Lighthouse Wrapped In Ice for the Holidays!

I thought this was befitting for the holidays!

Lighthouse Wrapped for the Holidays
from www.NationalGeographic.org
Photograph by Mark Duncan, AP

It's not a wedding cake, an ice sculpture, an ice hotel or Snow Miser's palace—just a lighthouse at the entrance to Cleveland Harbor in Ohio, as seen enrobed in ice on December 16 (Cleveland map).

Spray from Lake Erie and below-freezing temperatures turned Cleveland's West Pierhead Lighthouse into a Popsicle last week, leaving the Coast Guard to worry that any stubborn skippers braving the lake this time of year would miss the shoreline. The light's lens, as well as the rest of the building, is completely iced over—and will be for months.

Mariners have been issued warnings to exercise extra caution around the harbor entrance, though most boat traffic has already stopped for the season, said Petty Officer 3rd Class George Degener, who serves with the U.S. Coast Guard's Cleveland-based Ninth Division.

On the bright side: There's no lighthouse keeper shivering inside the icy tower. The facility has been automated for decades.

If you're looking to check out some local ice castles, visit the Silverthorne, CO ice castles...

Silverthorne Ice Castles Article from www.Silverthorne.org

Experience a glacial adventure unlike anything you have ever seen before, right here in Silverthorne! The Ice Castles at Silverthorne opened for business on Friday, December 9, and anticipate to remain open until April 2012.

Ice Castles are one-of-a-kind formations that can reach up to 50 feet high and weigh over 10,000 tons. These creations of walkways, illuminated ice formations, tunnels and arches are all made entirely out of ice and are naturally shaped by gravity and freezing water. Every day at the Ice Castles is unique and different as the ice formations are constantly evolving, depending on the amount of water added at night, the night time temperature and snowfall. For a completely different experience, visit the Ice Castles in the evening, when they are illuminated by lighting, frozen right into the structures!

The Ice Castles’ hours of operation are: Weekdays - noon to 9pm, Saturdays - 10am to 10pm and Sundays 11am-7pm (weather permitting). Tickets can be purchased at the on-site ticket office at 400 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7.50 for children. Kids under the age of 5 are free. Adult and family season passes are also available for purchase. Check out Ice Castles website at www.icecastles.com for more information.

About the Artist: After moving his family from California to Utah in 2002, Brent Christensen was searching for new outdoor winter activities for his children. One year he created an ice skating rink in the backyard. Then one year created various formations of icicles. Another year he started experimenting with icicles to create an ice castle in his front yard. His children loved a castle he built that had a cave, tunnels, and a huge slide with a bank turn on to an ice skating rink. People began driving by the Christensen’s home just to see the unique ice structure in the front yard. The following winter, a Utah resort asked Brent if he would build a larger ice castle on the front lawn of the resort. Brent built the castle in 2009-10 and in two months the word had spread and about 10,000 people had come to see the “Ice Castle” at the Zermatt Resort. The following winter (2010-11) he built another castle in the Town square in Midway, Utah which is about 15 minutes from Park Town. Over 25,000 visitors came to see the ice castles last winter. In the summer of 2011, Brent began looking for a new location for his creation, and chose Silverthorne as a perfect location to create his 2011-12 ice castle masterpiece.