Live and learn. I mentioned the standard adiabatic lapse rate to my wife and said that I hope we don't accumulate ice but that we may. It was 46 deg F on the ground, so 7,000' would yield around 22 deg or so and it was spot on.
I figured that any moisture would be ice crystals but not so. Quite a few guys on here have posted that super-cooled water droplets can be much colder and when they impact a wing below freezing temperatures, they freeze instantly. I read all that during primary training but seeing it firsthand is a valuable lesson.
We didn't carry a big load of ice but did lose 12 MPH TAS...so the rest of the plane probably iced as well. After we landed, water was dripping off the wheelpants and gear fairings, so they had to have been iced as well.
The control response remained the same and, as usual, the -10 was quite impressive. During the trip home today, I told the wife that we're not going into those clouds again
and stayed at 3,500', below them. We were showing 32 deg. F at that altitude.
Ice doesn't necessarily need to ground you but you have to be sure of a way out. I'm speaking to the IFR crowd here because it could have been nasty.
A concern was losing airspeed indications because I don't have a heated pitot. GPS can suffice but rest assured, the next annual will include installing one.
After the trip home fron Key West, in green and yellow bands of rain, my confidence level in the Trutrak system and the -10 has grown proportionately and marvel at this airplane's capabilities and utility, but nevertheless, realize my limits and comfort zone which I'm expanding at a calculated rate.
I'd suggest to you guys without an instrument rating, to put it on your bucket list. Your RV can be so much more useful and do trips when other guys are staring at the clouds and a little precip....and it could save your life!
Best,