Studying the Shallows

The swimming has been excellent the past few weeks. Ther water warmed up once again to the high 60s in Copper Harbor in August. Even on open Lake Superior, the water has been very, very nice. I went swimming a few times with my boys and my wife Marsha, both in the Harbor and on the open Lake. This is a shot of Andrew, my 11 year old, looking for agates and other pretty stones in the waters along ther Hunters Point shoreline, which is the newly protected park on the north side of Copper Harbor, a favorite beach for many down the years. This vast Lake stretches about 90 miles in the direction I am facing as I took this shot, about north-northeast.

The Queen and the Light

There have been a lot of great Sunset Cruises on the Isle Royale Queen IV lately in Copper Harbor. The Kilpela family, of course, runs the Queen IV, and we run the Sunset Cruise, for the past 35 years. This is a shot of the Queen turning out into the Big Lake as she passes the Copper Harbor Lighthouse on Hays Point at the east end of Copper Harbor. It was my brother Captain John Kilpela who was master on board that night, and I believe my daughter Miranda was on there, too. The weather has been great for all water activities in the harbor for the past four or five weeks. Just one great day after another. The goodness of the weather actually starts to pall -- in a way. We need rain badly. Every front comes through dry.

Wading in Copper Harbor

My son Drew and I canoed down to the bay in Fort Wilkins State Park where Fanny Hooe Creek outlets into Copper Harbor one night a couple weeks ago. Here's a shot of Drew looking for rocks and objects in the water on that very nice summer evening. The harbor water was still somewhat cool that evening, but now it has warmed up considerably, and we're swimming frequently in the harbor, as we do at this time of year every summer.

Eagle River Beach

My goodness, have things been hot everywhere in the Midwest, even way up here in Copper Harbor. We might have the coollest weather around these parts, but it's still been far above average. But it's not so unusual, really. We have a spell of heat every year. It just doesn't get quite as hot as anywhere else and the heat doesn't last quite as long. I think we have the best weather in North America right here in the Keweenaw most years. I follow these things, and I can't think of a better place for continual pleasant weather in the main summer period. Lots of people mistakenly think Lake Superior never warms up enough to be swimmable, but such is far from the case. In late July and throughout August, we swim all around the Peninsula, in Copper Harbor, even on the open Lake -- and even out at usually colder Isle Royale. Here's a shot of the boys, Logan and Drew, trying to stop up a creek entering the lake at Eagle River. The lake was a little cool this day, about 10 days ago, but still very swimmable. Superior has gotten even warmer since.