Another Beach Fire Picnic

Warm temperatures (upper 30s) and sunshine convinced friends and I to have another beach fire dinner last night.  We had brats again (they are easy to cook) as well as potatoes, broccoli with almonds and blue cheese, and carrots with pecans.

While we were gathering wood, an eagle flew by....

We spotted two people out on the ice.  This is not a safe thing to do.

The steps are waiting for tourists.

We can drive to Sable Falls

For the first time this year it is possible to drive into the Sable Falls parking lot (from south H58, not from town).  Lois Fite found this out from one of their customers, so of course we had to do so.  It was gray and foggy, but Lois and I had a great hike into the Grand Sable Dunes.

First, I was going to go down the Sable Falls steps to check out the water flow, but I didn't feel like dealing with ice on the steps.

So we headed over the foot bridge, located up river from the falls, and went up into the dunes.

Go Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA tournament!

First Lake Superior Beach Fire of the Year

Yesterday the wind died down and temperatures were near 40, so the sunshine convinced Jamey and Lois Fite and I to head down to the beach for our first picnic fire of the year.  There is so much wood on the beach, along with erosion, that there are sections of the beach that make it difficult if not impossible to walk along the shoreline. 

Lois declares this section of the beach to be ours for the evening!

 

The shore ice piled up with the last storm so you cannot see the lake now (in most places) while walking the shoreline.

Outer harbor lighthouse peaking up over the shore ice....

 

A man with his dog....

Sunset with cool feathery clouds....

Cooking brats...

Some of the driftwood was still covered with ice...

Beans....

Potatoes with red pepper and onion...

Dinner....

Lake Superior Beach HIke

Yesterday I hiked on the beach with Lois Fite.  It was sunny in Grand Marais, but as you can see in some of the photos -- it was snowing to the west and northwest.  The photos also document all the ice volcanoes that formed in the last storm, which featured 60 mph winds.  There is a considerable amount of driftwood on the beaches that will make the tourists camping in Woodland Park happy.

BOOK UPDATE:
I approved the proofs last week so my new book, Rocks Through Time, Book One: Geologic Stories of Nine Stones, is going through the printing process.  I expect to have the printed books back by May.  If you are interested in placing an advance order, please go to:

http://www.agatelady.com/gift-shop.html