The day's forecast was for rain so we resolved to stay home and take care of much needed indoor chores. But there was looming over us the report that Mama Cow's Ice Cream Shop in Chatham was due to close for the season the end of this week. And we really did want to go for a walk on Au Train beach before it came too cold to walk in the water, but, their forecast was even stronger for stormy weather than ours. We put our attention to our respective jobs. Then the weather cleared up a bit, and a hint from one of us that maybe we could  ... and we were off and on our way. One should always trust strong inclinations. We did pack our umbrellas, however.

Thankfully it was fairly warm and not windy. The sky was full and active, with dark clouds every which way, more or less moving from the west or northwest. It was beautiful and calm, the gentle moving water reflecting the wild sky.

As we walked along we could see and hear the rain coming and were ready when it reached us. With no wind we were well protected under our umbrellas. Exhilerating music pattering then pounding on the fabric overhead and on the water, while we watched it cross over us and continue on up the shoreline, the surface of the Lake alternating smooth and reflective then dimpled and dancing in the rain.

We stopped often, soaking up all that active and creative atmosphere. The photo above is where the Au Train River cuts across the beach and merges with the Lake. It's a bit dicey to find the best spot to cross as the course and depth changes often but we made it to the other side without getting too wet. Which I guess is rather a funny concern considering we were wading in the water in the rain!

We turned back to look at the sky and there was even more magic:

With the rain behind us we continued on near to the west end of the beach, having a great hike, watching the moving cloud banks. Then one of us realized time was also moving on and that if we didn't get marching back Mama Cow's would close before we got there. Well, we didn't want that to happen, so turn around we did. There was also the incentive that the wind had picked up and there was an obvious large dark rain cloud heading our way from Marquette, and it seemed to be moving faster that we were. So we only made one stop on the way back, when we crossed the River. There we saw a fellow standing on the beach next to the outlet of the River, holding a fairly long leash attached to the harness on a dog, a medium large, strong looking white dog who was facing upriver "swimming" into current, treadmill style, going no where (to our eyes) but obviously having a great time. His owner confirmed that the dog loved this and would go much longer than he (the owner) had the patience for, but he obviously cared enough for his dog to stand there quite a long time. The dog glanced over at us a few times then went back concentrating on his swim.

And we continued on along the beach and shoreline water, concentrating on (and enjoying) our brisk walk back to the car, looking back and up now and then at that fast moving dark cloud. It started raining just as we got safely in the car, with enough wind this time that we were glad not to be out on the beach trying to manage umbrellas. And we made it to Mama Cow's in plenty of time. What a fun day.

We went down to one of our favorite beaches along Lake Michigan east of the old Thompson docks for this enjoyable bedtime lullaby written by Malvina Reynolds in 1957 and made popular by the Seekers some ten years later. This song comes often to mind when we’re rocking and rolling while paddling or rowing out on the water.

You can click on the photo above to go to our (YouTube) video, or click LINK.

July has been very full as Julys should be - plants, trees, birds ever growing and maturing. Not much hiking going on as we get plenty of outdoors and exercise working on the homestead. But we've enjoyed many evenings heading down to walk the beach along Lake Michigan after a hot day. But this evening we decided to bring our kayaks down to the old Thompson boat launch - no longer a boat launch but a fairly short carry to get the boats to the water - to paddle instead of walking. There was a nice south wind that felt good after a hot day. It did make for a rather rocking-rolling ride along the shallow coastline. It was fun to see the beach from the water after having walked along there so often.

When we got past Rogers Park we headed ashore for a late sandwich dinner, both managing to get hung up on a long sandbar a little ways out from shore (did I mention it is quite shallow along here?). But we poled ourselves off and with the wave's help beached the boats. Though it was somewhat windy the extra waves and swells came from a fairly strong storm that had gone through (or was happening) south of us down the Lake. It hadn't been a very calm paddle and it felt good to take a break.

