Lake ice was 12-18 inches on this day. We had unusual weather this year, starting with deep freezes early (-20F) without snow. Then we got some snow, but at the end of December we got a day of 35F and rain. This melted all the snow on the lake ice, leaving these amazing clear ice conditions.

Funny enough, I did the same ride a few days later, after we got a couple inches of snow. The lake was alive with cars, trucks, snowmobiles, dog walkers, and one person kite-skiing. The only difference, a thin layer of snow to give people footing.