Winter

Rosy cheeks.

Cozy retreats and roaring fires.

Snowmobiling.

Cross-country and downhill skiing.

Snowshoeing, mushing and hiking.

Ice fishing. Ice skating. Sleighriding.

Hot mulled cider.

Wildlife.

The sublime silence of snow-covered forests.

The shimmering glisten of billions of ice crystals on frozen glacial lakes. . .and so much more.

That’s winter in northern Wisconsin and the Northwoods.

Come and be part of it all.

Kids, families, seniors, singles.

©2005, Creative Brilliance Associates. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without written permission.

[Image: Courtesy of Mike Crowley; available for sale at his website Life in the Northwoods]

(With a nod — or glare — to El Nino, who seemed to be causing some warm weather the winter of 1997-1998)

“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the north…

Resort owners were wond’ring what snow would be worth…

The snowmobiles were lined by the trailways with care..
In hopes that the snowbase soon would be there…

When up in our woods there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk and said, this shortfall will matter…

Unless we can keep those snowmobiles humming.
We’ve got to do something to keep people coming.

Our snow is in New Mexico!
And the responsible party is El Nino.

We’ve got to plan and promote and open our mouth
To keep our profits from going south!

We’ve got to do something to save our dough,
So let’s plan great things on the ice, not the snow.

So plan we did, and here’s what we’ve gotten…
Activities on ice… on Lake Namakagon.

Treasure hunts, speed runs, fishing, and more.
Scavenger hunts, prizes, and fun are in store…

So come to northern Wisconsin, there’s always good reason.
Packers, Cheeseheads, great recreation all season.

May your winter be merry when you spend it here…
In particular, in Wisconsin’s north tier.

And you’ll hear us exclaim as we behold this great sight…
Merry tourism to all… we made lemonade from our plight.

[Image: Courtesy of Mike Crowley; available for sale at his website Life in the Northwoods]