If you could take just one photo: the silhouette of a snowkiter on the ice

Clean, shallow water, a long, lazy beach, and a minimum five-degree temperature drop from "inland" make Sand Bar State Park the place to be—in summer. But when Old Man Winter grips the region, the wind howls a different tune. The colder the temps, the more solid the lake freezes. The gentle July Lake Champlain breezes grow to gargantuan gusts. The great expanse of open lake offers nothing but ice, snow and wind—precisely the package for a perfect day of snowkiting. If you’re not geared up to glide on skis or snowboard across the lake while gripping a kite string, show up with ice skates, a fishing rod, or bird-watching binoculars. Whatever—just get outside and play.

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Feeling dwarfed among California's gargantuan trees on Big Basin's 1/2-mile Redwood Trail hike, the must-sees are the impressively daunting Mother of the Forest and Father of the Forest trees. But take a moment to stop and study the details on the trees and discover the wonders of the miniature world that thrives upon the surface of the trees. From dew-frosted spider webs to perfectly-painted moss, the world below the gigantic redwoods will flip your perspective and make you feel like the giant.

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Feeling dwarfed among California's gargantuan trees on Big Basin's 1/2-mile Redwood Trail hike, you can't miss the impressively daunting Mother and Father of the Forest trees. But take a moment to stop and study the details and discover the wonders of the miniature world that thrives on the surface of the trees. From dew-frosted spider webs to perfectly painted moss, the world below the gigantic redwoods will flip your perspective and make you feel like the giant.

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Many visit the Blackwater River to tube down it, with groups of friends. You can pay for a rented tube and a short upstream school bus ride, or find a parking spot along the river… just aim for a legal spot. I, accompanied with my small Boston Terrier, love to swim up and float down a short stretch of river. Speed challenged, she is about a 3 knot dog swimming in a 5 knot river. With a flying leap into the tea-stained water, she makes a valiant attempt to swim upstream, resulting in a somewhat down/cross stream route. Wriggling free of the current, not wasting a moment to shake off the excess water, the race is on. The goal is the next sand berm. I swim upstream, while she fights through the brush and bits of shallow water. Yay! Lots of praise. We float down. And do it all again.

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An Angel looks over Central Park, she is no doubt NYC's guardian angel, beautiful, delicate and towering over its vast expanse. The Angel of the Waters Bethesda Fountain is a symbol of the purification of NYC's waters in 1842, the angel is modeled after a story in the Gospel of St. John, about a benevolent angel who had healing powers on the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. She is a representative of peace and tranquility in the middle of this bustling city. The Angel of Bethesda is probably not the first thing that tourists would think of in this world famous park, but she is exquisite nonetheless.

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Caught between the hustle and bustle of Times Square and the grandeur of Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park is an oasis of greenery along 42nd Street. In the summer, the park serves as the schoolyard for bankers and fashionistas' lunch breaks in the sun, but in the winter, it transforms into a slice of Manhattan magic. Get whisked away into the lively holiday spirit of Germany's Christmas markets with the pop-up shops filled with treats from handicrafts to hot chocolate. Then head to Citi Pond, the ice skating rink (free, just bring your own skates!), which rivals the hyped Rockefeller Center and Central Park rinks—and take a moment to gaze above your head and soak in the true spirit of New York City.

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