Glassy SToNeY Sunday by E. Wilke: Suring Lake Superior Video

Video courtesy of E Wilke.
He is getting some great rides on Lake Superior on this fine fall
day in Minnesota. Watching this video makes me want to get out my SUP and make the drive
to the North Shore.  The water on Lake Superior never gets very warm, and the best season for surfing is winter.   Winters in Minnesota mean cold winds, and even colder water.

It looks like a great day of riding on Mother Superior.  Wish I could have been there to try and catch a few  waves!   W Wilke does a great job at updating his Youtube account and providing excellent videos of surfing the North Shore of Minnesota!

SUP Paddler Circumnavigating Lake Superior

picture via startribune

A UMD student is attempting to be the first person to circumnavigate Lake Superior on his stand up paddle board. The article states he is really making some good progress, and has been averaging thirty miles per day.

 Check out the story here: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/outdoors/3768631-sup-paddler-eating-miles-lake-superior

Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

His entire circumnavigation will cover about 1,700 miles. On his 14-foot stand-up paddleboard (SUP), Munch carries three large waterproof duffels with food, camping gear and clothing. At St. Ignace Island, he was staying overnight in a cabin with a sauna, but most nights along Ontario's shore he plans to camp.

Check out the progress on the facebook site: "More. A SUPerior Adventure."

Here is the article via the twincities.com:

and an excerpt from the article:


He said he hatched the plan a year ago and has spent the past six months divining possible situations and combing every detail. He's mailing himself supply packages to places along the route. He's got a solar panel charger for his cellphone, GPS and marine radio (for Coast Guard contact in an emergency). He'll paddle close to shore and camp under the stars. On his way to Canada, civilization won't be too far away. He'll be able to pop into a restaurant if the mood strikes.

Lake Superior Surf Video by E Wilke

Some very good clips by E Wilke and his great Youtube site. I haven't been up to Superior this year but I would like to go and try and ride if there are other people out surfing. I have alot of respect for the individuals that can surf this lake as it is cold and unforgiving to beginners and if you follow the news you will see many people can perish from accidents on this huge inland freshwater sea so make sure to enjoy the videos as these surfers are dedicated to riding waves in a huge, intimidating and frigid lake known as Mother Superior.

Lake Superior Surf Forecast

Tomorrow looks promising

:$ LSZ144-145-290415- TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI- 337 PM CST SUN DEC 28 2014 .TONIGHT...NW WIND 5 TO 10 KT. MOSTLY CLEAR. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. .MONDAY...NW WIND 5 TO 10 KT. MOSTLY SUNNY. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. .MONDAY NIGHT...NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. MOSTLY CLEAR. WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. .TUESDAY...NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. PARTLY CLOUDY. WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. NOTE...WAVE HEIGHT FORECASTS ARE FOR ICE FREE AREAS. $

GLCFS wave map...I hope we get some nice waves this fall!

Superior Nearshore Forecast: Waves 2-4 ft. Winds NE

LSZ144-145-240300- TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI- 349 PM CDT SAT AUG 23 2014 .TONIGHT...NE WIND AROUND 15 KT. AREAS OF FOG. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT LATE. .SUNDAY...E WIND 10 TO 15 KT DECREASING TO 5 TO 10 KT. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. .SUNDAY NIGHT...E WIND 5 TO 10 KT VEERING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. .MONDAY...SW WIND 5 TO 10 KT BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. MOSTLY SUNNY. WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.

4 x 4 treestand

Video on DIY throttle cable install on Honda bike

Firewood:   I cut all that slabwood, and asked the park ranger if I could burn the firewood, due to all the restrictions in MN.  I procured the slip that certified the firewood, got it checked by the ranger, and spent last night around a campfire, cleaning up over 40 agates I found on my evening walk.  I will  post pictures today! With a little adapting, staying in a small, organized space can be comforting, rather than confining.

