A common image people have of Wyoming is one of a cowhand riding the open range. That image can be you. Throughout the state are adventure opportunities for visitors to relive the days of the great Western migration, or times when cowboys, rustlers and cattle barons dominated the Wyoming scene. But there are modern-day adventures here too.

Adventure travel is a personal experience, trying something new or honing new-found skills. It’s seeing with your own eyes, feeling, touching and experiencing new lands, tasting the unknown. It’s a challenge to get out there and do something.

You can forget civilization for days or weeks out in the backcountry. Or you can return each evening to a full-service resort or hotel or to the down-home feeling of a Wyoming guest ranch. Adventure travel in Wyoming lets you experience the Western way – wild, woolly, exciting and the real thing.

Spend a day or week in the saddle herding cattle like Mitch, Phil and Ed did in the movie, City Slickers. Cattle drives, horseback riding and horse pack trips are all popular activities in Wyoming because the experiences are real, everyday activities on working Wyoming cattle ranches.

Utah’s 13 downhill ski resorts rank with the best in the world; indeed, many serious skiers think our deep, dry powder, long runs and varied terrain constitute the “Greatest Snow on Earth.”

Our resorts hosted some of the world’s top athletes during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Since then, Propelled by momentum from that exposure, our resorts have expanded and upgraded facilities, and continually offer a top experience in terms of skier satisfaction, snow conditions and amenities.

With the purest snow offered by Mother Nature, Utah provides the greatest skiing terrain possible. From northern Utah to southwestern Utah, ski resorts are scattered throughout the state. But Utah ski resorts offer more than powder. They afford visitors with a full range of lodging, dining, and entertainment. Utah ski resorts are committed to making certain your nights off the slopes are just as perfect as your days on the slopes!

Skiing typically begins statewide in mid- to late-November, and generally continues through April.

Utah’s ski resorts are designed to give you and your family the best winter sports experience around! One key factor is ease of travel. The majority of our resorts are less than an hour’s drive from the Salt Lake International airport.

Alta

Alta Ski Area celebrates 70 years of skiing this upcoming season. On October 19, 1938, the Forest Service issued the initial permit to construct a lift at Alta to the Salt Lake Winter Sports Association. The first official day of skiing was January 15, 1939.

Alta and pure, unspoiled skiing are indeed synonymous. 2007/2008 proved to be Alta’s 3rd snowiest year in its 28 year recording history with 702″, solidifying Alta’s consistent top ranking of best snow quality in North America. Alta’s wide variety of terrain, breathtaking alpine scenery and superb snow conditions combine to create a unique setting for unforgettable outdoor experiences with family, friends and the mountain itself.

Beaver Mountain

Kids love Beaver Mountain and can easily navigate their way around the slopes. Riders get more bang for their buck at Beaver Mountain. Our prices are among the lowest in the intermountain area and no lift lines equals more time spent skiing. Ski and board rental equipment is available on site with a knowledgable staff to assist guests with equipment needs.

Brian Head

Brian Head Resort is one of America’s best ski vacation values. Honored as a “Top Family Getaway” by the Family Travel Forum, the Resort offers a full-service, top-quality winter vacation experience at affordable prices. A popular drive destination from Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Southern California since 1965, Brian Head Resort has 63 runs on two mountains, receives 400 average annual inches of dry Utah powder, and offers a value-priced daily adult lift ticket price of only $45 (slightly higher during holiday periods).

Since 1923, when the Union Pacific Railroad first steamed into nearby Cedar City, this area has been known as “The Gateway to the National Parks.” The area boasts what is arguably the best central location for easy access to some of the world’s most magnificent scenery. Residents and guests of Brian Head are within 90 minutes of Bryce and Kolob Canyons and Zion National Park. Cedar Breaks National Monument is only 5 minutes away and nearby Panguitch and Navajo Lakes boast the best boating and fishing in the area.

Brighton

This past summer, a $6 million facelift of Mt.Millicent was completed with the new Milly day lodge.100% of Brighton’s terrain is accessible by high speed Quads. Brighton receives over 500” of incredible Utah powder annually. Affordability and Terrain make Brighton Utah’s #1 family friendly resort. Brighton’s 3 terrain parks are perfect for both seasoned pros and first timers.

The Canyons

With over 3,700 acres of skiable terrain, The Canyons is Utah’s largest single ski & snowboard resort.Stay at one of our world-class lodging properties located in the heart of the Resort Village, just steps from the gondola. Improve your on-mountain technique with one of our 225 award-winning ski & snowboard instructors. Explore our unique Resort Village featuring a variety of retail shops, restaurants, après ski entertainment and live music.

Deer Valley

Rated the #1 ski resort in North America in 2008 and again in 2009 by the readers of SKI magazine

Complimentary morning and afternoon Mountain Host tours for both Intermediate and Expert skiers Curbside Guest Service Attendants to assist with equipment unloading and loading at Snow Park Lodge Complimentary daytime and overnight ski storage facilities at Snow Park and Silver Lake Lodges and at the Jordanelle Express Gondola.

