Time on the Lakeshore

Here are some highlights from my time at the lakeshore this fall.

Even after encircling Lake Michigan with my footsteps and recording it in my muscles and bones, the lake continues to captivate me.

Next year I will undertake another 1000-mile hike in the Great Lakes region.

Sand Landscapes

The waves of Lake Michigan constantly pulse or roll or pound the lakeshore, continually grinding stone to sand.



The reach of each wave on the sandy shore leaves a mark of wet-on-dry.

The waves often leave an edge where grains sorted by the motion of the water are left in a line at the crest of each wave before it retreats back into the lake.


The waves repeatedly flow over the land and these minimalistic landscapes are shaped and reshaped on the sand.


Sometimes they are embellished with a rock or feather.





Sometimes it seems there is fog in the distance.

...and sometimes the hills seem to stretch on forever.

Visitors to the Lake House

I am spending some time by the lake...
and have had visitors.








I put up a bird feeder that has been frequented by white-breasted nuthatches and rose finches.












My sons came out to walk the lakeshore with me...









as did Maija, my writer friend.











And, of course, there are always the gulls and waves to converse with.

The Inland Seas

It is on days like today with high winds kicking up Lake Michigan that you can understand why the Great Lakes are called The Inland Seas.




There is such power in these waves.

The Great Lakes contain 90% of the fresh, surface water in America.

My BOGS boots and I took a long walk today in the surf.

Massive Storm Whips Up Lake Michigan

This week one of the largest storms to ever hit the Midwest struck. High, sustained winds whipped up Lake Michigan as the barometric pressure dropped to a point lower than during the storm that sunk the Edmond Fitzgerald lake freighter in 1975.

Gusts from the storm were measured at over 60 mph near the lake. Sustained, westerly winds across Lake Michigan caused waves exceeding 20 feet tall.


This map depicts wave data from Lake Michigan on Wednesday. Orange means waves over 15 feet, red is around 20! All this wind causes a massive 'standing wave' or seiche as the lake water is pushed to the east.

Below is a photo from the roughest day on my Lake Trek. My son and I had sustained winds of 35 mph with gusts over 45.








The lake is a living entity. It can rage or whisper...murmur or scream.

And if it ices over in the winter it is briefly, eerily silent.