It’s startling to see such big changes in the height of the Great Lakes in such a short period of time. That’s a lot of water.
Took the pic below last night. You can see the erosion eating into the sand dunes. There was about 50 feet of beach in front of those dunes last year.
Lately we don’t even hope for a day without rain, we are happy for a day without severe weather. Today was pretty nice with only a little rain (so far). Weather folks said we might get some hail but it would be small. Had 60 mph wind gusts two days ago. Not long ago the forecast was “breezy” with gusts to 45 mph. Might get some severe weather tonight and maybe tomorrow night. Maybe it will thin out the tourists this weekend.
High water means you can paddle those low/narrow back channels that become portages in dry years. It also means that many flat shoreline camp sites are under water or soggy.
Inland lakes are very high as well. When I purchased my property there were two houses on the lot: the one I live in above the lake and a waterfront cinder block home. The farmer who built both (before zoning) used to rent them. Found an old photo which shows the rental house before I had it removed, leaving nothing but the concrete slab it was built upon. A few truckloads of sand on top of the slab gave me the best beach on the lake.
The lake level has cycled up and down. Nature’s dance. In 2014 it was so low, the ski boats left contrails of muck when they came in closer to shore and the summer (city) people wanted to figure a way to pump water into the lake (!). That said, this year’s level is record setting.
This spring most of my beach sand is in the lake as the water now covers the entire area where that house stood. Not having my dock installed because there’s no place to put it other than over the concrete, which is silly. I can paddle my kayak over the slab so I’ll just set up a stand on the little patch of level ground available and keep it there. If the water comes up any higher, the bottom of my stairs down the bluff will be in water. I’m thankful my home is 52 steps, plus some lawn, above the beach.
As to Lake Michigan, there’s concern about the Piping Plover, an endangered species, There are only 68 nesting pairs left. Some nest along the beach in the Cross Village area of northern Lake Michigan and some areas of the beach have been diminished not only by the water level, but by storms when the ice began to break up. When we walked the beach a couple weeks ago, there were sections where the sand had been pushed up over bluffs, leaving nothing but rocks along the shore.
I am looking forward to seeing how Sturgeon Bay and the beaches along Wilderness State Park have changed. Maybe Sunday, as it’s supposed to be 65F and sunny.
A number of years ago my daughter taught some USFW researchers that work with Piping Plovers how to take blood samples from small birds. I believe it had to due with West Nile virus. Hope they manage to nest this year.
Our Lake Pend Oreille is drawn down by ~10 feet each winter season, so we always have beaches disappearing and reappearing. Our Idaho lake is not nearly as large as Lake Michigan, but it is deeper
rsevenic - that is a bee-you-tee-full lake! My in-laws had a house on Lake Keowee in SC and they had plenty of variation in water levels. My parents had a house a couple blocks from Lake Michigan north of Chicago and during my whole childhood I don’t remember much fluctuation at all in water levels. As Rookie mentioned Lake Michigan was quite low (around 11 feet below normal if I remember) in 2013/2014 so it seemed like it would take a century to get back to normal…but nope.
Rookie - our house is on a small bluff above the St Joseph River flood plain and for sure we will never buy anything even close to water level. As an engineer I’m leaning towards a hemispherical house made of reinforced concrete on high ground. I’m looking forward to getting onto some of the small inland lakes I used to paddle in the Pinckney and Waterloo recreation areas outside of Ann Arbor, as soon as there is a 1 or 2 day window without rain in the forecast.
Sparky - no problem for me to adjust and adapt and same for nature too I assume. I enjoy the high water levels and had an awesome paddle today where I could paddle on the river or better yet among the trees.
We had a house many years ago in the western basin of Lake Erie, complete with break walls etc. Amazing how quickly in the spring an easterly wind could push the water in. Got to be a tad scary a couple of times when the waves were cresting the wall. Never got flooded tho.
TomL-- I would love to paddle an area as your picture. Have a couple of rivers we are going try, although we have to drive 1/2 hour or so to get there. We tend to do whatever the mood suggests and usually driving for any distance more than a couple of miles we find to be a buzz-kill
You’ve been having a lot of rain this year. We’ve been having some dry. Here is today’s picture at the lake from … 3’ of water…well it should be. During Irma the dock was 2-3 ft underwater. Now the end is 50 ft from damp mud.
They dew it down to remove downed trees in the “canal” . Then the dry season started. I think I like your problem better
Well Yooper it sounds like you have lots of paddling options. That’s a good thing. If you’re ever in the area I’d be happy to go paddling with you. I can even lend you a solo…or blow the dust off the tandem.