How to Install a Throttle cable for Honda Motorcycle

Lake Superior Webcams: Lake Superior Magazine

storm waves on MN's north shore.  photo by Layne Kennedy

I really like checking out webcams before traveling to places, and I was surprised to find a great listing of webcams on Superior, courtesy of the Lake Superior Magazine site. The magazine covers an extensive list of topics and geographical locations, and I have found it to be a very good publication. Here are links to some of the articles I have enj

Searching "surf" on the site brings up some great articles on surfing Lake Superior. Including a great picture of Tom Blake, a surfing pioneer, and legend.

Park Point, Duluth: Lake Superior wavecam/webcam via Solglimt.

Duluth MN webcam from http://www.solglimt.com/webcam/webcam.html.
This is a fun camera to use for checking the conditions on the Park Point beach. Waves break pretty well here, and it is a sand bottom, which is nice for beginners. I also like to check this camera before heading out, or to double check the other forecasting sites, and web cams.

FinnSurf-Movie on surfing in Finland-trailer

Finnsurf-Surfing in Finland seems to be similar to surfing in Minnesota, in many ways. I enjoy learning about Finnish culture, and the north shore of Minnnesota, and Michigan's UP are filled with towns, and many other things Finnish.
It seems like the window for surf is small, and the water is cold, and waves are very rare.  I like his commentary on surfing as an addiction, and the way it appeals to certain personalities.  He will cancel meetings, and lie to make time for surfing.
Great film on Finnish surf, enjoy the teaser above.

Bradley's Blog : Lake Superior pointbreak: Transworld Surf photos

Bradley's Blog : Lake Superior pointbreak: Transworld Surf photos: Link to article on Transworld Surf: "Point Break on the Great Lakes"   Burton Hathaway | Lake Superior. Photo: Tanis Lake Su...

Lake Superior pointbreak: Transworld Surf photos

Link to article on Transworld Surf: "Point Break on the Great Lakes"

 Burton Hathaway | Lake Superior. Photo: Tanis

Lake Superior. Photo: Tanis

Somewhere in Minnesota... Photo: Tanis

Bradley's Blog : Links to Surf Report information for Lake Superior...

Bradley's Blog : Links to Surf Report information for Lake Superior...: Lake Superior storm photo by Layne Kennedy I am a frequent visitor to the forum at superiorsurfclub.com and use the forum to learn mor...

Links to Surf Report information for Lake Superior

Lake Superior storm photo by Layne Kennedy

I am a frequent visitor to the forum at superiorsurfclub.com and use the forum to learn more about surfing Lake Superior. Brian, a frequent surfer, and a wealth of information concerning forecasting waves for Lake Superior, posted this on the forum, and I wanted to share it with my blog readers. Here are his suggestions for checking the conditions before going to the lake.

Overall, I am very cautious when it comes to attempting to surf Lake Superior, but I think taking water safety courses, and learning from someone who knows the lake is the best bet for beginners. Lake Superior deserves a great deal of respect, whether you surf her or not.

From Brian's post on the forum:

"Here's a pretty nice local site: http://www.parkpointbeach.org/
No cams for Stoney, but here are a few for PP:
http://www.lsmma.com/webcam/webcam_st.html
http://www.solglimt.com/webcam/webcam.html

The ocean models that MSW, Surfline, etc. use for forecasting don't really work all that well, if at all, on the Lake. Best bet is to use a combination of the following and generate your own conclusions.
http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/fz/fzus63.kmqt.glf.ls.txt

http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/fz/fzus53.kdlh.nsh.dlh.txt

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=s&ext=wv&type=F&hr=01[/url]" end of quoted information.

Overall, I am very cautious when it comes to attempting to surf Lake Superior, but I think taking water safety courses, and learning from someone who knows the lake is the best bet for beginners. Lake Superior deserves a great deal of respect, whether you surf her or not.

Bradley's Blog : Photos of waves on Minnesota's North Shore from th...

Bradley's Blog : Photos of waves on Minnesota's North Shore from th...: The wind and cold front produced some small waves on Superior this weekend. I had my board along, and decided to paddle out to practice, and...

