Image by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto from Pixabay

BY: RACHEL WUMKES

It appears January in Iowa has finally arrived, bringing with it frigid-cold temperatures and arctic winds.  I suppose we should be thankful we have made it almost through January before dealing with the term “below zero.”

The bonus of the coldness is the formation of some nice, thick ice out on the Lake.  It makes for the perfect opportunity to utilize the frozen oasis for oodles of winter activities.

As I perused the streets of Clear Lake this week, taking in the sights one sunny winter day, I couldn’t help but notice the barrage of fisherman out on the ice.  As much as we tout our incredible tourist town in the summer months, it’s nice to see it being used in the “not so popular” season as well.

As I continued my drive, a flash of color caught my eye in the distance.  Once closer, I pulled into an open space to better observe.  I saw what appeared to be a snowboarder using the wind in a kite to pull himself across the lake.

I was in awe.

First off, that cannot be an easy task.  I mean, it must take some strength to simply hold onto the ropes and not let the kite fly away, let alone being able to maneuver across the snow and ice.  Impressive!  The sport of snow skiing, also called snow kiting or kiteboarding has become wildly popular in recent years.  It’s becoming more diverse as adventurers use kites to travel great distances and sports enthusiasts push the boundaries of freestyle, big air, speed and back country exploration.

And then, to top it all off, local resident and mom, Jessica Wood, started the wheels in motion for a “little free sled” station near the Ventura sledding hill.

Within hours, the supplies were donated, labor was secured to build the structure, and people began to donate sleds.

This, my friends, is the sheer definition of “community.”  Working together for the greater good of our area to improve the lives of those who live there.  The hill was packed with kids last weekend, enjoying their extra day of fun with school being closed on Friday.  They sped down the hill, one after another, laughing and squealing.  Retelling stories of their “epic” jump as they walked back up the hill with their friends.

Kids being kids.

And so, as I sat down to write this piece for the Feel Good Friday post, I had to smile.  It’s an easy task to come up with a few words about how awesome your town is when you live in a place like Clear Lake.  It’s those who find ways to make the best of every aspect of Clear Lake, even in the bitter cold, that make this such a fantastic place to live, work and play!

Have a wonderfully awesome weekend at the Lake, my friends!