• Thursday-What'sUP May 29 - 09:15 am

I have lived here UP North my entire life and I don't recall there ever being this much ice on Lake Superior heading toward the end of May. From the records they've been talking about, it's been somewhere over 40 years since this has happened, which puts me in my teenage years when last we saw something like in today's photos from Laurie Bashaw (the first seven# and Ryan Stephens #the eighth photo).

That's two of Laurie's grandkids playing on the beach in the Upper Harbor at Marquette, while Lake Superior is still covered in floating ice bergs. The day they were out there with Grandma and Mom, the temperature was in the 80's…so it felt pretty crazy to be on the beach sweating, while the water temps were even more frigid than normal, being chilled with ice. I guess you could say this is Lake Superior "on the rocks".

I really like the shots Laurie snapped of the lone goose swimming amongst all the ice floes and then the big snow ball someone must have stuck on a floe and then watched it float away. Neat reflections in that shot, too.

Laurie's granddaughter is a brave young lady, feet and ankles in the frigid water, ready to dunk a small ice chunk. I wonder how long it took to warm her toes back up? Her grandson, on the other hand, just stood on the waters edge checking out his shadow, probably thinking there's no way I'm going to step foot in that cold water.

The last photo of the day, comes to us from Ryan Stephens an employee at the Marquette Down Wind Sports. The guy on the ice floe, paddling around is also a Down Wind employee, Colin Wheeler. What a fun photo, but my question is how did he get out there on that ice floe and I wonder if he ran into that goose and the floating snowball in his paddling around?

Good Morning. That is a lot of ice for May! Is it ironic that the Detroit Free Press has an article in it this morning, with a photo of a different guy paddling around on a paddle board? It is definitely interesting timing: great minds think alike, or something. Have a good day everyone. :-)

Nice pics with great color...and daring souls.

I knew these pictures would make it on to pasty.
They're terrific. My favorite is also the goose
shot. Something so serene about it. Laurie's
little granddaughter is a brave girl. I'm sure her
feet and ankles were numb in just a few seconds.

Thanks for sharing these!

(N)ice adventure!

A neat group of pics but I hope that Laurie's grandkids never see ice in the harbor in late May again.

Not too many kids can say they went wading/swimming among ice chunks in late May!

Crazy. Ice still.

Thanks Mary!

UC & i were just discussing the ice in the harbor of our adopted hometown! Not something that ever happened while i lived there.

What cute kids.... and great pictures for their scrapbooks!

There have been many ice chunk/beach photos in the news over the weekend. Like Deb, I was wondering when they would be posted on Pasty. Love them all. I remember one summer when I was a kid jumping in Lake Superior and we all emerged gasping and screaming it was so bitter cold. We didn't have ice chunks but it felt like it. Maybe it was the same year they had ice chunks in May :-).

Absolutely Fantastic pictures! I needed to see those today, thanks for sharing.I too, do not recall seeing that much ice so late in May.

Jbuck, I'll meet you at the black rocks on Presq. for a little Cliff Diving if you're U.P. for it? lol Anyone else care to join in? Can you say Cardiac Arrest? lol- Have a great day all!

I love the first picture,it's a beauty. The rest of the pics are
beautiful,too. I miss the UP.

Janie, looks like Redman and Tex were having a bad hair day. So cute!! ;>

I'm there ~ i'm UP for taking pictures of you diving in to share with everyone!

I remember while living in L'Anse, you'd dip your feet in until you could stand the cold, then you jumped in and crawled out and that was "swimming".

lol JB

Will it ever melt?