My Ice House/Fish House adventure begins

[Spaceman Spiff]

Might need a jump start to get out of bed in the morning.  They tell us -63º windchill tonight.  Although after -20º its just a number; you have to bring your breath inside and thaw it out so others can hear what you're saying.

I had to go out today because I miscounted the beagle's heart meds, not fun.  Makes one long for those 90º, 90% humidity days in July.

Take care.

 

[AMGS3]

Aw Spiff, I hope your pupper is ok.

~angie

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[ssminnow]

I don't remember to many nights at 30 below down here in the cities but it is 25 below now and it's only 9:30! Probably 40+ below for you tonight! It's going to feel like an earthquake out on the lakes tonight! It"ll scare ya right out of the bunk when that ice starts to contract in this cold of weather. you can hear the crack coming from a mile away and by the time it gets to your house it feels like your going down! Had a few of those on Lake of the Woods and Red Lake. God I miss those nights. LOL

 

[AMGS3]

Yup, pretty cold.

And the ice cracking thing is frightening if you don't expect it. But even just being in the woods with trees all around cracking from the cold weather can be pretty loud. Some of them are loud enough it sounds like a rifle. And this area either you're in the woods or on a lake, not many fields around here.

So I found a few videos of festivals and competitions. It's just about the most northern Minnesota hick thing I can think of. Not an insult, btw.

Enjoy. I put the times if anyone's interested.

2:40

10:00

2:30

And in case fishing's not your thing, maybe racing snowmobiles is. Or showing off 50 year old snowmobiles. Or eating food-on-a-stick, state fair style, while watching your neighbors radar run their 4wheelers. 8:00

And in case you think it's all fun and games, here's what happens when you park too close together on a shallow lake with thin ice - 3:00

When I was in high school there was a big snowmobile race on Lake Mille Lacs (pronounced mu-lacks/ might have been a different lake tho, my memory's a bit shaky) and a whole row of parked semi trucks fell through the ice domino style, one after the other.

Ok, that's enough fun for now. I've got soup I need to stir and biscuits that won't bake themselves.

Stay warm everybody,
~angie

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[KarlH]

Yup, pretty cold.

I'm glad to hear that you're OK.

 

[KarlH]

And the ice cracking thing is frightening if you don't expect it. But even just being in the woods with trees all around cracking from the cold weather can be pretty loud. Some of them are loud enough it sounds like a rifle. And this area either you're in the woods or on a lake, not many fields around here.

The ice cracking on Lake Superior sounds like a naval battle Not too scary because you can tell that it's far away.

 

[AMGS3]

Hey Karl, how ya holding up down there?

You're spot on about the Lake Superior ice. I've never been out on it (too scary, lol), but I did live up north of Grand Marais for 3 years. The lake is loud.

~angie

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[KarlH]

Hey Karl, how ya holding up down there?

Pretty toasty

You're spot on about the Lake Superior ice. I've never been out on it (too scary, lol), but I did live up north of Grand Marais for 3 years. The lake is loud.

I've camped up there and thought about living there. East Duluth was becoming more like the 'Cities several years ago, but my neighbors were super nice and level-headed.

 

[AMGS3]

So...last night it got down to -46°F. The icehouse was cozy and warm, for the most part. The air inside is 65°F. The only real change I noticed at this temp was that I had set a quarter full gallon of water on one of the hole covers and it froze solid. This is the first time it's frozen setting it there. It's usually cool, but not crystalized at all. For reference there was a full gallon of water about 6" away (but not setting on the cover itself) that was not crystalized at all.

So next summer I'm definitely going to insulate the hole covers.

Stay warm,

~angie

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[KarlH]

So...last night it got down to -46°F. The icehouse was cozy and warm, for the most part.

Wow, that's way colder than here. In fact I think it's colder than the lowest temperature I remember in the Metro, which was -36 F maybe 15 years ago. Glad to know that your ice house is handling it with such poise

 

[AMGS3]

More fun on the ice-

So, a Minnesota fisherman caught and released this record breaking 6.5 foot long monster sturgeon a couple days ago on the St Croix river. I heard an interview with him about how they had to keep cutting more and more holes just to be able to pull it out of water. It's an amazing fish. 120lbs. He said it was in 30ft deep water. They figure it was over 50 years old.

Here's the vid - approx 12min



Stay warm everybody,
~angie

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[RoamerRV428]

-46....WOW
so glad you are cozy and ok
I am also the 'lower temp lover' type in the rv.
We like the 65 range area at night and during the day. Any hotter we die, any colder we are COLD

if that gallon froze, oh yea, those holes must be dealt with definitely!

very cool vid on the fish!! enjoyed it

 

[Kaylee]

Angie, I've been catching bits of this thread for months, and immensely enjoying your adventures & hacking!
Finally got a chance to read the entire thread, post-by-post (am waiting for a ride, for literally 24+ hours).

Between my parents' post-retirement cottage and more recent winter cabin rentals, I've spent about 8 full winters in the Northwoods, all semi-isolated (hence my experiments with shelf stable foods). Also spent a year on the Northshore, doing advanced training when I was in the Reserves.
I love The North.

For the last few weeks, the big news item up here (NE Wisconsin) has been the sturgeon spearing season. The one you reference beats "us" out.

Hadn't realized you're disabled. Virtual hug! Yeah, waiting on a fume/smell project is wise.
Have you tried slippers or even cheap flip-flops? mainly for when you're standing (e.g. cooking) for a longer period.

Please continue updating, as you have time & energy. Many of us are enjoying your novel take on simple & elegant survival living.

 

[Kaylee]

Oops, forgot to ask...

How did the battery stuff work out?

Your questions & the answers were some of the clearest I've seen to date.