My pelican prefers grass to snow for the winter. However, Smarter Travel has recently shared some zany winter festivals. This is one of them…

February 3 to 5, 2012

It takes locals extra doses of both fire and ice to shake the winter blues in Lava Hot Springs, where average February temps typically hover in the 20s. And this festival, no doubt, is one shocking remedy. On Saturday tubers brave the cold and race down the Portneuf River in the Polar Bear Float, hoping for the fastest time or most-original-costume prize. Sunday morning brings the Running of the Bulls event. Even in blizzards, contestants strip down to bikinis and furry boots or Speedos and flip-flops for the annual Main Street run. They’re rewarded with a soak in the town’s mineral hot springs at a steamy 112 degrees. The fire comes in with the mountainside torch parade and chili cook-off.

By car, Lava Hot Springs is two-and-a-half hours from Twin Falls, Idaho, and Salt Lake City, Utah. SkyWest Airlines has connecting service to nearby Pocatello. You’ll find lodging deals at the Lava Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.

I will pass…and stay with my pelican.