Short video of me in the waves today, and a few more pics.of Lake Superior

More wave photos from Minnesota's Superior Shore:

sunshine

tender foot says ouch toes

Photos of waves on Minnesota's North Shore from this weekend

The wind and cold front produced some small waves on Superior this weekend. I had my board along, and decided to paddle out to practice, and to enjoy the warm Superior water in my 3/2. Most of the time, when waves are happening on Superior, it is really cold, and I wear a 6/5 hooded wetsuit, 8mm booties, and gloves, so paddling in the 3/2 today was a nice treat, and I rode a few small waves in the prone position, but as long as I am in the water having fun, and paddling, it is always exciting to be in the big lake, and I am not much of a surfer...it is the toughest board sport for me.

Here are some pics. of the waves...I can't wait to see what kind of waves Superior produces this fall, but I have alot of paddling practice to do before I will be ready:

It was fun to paddle in the warm water, but pretty choppy...Connor kept calling it an ocean, and I have to say, anytime I make it to Superior, I am never disappointed by the beauty and gifts of Mother Superior.

Camping in Duluth, MN this weekend

We stayed in Duluth at Indian Point Campground, and we were rather lucky to get a site, since I called on Friday night, looking for a spot on Saturday.   Duluth can get very busy during the summer, and the North Shore state park campgrounds fill up fast, especially on the weekends.   Indian Creek is in the Duluth's West End, and the backwaters of Lake Superior form St. Louis Bay.  Our site was $33 for the night, and the campground restrooms were clean.   The campground was conveniently close to the Duluth Zoo, which is a bargain, but only open until 5 pm, and the zoo is awesome, but still recovering from a severe flood that hit the area, two springs ago.  I highly recommend visiting the zoo, and the campground was in an older area of Duluth, and the roads, which are tarred are very rough and full of potholes, and the area was interesting, because you would see gangster wannabees chillin' on the stoop, and a very diverse group of resturants, business, and a lot of new buildings and businesses mixed in with the old buildings, and classic working class bars.  Overall, I really enjoyed the location of our campground to Canal Park, which is a great place to walk and check out the waves and ships entering Duluth Harbor, or you can always check the webcam at LSMMA.com, and if you get to Duluth, the Lake Superior Maritime Museum, located in Canal Park(visit Duluth Canal Park info., is worth a visit, along with the rest of Canal Park.

Here are some photos of the waves and our walk along the beach out on Park Point (link to more info. on the beaches) which is a large sandbar, across the aerial lift bridge from Canal Park. I was happy to find waves and brought along my 8 ft. Greco Foam Board, so I was hoping the wind would bring some decent, and rare, August waves to the big lake, but after checking the waves at park point, we decided to head up the north shore, and then we went to one of my favorite places to eat in the world: Duluth Grill, which was recommended to me by my friend from Brainerd, Thurman.  The meal and foodie paradise, Duluth Grill, deserves its own post, so I will save that information for a future post.  Thanks for checking out my pics. and write any questions you have about visiting the area under comments, or email me at jasonbradleyapplications@gmail.com.

Conner and I watching the waves, the harbor entrance and Duluth are in the distance.

Some kiteboarders were getting fast rides in the wind, which was whipping up some lake waves. Good beach for collecting or throwing rocks, too.

Here are a few more photos of Duluth from Park Point.

Surfing Lake Superior article in Boarder's Magazine

Will Wall surfing at Stoney Point, Lake Superior. Photo by Burton Hathaway

 Check out the link to the full article here: Freshwater-surfers-take-on-year-end-swells-at-stoney-point from boardermag.com

Article Excerpt:
Right before the end of the 2013 winter storms swept the Midwest creating great conditions for freshwater waves on Lake Superior. Burton Hathaway and around ten other fresh water shredders saw this as a great opportunity. Stoney Point, Minnesota, according to Hathaway is “the Mecca of Great Lakes surfing” Because Lake Superior (the deepest of the Great Lakes) holds its heat the longest, the water temperature was a pleasant "36 to 38 degrees," even as the windchill was -51 degrees.


Photo of Burton Hathaway: