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Beautiful Lake Erie
Topic Started: Jul 13 2010, 08:58 AM (355 Views)
New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
OK, so don't get me wrong, I like huge fresh-water lakes, having grown up on the Western shores of Lake Michigan.

So, last Sunday, we decided to go to the beach - nice day. Not a holliday, so wouldn't be crowded. So we drove the short drive to Sterling State Park on the shores of Lake Erie in Michigan, just outside of Monroe, MI, birthplace, it seems, of General Custer.

OK, so we get into the sparsely filled parking lot, leash up the dog, and walk the short distance to the sandy beach. We look around and take in the scenic view - to the North is the Detroit Edison Nuclear Power Plant, with it's broad, glimmering cooling stacks, and to the South, equidistant away, is the Detroit Edison Coal Fired Electrical Station with its tall, narrow stacks lustally breathing out white plumes of low-sulpher smoke. The beach itself is a fairly narrow strip of sand running along the Western shores of the Lake for about 1,000 yards, perhaps fifty miles south of where the Detroit River drains the upper lakes into Erie.

To my surprise, the water was relatively clean (for those of you not familiar with large fresh-water lakes, the water is really never clear) - I would say you could see the bottom of the lake down to a depth of about 8 inches, which is pretty good in mid-summer. We took a stroll toward the North (fewer people in that direction) along the shore, me and Max (the dog) getting our feet wet in the gentle waves, Don on the shore above the water level, and couldn't help but notice all these little things that looked like toe nail clippings. Upon further examination, we deturmined them to be crushed mussel shells of some sort, a whole bunch of crushed mussel shells. I recalled reading about the Zebra Mussels that have invaded the lakes, and figured, well, this is probably one of the results, since I have never seen anything like it before. Later, we actually started finding whole mussel shells, and their color confirmed this is what we were seeing.

We also stumbled, several times, upon dead catfish. Most were either floating right off-shore, or washed up on the beach, all of them with their bellies, well, missing. Either something was munching on them, or they were just exploding from the inside out like someone from the movie, "Alien". That is when the dog and I both STOPPED walking in the water, and went back to the beach.

So, since no one, including the dog, wanted to go for a swim (though to the South of us, there were maybe a dozen people in the water splashing around) we slowly strolled back to the car, past the two bearish men, each well over 250lbs, sharing a blanket and slathering each other with sunscreen; past the family where the three women sat on their blankets in Burkas, covered from head to toe in black; past the hispanic family preparing their cookout; past the two Billy Jean King look-a-likes playing vollyball in the sand.

Next week - an adventure to Bay City, and the shores of Lake Huron!
Edited by New Harumf, Jul 13 2010, 09:01 AM.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Been to "real" beaches. Don't like being in the water where there are things that can eat me, poison me, sting me, or in any way cause me concern or surprise. I will leave that to you fruits and nuts in Cali!
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Atticus
Jul 13 2010, 11:11 AM
Its well worth the pain. Besides, the chances of any of that happening to you is very slim. The only real danger you'll face is if you stumble across some Mexicans trying to sail over to California on a raft made of coke bottles.
"KHAN!"
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Al Araam
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I like beaches on freshwater lakes. It's always a nice change since the ocean here stays about 44 degrees year round. Also, you don't have to deal with the salt.
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Nag Ehgoeg
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New Harumf
Jul 13 2010, 11:15 AM
Atticus
Jul 13 2010, 11:11 AM
Its well worth the pain. Besides, the chances of any of that happening to you is very slim. The only real danger you'll face is if you stumble across some Mexicans trying to sail over to California on a raft made of coke bottles.
"KHAN!"
My EXACT reaction.

:huh:
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Hastine
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Universi enim hic sumus.
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Ocean beaches are nice (I've been to them twice; one afternoon in Delaware, and for a week in the Dominican Republic), but lake beaches are a good alternative, especially if you can find a shallow one with little pollution. Case in point; Wasaga Beach in Ontario on Georgian Bay (Lake Huron), perhaps one of the most popular beach in Ontario and the longest freshwater beach in the world. The water is clean, easy to see through, shallow, and most of all, nice and warm, which is great even on a hot day. I rank it higher than any of the ocean beaches that I've been to.

