No matter what time of the year, its always a good time to catch a wave!

Ahhh, makes me want to get out the suntan lotion, lay out, and....... make a snow angel? :-D :roll:

That's a great shot!

 

that is the coolest shot ever on this website! coolest? get it? hehe.

ps -- that photo reminded me of the old local hit by the euclid beach band, a local wanna-be beach boys group:

 

THERE'S NO SURF IN CLEVELAND U.S.A.

The Euclid Beach Band

(a local hit I admit :-))

 

Intro: There's no surf in Cleveland U.S.A.

 

If you want to see tinsel and stars just go to LA

To ride a subway car try New York way

Well you can go to Philly amytime

If the Liberty Bell rings your chime

But we're all here in Cleveland, Ohio

And that ain't bad brother don't you know

Cause there's a party every night

And dancing till the morning light

There's such a lot to do

 

REFRAIN

 

Well we can cruise through the rapids(1) all day long

(day long day long day long)

And we can dance to the music all night long

(night long night long night long)

Now we can't shine down our woody

Or drive a board around all day

And man we can't impress the girls on the beach

The way they do out in LA

Cause there's no surf in Cleveland

There's just no surf in Cleveland U.S.A.

 

>From east and west and all around the town

We're a-ok don't let them put you down

The buzzard's(2) singing with the (chip up and down ??)

So clap your hands to the radio sound

Come on and sing along

 

REFRAIN sung twice

 

Fade out singing "no surf no surf we don't care" over and over

 

(1) Cleveland's rail public transportation system

(2) The cartoon "mascot" of Cleveland's leading rock station

    WMMS FM 100.7 inspired by the buzzard nesting ground in

    nearby Hinckley Ridge

 

 

I'm not old enough to remember that song when it came out.  However I have a CD, best of Cleveland International Records, that has that song on it (along with the studio version of Cleveland Rocks, and Meatloaf's Paradise by the Dashboard).

 

BTW, has WMMS yet to retire the buzzard?

I'm pretty sure my parents have a photo or two of me (pre pub) running around in a WMMS Buzzard t-shirt.

When does the lake usually freeze over?

^almost never, its rare when that happens.

no it does, but it has to be during one of those single digit arctic freeze snaps we usually get by the end of january through fenruary

I cant remember a time it hasnt frozen over each year...though at the rate this year is going who knows.

It doesn't happen every year, but it happens enough that it isn't rare (unlike Lake Superior which does rarely freeze over)

More like on average of once every 2-3 years.  The Snowbelt (east of Cleveland) stops receiving snow when Lake Erie freezes over (because there is no moisture to brought on shore)

Even so, lake waters near the shoreline usually do freeze over, as does the shallower western end of the lake. So you can stand on the shore and see nothing but ice. But once you go out several miles, then the lake opens up.

 

It's true though that a total freeze over doesn't happen as often. When it does, you can literally walk to Canada. But that's definitely not recommended. Not just because you may encounter a thin spot and fall through, but you can easily get lost. I've been told by those who go ice fishing at least several miles out that you get very disoriented because there's no points of reference. You need a compass or a GPS device.

^i did just that as a dumb jhs kid. we went out so far you could not see the shore or anything. i saw frozen fish staring up at me and waves frozen mid-wave. we did get disoriented, but at least were smart enough to make tracks in the snow to follow back. and yes even when it was a rare heavily frozen freeze over there was still clear/blue thin ice out there. a highly memorable and just as highly unrecommended adventure!

 

Surfing the Great Lakes.....you listen to Ministry instead of the Beach Boys, and the backdrop is blast furnances and refinery flares...not swaying palms....

 

...interestingly, the best time to surf the Lakes is in winter, when the waves pick up....(at least on Lake Michigan, according to online reports)

 

...check out Great Lakes Surfing Association

 

...and the book....

 

 

or this DVD..Unsalted...

 

"A thousand miles from the nearest ocean - where tens of millions of people live and work in America's heartland - there are a few who live another reality. With modern technology and a passion for an ancient pastime, these hearty souls will drop everything to experience the unexpected - waves.

 

While the rest of the Great Lakes region is packing away its beach chairs a small, diverse and eclectic group of surfers start tuning into the weather. They live and breathe by buoy reports and will drop anything just to surf. Their quest to surf along the wide and farreaching lake coastlines requires more dedication, cold heartedness and schedule flexibility than any other surf region on the planet.

Their lives hark back to the very genesis of wave riding cultures where everything was dropped when the waves came up.

"

 

 

"One part obsession, one part addiction and an unending quest for adventure makes Great Lakes Surfers a truly rare breed. Add 40-knot winds, 15 foot waves and frigid temperatures to a storm ravaged inland sea and they'll tell you it's a recipe for fun. Join filmmaker and surfer, Vince Deur on a road trip around 5 Great Lakes to meet the surfers who have made surfing these stormy waters a way of life for nearly 40 years. He is searching for the answer to the most obvious question...why they bother? Why would a lawyer, an artist, a fireman and a retired factory worker all immerse themselves into such a harsh environment? What is it they are really looking for? Watch it and you'll see!"