The Lakes Is High

I live close to Lake Michigan and we've been dealing with extraordinarily high lake levels this spring and summer. It's not catastrophic like some areas of the country have been, but it's definitely caused the landscape around town to change. I took some pictures around town today to show just how high things are. Keep in mind this isn't just from a specific rain event. Things have been this high for months.

As you may be able to guess from the stairs leading directly into the water, there's usually a walkway at the bottom of these stairs, which is now completely submerged.

This is a submerged boardwalk. The posts mark either side of the area where you usually walk next to the river.

These kids are standing on a breakwall. There's usually a couple feet from the water to the top. There's a sidewalk in the foreground.

This is a boat ramp. Usually the dock starts at those rocks in the background.

As you can see, we're doing fine. There's less beach than in most years, and you can't walk everywhere you usually can, and you have to lay down when you kayak under some of the bridges, but overall the water is just higher than usual. But it's a good reminder that we're not necessarily the most powerful force in the world.