lake effect

Here is the 680-foot long John J. Boland leaving Two Harbors for the last time this shipping season. I have requests asking to see photos of the McCarthy. I did shoot photos of the ship but it is very difficult to tell that that the stern is sitting on the bottom. For those of you who have not heard, the 1000-foot Walter J. McCarthy hit an underwater object while maneuvering in to its winter berth at Hallett Dock #8 in Superior. The collision caused a leak in the stern of the vessel which flooded the engine room causing the stern to sit on the bottom of the slip. Many people outside of the Twin Ports think that this huge ship sunk in the harbor. This is not true. This ship normally draws 18 feet of water when empty and under ballast. The slip is about 20 feet deep. It is sitting on the bottom of the slip but it is only 2-3 feet deeper than normal, therefore it is difficult to tell that there is any problem by just looking at the ship sitting in the slip.

At sunset this ice pillar appeared in the west sky at Lighthouse Point. To me this means our January thaw is now over and we are headed back to the frigid temperatures that we are famous for. The thaw was nice. It gives me hope and a reminder that the warm and long days of summer are now closer than I think. In the meantime I will remember to throw on an extra layer and pull the blankets up high.

There is an area of Lighthouse Point in Two Harbors where some people decided it was acceptable to tear around as fast as they can on their snowmobiles despite the signs that say no unauthorized motor vehicles in park. The area is all turned over and compacted from the snowmobiles. The sounds of the lake meeting the land in this normally tranquil area are interrupted by the piercing sounds of revving high performance two-cycle engines. The fresh smell of Lake Superior is overcome by an odor of rich oily exhaust.  Before the snow it was a favorite feeding spot for the white-tailed deer. Since then I have not seen a deer in the area. I am surprised that I was able to find this undisturbed piece in such chaos. I wonder what else would be here if the snowmobiles and their owners decided to play by the rules.

I made this photo from one of the higher areas of Lighthouse Point. I feel that the snow and ice is a blanket that allows certain areas of our planet to rest. This is one of those little areas. Currently it is simply too hazardous to trek down there with no reason. I am thrilled by the fact that there is no evidence of human traffic in this area since the snow and ice came. I hope this area sleeps well this winter.

After all of the cold weather we have had in the past few weeks I am surprised to see that Lake Superior is still open with very little ice cover. There are plenty of other telltale signs of the frigid weather on the shore of the lake. This shrub entombed in ice glowing in the late day sun made me wonder if all that ice hurts the plant or does it act like a protective layer? I guess I will have to wait until spring to find out.

This ice formation was hanging on one of the cables that forms the hand rail on the Two Harbors breakwall. The waves that were created by the last storm coated the wire with this beard of ice. It was lightly snowing when I walked out to the formation which was about 100 feet out on the wall. It was a rather treacherous walk, actually shuffle, out to where I made the photo. The same ice that coated the cable also coated the top of the wall. That coupled with the light snow made it very slick. I am bummed because my days of walking out to the lighthouse at the end of the wall are over until it warms up.