Polar Vortex, Alberta Blast, and Siberian Express - and the fiercest barrage of winter weather on record - just happened to coincide with my first visit to Wisconsin. I'd heard about "lake effects" snow and sub-zero conditions, but wouldn't have believed it unless I'd experienced it myself. Within a five day period, this "blow hole" on the shore of Lake Michigan went from glistening, frosty rocks to sharp tentacles of ice - reminiscent of a character from Pirates of the Caribbean.