbow-wrapped waterfalls, and blushing sunsets all testify to the slower-paced life in the Pacific Islands. Yet those who crave an adrenaline fix can spice up the lazy summer-like holidays by island hopping via a helicopter tour, or hiking up the side of a volcano.
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Oahu’s famous North Shore hosts the world’s top surfers for the Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship Title. Catch the stoutest of heart and skill riding the massive winter waves in competitions slated through December at Haleiwa and Sunset Beach.
If Oahu’s white-maned waves aren’t your ride of choice, a short flight to the Big Island of Hawaii takes visitors to the familiar sights and smells of home on the range at the historic Parker Ranch, where the “paniolo” (cowboy) rules. Trail rides, hunting, and ATV activities all make for an action-packed visit on the state’s largest working cattle ranch.
Reluctant to leave? So was I. Bring back a bag of fresh Kona coffee from Kailua Bay, and you can savor the warmth of the islands all winter long.
—Davalynn Spencer
NASHVILLE, TENN.: Country’s Heart and Soul
It was well past midnight when John Rich, one half of the duo Big & Rich, grabbed the door handle and proclaimed, “One of these times this door is going to open.” He gave it a pull and much to the surprise of his friends, it was unlocked. Moments later his companion Gretchen Wilson, eyes closed, was standing on the stage of the historic Ryman Auditorium.
Wilson wasn’t supposed to be there that particular night, but that’s the lure of the Ryman. And in winter the Ryman—and its companion legend, the Grand Ole Opry—are as available to you as to multi-platinum country music superstars.
That’s because beginning in November the Opry returns to the Mother Church of Country Music for its annual run of winter dates.
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Brad Paisley performing on
the Ryman stage |
As if anyone needed a reason to plan a trip to Music City U.S.A. Regardless, there’s no better time to be had than a special Friday or Saturday show of the long-running Opry.
The Ryman opened in 1892 and played host to its first Opry performance in 1943, where the weekly show remained until 1974. It wasn’t until 20 years later that the Auditorium, one of the most revered live venues in the world, was restored to its current condition.
While many visitors never venture much further than the tourist-friendly stretch of Broadway—that said, you do need to experience Jack’s Bar-B-Que and Robert’s Western World—it’s well worth your time to cross the Cumberland River via the Gateway Bridge into East Nashville, where you’ll find an art-friendly neighborhood in transition that is home to the Family Wash.
At The Wash, owned by Boston transplant Jamie Rubin, you can enjoy dinner—the Shepherd’s pie might well be the best you’ll find in the South—along with live music. And there’s never a cover charge. Who knows? You just might end up being entertained by Opry regular Elizabeth Cook and her equally talented husband, Tim Carroll.
—Keith Ryan Cartwright
EMBRACES:
MONTANA: Up Bozeman Way
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So you favor the rugged life? Or just a full-on encounter with the season at its
invigorating peak? Well, saddle up, pardners, as we crack the gates on some exciting winter attractions where you’ll know the season has changed.
Big Sky blue and winter white. Or forest green, hot-chocolate brown, and bonfire gold—that’s what you’ll find in Gallatin County, Montana, depending on how you choose to spend the winter holidays there.
If it’s white you’re after, some of the best ski country in the Rocky Mountains can be found within an hour of Gallatin’s county seat of Bozeman. An hour down State Highway 191 and just a few feet south of heaven, expert skiers can take a slice out of the infamous Lone Mountain at the Big Sky Ski Resort. Not for those with a fear of flying, the Lone Peak Tram drops downhillers near the 11,166-foot summit.
The Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade and a New Year’s Eve fireworks display
light up the crystalline night skies. And with a shared lift ticket, skiers can also access nearby Moonlight Basin. Or join the locals for a day on the powdery slopes at Bridger Bowl Ski Area just 16 miles north of Bozeman.