Park City Resort

The thrills are everywhere at Park City Mountain Resort. Skiing, snowboarding, tubing, sledding, laughing, screaming. They’re piled up even higher than the 360 inches of snow we average each year. That explains why we’re named among the top 10 family resorts in North America every year. This season looks to continue that distinction thanks to more than $10 million in improvements. These upgrades feature a new high-speed lift with access to more than 2,000 acres of terrain, a new gladed run, and the complete renovation of our Mid-Mountain Lodge. There truly is something for every member of the family.

Fortunately, getting here is not part of the adventure. The short 35-minute drive from Salt Lake City International Airport makes our resort among the most accessible winter destinations in the world. Just hop on one of more than 700 daily flights arriving in Salt Lake City and you could be on the mountain skiing or riding the very same day. And here’s something to consider: with so much going on, you might want to plan on staying for a while. A few days won’t do it justice.

Powder Mountain

5,500 acres of natural snow, Lightning Ridge Snowcat - $12 snowcat ride accesses 700 acres of steep & deep. Powder Country - 1,200 acres of powder served by shuttle buses. nowcat Powder Safari – guided backcountry adventure. Mountain Adventure Tours – All day in-bounds tour to hidden stashes. Up to 6 guests per tour. Complimentary Mountain Tour at 10 a.m., Snowkiting, Two terrain parks including a half pipe, Heliskiing, Night skiing, Certified Snowsports School. Join us!

Snowbasin

Two High Speed Gondolas – The Needles or Strawberry Express gondolas will whisk you up the mountain and drop you off ready to go! Beyond Tracks – Guided Backcountry Tours – Explore the backcountry with Snowbasin’s Mountain Outdoor Guides. Enjoy the solitude of off piste. Snowmaking – One of the largest automated snowmaking systems in the world assists Mother Nature in providing an early season. Friendly and comfortable atmosphere. When you arrive you will be greeted with the camaraderie of the staff and experience the Spirit of Snowbasin!

Snowbird

A 600-foot tunnel houses a conveyor lift that transports skiers and riders from Peruvian Gulch into Mineral Basin. Aerial Tram rides, snowmobile tours, snowshoeing, ice skating, swimming pools, live music and Shopping are just a sampling of the activities available. Kids stay and ski FREE when booking through Snowbird! Pedestrian village provides nearly 900 lodging rooms between four lodging properties, 15 restaurants, five bars, deli market, day care and retail shops.

Solitude

Two new high speed quads allow speedy access from either base area to the heart of the mountain. Exciting dining options: Wine Dinners at St. Bernard’s, Yurt excursions and a new chef at Creekside Restaurant. Honeycomb Canyon: 400 acres of lift-served off-piste terrain. Nordic Center: 20k of classic and skate track set in National Forest. Back Tracks: Guided trips into the backcountry of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Sundance

Enjoy mountain recreation – skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing in winter. Biking, hiking and horseback riding in summer. In addition to 42 alpine ski runs, Sundance offers 26 kilometers of groomed cross country trails and 10 kilometers of separate snowshoeing trails. Sundance’s team of PSIA certified ski and snowboard instructors are experienced in teaching all levels of adults and children.

Wolf Creek Mountain

Wolf Creek Utah Ski Resort is a recreational haven for winter sports enthusiasts and the perfect place to learn to ski, snowboard or just have fun! With a starting elevation of 5,400 feet, and an average yearly snowfall of over 300 inches, Wolf Creek Utah is known for its well groomed slopes that are open from late November through the first of April. Wolf Creek Utah Ski Resort has four chair lifts and offers a variety of skill levels to accommodate each skier and snowboarder. Wolf Creek Utah also has the region’s best park with over 40 rails and snow features as well as night skiing, with the entire mountain lit up each evening.

Want to see more? Watch these videos and you will see why Utah is a premier ski destination!

Only 16-days-old and as yet un-named, a little blue penguin has everyone clucking at the Penguin Encounter in Christchurch’s International Antarctic Centre.

It’s the centre’s first successful hatching since opening two years ago, and made even more amazing considering the parentage - an old, fat, lazy father and a mother who was thought to be a male.

The smallest species of penguin does not tend to breed easily in captivity, and incubating the eggs in the past had failed. But nature took over, and now the centre staff are thrilled with the unexpected arrival.

Big feet
“At the moment it’s just an eating machine,” said penguin ranger Sally Rogers.

“It’s a third the size of its parents already. It’s like a giant butt with a head … and some big feet.”

Old parents
‘Baby blue’, whose sex is so far unknown, was born to father ‘Fats’ - described as the centre’s “fattest and laziest” penguin, and mother Zane - who keepers thought was a male until she “hooked up with Fats and laid an egg”.

Because the reproductive organs of the penguins are all internal, DNA is normally used to identify the gender.

“They are both pretty old as well, so it’s quite an unusual combination,” Rogers said.

