The last thing I thought I would see on a February afternoon was a couple sitting on the beach enjoying the sun! And I'm sure they were there to sit in the sun, they brought beach chairs. The day was unseasonably warm, around 38 degrees Fahrenheit, with the first sunshine in many days, so it did seem warmer than it really was. And when you're between the mounds of ice and the dunes, the wind is blocked so it's surprisingly warmer than the surrounding area.
I have to say it was a rather pleasant day to spend walking on the beach to take in the different stages of melting ice. I was surprised there was still so much ice on the lake, when all of the snow has long melted away.
Finding a bit of higher ground, gives one a much better view of the ice and the surrounding area. I'm still amazed how this place changes over such short periods of time, and how other things in this environment remain constant. Dunes are one of nature's most unstable landforms, they change more frequently than anything else, so this change is to be expected, and should be desired. Instead, visitors are kept off of the dunes because they may hasten the erosion of the dunes. Mother nature's forces work far better and faster than any person could, so we should be allowed to enjoy the dunes, instead of avoid the dunes.
Gaining that bit of elevation allows you to zero in on some of the details of the ice, and pick out some interesting formations. This formation seems as though there were several ice plates that fell on each other, but it's simply how this particular mound was melting. This is an example of how the ice mounds are not what they seem, and can be hazardous to walk on. These voids may not have been so large a few days ago, but they certainly were weak spots that were hidden and probably dangerous.
No comments:
Post a Comment