To all you Great Lake Folks - I dig your lakes, a lot!

[Mr_Jim]

@Sunspace

What are we Canadians, chopped liver? There is also lake-effect snow from Lake Huron on the southeast shore of Georgian Bay, and the Bruce Peninsula. Ask my relatives on the Bruce–my aunt and cousins were snowed in for two weeks last winter.

I’m from Bruce County as well and I can confirm this!

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

I grew up in a landlocked state and didn’t understand how big these things were. I’d be like, how can there be SHIPWRECKS in a lake? How can there be big waves? It’s a LAKE.

Then I moved here. Impressive indeed.

We were vacationing on the Atlantic Coast once, and the B&B owner was being pushy about us visiting more of the area’s lighthouses. I’m not that much of a lighthouse person, so to get him off our backs, I mentioned we have plenty of lighthouses where we came from. He scoffed at that (like “they don’t really count”), which makes me think he probably thought of the Great Lakes like I used to think of them.

BTW, Muskegon is not in SE Michigan. In SE Michigan, we also drive EASTish to get to a lake. It’s West Michigan where the closest lake is west.

[Dinsdale]

@CrankyAsAnOldMan

BTW, Muskegon is not in SE Michigan. In SE Michigan, we also drive EASTish to get to a lake. It’s West Michigan where the closest lake is west.

Musta been looking at my wrong mitten!

[Joey_P]

@Musicat

Another interesting weather phenomena is what I call “rim clouds” that form in the fall and winter when the lake is warmer than the air. These clouds form just over the lake and dissipate shortly after sunrise. Here are two examples.

It’s a nice place to be.

I remember the first time I really noticed those on my way to work. I wondered when Wisconsin got mountains.
They really look like HUGE mountains when the sun is just right.

[Musicat]

@N9IWP

I happen to know there is a store with an upstairs apartment for sale on the lake side in dowtown Baileys Harbor. You could rent out the downstairs or have some sort of shop down there yourself.

Such an arrangement is common in small towns. I also happen to know of a turnkey carpet installation business with a great cash flow for sale with a similar business/residence configration.

[Musicat]

@CrankyAsAnOldMan

I grew up in a landlocked state and didn’t understand how big these things were. I’d be like, how can there be SHIPWRECKS in a lake? How can there be big waves? It’s a LAKE.

Small comfort for the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[Dinsdale]

@Joey P

I remember the first time I really noticed those on my way to work. I wondered when Wisconsin got mountains.
They really look like HUGE mountains when the sun is just right.

Taking the train into Chicago from the west can give a neat effect some mornings. Looks like the sun is rising over a ridge of snow-white mountains behind the city skyline.

[Labelless]

@ShibbOleth

I’m flying into Chicago on Sunday then driving out to western Michigan for the week. I’ll be working in Benton Harbor and sleeping in Stevensville (sp?). Not sure I’ll even get to see the lake, but I’m hoping at least one night to see a sunset. Any recos for that area?

I’m about 20 mintes from Stevensville, nice place that. Used to work in Benton Harbor as well, driving along Red Arrow Highway will afford you some nice sites, as well as a few nice secluded beaches as well.
Tiscornia Park (80 Ridgeway St., 269-983-6341), which offers swimming, dunes, access to the North Pier, picnic facilities, and restrooms. Tiscornia Park is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. year-round. Non-residents are charged admission on summer weekends.
Glenlord Beach (269-983-6341), located at 3000 W. Glenlord Road in nearby Stevensville, features observation decks for enjoying the fabulous sunsets over Lake Michigan as well as hiking trails, picnic areas, and restrooms. The park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to dusk year-round, and entrance is free.
Jean Klock Park (269-925-6301), situated on Jean Drive in Benton Harbor, offers swimming along the Lake Michigan beachfront, a boardwalk, an observation tower, volleyball courts, concessions, a playground, a picnic shelter, and a bathhouse.
Warren Dunes State Park (12032 Red Arrow Hwy. just south of Bridgman, 269-426-4013) boasts three miles of Lake Michigan beachfront and massive 240-foot dunes. In this 1,950-acre park, travelers staying in a Lake Michigan cottage rental can enjoy swimming, picnicking, wildlife viewing, hiking on six miles of trails, and hang gliding from the dunes. Wintertime visitors can go snowboarding and cross-country skiing. Amenities include picnic facilities, a pavilion, a bathhouse, restrooms, and a concession stand and gift shop that’s open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

And there’s always New Buffalo as well. Hope you enjoy your stay and get a chance to see the lake.