Interesting experience yesterday

Did a short trip yesterday from MWC to OSH with the gf, just to go,
about 3PM. Was planning on cruising at 3 to avoid ice in the clouds,
which were not far about that at all. Briefer tells me there's an
inversion aloft, and the freezing level is at NINER. Cool, great!
Filed for 4, planning on getting actual the whole way there. On the
climb, notice the temp dropping slowly the whole way. Inversion? Where
is it? Into solid IMC around 32-3300, as expected. Temp is around 30
now. At 3800, it's a little less, about 28. I thought, what am I
doing? I'd promised myself, recently, to stay out of the clouds below
freezing (even though I've done it a number of times and never picked up
ice I couldn't deal with by getting lower, out of the clouds or 0.). I
called approach and asked for and got 3. Back to near VFR - very hazy,
very poor vis, but not in cloud.

So, what was up? The forecast was wrong, it seems. There was
definitely *a* freezing level way below 9. May have been an inversion
ABOVE that, and another FL at 9, but what the heck good does that do me?
The briefer outright ENCOURAGED me to fly in the clouds - in fact he
encouraged me to get on top and give him a pirep (tops around 5-6). (Of
course I know that matters for nothing but it makes you think!)

Thoughts about that?

This got me to thinking once again about IFR and icing conditions (this
topic hasn't ever been discused in this NG, has it? cough cough). As I
said, my new rule - which is the smart way to do things - is to just
stay out of the clouds below freezing in my very non-known-icing
certified 152. I formerly took the more common position that I'll fly
in cloud as long as there's an out - if I know going lower will get me
out of icing and keep me above MEA. Then, a few weeks ago, I ended up
coming into MWC from JVL with what was supposed to be 3000'+ ft cigs.
Weather (snow) came in early - just a bit early, 1/2 hour, to be fair -
and I ended up in actual almost all the way with no where to go (no ice,
luckily) and doing the VOR 4 with 1600' and 1.

Thinking about the whole thing later on unnerved me as I realized just
how screwed I'd have been if I'd started getting ice enroute. Temps
were right in the zone, around 25-27. There was no way the cigs were
above the MVA (I was direct) or the OROCA for that matter - what to do?
Tops were way up there. Declare and descend to 1000-1500' agl? I
probably would not have been prosecuted, as WX was not forecast, but no
fun would that be in any case!

Thoughts on all this? Other than the obvious?

How I wish we could have a much better idea of where that ice is gonna be.

~Paul
~PP-SEL-IA