That’s a great offer castoff. Thank you! I may take you up on it. Your swamp looks dreamy to me.
Have to agree with you overstreet, more water is better unless it’s coming into your house. Your dock may be dry but hey, you have a dock. Hope you can use it soon.
Fortunately the higher water levels in Lake Michigan don’t seem to be affecting the sunsets. Drove over to the bluff to take a few pics tonight.
To ‘Rookie’… is there anything left of Waugoshance Point? Used to winter camp there. Bet Tawas Beach area north of Tawas is underwater. Cottages on Lake Huron in that area are probably flooded. More rain forecasted… With the high volume of Great Lake basin melt water and rainfall, Lake St. Claire is very high.
Tom, Lake Keowee varies less than our other lakes because it has a nuclear power station on it.
This winter we had what felt like non-stop rain and all the lakes were at Max pool but it isn’t unusual for them to be down 20’ in dry years.
@S. Mitten said:
To ‘Rookie’… is there anything left of Waugoshance Point? Used to winter camp there. Bet Tawas Beach area north of Tawas is underwater. Cottages on Lake Huron in that area are probably flooded. More rain forecasted… With the high volume of Great Lake basin melt water and rainfall, Lake St. Claire is very high.
Haven’t been there yet. Weather here has been abysmal this spring; way above average rainfall and way below air temp (nearly two inches of rain in last 24 hours and more rain this weekend). Had one rainless day on Tuesday, so I paddled out of Harbor Springs heading north. There’s still beachfront there. Cross Village is another story. Most of the beach there is gone as is the beach at my launch spot in Wilderness State Park. At least it’s a much shorter trip to get the boat to the water.
Monday looks promising for Sturgeon Bay, but waiting for the marine forecast. Last summer I spent a fun afternoon exploring Goose Bay. Am guessing things will look quite different.
Haven’t paddled Huron in the past few years, but guessing you’re right about some of the old cottages being flooded.
Have the waves off Lake St. Clair overrun Lakeshore Drive during storms? One of my most vivid memories is driving along the lake at the height of the mayfly season. Ugh.
Today we have gale warnings on Lake Michigan around the Michigan/Indiana border with wind gusts to 40 knots, waves 8 to 11 feet and occasionally 14 feet, rip currents, beachfront flooding and beach erosion predicted. The weather person called it “breezy”. :#
Yeah, Rookie, Lake Shore Drive was ready to flood over two weeks ago, so it could be by now. Rained all day today, and more rain coming… I’m selling my kayak, and building an ark, lol.
@string said:
Tom, Lake Keowee varies less than our other lakes because it has a nuclear power station on it.
This winter we had what felt like non-stop rain and all the lakes were at Max pool but it isn’t unusual for them to be down 20’ in dry years.
I forgot about Duke Power. Up here we’d be happy to see the Great Lakes drop 10 feet and I’m starting to forget what the rivers are supposed to look like.
@S. Mitten said:
To ‘Rookie’… is there anything left of Waugoshance Point? Used to winter camp there. Bet Tawas Beach area north of Tawas is underwater. Cottages on Lake Huron in that area are probably flooded. More rain forecasted… With the high volume of Great Lake basin melt water and rainfall, Lake St. Claire is very high.
I was out there this Friday. I don’t have a background for before but the point & island are still there. The point that we passed by are cordoned off to protect the Piping Plover. We passed a researcher (sitting just outside of the fence) on our way back who said that at least on nest was in the area.
Wind was out of the S - SW so we were in pretty calm conditions except for crossing the Big Cut. We could see the front coming when we got to the point on Temperance & so turned around & scurried back.
@S. Mitten
Was a spectacular day to paddle Sturgeon Bay today, except for the attack of the midges. In my face, eyes, ears, nose - covered my PFD and drysuit. Called off my exploration and headed into every light gust I could find before calling uncle. No place to hide out there. Head net shopping tomorrow.
Nothing looks different from a distance.
@string said:
I don’t know if our sand gnats are midges but they are horrid little beasties.
Sand gnats are tiny blood suckers.
The midge hatch here are like tiny black skeeters but they don’t bite; just try to cover your face and attach to you. I don’t care if they want to come for a ride, but I don’t want midges for lunch. Or in my ears or nose. The bad beasties are black flies, which were present on shore. I had sprayed my hat with Deet and also slathered bug repellent on my face. Don’t think they can bite through my drysuit. Plan to try again later in the week, but this time wearing a head net.