The beaches in Toronto though are pretty shitty and often toxic. Although yesterday they were saying that some of them had gotten blue flags...
Edited by Hastine, Jul 13 2010, 02:39 PM.
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flumes
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CLEVELAND ROCKS!
The Great Lakes are an odd thing... Without calling them oceans (they obviously aren't even close to ocean's enormity), they are most definitely vastly different from any other freshwater lake because of just how big they are. Just look at the famous Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck on Superior... A ship nearby was hit by multiple waves more than 35 feet high during that storm! 35 foot waves in a lake!!

Anyway... Yeah... Just remember our river that caught on fire flows in Erie..... :lol: Plus 3 of the other Great Lakes too... I wouldn't swim in that for any less then $20 dollars. The beaches themselves are pretty nice though.

Northern Michigan (Great Bear Dunes) are very nice though, and the UP is beautiful beyond belief. Picture Rocks National Lakeshore is amazing, and Superior is much bigger then Erie so all the mining hasn't done anything to the water. And the water is BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely beautiful, this water is very clear for a lake... That gets back to what Iwas saying about being unable to compare these lakes to any others...

Posted Image
Posted Image

Superior is a bit too cold for my liking in the middle of summer, but it's bearable. Especially when you consider the lack of crowds and beauty of the beaches.
Edited by flumes, Jul 13 2010, 03:24 PM.
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Telosan
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New Harumf
Jul 13 2010, 11:05 AM
Been to "real" beaches. Don't like being in the water where there are things that can eat me, poison me, sting me, or in any way cause me concern or surprise. I will leave that to you fruits and nuts in Cali!
There has to be poisonous things in the lakes. Well, at least we don't have anything that causes catfish to have their stomachs explode.

I don't like being in water that I can't see my feet. If I can't see my feet, and anything else in the water can, then I'm not going to be a happy person when my feet are gone. Whenever I go to the beach, I usually sit on a a chair and read. Besides, I prefer sailing* to swimming anyway.

*Actual sailing, not cheating by using boats with engines that get you up to 40 knots or something.
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Telosan
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I can top that. Just give me a day to get around to taking a picture or two.
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Telosan
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Got pictures. Sorry, their poor quality. I took them with my phone and it's cloudy today. Thanks, though. I really enjoyed walking up to the lighthouse again. I hadn't been there in years.

Spoiler: click to toggle

Spoiler: click to toggle

You can see New York City just out on the horizon on the top left. In the middle ground of the picture you can see my town pretty well. It's usually better than this, but it's cloudy today, so you'll have to live with this. I wasn't about to get up at sunrise to take a pretty picture that could've come right out of a travel brochure.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Telosan
Jul 14 2010, 12:02 PM
Got pictures. Sorry, their poor quality. I took them with my phone and it's cloudy today. Thanks, though. I really enjoyed walking up to the lighthouse again. I hadn't been there in years.

Spoiler: click to toggle

Spoiler: click to toggle

You can see New York City just out on the horizon on the top left. In the middle ground of the picture you can see my town pretty well. It's usually better than this, but it's cloudy today, so you'll have to live with this. I wasn't about to get up at sunrise to take a pretty picture that could've come right out of a travel brochure.
Images do not display. Is this some sort of Jersey trick?
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
New Harumf
Jul 14 2010, 12:29 PM
Telosan
Jul 14 2010, 12:02 PM
Got pictures. Sorry, their poor quality. I took them with my phone and it's cloudy today. Thanks, though. I really enjoyed walking up to the lighthouse again. I hadn't been there in years.

Spoiler: click to toggle

Spoiler: click to toggle

You can see New York City just out on the horizon on the top left. In the middle ground of the picture you can see my town pretty well. It's usually better than this, but it's cloudy today, so you'll have to live with this. I wasn't about to get up at sunrise to take a pretty picture that could've come right out of a travel brochure.
Images do not display. Is this some sort of Jersey trick?
Don't know why it's not working. Let me try again.

