Ice roads

 The boys have been out plowing ice roads, we have a trail to our landing. BUT it comes with a warning! Bob said there is not much ice  at the start of Dorian Marsh, he said we would have no problem bringing The Honda CRV home but too early for truck yet. We have 10” ice at our landing but that is not the case everywhere.  As a warning just because you see a plowed trail/road does not mean it is safe. Check for yourself and be safe.

Snowmobile to Ministry Landing today

 

Made my first trip into town today by snowmobile. The 8” block ice is from my landing.  Met a friend who came in from south side of Barrier islands he said checked ice all way in least amount was 6” he was driving a Jeep back down the lake. Saw a couple 3/4 ton trucks heading south from Strawberry Portage.There were 2 pressure ridges from my place to tip of Queer isl. from there to Town 3 more. With worst in Matheson Bay but you run parallel to that one. For most part 1” snow on the ice and in places wind blown so bare ice. There is not enough snow for boys to plow yet. My truck is still in Lockdown at Barepoint Marina. We need snow to fill in the rocks at Tip of Queer if it wasn’t for that I could bring CRV down to island. Safe travels and check ice often in your travels.

The 4” ice

 Was at our south side landing yesterday morning, we have 2” snow in Bush  but none on ice making it hard to walk on it’s so slippery. It’s more of a shuffle. The ice is crystal clear and walking the shore line you can see bottom easily in 8’ water ( but no fish) . Our coldest night by our thermometer was back Nov 22 got to -11 c with most nights hanging around-6  warming to -2 since the lake froze not much wind but leading up to the freeze was very windy. Because Rat Portage is in lockdown ( our truck/trailer are sitting at Barepoint) no one in or out the iceboat are staging from Anichinabe park. Bob  Boucha stopped here in his iceboat yesterday and said still open water patches about the size of our house by Eagle Island, Rope Island, and Kennedy point. He said it would be hard to snowmobile down there because of the holes. Starting Nov. 17 the lake tried to freeze was a bright sunny day at only -7 standing on the dock looking out over water it appeared to be turning to jello with ice forming. Next morning  the Sw winds broke it up sounding like glass breaking as it got pushed up on shore was about 1/8” thick. Then on Nov. 23 the bay from our place froze north to Narrows froze and never did re open. Then on Nov. 30 during night we made 1” ice and could not see any open water from our shoreline.  This tied the early freeze up with 2006 and 2013. The latest it froze was Dec. 08 2009. Will be a few days yet before I venture too far on quad or snowmobile as I don’t know where the last of the open areas to freeze are ? Bob also said because there is no snow to protect the ice pressure ridges are forming.