Lake Superior Posts

“Wild ice conditions perfect on Lake Superior”

It was wild ice for a minute.

Winter of Discontent: Lake Superior Wild Ice Report 2021-22

The Wildest Wild Ice

This winter I operated as a lake observer from my hillside fortress of solitude. I dug my binoculars out and pegged them by the window to study the lake’s changes. Obsessed with the wildest wild ice — skating the big lake — I track everything to do with Lake Superior freezing. I track wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and preciptiation daily. In summer this helps me predict local water temps and clarity related to underwater video. In winter this relates to skateable ice on the biggest lake in the world.

Nat Harvie and Adelyn Strei Ice-sheet Jam Sesh

The Institute for the Study of Light and Water

The Institute

I am the founder and only member of the Institute for the Study of Light and Water. In truth its membership includes all who live. Data-gathering continues from my top-floor hillside apartment, the observatory. Generous windows on every side provide views of the lake and the sky. I must complete the Institute’s studies.

PDD Headshot Backstory

When joining Perfect Duluth Day’s “Saturday Essay” roster, I was asked for a headshot and I submitted this which accompanies my essays. It is a video still from an old GoPro on a stick. The camera has broken through the water, and my face is about to break the surface. Water depth @ 20-30 feet, off the sand beaches of Park Point. It was late summer and I wanted one more batch of diving photos in my Aquaman colors.

Lake Superior Eats Lesser Bodies of Water for Breakfast

Lake Superior is the biggest lake on Earth. And it’s the best. Want to fight about it?

If you’re like me, sometimes you mention Lake Superior in conversation, and you find yourself saying, “Lake Superior is the biggest lake in the world — by surface area! But if you’re judging by volume, the biggest lake is Lake Baikal!” But screw that. It’s time to take a stand. Now I say, “Lake Superior is the biggest lake in the world and those other janky lakes can suck it.”

What is a Lake?

The issue is nuanced, which triggers me. The definitions we use for lakes are arbitrary. I looked it up on Wikipedia and it just made me angry: “Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean.” Is it not obvious that oceans also lie on land? What is an ocean on, if not land? The ocean is not bottomless. The bottom of the ocean is land — they checked. Another irritating part of the definition is that lakes are “surrounded by land.” Now, don’t tell me oceans are not surrounded by land. There is no difference between oceans and lakes. The definition of a lake as “laying on/surrounded by the land” means oceans are, in fact, lakes.

“Shrinking Winter” — Great Lakes Now episode

Great Lakes Now is a production of Detroit Public Television. Footage of Duluth @11:44-12:00.

Lake Superior Waves

Lake Superior photographer Christian Dalbec shot the scenes in this video on Jan. 5. The waves hitting the cliff are at Tettegouche State Park on Crystal Bay. The surfing shots are from Stoney Point. The surfers are Jake Boyce and Ben Gravy.

Duluth sailboat crash in ship fail video compilation

The sailboat that crashed into the Aerial Lift Bridge on May 16, 2018 has made it into this recent “Ship Crash Compilation” on the YouTube channel “Crashing Zone” (@ the 1-minute mark).

Latest photos from Jupiter’s moon Io, or maybe Duluth’s beaches

Mystery Photo: Drag Racing on Lake Superior

Allouez Bay in Superior was recently the scene of a stock-car racing event, which might have seemed like a newish idea, but … the undated photo above has a handwritten message on the back that reads: “Taken on Lake Superior. Duluth in distance. Thousands on ice at time of races. A new sport. 24 in. of ice at time.”

Seletive Focus: Sea Smoke

Lake Superior sea smoke is all the rage on Instagram.

“The Peace Pipeline” film wins best documentary short

Shot in Duluth, the film won Best Documentary Short at the 2021 North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival.

Great Lakes Now: Resilient Duluth

“Great Lakes Now checks in with Duluth mayor Emily Larson in an update on the improvements being made to the Lake Superior city’s waterfront, which resiliency efforts were featured in a ‘Resilient Duluth’ segment in June.

Lake Superior Aquaman Fashion Week

 

(On the ‘gram @lakesuperioraquaman)