Spoiler: click to toggle


Spoiler: click to toggle
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Telosan
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It'd look better on a not-rainy day! It started to pour on me as I made my way back down the hill from the lighthouse.
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Telosan
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Atticus
Jul 14 2010, 07:07 PM
Telosan
Jul 14 2010, 07:04 PM
It'd look better on a not-rainy day! It started to pour on me as I made my way back down the hill from the lighthouse.
Rain? What is rain?

Whatever that is, we don't get that here.
Right, you're in a coastal desert or something.

The Jersey Shore is a tropical paradise! Unfortunately, that means we get lots of rain, but it's beautiful most of the time.

The spot those pictures were taken in was the exact spot I stood at on 9/11 when I watched the smoke rise from New York across the stretch of ocean. School let out early and I wanted to see the massive fire everyone was talking about with planes crashing and such. I watched the ferry come back from New York with the first boatload of people that lived in New Jersey and were running home. The ferry docks at that pier in the center of the shot, right by my grandma's house.

I don't remember if that was the last time I was up there or not. I think I was there once or twice since.
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Menhad
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ET2(IDW)
If we are talking about bodies of water, Florida wins hands down.

The Gulf is warm (Although a bit oily).
The Atlantic is cooler.
Lots of lakes, warm, cool, large, small.

And the icing on the cake. Springs. All over the place in North Florida

Perfect 72 degrees. Crystal clear, and fresher than any bottled water.

Blue Springs a local one


further north
Edited by Menhad, Jul 14 2010, 09:59 PM.
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Aelius
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T.O.
Jul 14 2010, 09:58 PM
If we are talking about bodies of water, Florida wins hands down.

The Gulf is warm (Although a bit oily).
The Atlantic is cooler.
Lots of lakes, warm, cool, large, small.

And the icing on the cake. Springs. All over the place in North Florida

Perfect 72 degrees. Crystal clear, and fresher than any bottled water.

Blue Springs a local one


further north
I miss Florida.
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Deleted User
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T.O.
Jul 14 2010, 09:58 PM
If we are talking about bodies of water, Florida wins hands down.

The Gulf is warm (Although a bit oily).
The Atlantic is cooler.
Lots of lakes, warm, cool, large, small.

And the icing on the cake. Springs. All over the place in North Florida

Perfect 72 degrees. Crystal clear, and fresher than any bottled water.

Blue Springs a local one


further north
I wont argue with that.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
T.O.
Jul 14 2010, 09:58 PM
If we are talking about bodies of water, Florida wins hands down.

The Gulf is warm (Although a bit oily).
The Atlantic is cooler.
Lots of lakes, warm, cool, large, small.

And the icing on the cake. Springs. All over the place in North Florida

Perfect 72 degrees. Crystal clear, and fresher than any bottled water.

Blue Springs a local one


further north
. . . and critters that can eat, or poison you in those fresh water lakes and such! No thanks. I'll take the Geat Lakes any day.

Att - I was in S.D. in January, beautiful weather, but the water was a bit, well, cool.

Telo - I worked for a company who's U.S. headquarters was rith where the first PATH (is that right) Station from the Trade Center going under the Hudson is located, right on the river in Jersey City. When the tower came down, they set up a video conference from their 25th floor conference room so we could watch back in Chicago. Had to be a pretty scary thing to watch at 7, 8 years old! it was scary for us adults!
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flumes
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CLEVELAND ROCKS!
Florida doesn't win... Because Lake Erie doesn't produce hurricanes. *shrugs* I'll take fluffy white stuff over floods and killer winds any day.

Edit
Point B. Lakes up here don't have Alligators that eat people. ^^
Edited by flumes, Jul 15 2010, 02:27 PM.
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Draxis
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Captain
Florida does not win due to the Gulf of Mexico's current status.
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Al Araam
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Draxis
Jul 15 2010, 05:46 PM
Florida does not win due to the Gulf of Mexico's current status.
The man has a point.
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