Morning [photo] Dump

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 12/20/2018 at 10:03 • Filed to: ice, photography

6

22

Stopped on my way to work to take a few pics of the lake. A guy plows a curving path about 10' wide all the way around the lake, for skating. The ice under where he plowed is beautiful, (the way the entire lake looked just last weekend) and this morning I was very, very tempted to take the morning off and just go skate around the ~5 mile loop.

The snow on the rest of the ice had melted into the surface just enough to make a perfectly grippy surface. I ran around a bit, and it was great. I could have ridden my bike on it, or gone for an actual run. I wish it was a little thicker, it would have made for AMAZING driving. 400 acres of the same kind of texture as what I imagine the salt flats being like (and the other lake is 7000 more acres of the same).

I’m no photographer, and it was a bit breezy, 19 degrees out there so my hands got cold and I didn’t take time to really think about the shots. But anyway, it was too nice a morning to just drive by (again). And tomorrow, it’s supposed to rain a metric shitload so I have no idea if the ice will be better or worse after that. One thing is for sure, it will be different.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:07

1

Amazing! Our lake has not frozen yet, and may not freeze this year due to the warm temperatures. I would take up skating just to take advantage of that glassey surface.

Censored > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:09

1

This looks AWESOME. I wish I lived somewhere cold enough to lake skate.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:12

1

I miss the days when I lived in the Netherlands and they would Zamboni some of the local ponds/lakes and we’d take out speed skates out to them.

The reason I haven’t been able to is twofold: (A) I don’t live there anymore, but, (B) any winter I’ve visited it has been too warm, it seems it’s pretty rare these days for it to freeze long enough there anymore to safely skate. Talk about climate change.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:15

1

Beautiful.

functionoverfashion > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 12/20/2018 at 10:18

0

We’ve been in a really cold pattern, more or less since late September. Below average temps most days, and some really cold stretches brought us the earliest ice I’ve ever seen. December 7th the lake was mostly frozen, completely closed up by the 10th. Coupled with a 3+ week drought with almost zero precipitation, the ice is amazing right now. Some years it’s not until after January 1; I’ve been waterskiing on this lake in January before.

And yeah, there are years where I don’t skate at all, but when I lived at the lake, years like this I’d skate a ton. Usually, years when the snow is no good, the ice is decent. This is basically the only place and the only reason I skate. Rinks feel so confined and boring to me. Like a treadmill for skates.

functionoverfashion > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 12/20/2018 at 10:19

0

It’s been a weird year, but we’ve had unusually cold temps since probably late September. This is some of the earliest and best ice I can ever recall in 30+ years.

Don’t worry, just because it’s cold here right now, doesn’t mean I don’t still believe that global warming is very real.

functionoverfashion > Censored 12/20/2018 at 10:20

0

I was just talking to someone who moved here recently, and she was so excited to try it. I wish I could tell her to GET OUT THERE RIGHT NOW because these conditions are so fleeting. It could be gone tomorrow and never be the same for the rest of the year. With a full moon tonight, I’m really tempted to go out after dark.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:21

1

If I had a frozen lake with thick ice you could count on me being out on it with a $500 beater doing donuts.

Censored > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:23

1

You wouldn’t be able to pry me off the ice. And night skating sounds completely delightful.

WilliamsSW > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:26

0

Wow, that’s gorgeous!!  How thick is it?  (apparently thick enough for the plow to clear it)

fintail > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:27

1

Better than ice I have seen at many rinks in this part of the world.

Today in Seattle, 50F and raining.  Again.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:28

1

It bums me out to no end that it’s been so warm here this year.I live on a big bay on Lake Superior, which usually freezes over, but while some little inland lakes have frozen the bay hasn’t. Normal the local Ice racers carve our a parking lots an oval on the bay and you can drive out there anytime which is LOTs of fun. I do wich that they would get more creative with their layout but they run it like stock car racing, side by side, not a timed AutoX style event so an oval makes sense.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:28

1

Yeah, I also imagine climate change can have effects in both extremes due to shifting weather patterns.

Either way, I’m jealous of that ice, I wanna grab some speed skates and head over there!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > fintail 12/20/2018 at 10:44

0

it’s 35 and raining in Northern wi. Just warm enough to no snow, but too cold do anything that isnt winter fun.

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:50

0

I take my daughter up north to visit family each year. She’s so excited to have snow  to play in and a huge hill to sled on. When you don’t grow up with snow all winter, it becomes a luxury. 

fintail > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 12/20/2018 at 10:52

0

That’s the worst, cold biting rain. It ’d ruin that outdoor ice just as fast, too.

functionoverfashion > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 12/20/2018 at 10:53

0

If I had a frozen lake with thick ice you could count on me being out on it with a $500 beater my daily driver doing donuts.

functionoverfashion > WilliamsSW 12/20/2018 at 10:54

1

It’s 6" or so. More in some places, less in others. The plow is probably an ATV but yeah, it weighs much more than a person.

functionoverfashion > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/20/2018 at 10:54

1

Now I’m trying to get out tonight, with a nearly full moon, before the clouds (and subsequent rain) come in.

functionoverfashion > fintail 12/20/2018 at 10:55

2

As an east-coaster, I just assumed it was always 50F and raining in Seattle, no?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 10:55

0

YES.

fintail > functionoverfashion 12/20/2018 at 11:03

1

N ot far off. Winter here seems to average around 45, and rain maybe 70% of the time.  We’ve had a few warm systems in the past couple weeks, so it has been milder.  I like it a little cooler.  Maybe a yearly snow event if lucky.