Lake Superior Storm 001

It was the day after the annual Edmund Fitzgerald memorial beacon lighting. Every year on the 10th of November, the beacon at Split Rock is lighted to commemorate the sinking of the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and all the other vessels lost on the Great Lakes. We were heading back home from Duluth and the lake was wild. Strong NE winds had been blowing all day and the swells were growing to over 20 feet.

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Lake Superior Storm 002

Rain was coming down in sheets and without rain gear there was no way I would be able to walk to the shoreline. I was thankful that I knew of one spot in Tettegouche State Park where you can park on the shoulder of HWY61 and get a good view of the lake.

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Lake Superior Storm 003

Shooting from the window of our car we were able to see the powerful waves crashing into the 30-foot-high basalt cliffs of Crystal Bay.

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Lake Superior Storm 004

Stuck between every 40 or so waves during a big storm comes the “Three Sisters”. It is the name commercial fishermen have given to the bigger waves. The last wave of the “Three Sisters” is always bigger and the most dangerous. Each one of these photos is the third wave of the “Three Sisters” that we saw during the 45 minutes that we were there.

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