After The Storm

Here are some photos from our 3 1/2 day trip to the great white north late last week. 1,500+ miles in a beat 208,000+ mile Subaru took it's toll, but it was well worth it.

We had hoped to surf three lakes in three days, and we came close. The one big question mark we had was regarding our southern Lake Superior mission. Jack had scored the spot before but we knew it would be risky. The fickleness (and blizzard) won out and we left empty handed.

However, our first day score proved to be worth the trip alone. We shared overhead lefts on a secluded rock point that rarely gets surfed, and this was by far the best I've seen it. The pic below does not even come close to doing it justice.

These are the trips that make surfing on the Great Lakes so enjoyable. More pics to come.

This is what we awoke to on the first morning, with a three hour drive ahead.

Crossing the Mackinaw Bridge: a rite of passage for any Great Lakes surfer. This day's crossing was a little hairier than usual.

Gusts of 70+ mph were recorded. Jack was freaked about getting flipped over the edge and plunging to our deaths, something that has happened twice in the past twenty years.

The left was worth the drive. I am still regretting not getting better photos, but we didn't have the right gear and we're too eager to surf. Overhead, offshore, and thundering down the point.

Tools of choice; 6'4 Rusty Hustler and 7'2 Michel Junod single fin pin.

Matt and Mark happened to be there too. Not many people know about this place, but it's funny how you run into those who do on days like this.

Day two, closer to our basecamp. Jack knows this stretch of Lake Michigan coast well and had been eyeing this spot for years. The lower lake water levels had revealed the potential for this right point and we were stoked to surf it, even if under c-grade conditions. We know what to look for, forecast-wise, next time. We call it the atoll - this day was about waist high.

It was cold.

Later that night we arrived at our third lake and immediately found the only open bar in town. Seems most people were hunkered down for the four day storm. The Subie got stuck multiple times but did the job.

The place was packed - Jack, two snowmobilers, and myself. We sampled the three micros they brewed on premise. Not bad for a tiny place in the middle of nowhere.

Then the bartender started pouring shots for all of us out of the kindness of her heart. We didn't want to seem rude (who turns down free shots?), so we gulped them down. Multiple times.

The lady barkeep and her friend. One of the best things about a trip like this is meeting the locals, even if they think your nuts for being there to surf in the middle of a blizzard.

Our motel. Surprised that we were the only ones there?

Don't be...this is why.

And this. Surf check, Upper Peninsula of Michigan-style. That is Lake Superior in the background.

The second best thing about going on trips like these? Going home to a warm wife and dog. Aloha!