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Dashing through the snow in a horse-drawn open sleigh could be the perfect memory maker for a winter get-away. Follow it up with a hot bowl of cowboy chili and a few tall tales courtesy of the 320 Guest Ranch sleigh-driving wranglers.
The 320 is just an hour south of Bozeman near Montana’s namesake burg of Big Sky, where you’ll find cross-country skiing as well as snowmobiling and snowshoeing.
Adventure seekers may want to try dogsledding or guided ice climbing. And there’s always Yellowstone National Park at the southern tip of the county.
For a quieter retreat, try one of Bozeman’s
cozy bed and breakfast inns, most within easy walking distance of several Western art galleries, restaurants, and antique shops. And don’t forget to visit the Gallatin Pioneer Museum, knee-deep in the area’s Western history.
—Davalynn Spencer
COLORADO: Rockies Retreat
The first flurries of snowflakes signal to many Rocky Mountain locals the onset of winter rituals.
Besides rustling
up tickets for the National Western
Stock Show held in Denver each January, other rituals can involve the preparation for an active winter season.
Ranches throughout the Colorado Rockies deliver an option for folks who would prefer their winter wonderland to include horses and backcountry solitude as the main draw with just a little skiing thrown into the mix.
From north to south along the Continental Divide, there are a number of ranches that are easy on the eye and full of luxurious amenities to pamper the body and soothe the soul. While horseback trail riding occupies the summer and fall schedules of these ranches, the heavy snows of winter transform the trails into groomed Nordic ski tracks set up by the ranch hands. Vista Verde Ranch near Steamboat Springs in the northern end of Colorado features a guided backcountry
ski experience for its guests, as well as Nordic tracks set up all along the ranch. Winter horseback rides are offered
on the property as well. Western-style guest cabins dot the property, with hot tubs perched on their decks for an après-ski soak.
In the central part of Colorado, about two and a half hours west from Denver, resides Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash
near Winter Park. This premier Ranch resort offers miles of groomed Nordic ski trails, an ice rink, outdoor heated pool, snowshoeing, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Guests can take part in a “Feed Sleigh Ride,” which includes an opportunity to feed breakfast to the herd. An upscale lodge opened the last winter, and includes a spa for a touch of warm comfort in the middle of winter.
—Gigi Ragland
MICHIGAN:
Up in the U.P.
Just this side of the North Pole, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (or simply the U.P. as it’s called by locals) is a snowbound destination for snowmobilers,
as well as downhill and cross-country skiers. And every year some of the best sled dog racers converge upon the small town of Marquette during the third week of February.
This winter the 20th running of the U.P. 200 Sled Dog Championship, a 240-mile race that echoes the days of yesteryear,
is expected to draw 15,000 spectators
to watch 40 mushers make their way from Marquette to Grand Marais and back. The Queen City of the North will host a week’s worth of events leading
up to the historic U.P. 200.
The U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum is less than 15 miles from Marquette,
but if you’re looking for something you can participate in rather than observe, the Upper Peninsula boasts more than 3,000 miles of groomed snowmobile
trails that connect with bordering states and Canada. Although the three Great Lakes that border parts of the U.P. remain open water during the winter months (otherwise known in these parts as hockey season), the bays and inland lakes are sealed—making for some of the best ice fishing you’ll find anywhere.
Whether you chose a winter resort for your lodging or the coziness of a bed and breakfast, be sure to explore the Grand Island Ice Caves along Lake Superior. Located just outside the city limits of Munising, the caves are part of the Hiawatha
National Forest and are truly a must see before you leave the wilderness
of the Upper Peninsula and venture back to warmer climes.
—Keith Ryan Cartwright
LAKE TAHOE:
A Glimmering
Winter Beacon
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Like a blue jewel cupped in the hands of the mighty Sierra Mountains, Lake Tahoe lures mountain-lovers year-round to its forested, 70-mile shoreline.
But in winter, the pull is even more irresistible.
