Lake Superior

[c'dale600dsc]

Lake superior is well frozen. It is tempting to bike the lake and see how far I can go. I'm sure studded tire is a must. Has anyone done this?:)

[toasthaiku]

I saw a dozen ice tents off 21st Ave. E this morning. It's hard to say no to a great ride when people are willing to risk death for fresh fish. :D

4 things:
Those pressure ridges mean you're riding on floating plates of ice.
A sudden west wind can send you sailing to Michigan.
A sudden east wind packs water towards shore, heaves up the plates and leave you stranded.
The Coast Guard will get you but not your bike.

Still, it would be a sweet ride!

[c'dale600dsc]

Thanks for the info, so I heard that if coast guard is alerted for a rescue, it does not come cheap. From what I heard it would cost $10K!!!That would be 2 highend bikes.
I'll just do the lake at Hartley...

[toasthaiku]

The kids and I checked out the ice on Park Point yesterday. It looks thick enough to ride. Looked tempting. Crossing the pressure ridges would be dicy. They might be 8" thick. Might be 1/8". You won't know until you're over . . . or under.

All the on-shore ice could be fun. It's like a 5 mile long frozen, sandy moguls park. That stuff is feet thick resting on the beach.

Last I heard, the USCG doesn't charge for rescues. They don't want people dying to avoid a rescue bill.

[c'dale600dsc]

Can't resist the opportunity to bike the frozen lake. I brought my family to the lake. The kids went skating, I was biking...

[mill0298]

I was up in Duluth last weekend to do some hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail and found the big pond to be frozen as far as the eye could see. I spotted these 2 guys out on the lake. If you are one of the two individuals in these pictures, I appologize for stalking you. This really made me wish I brought my bike with last weekend!
http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1264&stc=1&d=1172116458

http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1265&stc=1&d=1172116814
http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1266&stc=1&d=1172116946

[Crash]

Were you looking for the boat (http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1016079.html)?

[crux]

If your going to ride on Superior any real distance out you got bigger balls than I do. Large frozen bodies of water would be worse than attempting to follow Buck on a freeride course in my opinion (and I can't jump)

[TML]

Check out the image I came across a couple of days ago--

Picture was taken 2/18.

http://www.johndee.com/pix/2007/feb18-1.jpg


The text below explains a bit about the picture. Explanation courtesy of John Dee, private meterologist and snowmobile guru based in the U.P.. www.johndee.com

"That was a pic taken earlier today, the bright white near the Apostle Islands and along the shoreline from the Porkies to about Eagle Harbor is "fast ice" or ice that is pretty solid and not going anywhere until spring is here for good. The other milky white area from Duluth through the area just to the north of the Apostle Islands and then over to the Keweenaw is pack ice. Something more like chunks of ice floating in water. Pack ice can actually still make lake effect snow, although not as well as open water. LES will not form over fast ice. Pack ice also moves and can dissipate under the right conditions, only spring makes fast ice go away."

[toasthaiku]

I work a few blocks from the lake. Watched lots of people skating and one person biking yesterday.

[c'dale600dsc]

Tom: I was not one of the 2, they must have been the one responsible for old MTB tire tracks that they have left close to the orange buoy. Yes I biked all the way there.

Craig: no I did not see the sunken boat, I heard about it this morning over the local news. They say that was an unusual shipwreck, and so far no account of it.

Andrew: I thought this is one rare opportunity that I could bike the lake, and have it documented. The ice was thick enough, enough inches there that it will hold my heavy bike and my heavy me (with all the winter attire for biking). Mind you at hartley you could really feel the weight of that bike climbing up. But that frozen lake biking really made my day yesterday.

Troy: cool sat photo...I'm sure over at madeline island you can drive over the ice back and forth Bayfield. Now that will really take some big balls, andrew. Enough to float the car if in case the ice breaks underneath.

Nick: If you have seen that biker around 2 pm that would be me. You should do it too. Bring your bike to work, and do the lunch hour biking.

JD