With alternating warm and cool spells, bringing rain and snow, ice formations have grown to pretty amazing proportions in my neck of the woods. Particularly where rock has been blasted away to widen roadways, we get to see up close the beauty of these marvels of nature.
These photos were taken at the hairpin turn along Rt. 2 heading west into North Adams, Massachusetts. For several miles along either side of Whitcomb Summit starting in Florida, MA into North Adams, the road is lined with stunning displays of ice. (I’ve always thought it humorous that Florida, yes, a real town, is one of the coldest in the state, a sharp contrast to the state of Florida, where many people head to escape winter.)
Note the squiggly road curve sign and the ice cascades encroaching upon the road edge, stretching up towards the Summit. I expect the public works crew has to use a lot of road salt to reduce ice that builds up and spills into the road, as well as removing slabs of ice that break off into the road itself, quite a danger to oncoming traffic.
Still, danger aside, these ephemeral works of art, up to thirty feet tall, are a thrill to behold.
Eliza Waters 
The ice is truly amazing and incredibly beautiful!
That it is, thanks, Sandy!
Very cool. Don’t stand under them.
How about this? http://www.siloiceclimbing.com/
Especially during a warming trend. 😉 You’d never find me climbing these things, although for climbers, I can see the challenge!
So glad not to have to deal with all that ice anymore though. Gotta say 😉 Cliffs look a lot like those on that stretch of road between Verona Island Bridge and Searsport. 😉
Lots of rocky ledges like this all over New England, I expect.
Spectacular! I looked this up on the map and am glad there’s snow for the ski areas. Heading out myself for a quick afternoon hike, since tomorrow is likely to be rainy.
Thank you, Lisa. Most ski mountains around here have snow guns, since snowfall is so undependable. I expect with all the temp fluctuations, the base is pretty icy. Not much powder in New England these days. 😦
Wow! Pretty spectacular Eliza!
Hope you weren’t driving when you took these shots 😉
Ha! No, we were safe in the pull-off, which is a scenic overlook with a 3-state view. However, sadly, the day was gray and mist-shrouded, so not much view! Thanks for your visit, Val!
Very pretty.
Thank you, Sherry.
Incredibly beautiful!
Thank you, Cindy!
The ice falls look incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like them. Beautiful but Aldo truly awesome.
Thank you, Christina. It’s their sheer size and heft that astounds me. 🙂
Beautiful formations, Eliza! I love your phrase ” …ephemeral works of art.”
Thank you, TW!
These ice sculptures look amazing!
Ice formations are one of the best things about winter, IMO. 🙂
The power and beauty of water all its forms never ceases to amaze me. Beautiful.
Thank you, Maria.
They certainly are beautiful in their natural state, but I hate when people throw food coloring on them. Turns them into giant slushies from Disneyland! Ugh…….
That’s humans for you. Can’t stand it when Mother Nature outshines ’em.
I forgot about that weird practice. Luckily, these were pristine. 🙂
Amazing. Drive carefully Eliza!
Yes, I wondered after looking at these photos, how many accidents are caused annually by falling ice. One of these big chunks falling on a car would be the end. 😦
Wow! Stunning structures and impressive photos.
Thank you so much, Allison!
Gobsmacked, I am!!! 😀
🙂 Glad to hear it!
You took some awesome photo captures, Eliza! New England is such an awesomely wonderful varied area! I’ve seen the ice be very blue….maybe magnesium or copper in the water?
Thank you, Alice. There is surprisingly a lot to the science of ice. Minerals, but also the rate of freezing and amount of air trapped inside, all affect color. Blue is apparently the most dense.
Almost like being in an “outdoor” “cave” 😶 Without the spelunking involved.
oh wow, beautiful ice art 🙂
Nature at her best. Thank you, Ann. 🙂
Stunning and spectacular photos!
Merci, Louise!
How spectacular! Thank you for a cool start to my day. Here in south east Queensland we have heat wave conditions, so I am really enjoying your ice show.
Thank you, Maureen. Glad to give you a bit of relief. 🙂 Stay cool!
These are certainly impressive photos, Eliza! They are also awesome!
Thank you, Pete!
As beautiful as it is ,I hope we don’t have ice like that. A farmer once said to me that snow looked good on Christmas cards and other people’s land.
I can understand that, Brian. As I’ve lived with winter all my life, I guess we adapt to what we’re given. I’ve come to appreciate winter a lot more in recent years. I used to really resist it.
Absolutely stunning, we don’t get anything like that over here!
Thank you, Pauline. It is one of the rewards with putting up with constantly frigid weather! 😉
Walking and driving on ice is not a good thing, but looking at it is a real treasure. 🙂
Yes, that is true, Judy. That day I was glad to have salted roads!
Those are some beautiful and awesome ice formations. Winter puts on such a wonderful show at times. 🙂
Thank you, Robin. Proving that the best things in life are free. 🙂
Just beautiful Eliza ⛄️⛄️⛄️
Thank you, Karen! A little ‘cool’ for your summer’s day. 😉
Yes Thankyou 🌞
They are definitely beautiful. I remember lots of these on the roads through the Adirondacks in winter too.
Thank you, one of the perks of a northern winter!
It is beautiful, like frozen waterfalls.
Truly. Thanks, Belinda.
The ice creations are other-worldly and very beautiful, Eliza. Do those ice waterfalls generally melt slowly? I imagine a rapid melt could create a virtual river along that road.
Thanks, Kris. Yes, I think it is usually a slow melt, as the rock is slower to warm than the air, but if the icicles become detached from the ledge, they’ll fall down. There are ditches and drainage ports along the road edge, so flooding doesn’t usually happen.
Spectacular formations!
Wow, this is just stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Thanks, M. I expect you wouldn’t see this as you’d have to tolerate some really COLD temps!
Haha you’ve got me pegged. Below 50? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
😀
Beautiful. We seldom get icicles like that here, though I have seen them in the Dales sometimes.
Thank you, Sue. Yes, it takes many cold days to grow these.
This being England, what we think of as cold usually isn’t 😉
In many ways, I think your damp chill is worse than dry cold. You bones notice the damp chill more
I’m inclined to agree, Eliza. With real cold you can at least dress for it. The insidious damp chill just gets in everywhere.
How beautiful. I have never seen anything like it. Wonderful photos.
Thank you, Chloris. A blessing and a curse. 😉 As beautiful as it is, it takes days of below freezing weather to create these, something you don’t see much of in the UK, I imagine!
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
Thank you for reblogging!
Just one word for this post… WOW!
Thank you very much!
Yes, wow!
Thanks, Laurie. 🙂
Very cool! It looks like the ice in the ice park in Ouray. They trickle water down the canyon walls and open up to ice climbers in January when it is finally thick enough.
Thanks, Denise. Ice climbing sounds scary, but I expect they have ropes. Being scared of heights, with a healthy respect for gravity, I tend to keep my feet on the ground. 😉
Wow!!!
🙂 Thanks, Julie.
Que lindo!
Muchas gracias, Ana!
So cool!! Incredible what nature can do.
It is 🙂 Thank you!
Never saw these before!
Certainly not in your tropical climate! 😉