Getting there is easy by flying into the Reno, Nevada airport and renting a car for the quick one-hour drive up to the Tahoe Basin.
Imagine untracked snow skirting a quiet chalet; clear, blue sky and a day on the slopes, with a myriad of ski resorts from which to choose. The Heavenly Valley gondola, which whisks skiers from hotel to hilltop—is within walking distance of many lodging options in South Lake Tahoe. Area accommodations
range from vacation rentals and waterfront condos to cabins and luxury
hotels. After sundown, a cozy blanket and crackling fire wrap up a perfect day. If you’re looking to hit the town, casinos and many dining options provide
a bright and lively nightlife.
When you’re ready to warm up during the day, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling,
and sledding offer brisk exercise for all ages. A trek through the forest on snowshoes is a strenuous yet memorable workout as you crunch in solitude through the snow.
Across the lake and the Nevada state line, the North Shore also offers gambling
and shopping, as well as higher-end dining and skiing at Incline Village and world famous Squaw Valley—site of the 1960 winter Olympics.
Avoid the holiday rush and step back into the Old West gold rush days with a stop in Virginia City’s Piper’s Opera House. Enjoy a musical “Christmas in the Sierra” with the Comstock Cowboys Dec. 13. From upscale lodging and restaurants to hole-in-the wall, down home barbeque stops, Tahoe has something for everyone who longs to experience winter at its peak.
—Davalynn Spencer
ALBUQUERQUE and Santa Fe: Warm respite and winter thrills
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With popular ski resorts sprinkled
across the Southern Rockies—Ski Santa Fe, Sandia Peak, and Taos Ski Valley, to name a few—Northern New Mexico can easily become a winter wonderland, and the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains are beautiful when it snows.
Yet as cold as it can get, the magic and charm of Santa Fe and Albuquerque provide
a special type of warmth—perfect destinations to embrace the winter.
The best place to experience Albuquerque
is Old Town, the heart of the city that dates from 1706. The luminarias
lining the plaza would warm even Ebenezer Scrooge’s heart, and tourists will find more than 100 shops, galleries,
and restaurants, as well as a bevy of museums paying tribute to art and history
(The Albuquerque Museum), and even serpents (American International Rattlesnake Museum) and stones (Turquoise
Museum).
Old Town gets wild and woolly, too, when New Mexico Gunfighters Association
members perform shootouts—all in good fun—on Sunday afternoons through November. The group has been pulling triggers for almost 30 years.
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Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe |
Winter is also a special, sacred time to enjoy Santa Fe.
Visiting the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the Loretto Chapel
put you in the right spirit, and thousands
of locals and tourists have made a Christmas Eve tradition of strolling up Canyon Road, caroling, and stopping at bonfires along the route.
Santa Fe is also perhaps the best place in the world to shop for cowboy boots at stores like Back at the Ranch, Boots and Boogie, Lucchese, Nathalie, and Santa Fe Boot Company. It’s also one of the best cities in the world to eat, from the Bobcat Bite’s world-famous green-chile cheeseburger to Northern New Mexican
dishes at Castro’s, Maria’s, and the Tecolote Cafe.
Food like that is sure to keep you warm.
—Johnny D. Boggs
About the Contributors
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Davalynn Spencer is an author, educator, and freelance writer who makes her home in Califiornia’s Sierra Nevada foothills. John Brown is a cattle rancher and writer who lives near Eureka, Kan. Gigi Ragland is a Longmont, Colo., travel writer who enjoys
the Rocky Mountains at any time of the year. Her articles have appeared in regional and national magazines. Santa Fe-based novelist Johnny D. Boggs has won three Spur Awards and the Western Heritage Wrangler Award for his fiction. His latest novel is Soldier’s Farewell. Keith Cartright is a writer for the Pro Bull Riders organization and is based in Pueblo, Colo. Freelance writer Carol Middlekauff has been hanging her hat in Austin going on nine years. |
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