Buried!

February 20th through 26th, 2023

Lake Lucerne
Last week looked a lot like Deep Winter. Highs never went above freezing, we had a sub-zero °F morning late in the week, and there was some snow. There was some wind, too. The drifting turned a good storm into a snowpocalypse.
Lake Lucerne
The first 3 days last week were a little cold, but aside from that, it still felt thawy. On Wednesday night, it started snowing.
Lake Lucerne
We mostly got a foot by Thursday morning on the lake, driveways, and lawns. The wind boosted that total in localized spots. The bar's deck was mostly covered with 19 inches.
Lake Lucerne
Until sunset, the snow continued on and off for much of Thursday.
Lake Lucerne
Most roads were in good shape by Friday. Even Knott Lane was plowed down to its icy base.
Lake Lucerne
On Sunday, we headed over the hill to Lake Metonga to witness the start of the great ice fishing shack migration. According to the DNR, permanent ice shanties on inland waters north of Highway 64 have to be removed by March 19. It appears that most of those that fish Metonga beat the March rush this year.
Lake Lucerne
It also seems that after they hauled all the shacks off the lake, they stopped at Charlie's.
Lake Lucerne
I'm not sure if the outflow from Metonga ever completely freezes over, but it's wide open now.
Lake Lucerne
The sight and sound of rushing water had us thinking Spring. The cold and snow brought us back to reality.
Lake Lucerne
Back at Lake Lucerne, the fat, felonious, fuzzballs continue to empty bird feeders with the speed of a medium sized bear, the agility of a world class gymnast, and the corpulence of William Howard Taft.
Lake Lucerne
On Sunday we braved the deep snow and long shadows to check the lake ice.
Lake Lucerne
It took longer than ever to get through it, but we made it without many injuries. Huzzah!
Lake Lucerne
Under all the snow, there's currently 16 inches of very good ice.
Lake Lucerne
The water under all that ice and snow is still crystal clear and cold enough to discourage the most dedicated diver.
Lake Lucerne
The southern bottle rocket war fort has seen better days.
Lake Lucerne
The northern fort still stands! Sort of. Well...one little section of wind wall anyway.
Lake Lucerne
By the end of last week, the snowmobilers seemed to be some of the happiest people in the northwoods. They outnumbered cars at the gas stations and the sound of two cycle engines continuously bounced off the hills around Lucerne. The snow on the lake compressed to about 8 inches by Sunday. The 16 inches of ice under that snow should be able to support the heaviest sled well into March. Or not. Back in '12 we got a yard of snow in early March followed by ice-out just 3 weeks later. Go figure. And good luck with your pick in this year's annual Lake Lucerne Ice-Out contest.


-Nemo's not even thinking about tapping yet.