There had been an early summer alewife die-off this year, which sometimes happens along Lake Michigan shores, spreading the dead (and odorous) small fish along some beaches. But recent storms here had thankfully swept the dead alewives either out to sea or farther up the beach to dry out. So we enjoyed our break on the expansive beach, with only a little bit of sand blowing into our sandwiches.

Both the wind and waves had picked up while we sat and after the fairly long day of working on the homestead we decided not to fight the waves to paddle back. Instead we pulled the boats farther up on the sand and walked, as we have done so many times, along the beach back to the west end at the old Thompson boat launch and the car and trailer. It was nice to stretch our legs. As we had beached the boats not far from Rogers Park we simply drove the car and trailer there, pulled the kayaks along the nice shallow basin of water along the beach back to the Park. Another short carry across the sand and we were loaded and on our way home before dark. A very nice ending to a wonderful summer day.

March 18, 2022 -- Full Moon Cheers!

And what better way to celebrate than a nice walk. We've had a stretch of warm above freezing days and the snow is disappearing fast. The bare spots around the house are expanding and LilliB is enjoying every additional inch. Though it is still very white here and snowshoes required to get to the car we just had to head down to Thompson Beach to check it out.

Bare sand! Frozen and only coming in patches amongst the snow and ice but still, walking on bare ground was such a treat. And the snow, mostly, wasn't very deep so we alternated between the two, avoiding the icy patches and occasionally walking along the clumpy frozen edge (good ankle exercise). The sun popped out now and then and with temperatures in the upper 30's the moderate wind didn't bother. It is so interesting how the shoreline changes along the long curve of the beach, with wind and tree line and direction of the waves making different landscapes as we walk along. It won't be long before Rogers Park will be ready for visitors!

We decided to walk on past the Park and the old dock area to Thompson Creek. The snow-melt has swelled the Creek already and it was running full into the Bay, with Lake waves noisily breaking near land at the small harbor beside the mouth of the Creek. The sound and sight of lively free-running water was wonderful.

Depending on how much snow we get (it IS still only mid-March) it is possible it won't be long before there will be a snow-free stretch all along the beach. There is still significant ice/snow and ice-mounds out into the Lake but even that is starting to break down. The transition from winter to spring is such an interesting time, even before the first signs of green appear.

February 25, 2022 -- Flat Snow Beach

As we drove south from our snowshoe at Pine Marten Pathway towards home the sky cleared and the sun shone brightly. Since it had been a fairly short walk at Pine Marten it was still early so we decided to go on down to Thompson and go for a walk on the beach in the sun. We again don our snowshoes for easier walking but this time in snow maybe only 3-4" deep. As has been the case, the scene here was again different. The latest snow had made a beautiful flat fresh landscape of the beach. It was a treat to just walk along without breaking trail through the deep snow at Pine Marten. What a contrast between the two! Feathery clouds were making their way in across the blue sky, and off to the east it was dark. Somewhere out there it was snowing. But here was bright, warm in the sun and cool in the breeze (with an occasional strong gust to make us stop and pull our coats tighter). We hadn't been the first to enjoy the beach though.

There was only one set of human boot prints but there was an amazing array of dog prints! These dogs had had a great time! Crossing in a much straighter line was also the smaller prints of (we're guessing) a resident fox. He/she was on a different mission, and we've almost always seen these tracks along the beach, criss-crossing from tree-line to shoreline, maybe hoping to come across a mouse under the snow.

The old boat launch "park" (which is occasionally plowed and has an outhouse) is a favorite take-your-dog destination so while it was heavy with tracks at that west end they stopped before we got to Rogers Park. It was clear and smooth there and we rather hated to disturb it with our own tracks. The wind had picked up and our legs were saying that really this was enough for the day so we turned back just beyond the Park, returning with the sun on our face and the wind at our back. A wonderful ending to a fun day. One doesn't have to go long or far for delightful mini-adventures.

January 28, 2022 -- Ice Mounds on the Beach

Though a bit chilly (low teens) and cloudy it was calm, and after a long stretch of cold and windy weather we wanted to get out for a walk. Since we also were wondering how the beach ice at Thompson-Rogers Park was doing we went on down and walked the beach. The recent high winds had scoured the frozen beach so there were patches of bare (very hard!) sand and only maybe 4" snow most other places.

How nice to have a nice place to walk without needing snowshoes! The sun came out as we walked to brighten the day and warm the hikers. Both the sky and the shoreline were fascinating and beautiful each in their own ways.

Mostly the ice mounds blocked the view of the small stretch of wet water along the edge, so what we saw looking out was the farther snow covered ice. The beach is still a large expanse of flat land then a ridge of clumpy ice along what we think is (was) the water line. Then a somewhat flat area leading to the moderately tall ice mounds. You don't have to walk out very far out into the this area to realize this isn't a place to walk, with significant unseen caverns and very slippery footing. We were quite content to stick to the flat easier walking of the beach. The cold snow was rather like walking in beach sand.

When we got near to the east end of the beach we could (barely) see the ice-extended "land" of Stoney Point now far out into the water. Steve climbed the bank for a better view.

When we turned back a light wind came along to kept us cool as the sporadic sun kept us warm! Occasional openings in the ice mounds allowed a small view to water on the other side, now shiny in the sun. It was hard to tell if it was all frozen, except near Thompson Creek where we could then see a small cove of open water. It was a really nice 2 hour walk on the beach.

January 4, 2022 -- Extending the Days Hiking

But we wanted to walk a bit more so we decided to head on into town to the Boardwalk which would add another nice hour's walk, just enough time before dark for that. On our way we checked out the nearby Big Spring where a friend had said he had snowshoed around. They had roughly plowed the drive in and an area to park. There were three snowmobiles there and from the tracks it is a popular destination. We walked down the very well trod path to the Spring with the temperature heading down as we went. There were a number of signs placed around asking people to stay on the path to protect the fragile banks and roots of trees, so obviously we weren't going to head out walking around the Spring. But we joined the three snowmobilers on the raft to admire the big fish as they pointed them out (this was obviously their first visit here and it was fun to hear their enthusiasm - it IS an amazing spot). The view across the water and up the River was wonderful, made more so by several small groups of ducks moving about (and out of sight as soon as the camera was ready).

Onward to the Boardwalk in town. We parked near the marina at the west end, adding layers since there was a light wind off the cold water, and headed east along the Lake. To our surprise we could hear a very loud noise ahead -- machinery of some sort? heavy equipment? -- hopefully nothing major wrong along the Boardwalk. As we got near and could see the breakwater out to the lighthouse we realized the source -- large, icy waves hitting the ice covered shoreline. The area around the breakwater was heaving broken ice covered and the waves coming in were big, caused by storms farther south down the Lake. The sound made the air seem much colder! We took a photo but one just can't get that big noise into a still photo.

The walkway itself was snow-covered, drifted, trampled with many foot prints, being neither plowed nor groomed which didn't stop many walkers, just slowed us up a bit. There was just one other woman out and she was making her way along the frozen beach. We stopped often to watch the big, curling "surf's up!" waves crashing along the shallows, and marveled at the noise and the process of shoreline ice forming. Away from the breakwater the expanse of ice and snow-covered "beach" continued to grow and expand outward as the cold waves splashed and broke along the edge, water turning to ice in the cold. We wondered how far out that "shoreline" will be by the end of winter; will the ice make a high ridge or continue forming a low shelf out into the water. It was an interesting, always new, walk along the edge. We turned back at the other end as the cloudy sky got darker, enjoying the different and still fascinating view on the way back. It was a very nice hour long addition to our earlier walk.

December 20, 2021 -- Solstice Beach Walk along Lake Michigan          

When Steve drove along the Lake on US-2  between Thompson and Manistique after the big gale storm he noticed something very different along the shoreline. We went down late afternoon today to check it out, walking east from the old Thompson boat launch along the 2 mile sandy section to and past Rogers Park. The past years of record high water on Lake Michigan (and the other Great Lakes) along with the usual gales and storms had already changed the shorelines in many places, tearing out vegetation, moving sand, removing human built objects, leaving banks and edges along the shoreline, step-downs in the water. This area was no exception and we had become used to the narrow (or no) beach. The Lake levels have dropped some now, a bit more beach returning. But what this recent storm had done looked quite unusual - nothing we'd seen before.

