Lake Superior Moon Walk

Yesterday, in the unyooperish heat, I had to go swimming. It was honestly the only thing a person could do comfortably outside. I decided to try a new hole off a north-facing shore.

I have swum in Lake Manganese. It's sandy and weedy. It used to be a marsh, they say. I have swum in Lake Fanny Hooe. It's quite rocky -- jagged rocks that fill the bottom and drop quickly into deep water. I've gone in a couple parts in the Harbor. They have smooth, slick stones on variable depths. I have also gone in other places right into Lake Superior. Bete Gris, Great Sand Bay and Keystone Bay all gradually submerge a body on a sandy shore.

But where I want yesterday was like the moon.

I shouldn't lead you on to think that I have actually been on the moon. I have not. I have seen pictures of the surface and watched video clips of how an astronaut bounces from one foot to the next over that uneven surface. That is exactly how the lake floor was.

If I didn't look down while walking, I could stub a toe, bang a knee or fall in above my head without warning. And with the buoyancy effect in the water, the result was quite moonlike.

At one point (and this is my favorite) I was treading along, looking down. What did I see? A huge boulder in my path. Huge! If I hadn't been looking, I would have slammed my whole body into it. Instead, I was able to approach it at a good angle, and climb onto it. With my shins and the rest of me above the water, I stood up in the middle of the lake and yelled to Duce, "Come on in, chicken! I can touch here!" But he wasn't having any of it. He rolled in the rocks instead.

Then I just swam around in the glorious sunshine. (The sun was only glorious because I was engulfed in cool water.) Oh, I didn't want it to end. I saw quartz veins run below me. And I watched the landscape change with every foot. It was one small step for this girl, but a giant leap for my sanity.

And a note on today, I saw two pileated woodpeckers pecking together in the same tree. I have never seen two together before. Here is a picture for you. Yes, I actually took a picture! You can see them on each side of the tree. The one on the right is showing its red mohawk.

Bird Food

In 2010 I've tipped out of a kayak into Lake Superior. I've rinsed my hair on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. I've ran through the waves of Great Sand Bay of Lake Superior to get Duce's flippy flopper (because he wouldn't). But I haven't actually swam in it before today. I'd guess the water temp is about 50 degrees F right now. That's just a body temp guess.

I normally will never go into her frigid waters unless I am hot and sweaty -- usually after a bike ride. Today, however, I went on a run, so I could jump into her majesty and splash around for a bit.

I'd better warn you that I am not a swimmer. I'm a flailer and a panter. But during a warm moonlight swim with Rachel one night, she gave me some pointers about how to keep my head above water. Literally.

This morning I ran to the lighthouse and ate lots of berries along the way. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Now that's the kind of run I like! The sun was beating, but the air wasn't too muggy. The run gave me the sweat I needed to make the Lake look appealing.

I kicked off my running shoes and ran into her shallow waves. Shrilling a few eeks, I made it thigh high -- the perfect height to belly flop in. It was chilly at first, but, as they say, I got used to it. And I actually swam around with the whitecaps plundering my head. It was no peaceful blue lagoon, but the rollers kept me entertained.

As my head bobbed with the waves, someone in the sky took note of my vulnerability. An eagle came sailing toward me. Oh, man! I thought. It wants to eat me! So I doggy paddled to where I could touch the sand and waved my arms to show that massive raptor that I was pretty big too. It flew away, and as it did, I watched a couple seagulls diving at it. Birds are funny sometimes.

That incident reminded me of Friday, when I was laying on the dock studying flowers and berries. Just laying in the warm, peaceful sun. I saw shadows around me and looked up to see seven turkey vultures circling around me! I threw out my arms, kicked my legs and shouted, "I'm not a carcass! Leave me alone!" After a while, they did.

Whew. Have you ever had that feeling that you were going to be eaten by a flock of birds? It's scarier than I would have thought. Guess I just have to show them who's at the top of the food chain.