Holiday Ice Road

December 24th through 30th

Last week started off and finished with an element that has not been seen in weeks. There was sun! It lit the snow and lightened the mood. The cold air seemed warmer and the short days seemed longer. To whoever ordered last week's weather: You are our new hero!

Early in the week, there were the inevitable dustings of snow you get this time of year. The kind that, after one shovel pass, you deem unworthy of clearing.

Later in the week, the blue was pushed aside for what was predicted to be a shovel worthy event. Supplies were purchased, snowblowers were gassed up, and hot chocolate reserves were checked.

Then, at the last moment, it pushed further North, blessing the upper UP with a thick blanket of white and cursing our woods with the dreaded "Wintery Mix". The "up to 18 inches" became "2, with rain on top".

The 2 inches was not without its charm. It was shovel worthy (just barely) and snowman friendly.

The accumulated snow is a little thin for snowmobiles but plenty deep to reveal turkey sign.

The "Wintery Mix" followed by more seasonable temperatures (burr freezing cold) has left Knott Lane with about an inch of hard, clear ice under a dusting of Winter.

The sun was welcome and is currently being sorely missed. Even so, sunny, blue sky days in January lose some of their charm due to the temperatures that tend to accompany them. Think thick mittens and liquefied gasses. We'll get an ice thickness check soon. It should be close to a foot. If we don't get a few inches of snow on top of that ice soon, it's going to be a short snow-go season.<br><br>-Nemo laughs derisively at weak sauce snow storms.