I went to the Lake Of the Woods for the weekend. The loggers and cottage community out there operate an ice road for the purpose of vacationing and hauling logs out of the forest. It’s just so much easier to move appliances out of the back of a truck, rather than out of a rocking boat. Many loads of lumber could be seen out on the shores earmarked for various construction projects like docks and cottages.
It only made sense to go for a rip on the ice road!
Others had the same idea, only they were fishing for delicious walleye pike. You can see the ice through a this layer of snow in this picture, but the road conditions did vary quite a bit. In some places it was bare ice, swept clear of snow. You could see that the ice was at least 2 feet thick by the cracks and fissures visible in the crystal clear ice. In other places snow drifts would move across the road, and despite the -25C temps, melt water would creep from the edges of the road. this is so counter intuitive,.
Beautiful vistas frozen right into he landscape. I’ve canoed past this island so many times in the summer, but it evokes a totally different sentiment in February.
The drivers were all very courteous, or was it curious as we passed.
Sometimes the road has to portage over an island. The planning process for the ice road must be very complicated, as it seems to change routes every year.
Stunning cottages are completely visible now without the deciduous leaves.
Firewood ?
Totally the wrong bike for this kind of expedition. The tires were not studded and the Tioga DH were really squirmy and meant only for gravity racing, but I could not resist the urge to pedal out on the ice road. The full suspension only made staying upright more challenging. Next time, I’ll bring the Norco Charger decked with studs.