The recent cold snap to hit the Heartland brought with it some great snow conditions for Midwest ski areas. The coldest weather that forced many to suspend operations for two or three days fortunately came midweek. The bookend weekends brought out good crowds with great slope conditions.

Call it Epic-Lite or Ikon 2.0, but the southern Colorado-based Power Pass has taken off around the country, into Canada and across the seas.

Many American towns adopted the popular Munich festival of Oktoberfest due to their German immigrant populations. Ski resorts have followed, offering celebrations with traditional Bavarian music, dancing, beer, food, and activities. Most offer free admission and lodging specials. 

The mountains and high alpine lakes of the West, and New England’s rolling mountains lush with green forests create some of the nation’s more memorable national parks. But don’t overlook the Heartland’s beautiful lakeshores, prairies, rivers and thick forests of the upper Midwest.