Well it’s certainly no longer summer out at the lake!
For the first time since last Spring, I dressed in layers to go out to the lake as the air temperature had dropped to 46F at 7:00am. Plus we also had a breeze from the north that harangued us while we were out of the water. But the real treat was the lake temperature which came in at an absolutely delightful 64.2F!
In the 14 years since I’ve been coming out to the lake and doing swims year-round, I can quite confidently state that October swims are some of the most memorable. That’s because the change of the season brings about a degree of color, clarity, and contrast to the lakefront that isn’t as intense during other months of the year. This translates to amazing sunrises, brilliant fall colors, and overall great photo opportunities. Plus, since the Fall Turnover doesn’t take place until late October/early November, the lake is still fairly warm (i.e. 55F – 65F) for most of the month.
So despite the nippy outside air temperature, things were quite comfortable in the wonderfully balmy lake. Having just recuperated from a bad cold, I did just under 1/2 mile in a long, lazy loop (i.e. no beach landing). But I could very well have stayed in the water all day. So I hope you all go out to the lake on Sunday. Or even better, IN the lake!
The temperature drop we had the previous week looks to have been an aberration as the lake came in at 67.4F – almost on par with the 68F air temp. The skies were overcast, but both the water and air were warm enough that this didn’t really make a difference. So the verdict was perfect swimming conditions at 6:30am – wish you could have bene out this morning!
Four Lake Monster made it out to L3 at 6:30am, and we could already tell that the summer was a mere wisp of a memory. The outside air temperature came in at 60F – normally not too daunting, but it had a crisp feel to it that wasn’t there just a short while ago. Also, in case we didn’t need any reminder that we were on the other side of the equinox, the lake temperature came in at 63.8F – almost a 10F degree drop from two weeks ago (ulp!).
Nevertheless, we were undeterred by the first glimpse of things to come, and we got in the water without any hesitation. It was still quite balmy in just a cap, goggles, and jammers (for me at least), but I opted to do a long 1/2 mile loop versus a point-to-point to the beach. This was because the walk back would have been a bit nippy given the lower air temp and a gusty wind from the west. Still, it was the perfect balance between the warmer water of late summer and the amazing sunrises that we typically start seeing in October.
So get out to the lake while we are still in the 60F+ zone!
Dawn skyline (with L1 kiddie pool at the bottom right)
In what turned out to be the last of our official summer meetups, Lake Michigan gave us a 72.4F lake temp which was slightly higher than the 71F air temp – in other words, ideal conditions! Also, it certainly helped that we had calm and clear water which made my point-to-point swim to Oak Street Beach a real gem. Hope you got in one last swim before the equinox!
A sliver of a sunrise just to the right of the water crib
We’re definitely feeling the change in seasons these days. The sunrises are later in the morning, and there is a slight chill present in the air that wasn’t there in late August. But September and October are two of my favorite months for outdoor swimming as the lake temperature usually stays fairly high, and the sunrises are just spectacular. And this was certainly that case last weekend!
I found myself hustling out to the lakefront after a longer than expected ride out the city. Apparently, the Bike the Drive event was rescheduled for Labor Day weekend (it’s usually held on Memorial Day weekend), so Lake Shore Drive was completely shut down. As a result, I had to take an alternate route through the city to get to our swim site. But the silver lining was that I got to experience a wave on nostalgia driving past all my old haunts and hangouts on Clark and Broadway.
Once on site at L1 everything was fantastic. We had a great turnout (likely driven by the 6:15am sunrise), and the lake temperature came in at an amazing 73.0F – much more comfortable than the 63F air temperature. I did a point-to-point 1/2 mile to Oak Street Beach and walked back to L1 where everyone was still hanging out. I jumped in one more time as the conditions were perfect. I could have stayed out there all day, but I had to get up north to attend to my two little ones (and two future Lake Monsters!).
Hope you got out to (and into) the lake last Sunday!
Good fences may make good neighbors, but this isn’t the case with swimming…
The last meetup of August brought out several Lake Monsters to the lakefront as well as a number of other early morning revelers taking advantage of the 75.0F lake temp and 80F air temp. I can’t say I blame everyone as the skies were clear, the lake was calm, and we had a great show to the east at 6:00am.
The only glitch in our swim plans was a pesky chain link fence that had been erected along the shoreline from L1 to L3 completely blocking access to the water. Apparently the city is doing some much needed repairs of the concrete in this area. And while this is certainly necessary, it did require use to get in the lake a bit farther north of L1. We could easily have snuck around the fence to get to L1 (and some people did), but there is a submerged safety ladder just on the other side of the fence that enabled us to get in and out of the water easily.
The near perfect lake conditions put me in a really good swim groove, and I decided to do the point to point half mile to Oak Street Beach. Once I reached the shore, I sat around for a bit in the water enjoying the now fully risen sun and the wonderful late summer morning. Pretty soon things will start to get a bit nipper in both the lake and the outside air, so now is the time to get in your final summer swims!
Seven of us made it out to L1 this morning and, fortunately for us, the “beach hazard” swim conditions did not materialize at 6:00am. While we did have some 2-3 foot slow rolling swells, they were more than manageable in the 72.0F lake.
I went with my usual peak summer set up – jammers and goggles – although I realized half way into my swim that the former were on backwards. But lucky for me this didn’t hamper my performance in the water. What did, though, was the swells on the return part of the swim. The wind was blowing them in a steep southwest direction, so I was basically swimming directly into them for the last 1/4 mile.
Overall, another fantastic morning out at the lake, and we didn’t have to contend with the Air Show crowds!
Sunday brought us a wonderfully clear morning with an amazing view to the east at 6:00am. The lake came in at 72.4F – a slight dip from last week – with the air temp hovering around 61F. So there was, dare I say, a slight hint of early autumn that sent us scurrying into the lake for the sanctuary of the balmy water. As obvious by the pics below, we had some rather vigorous chops and 2-3 foot swells, so I only got in 1/4 mile. But it was still well worth the effort as we pretty much had the entire lakefront to ourselves!
A bit overcast to the east at 5:50am, so we didn’t get the resplendent sunrise that usually happens this time of year. But we had ideal swimmin’ conditions out at the world’s greatest swim spot with the lake temp coming in at 75.8F and the air temp at 72F. Wish you all could have made it out!
The last meetup of July gave us a perfect summer morning! The lake came in at a balmy 73.8F with an air temp of 72F at 5:40am. I once again planned to go minimalist – i.e. swim jammers and goggles only. But I had to go with just the jammers as I left my goggles at home (ulp)! So the 1/2 mile swim to the beach was pretty “old school.” But the lake conditions were ideal, so the walk back to L1 was an absolute joy. Happy July!
