I much more prefer seeing ice on these cave walls than on the roads I have been driving on. The ice formations on the caves of the south shore of Lake Superior are various colors including clear ice several inches thick.
And some of the cave tunnels reminded me of the Olympic luge track except I didn’t have a sled so in some of the tunnels, I just had to sit on my butt to slide out, but the caves were memorable to see.
Icy Tunnels
The two common events of this winter seems to be cloudy and snowy or sunny and frigid. And I don’t know which is the greater evil since one means messy roads and lots of shoveling and the other means high energy bills and frozen pipes. It might be pretty to some but I’m ready to see some pretty spring flowers.
The cold sun is shining above Norton Lutheran Church between Wheeler and Colfax, Wisconsin, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in September 2011.
Norton Lutheran Church
I think these trees are as weary as I am with this winter. Laden down with heavy snow once again, these poor limbs might never reach towards the sky again.
Snow Laden Limbs
These hanging ice stalactites almost looked like the snow that has coming down overnight and hard to see anything but white.
Ice Stalactites
I don’t think this ‘Ruby’ will be taking her love to town, and I don’t think she will make it out to sea either with the lake frozen. And with a foot of snow coming, she will be buried a little more in her resting place.
Ruby
Massive ice columns can be found on south shore of Lake Superior and inside this column was running water. Although the ice had the flowing water hidden, it could be heard. And that wasn’t such a good thing listening to flowing water in the cold temperature since it was several miles back to a port-a-potty!
Flowing Column
With more snow on Monday, I think this tractor should get off the back of the truck and get a blade or bucket so it can clear a path for the truck. But maybe the tractor has the right ideal; just give up on clearing snow and stay as far away from the snow as possible since the snow will just fall again and it is pointless to try to move it.
Smart Old Tractor
This rock reminded me of the upper jaw of an alligator, waiting to clamp down on me with its sharp teeth. And winter is chomping down again with more snowfall today so it is a good thing some people have off from work for the Presidents’ Day holiday. Although it will be more work for those who have to remove the snow one more time.
Icy Alligator
On Oct. 1, 1665, Jesuit Father Claude Allouez and Father Jacques Marquette arrived on Chequamegon Bay, La Pointe, and established the mission of the Holy Spirit. This was the first Catholic church/chapel anywhere on the North American continent north of New Mexico and west of Lake Huron.
On July 17, 1835, Fr. Frederic Baraga, the famed “snowshoe priest”, came to La Pointe on Madeline Island and re-established the Catholic mission, at the site of the La Pointe Indian Cemetery. Although the mission building is no longer extant, the old cemetery that remains is the burial place of Chief Buffalo, an important Chippewa leader.
With a congregation dating back to 1838, it is the oldest continuous Catholic parish in Wisconsin. The first St. Joseph church was built of logs and burned down in 1901 and the current church was rebuilt in 1902.
St. Joseph’s Church on Madeline Island
Mother Nature is putting on a magnificent show this year so thousands are flocking to the ice caves on Lake Superior near Cornucopia, Wisconsin because it the first time since 2009 that the ice was thick enough to walk on to visit the sea caves. There was quite the crowd yesterday and while not the traditional Valentine’s Day gift, for the couples that visited the caves, mother nature probably made an impression on their soul. And there were a few caves that sort of resembled a heart to walk through for a close up view of the ice formations.
Heart Ice
