The Ice Skating Party

It's not altogether a very regular occurrence that we get good ice skating on the lakes up here. Oh, sure, we can shovel off a pond and have a great time, but usually the lakes are covered by snow when the temperature has dropped enough to freeze the lake. That's why the weather right now is so special! (On the down side, we need snow to insulate the ground and keep septic & water lines from freezing, but that's another story.)

So, on Saturday, we got together with three other friends and met at "our" local lake - just two miles down the road. The following is the MN DNR's ice depth recommendations (for good, clear ice):

• 2" or Less - STAY OFF!
• 4" - Ice Fishing or Other Activities on Foot
• 5" - Snowmobile or ATV
• 8 - 12" - Car or Small Pickup
• 12" - 15" - Medium Truck

I would say that there was between 3 and 8" on the lake - averaging about 5". It was beautiful and clear, and we could see fish (yes, one or two teensy ones!) and weeds underneath the ice. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of skating on clear, clear ice - it kinda gives me the willies to be able to see through it! But, if you don't "think" too much, you're okay. Try convincing Tucker of that, though! He got about 1/3 of the way out onto the lake and PUT THE PARKING BRAKE ON! He wasn't goin' ANY further. Matter of fact, he wasn't MOVIN'! Tom had to skate back and coax him back to shore where he put Tucker back into the car. When we are on the Swamp River (each winter!), he's never bothered . . . but the ice there is always cloudy or snow-covered.

The ice was kinda bumpy (you can see that in the new header picture if you look closely), but that didn't cause any real problems. It was almost like the water had been roughed up by the wind ANDTHENITFROZE just like that!

[I'm having a devil of a time posting pictures this morning, so I'll get this much up now and then come back to finish. The upcoming story just won't work without the photos!]