After some rain showers this morning, the sun came out this afternoon and the butterflies and insects where visiting various blossoms.
Sunshine on Daylilies
Picture of the Day for August 8, 2020
Created during the retreat of glacial ice, Lake Superior is a geological newcomer at about 10,00 years old. But the average drop of water entering the lake remains for 191 years, which is the longest retention time of the Great Lakes. The other Great Lakes are less than a hundred years with Lake Erie at only 2.6 years and Lake St. Claire averages only 7 days.
Sunrise on Old Water
Picture of the Day for August 7, 2020
The average depth of Lake Superior is 483 feet with the maximum depth of 1,333 feet. And while the surface temperature during the summer may be warm enough for a refreshing swim, the average temperature is forty degrees. Seiches, which mask Lake Superior’s tiny tide, are caused by wind or pressure piling water to one side and when the wind or pressure change stops pushing, the water returns and the water sloshes back and forth until it is level again. The seiches can change shore water levels by more than 3 feet.
Lots of Chilly Water
Picture of the Day for August 6, 2020
Lake Superior has more than 200 rivers flowing into it and its watershed ranges from 160 miles inland near the Lake Nipigon area of Ontario to only 5 miles inland by the Pictured Rocks National Seashore in Michigan. And one river in that narrow watershed area is Spray Creek and it plunges over the cliffs at Pictured Rocks and lands directly into Lake Superior seventy feet below.
Spray Falls
Picture of the Day for August 5, 2020
In addition to the miles of shoreline around the edge of Lake Superior, one report lists 2,591 islands and additional 1,533 miles of island coastline. One of those islands is Hermit Island, named after a hermit who lived on the island in the 1840s until his apparent murder in 1861. The island was home to a number of brownstone quarries from 1860s until the 1890s. This rock formation on the shore of Hermit Island was an arch at one time before it collapsed.
Arch No More
Picture of the Day for August 4, 2020
While only the third largest freshwater lake by volume, Lake Superior is the largest by surface area. The volume of water is impressive though at roughly three quadrillion gallons (which is enough water to cover both North and South America in one foot of water).
Lots of Water
Picture of the Day for August 3, 2020
I have been along parts of Lake Superior shoreline but have not traveled all its 1,826 miles. The surface area is about the size of the state of Maine as it is 350 miles long and has a breadth of 160 miles so there is a lot to explore.
Lake Superior Shoreline
Picture of the Day for August 2, 2020
Clouds over Lake Superior can add some different colors in the sky as the sun dips below the horizon. The summer sun sets more than 35 minutes later on the western shore compared to the southeastern edge.
Superior Sunday Sunset
Picture of the Day for August 1, 2020
Most large bodies of water have a mythological creature roaming its depths. One such being in Lake Superior is Mishipeshu, the Ojibwa name which translates to “the Great Lynx”. It has the head and paws of a giant cat but is covered in scales and has dagger-like spikes running along its back and tail. Maybe its head looks like this piece of driftwood.
Driftwood Monster
Picture of the Day for July 31, 2020
On July 31, 1910, the the beacon of Split Rock Lighthouse was first lit. The lighthouse was built in response to the loss of ships due to the Mataafa Storm of 1905 on Lake Superior. There were no roads in the area so all materials and building supplies came by boats and had to be lifted to the top of the 133 foot cliff.
Lighting the Beacon