It had scoured the shoreline flat and smooth, a very wide area far out into the water. The waves were breaking far from shore with shallow sheets of long flat water gently moving up the now very wide beach (snow covered in the photos), receding, as another comes in. To get into water above knee level one would have had to go out a long way (we didn't check that out). The distance varied as we went along the curve of the beach but it felt like we were walking on a wide ocean beach (well, except for the temperature, snow and cold breeze!). No ledge just long flat expanse. I reminded me of areas with large tides and wide mudflats.

Almost all of the plants and roots and stems were gone, the sand was peppered with scattered small stones in one area, zebra mussel shells in another. But almost no driftwood, just a few random pieces. We walked to where the shoreline starts getting protection as it curves out into the water at Stoney Point. There was still an area of vegetation here before it transitioned to stone. We turned and walked back, in the sand (except when a more ambitious sheet of water came farther up to meet the snow) and at the edge of the frozen, snow covered beach. It was all bare sand yesterday when Steve saw it. Quite a sight.

It's a guess as to what will happen as winter, waves, wind, ice and more storms arrive, what will change, what will it be like come summer. It was a delightful and interesting hour's walk. Though a bit chilled we warmed up in the car and decided to head into Manistique to see how the Boardwalk had fared. Here we found a similar situation as at the Rogers Park beach. The waves (which were larger here) were breaking farther out, with a wide expanse of flat sand, stone, or shale beach showing. We hadn't seen that much 'beach' since the low water levels about 10 years ago. Since the Boardwalk (combination of pavement and wood) was mostly covered with a mix of sand, snow and older frozen snow/slush our steps were some more deliberate but it was a good walk. The sun went down and the clouds cleared enough to give a beautiful if brief sunset behind the waves breaking against the breakwater out to the lighthouse. We made it back to the car before dark having had another hour's enjoyable walk. We decided to finish off our "Solstice Walks" warming up with dinner at a nearby restaurant.

AuTrain Beach on Lake Superior 2021

This is by far our favorite beach anywhere. Steve grew up with visits to the beach as part of the family's annual trips to the U.P. to spend the month of August in a small cabin at the AuTrain River Power Plant. We stop by the beach on almost every trip to the Marquette area, usually for a walk, sometimes to eat a picnic lunch or dinner, in the car or out depending on the weather. And in the warmer months we often drive up simply to walk in the shallows along the beach, starting at one end or another, the solid rock cliff or the cobbled beach, both ends beautiful with about 3 miles of squeaky, clean Lake Superior sand between. And that fun wade across the River, carefully picking your way along on the ever changing tentative shallow sand bar jutting out into the Lake, to continue on to the other end, then return the same way. Sometimes there are many people, and dogs, out enjoying the beach and water; sometimes we're the only ones. It's fun either way, and is the most relaxing, satisfying walk we take. The high bank of sand between road and beach along with the sound of the water, loud or quiet, makes one feel completely separate from the busy highway nearby.

The wind and waves do amazing things to the beach. You could walk it every day and it would be different each time. The AuTrain River coming in to Lake Superior makes a new route every year through the sand; sometimes a truly significant change from the year previous. And the weather changes are equally as significant, from calm quiet gentle lapping of the water along the beach to crazy wild crashing waves with gale or storm force winds. We don't walk along the beach in the latter, but we've been known to drive up there just to see it.

The first of October 2021 was the last walk of the season in bare feet, though it was cool enough that we walked as much out of the water as in, along the edge of the two, trying to second guess the waves and keep our clothes dry. We relished every step, both directions, soaking up everything, happy in the peacefulness of it all, enjoying sharing the beach with just a handful of others (people and dogs) who were also obviously enjoying the beach as well.

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Copyright © Susan Robishaw and Stephen Schmeck