When you cross the border into Maryland on Route 15, a sign welcomes you to the state and informs you that a guy by the name of Gov. Martin O’Malley runs the place. It seems like a bit of a waste, doesn’t it? The people who live in Maryland already know; if they don’t know, then they don’t care; and the people who don’t live in Maryland probably don’t care, either.

Messy weather could mess up holiday travel across large parts of the nation today. And northern and western Virginia could see a light wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain or drizzle early this morning, making driving hazardous.

Highways and travel terminals could see slightly fewer travelers during the Christmas holiday period, according to industry officials. This is the first expected decline since 2002.

Las Vegas and Disneyland, two of the most popular travel destinations in the western United States, are in many respects as different as virtue and vice. But so similar are they in other respects that Las Vegas is often described as a “Disneyland for adults.“

John Whitworth of Richmond captured this scene while staying at the Laurel Point Bed & Breakfast in Monterey, a restored log house, on a visit with some friends. This was the early morning view from the large living-room window. 

The Staples Mill Road Amtrak station has more than 700 ticket reservations for travelers headed to Washington on sold-out trains the morning of the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, but only 288 parking places. That has Henrico County working to find additional parking and provide traffic control for the historic day. Shuttling passengers from the park-and-ride lot on Glenside Drive is one possibility, said Henrico Supervisor Richard W. Glover, whose Brookland District includes the station. With more than a quarter-million people getting on and off the trains annually, the station is Virginia’s busiest.

AirTran Airways will drop its two Richmond-New York City flights in January. The discount airline is losing its leased arrival and departure slots at LaGuardia Airport, officials said. The Orlando, Fla.-based carrier’s last Richmond-LaGuardia flights will be on Jan. 5 “We think it’s regrettable,“ Richmond International Airport spokesman Troy Bell said. “It’s unfortunate that the service could not be sustained.“

This year, you can plan your Thanksgiving travel to avoid the worst traffic, thanks to an online tool from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Find out more about this interactive program.

Pat Barker of Chesterfield County was in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with a group of women finishing a golf game when she saw this scene. “When this spectacular sunset appeared, it just had to be preserved,“ she said. 

Do you love visiting the planetarium? Are you fascinated by the history of NASA? Is seeing the Northern Lights on your life list? If so, “Guidebook for the Scientific Traveler: Visiting Astronomy and Space Exploration Sites Across America” by Duane S. Nickell (Rutgers University Press, $21.95) can help you plan your next trips. Still haven’t made travel plans for the holidays? The travel Web site Kayak.com has some advice:

Picking the best time to go to Disney World depends on your priorities. If you’re taking the children, prepare to swelter in the Florida humidity as you battle mobs of people from May to August. If it’s an adults-only foray - or you don’t mind letting the kids miss their geometry class for a couple of days - September is deemed by many Disney “experts” to be the best month since it’s just after the summer rush. It’s also the main period of one of Disney’s value seasons, so you’ll save a few bucks on lodging.

Of any tourist destination, Walt Disney World might have the most passionate fans. If you’re looking for information about planning a trip, of course it makes sense to start with the official Disney site - www.disneyworld.com. But there are oodles of other sites to share all sorts of minutiae, from menu changes to details about the new coating of paint applied to the Haunted Mansion.

Doug Flemer succeeded where Thomas Jefferson failed. Flemer is proprietor of Ingleside Vineyards, one of a handful of wineries whose opening in the 1970s signaled the rebirth of the state’s wine industry.

Wine month is under way in Virginia, and tastings, tours and awesome scenery await throughout the state. Ten wine trails, made up of geographically aligned wineries, provide good starting points for novice tasters, or even for the most experienced.

The biggest artifact at this hallowed Civil War site, other than the battlefield itself, is the Cyclorama painting of Pickett’s Charge. It depicts the moment when about 200 Confederate troops broke through the center of the Union line, a moment that became known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. The Confederates were quickly killed, wounded or captured; and the battle concluded as a Union victory.