Ice Out!

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 04/26/2019 at 17:12 • Filed to: None

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Every year there’s a betting pool on the “Ice Out” date for our local lake. There are specific rules, but they’re boring unless you know the lake itself. Yesterday was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, and most of the ice was gone . We took the kids and dogs to the lake and you’ll see below what’s probably the last piece of ice on the whole lake (and also a cold dog):

We all thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the beach in the sun pretending it was summer. The kids and dogs both went partway into the water, but not for long; the kids were wearing rain boots but those were soon filled with 40 degree water.

Ok fine I’ll tell you one of the Ice Out rules - this lake is connected to a much bigger one, and for Official Ice Out, both must be clear. It was so calm yesterday that it wasn’t declared officially until today, with the crazy rain and subsequent strong easterly wind we have today - the remaining ice on the “Big Lake” was pushed around and melted in the wind .

Anyway, I always get very excited about Ice Out ( I actually was the Official Declarer of Ice Out for a few years). So here we are! And... it’s 41F and rainy. No boat rides just yet. But soon:

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > functionoverfashion 04/26/2019 at 18:04

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yay ice out!

(i need to move there..... granted ill be there for the ice in)

functionoverfashion > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 04/26/2019 at 19:52

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Don’t get me wrong, I love ice-in just as much .

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > functionoverfashion 04/26/2019 at 19:55

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good man :)

i miss real winters

all i ask for in life is four seasons... we only get 3 here nowadays (unless you count 3 weeks of frost as winter)

BaconSandwich is tasty. > functionoverfashion 04/26/2019 at 21:36

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Definitely more environmentally friendly than what they used to do in Elliot Lake, Ontario.  They would park an old car out on the ice and take bets on when it would break through and sink.

WilliamsSW > functionoverfashion 04/26/2019 at 21:50

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Nice! Does the ice go out very quickly?

My dad lives on a good sized lake (7 miles long and maybe a mile wide at its widest) and he tells me that one day each spring, it’ll be covered in ice in the morning (mostly) and by afternoon it will be clear and there will be a few yahoos out on boats.

Enjoy!

functionoverfashion > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/29/2019 at 10:28

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That’s awesome. I mean, in a nostalgic kind of way. 

functionoverfashion > WilliamsSW 04/29/2019 at 10:31

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Yeah, it does go pretty fast once it starts to break up and move around. The lake in the pic is only about 2.5 miles long but the one it’s connected to is about 7 long and 6.5 wide, but it’s got a very complex shoreline and over 30 islands in the middle. So ice can get stuck in certain places, leaving wide areas open while other areas are totally inaccessible.

Generally, though, the same principles apply. As the ice gets softer, it turns into a honeycomb structure and with the increased movement and increased surface area, it all starts to melt exponentially faster on one particular day (or two). It’s fascinating to watch - both in and out.

WilliamsSW > functionoverfashion 04/29/2019 at 12:13

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I would love to see it one of these years, but it’s not very likely - I live an hour and 45 minutes away. 

functionoverfashion > WilliamsSW 04/29/2019 at 12:34

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I used to set up a webcam and do a time-lapse. Still not the same as going out there in a boat and plowing through the soft ice, though. That’s fun. I was totally “one of those yahoos!” 

Tohru > BaconSandwich is tasty. 05/06/2019 at 14:35

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My old shitbox Escort was going to be used for that one year. I’d already stripped the engine, trans, and interior out. As part of it, they remove the rest of the fluids and pressure wash the thing. The car was all ready to go and then they decided not to do the event at all that year. So, it went off to be scrapped.

Picture is after I pulled the engine, but before I gutted the rest of it.