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Lake Superior...during the autumn and spring it is the most ocean like great lake. The other just become gigantic bathtubs during storms...which is part of the reason why they are so dangerous. When I was young, I got caught on Lake Michigan during a storm and nearly crapped myself. There were 3 to 4 foot waves coming from every direction, non-stop until I got to the harbor.
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Originally Posted by caphillsea77
- your favorite city on the Great Lakes
Chicago...I also really like Toronto.
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Originally Posted by caphillsea77
- Hidden gems
I love the "hidden beaches" right outside of Marquette on Lake Superior.
My favorite is Lake Michigan because its all American and I lived on her shore for 25 years on Little Bay De Noc. A hot spot for ice fishing I remember in high school lashin an ice shack to my frieds dog (a hyperactive Blue tick) and she would pull that shack several blocks and out on the ice straigh to our spot. There we would catch and eat perch and drink beer all day. I used to go out on the ice and watch 60 to 70 team of sled dogs mush buy for the UP 200. In the same spot during the summer a hugh freighter would pull in a couple of times and drop salt for many of the transportation departments in the area.
I graduated from Lake Superior State University and my ancestery runs deep in the UP of Michigan. I really feel like this is my thread but I could type all day and never do the Great Lakes justice. I do think that over the centuries a culture has developed that is unique to the GLs. Its kind of a mix of the serious nautical and pastoral cultures that merged in and around the shores of the GLs
My favorite Major city wouod have to be Green Bay and Door county WI. For Smaller cities it would be Escanaba Gladstone and TC on the other side of Lake MI. I have so much to say im rendered speachless, I cant do this
Encompassing 21% of the worlds fresh water with shoreline bordering 8 states and one Canadian province the Great Lakes are a huge topographical presence and very valuable resource on the North American map. Though with industrial decline and a population exodus in parts (though some exceptional growth in others) I feel this is one part of the US that's undervalued. In Canada not as much as Toronto has seen impressive and exponential growth in the past 30 years. Places like Cleveland and Detroit have declined though efforts and ideas are in place for improvement. I'd like this thread to be a discussion for all things Great Lakes. Here are some talking points for the Great Lakes which could be perhaps in the future North Americas most valuable resource.
- Notable recreation areas and beaches
- your favorite Great Lake
- your favorite city on the Great Lakes
- Hidden gems
- discuss the metro areas along their shoreline, good, bad, or indifference.
- untapped potential
- economic deline & prosperity
- climate
- water levels
- industry & shipping
- anything else you'd like to add
Its the best region in the country
Mostly peaceful. But still great cities like Milwaukee, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toronto and Chicago.
I'm mostly familiar with the MN, WI, MI area. really would love to explore the great lakes in OH, PA, NY area
The Lake Erie Islands in Ohio and Presque Isle in Pennsylvania are must sees.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park east of Thunder Bay in Ontario is something everytone must see if they have a chance. It has the highest cliffs on the Great Lakes, and some of the highest in all of Canada (800 feet of pure vertical drop). Plus, when viewed from Thunder Bay, it is the shape of... well, a sleeping giant. I went hiking there a month ago. We didnt quite make it to the big cliffs, but we made it to the top of the mountain.
I like Lake Superior. Duluth is one Midwestern city I would be stoked to live in. One of the best vacations I ever took was to Houghton and Hancock on the UP. Went canoeing on Isle Royale for a a few days.
Western Michigan's Lake Michigan coast looks really nice as well and I have a friend from upstate New York who raves about parts of Lake Ontario, Sodas Point and the Thousand Islands in particular.
I like Lake Superior. Duluth is one Midwestern city I would be stoked to live in. One of the best vacations I ever took was to Houghton and Hancock on the UP. Went canoeing on Isle Royale for a a few days.
Western Michigan's Lake Michigan coast looks really nice as well and I have a friend from upstate New York who raves about parts of Lake Ontario, Sodas Point and the Thousand Islands in particular.
Sandy Pond looks nice too. My dad has been up there before and he liked it a lot. You may like Sackets Harbor, the Oswego area, Fair Haven and Henderson Harbor.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Going to bump this old thread as my work has brought me to Chicago this month for a two week biz trip. The weather has been pretty nice with a good amount sunny days and I've been spending a lot of time in the parks by Lake Michigan exercising, catching sunrises over the water, watching dogs play in the water, watching boats and even jet skis darting around the lake. I know it's not the ocean as it doesn't have the salty scented air or seafood, but I'm marveling at the water covering the horizon and the waves crashing on the shore. It's cool how Chicago as a hyper dense city abruptly stops at a massive body of water and has a horizon covering about 180 degrees right up against the downtown.
Over the weekend, I rented a car and drove up to Door County, Wisconsin as I wanted to see the shoreline away from the city in a place where people like to go on vacation. There were lighthouses, bucolic countryside and cherry orchards, cute towns with a nautical atmosphere, beaches with large sand dunes, and nice parks to hike along the shore with rocky ledges. It kind of felt a little like Maine, but it had its own charms as well. Honestly I was impressed but I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked and left me wanting to go back for more.
Talking to my friends about it and they are like... Wisconsin... really? Yeah! It's quite beautiful! I also made a brief stop in Milwaukee, loved the art museum with its contemporary design right up on the shores of Lake Michigan and there were some nice beaches and parks just north of downtown.
So I'm adding parts of Michigan and perhaps the north shore of Minnesota to my bucket list. The Great Lakes are awesome and I'd love to come back in the summer.
I love the Great Lakes.....I live one mile from the southern tip of Lake Michigan in beautiful Gary Indiana..home of the Indiana Dunes National Park....
85% of the Great Lakes H2O are in Superior, Michigan and Huron....
That energy of fresh/sweetwater....needed for life...kisses the sun at Marquette Park in Gary (there is a bit of Lake Erie slightly closer to the sun...but...well it's Erie..
Please check out my charity initiative based on the Great Lakes...
From where Michigan began...to where Michigan Begins(Gary)
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