The archive photos for this date over the past 19 years were a good mixture of snowy scenes and no snow shots, too. As I type these notes, the ground is bare here in Lake Linden, except where the previous snowfall was plowed into piles and we've been experiencing temps in the 40's for the past few days. All that is supposed to change tomorrow though, from what the weatherman has been saying. Today's first look-back photo was snapped in 2001 of the sunset pinking up the skyline a Swedetown. Stephen Marshall just missed the actual sunset, but captured the beautifully colored pink sky at night, sailor's delight.

The second photo was taken by Brenda Leigh in 2008, as the ocean going salty, A. Desgagnes navigated the St. Mary's River in the Sault Ste. Marie area. I like the small fishing boats being stored upside down for the winter months on land, all covered with snow and looking like a pair of dolphins swimming on shore.

Our first two archive photos were snowy ones, but the third one from Danielle Adams back in 2014, shows a mostly ice free Marquette Harbor. That's the H. Lee White there unloading its cargo. If not for the few icy chunks floating there, you wouldn't be able to tell that winter was actually upon us that day, too.

Since we're already on a freighter roll, I thought it would be fun to watch the Joseph L. Block navigating through an iced in Rock Cut on the St. Mary's River back in December 2010. If you listen closely, you can hear the ice against the hull of the boat at times in the video. Just a little over a month left for the shipping season this year. Hopefully all the boats on the Great Lakes have smooth sailing from now until then.

N-n-n-ice pix & video!

I like the second picture with the snow covered boats on the shore. They reminded me of dolphins.
The ice doesn't slow down the Joseph L. Block. That's what 3,600 horse power will do for you.

Duane P. (Islandman43):
"… The ice doesn't slow down the Joseph L. Block. That's what 3,600 horse power will do for you."

I gotta wonder what crunching through ice like that does to their fuel consumption vs. clear sailing on calm open water.