For many who have never experienced the great lakes, don’t
know that often times these lakes are simply inland seas and often act like the
oceans. The waves can easily reach over fifteen feet during a storm as I’ve
seen and experienced both on Lakes Michigan and Superior. The scenery around
lakes; upper Lake Michigan, Superior and Huron are wooded areas with spectacular
water falls, rock formations, canyons and other breathtaking scenery.
Not too long ago I was taking a trip to Sault Ste Marie from
Chicago via Duluth Minnesota and Thunder Bay Ontario. I’ve been driving for
hours and had already stopped in Duluth for dinner. I’m not one for hanging
around big cities and paying a premium for a night of sleep when more
inexpensive places are not too far from town. My dinner was already more than
what I expected to pay for a simple meal. I decided to keep driving; after all
I had plenty of daylight, to enjoy the drive up the north coast of Lake
Superior. I made several stops to enjoy and take some photos of the fantastic
lake and wooded sceneries. It was getting darker and I could hear the rumbling
of a storm approaching. I didn’t even look at my watch to see what time it was
as it didn’t occur to me that night was close at hand and I needed to find a
motel for the night. I should have known that in these parts of the woods when
it gets dark, it really gets dark. It gets so dark at night that if the stars
aren’t shining, you can’t see your hand in front of your face. It didn’t take
long for it to get pitch black as it began pouring rain. Driving in the middle
of the woods isn’t like driving in the city or suburbs where the roads are lit
up and bright signs all around you. The only signs I could barely see were dark
silhouettes and had no clue as to what they said since they weren’t next to the
highway where my headlights might have made them readable. I’ve been to places
where even motels don’t have lit signs, so one of those signs could have been
for a motel, I’ll never know.
I kept driving for about an hour looking for a motel with no
luck. Just ahead was a sign which I could make out. It was a state sign for a
rest area just ahead. It was a place I had to stop at as the storm worsened and
seeing in front of my vehicle became an issue. I figured that it may be a good
place for me to make a pit stop and take a break until the pouring rain
stopped. It was several hours later and early into the next day and still raining
hard. I knew that I was stuck there and had to spend the rest of the night. At
least it had an outhouse where I could take care of business and staying dry
while at it. There’s nothing worse than having to play bear in the woods and in
the rain. I found a nice spot to park but really couldn’t tell at that moment
what was just beyond the trees in front of me. The storm had plenty of
lightning which lit up the skies giving me a hint that the lake was just ahead
beyond the trees. The thunder echoed as if I was on top some sort of canyon.
Water is a good conductor of electricity and sound so I figured that the echoes
bounced off the water and the trees giving me one hell of a stereo effect. It
was a rough night as I hardly got any sleep. The storm went on all night long
with heavy downpours and strong winds. There were times when my vehicle began
moving from side to side. I kept wondering if there was a tornado near by. There
wasn’t much of a radio signal either, just plenty of white noise on both A.M
and F.M stations.
When the storm had passed, the air was pure, but a little
chilly. I could see that the sun was just coming up behind those trees. I
wanted to get out and go take a look at the sunrise. When I stepped out of my
vehicle there were huge deep puddles everywhere. The trees were dripping with
water but something beyond those trees ahead of me drew me closer. A sweatshirt
was needed for the chilly morning so I threw it on and then headed for the
lake. My feet were already soaking wet from the deep puddles and brushing
against the low lying bushes and trees got the rest of me wet. On this trip, I
had forgotten to pack my rain gear and boots so I just had to deal with the
situation and change clothes later. It was an uncomfortable feeling but onward.
I only had to walk a short distance when I realized what had
happened last night during the storm. There was one hell of a land slide where
a huge chunk of what once was just ahead was now sitting in the water just
below. I could see trees, bushes and bits and pieces of grassy areas as the
huge waves recede. I could see a huge mass of missing land inches in front of
me and then I felt and heard a rumble just beneath my feet. Oh shit! You
probably never saw anyone move that quick in your life as me hightailing it out
of there and back to my vehicle. It was a good thing I did because another ten
feet or so dropped about twenty feet into Lake Superior within seconds. Yes,
the spot I was standing on just a few seconds ago is now in the drink. Had I
decided not to move, I may not be here writing this experience. Earlier, the
lake was just beyond the trees and now the lake is at the edge of the parking
lot of the rest area. I took a good glance at the now breathtaking views of the
sunrise and the lake at that spot and decided I need to get the hell out of
there.
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| the view I saw before leaving as portrayed by my painting |