Fats is 16 years old and Zane is 12. Most penguins in the wild live to about seven or eight.

Cabbage patch
The happy couple created a nest out of cabbage tree leaves and took turns sitting on two eggs for 36 days.

The centre has had six more eggs laid, and expects up to four more births in the coming weeks.

It is hoped the new arrival will remain at the centre, but because its parents are originally from the North Island, ‘baby blue’ will require a permit from the Department of Conservation.

The little blue penguin lives in the wild throughout New Zealand, and thrives in areas that are predator-free.

New Zealand Penguin Encounter
The Penguin Encounter is New Zealand’s first combined indoor - outdoor penguin viewing area.

Modelled on the local Banks Peninsula area, the natural themed environment is focused around a penguin life support area and an 80,000-litre pool, and allows visitors to see the population of up to 26 penguins from two levels.

Encounter penguins have all been rescued for reasons such as physical disabilities that would normally prevent them from surviving on their own, and many have been cared for since they were chicks.

Little blue penguins
The smallest penguin in the world, the little blue stands just 25cm tall and weighs about 1kg. Its plumage is slate-blue with a bright white belly, and it lacks any type of crest.

Little blue penguins (korora) come ashore under the cover of darkness and live underground in burrows, natural holes, or under human structures and buildings. They remain around their colony all year, although they may make foraging trips of more than 70km during the non-breeding period.

At risk from disturbance by humans, dogs, cats and other predators, little blue penguins mostly no longer breed near towns and cities, though there are still colonies near Oamaru, on the South Island’s eastern coast, and Wellington, in south of the North Island.

Where predator control is in place, populations have been stable or increasing.

Although they are the most abundant and widespread of the three penguin species breeding on the New Zealand mainland, little blue penguins illustrate important messages about seabird conservation in New Zealand and the risks faced by foreshore ecosystems.

Cape Kidnappers golf course on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island has been rated as the best in the world by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

The golf course’s dramatic location put it ahead of world famous others such as Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, Pebble Beach in the United States and Leopard Creek in South Africa. Further down the top 10 were: Green Monkey, Barbados; Domaine de Sperone, Corsica; Turnberry, Scotland; Canouan, The Grenadines; Doonbeg, Ireland; and Royal Melbourne.

The Cape Kidnappers course is built on a 2000-hectare sheep farm on the coast of New Zealand’s renowned Hawke’s Bay wine region. The super Luxury lodge attached to the golf course opened last year and is one of New Zealand’s most exclusive properties already winning high acclaim worldwide.

The golf course has fairways that play out along a series of jagged ridges jutting out like fingers into the Pacific Ocean, before plunging to rocks below. Misdirected balls take a full 10 seconds to reach the water.

Designed by the American architect Tom Doak, Cape Kidnappers has none of the sandy dunes that characterise true links courses but the harsh landscape is in keeping with the game. Players must contend with fearsome ravines, contoured fairways and fast tilted greens.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned Orlando vacationer, this list will surely provide a few unique ideas for what to do in Orlando. I have done at least 40, what about you?

• Slip into the water with a beluga whale at SeaWorld Orlando.
• Sit on the back of a real alligator at Gatorland.
• Learn to surf without going to the beach at Ron Jon’s Surfpark, opening soon.
• Paddle a swan boat on Lake Eola.
• Smell the roses at Harry P. Leu Gardens.
• Cast a line for bass fishing with a guide.
• Marvel at Tiffany glass at The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.
• Find Chief Osceola in the mural at Celebration Hotel.
• Touch a stingray at SeaWorld Orlando.
• Experience a night out in downtown Orlando.
• Count the manatees at Blue Spring State Park.
• Race your friends on go-karts at Fun Spot Action Park.
• Explore the headwaters of the Florida Everglades on an Orlando airboat adventure.
• Drive a stock car at 125 mph (201 km/h) at Richard Petty Driving Experience.
• Tour the world in under a mile at Epcot.
• Go whale watching at Port Canaveral.
• Dine at the world’s largest Hard Rock Cafe.
• View the stars from the largest refractor telescope in Florida at the Orlando Science Center.
• Get a taste of Hawaiian fusion at Roy’s Restaurant.
• Take a paddlewheel boat ride aboard the Indian River Queen.
• Treat yourself to “a little something” at Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Jimmy Choo or Coach at The Mall at Millenia.
• Feel the G-forces on a roller coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
• Swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove.
• Play golf on the same courses as Tiger Woods.
• Design and ride your own roller coaster at WonderWorks and DisneyQuest.
• Build your own teddy bear at The Florida Mall.
• Rock out to the sounds of hot new bands at the Florida Music Festival.
• See the weird and wild at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium.
• Play glow-in-the-dark mini golf at Putting Edge in the Festival Bay Mall.
• Learn to water-ski at the Orlando Watersports Complex or Lake Buena Vista Water Sports.
• Go antiquing on Orange Avenue and in Mount Dora.
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