A Great FROZEN Lake

My first work trip of 2019 started off with a bang. Well, it really started off with a Polar Vortex that hit Ohio packing some winter vengeance. It seems I was at Ground Zero for this extreme weather and I have to admit this “southern fella” truly did feel the bite of this intense cold.

I finished up my last day of training a bit early and the sun was actually still out when I left my client’s office. I reminded myself that I badly wanted to head over to see Lake Erie before I left.

A few clicks on the iPhone identified that the city of Mentor Beach Park was going to be my best option.

A couple of more clicks reminded me of the extreme weather we were under (this doesn’t show the -30 ish windchill).

It was super slippery walking towards the water, but thankfully the wind was at my back.

As you can see above and below, the ice stretched on as far as the eye could see.

As the sun finally peeked out this afternoon, these pictures might suggest it wasn’t that cold. I assure you.. it was EXTREMELY cold! I took these photos with my iPhone and I was semi-successful with these touchscreen-ready gloves.

As I said, semi-successful… I took my right hand glove off for a few minutes to get the shots above and then my hand started burning from the cold and I realized I’d better hike back to the car. Of course, not before I grabbed a selfie with Lake Erie behind me!

I forgot about the wind that was at my back when walking down to the observation deck, but I was quickly reminded of it on the walk back across the icy park to the rental car. My hand was not the only thing burning from the stinging cold wind when I finally shut the door. While it took a while for my body to feel better again, I am so glad I took this little detour and witnessed this incredibly surreal sight.