« Previous	Ice Castles in the Cold	Next »
	February 17th through 23rd, 2025

Last week started off crazy cold and did not get much better until the weekend. The single digit °F highs and the double digit °F lows are getting tiresome. There seemed to be less snowmobile activity possibly due to the trails. The paths are getting a little gravelly, not from melting, but from the traffic and not much of a base to start with.

The bottle rocket forts started off in fine shape. Thanks to the frigid nature of the week, ended in fine shape.

The air may have been frosty, but the sunlight is getting longer and warmer.

The sun warmed the inside of vehicles. The outside cold kept snow cover from melting. This resulted in several cars and trucks being

We asked around to make sure it wasn't just us. Nobody in the area tapped any maples last week.

On the weekend the extreme cold snap ended. The event was marked by strong winds and drifting snow.

At the start of the weekend, an expedition was put together to see the storied Ice Castle of Eagle River. Finding it was not an issue.

The ice used in the construction was as clear as the ice on Lucerne.

Ice furniture was thoughtfully provided around the rampart. What it lacked in softness, it made up for in rigidity.

The main structure was impressive. It was much taller than expected with an ice throne in the front. Never having removed a sword from a stone or pulled off a similar event, we felt it would not be appropriate to sit in it and accidentally usurp the Regent of Eagle River.

During many days last week, north shore wild turkeys continued to test the strength of deck rails.

One of the last tasks of the week was to check the lake ice. Lucerne has a half yard of very good ice cover. On top of that there's 7.5 inches of snow.

To try to capture the clarity of the ice, a camera was lowered into the hole.

In the last 40 some years, I've never seen the ice this clear.

This time of year can see the acceleration of thaw and the outline of spring on the horzion. Last week, we only saw one thing. Winter is still among us. With all the sub-zero-ness (°F) of last week, many of the men spoke of the return of Deep Winter while checking propane levels. All the holiday lights still up in Eagle River did not dispel that thought. There have been rounds of golf in March up here, but it's looking less likely this year. In an effort to jump start spring, we may post the annual Lake Lucerne Ice-Out contest in the next week or so.<br><br><br>-Nemo's calling the the end of winter.

2025 Archives All Archives

Classic View Home

knottlane.com