ICE! Experience at Gaylord Palms Resort

My family started the New Year with a visit to snow and ice. Not the horrible blizzard that plagued the Northeast which shut down entire cities but ICE! and SNOW! at Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, FL.



2011 started with an almost 80 degree day in sunny Florida. My nieces in Atlanta, GA could not agree more with the much warmer weather. Irony and the cold weather traveled with them on New Year's Day for a chilling tour of the fabulous ice village and sculptures of the ICE! Experience.



We were encapsulated with 9 degrees of Santa and his reindeer, an epic Nativity display of such awesome stature and the all time favorite ice slide. I do not want to forget the SNOW! portion of this winter wonderland. Slushy snow activities filled the other side of the event like snow tube racing and a snow playground.



Entering this 9 degree bliss with camera gear can be a challenge. Cold fingers combined with rapid battery loss from extreme lower temperatures did not compare to the effect of condensation. When you eventually leave an overwhelming ice display, your gear will turn into a sweating, dripping and foggy mess. My weather sealed Canon EOS 1D Mark IV survived. My sister's point and shoot literally froze to death.



A small tip to the condensation wary. Bring a gallon Ziplock plastic bag to seal your gear before you step outside into a warmer environment. The sweat will form outside of the Ziplock and not short circuit your gear into oblivion. Just wait till the photo equipment warms up until you open the Ziplock.



You can view more photos in the ICE! Experience at Gaylord Palms Resort 2011 Gallery. Shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV with the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS, EF 70-200mm f/4L IS and the EF 35mm f/1.4L lens.