Picture from 2015 Picnic

Ice Caves Pictures from Donna Nickel

We went to the ice caves at Lake Superior on March 2. As amazing as the ice formations on the cliffs was the ice we walked upon. You could easily see to the bottom of the lake, as the ice was so clear. There were bubbles frozen into place, and cracks of all sorts. It was a treacherous walk, but indescribably beautiful. We spoke with a ranger who told us that this phenomenon has not occurred for “many many years."

Included are photos I took by aiming my camera toward the lake bottom.

New Species Found Near the Quiet Lakes: latin name is Kaynineis Platypusis

Appears to be a cross between a snow dog and a platypus..............only comes out during heavy snows, which we're getting today.

"Blow the Man Down"

As I was snow shoeing across McNaught Island today, I was singing my usual refrain.....

All of a sudden I reach the south rim of the island, and at the top of a 50 foot precipice is the base of a mighty oak that has been blown down.   This picture is from the base where it has landed horizontally on a mighty pine.................Way, hey, blow the man down.............

 

 

 

Note that the above picture does not do justice to the vertical steepness of the hill.......Way, hey, blow the man down.............

 

I then went half way down the hill and took this looking up:

 

 

Well, it's time to head back.......

 

 

Elk Sighting Near Teal Lake

It was a little dark on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) when Dan Dale took this picture of a bull elk a very short distance from Teal Lake. 

You've Got To Wait Your Turn At The Tee Box

Look who tried to make a foursome into a fivesome on the 18th tee box recently with Tom Jablonski at the Hayward Golf Club a couple of weeks ago.

The Eastern hognose snake is often considered non-venomous, and not harmful to humans.  It feeds extensively on amphibians, and has a particular fondness for toads. This snake has resistance to the toxins toads secrete. This immunity is thought to come from enlarged adrenal glands which secrete large amounts of hormones to counteract the toads' powerful skin poisons. At the rear of each upper jaw, they have greatly enlarged teeth, which are neither hollow nor grooved, with which they puncture and deflate toads to be able to swallow them whole.  When threatened, the neck is flattened and the head is raised off the ground, not unlike a cobra. They also hiss and will strike, but they do not attempt to bite. The result can be likened to a high speed head-butt. If this threat display does not work to deter a would-be predator, a hognose snakes will often roll onto its back and play dead, going so far as to emit a foul musk from its cloaca and let its tongue hang out of its mouth.

Skies above Lost Land Lake between storms, from Brian Walsh