I just returned from a holiday-time loop around Northern California and swung by Incline Village on the shore of Lake Tahoe to visit relatives. Incredibly, there is hardly any snow in the area and we were able to go for wonderful hikes in areas that should be buried under a few feet of snow by this time of the year. There’s almost no snow, but temperatures are getting below freezing at night, leading to ice forming on the small streams leading to the lake.

This is a sight that doesn’t get seen very much, as the ice is usually covered by snow. Temperatures are getting above freezing every day, leading to a constant cycle of freeze and thaw that has created beautiful patterns in the ice.