Boating on the bay. Hard water and the hot pond.

 

Great ice but no wind.

 Red Rocket pilot

 Cement canoe boating. Really!

 Yet one more view of the lighthouse.

Ed get his 15 minutes of fame. Front page coverage. Ashland Daily Press.

SAFE JOURNEY — Ed Griffiths of Ashland celebrates his first  journey 
underneath U.S Hwy. 2 through “the tunnel” connecting downtown 
Ashland and the lakefront trail. Griffiths said being able to safely cross
the highway unassisted is a huge leap forward for his quality of life.

The following story / quotes appeared in a great article written by Rick Olivo in today's Ashland Daily Press front page story. 

Ed Griffiths is one person who is very glad to see the controversial “tunnel” under Lake Shore Drive approach completion.

To Ed Griffiths, the red clay doesn't really matter. Nor does the lack of landscaping. What matters is, for the first time, he can steer his motorized wheelchair from downtown, through the tunnel and safely under the busy highway to access the walking and biking trail along the tranquil Chequamegon Bay shore.

For Griffiths and other physically limited people, safely crossing the busy highway without aid is problematic, especially during the congested summer driving season. The tunnel now means they can cross under the highway safely, and enjoy the beauty of Chequamegon Bay without fear for their lives. That is a change for the better, says Griffiths.

"I am extremely happy about the tunnel," he said Monday. "I've lived here for most of my life, about 30 years, and I haven't been able to get down to the waterfront without having somebody walk me across the highway. Now that the tunnel is in, I can actually do it myself." Griffiths said the simple act of being able to independently travel to the lakefront to enjoy a sunset, or just to hear the waves ripple on the shore means a great deal.

He said he strongly disagreed with those who asserted the tunnel was without value, a tunnel to nowhere. "I think it will do a lot of good, actually," he said. "In fact, I just went down there on Monday. I saw some people using it already, riding their bikes, pushing a baby stroller through it. It's going to work wonders for the people of Ashland."

Hot pond ice fishing. This is a first. Tip ups from a boat?

Notice the tip up in the lower right corner of this picture. These two had a string of four tip ups running along the edge of the ice. Running west to east along the open water ice edge. Interesting approach.

Driftwood Sculpture.

Driftwood Sculpture.

Not much happening on the bay.

There is always something to photograph in the hot pond. These ducks and geese (or others) are here in the hot pond year around.

MichiganTech. Concrete Canoe racing team.

Cheguamegon Bay hot pond. You never know what you'll see. Today it was the MichiganTech Civil Engineering Department's Concrete Canoe.

The "team" was in the hot pond training for an upcoming race. The team had driven over from Houghton MI to train because "there is always open water here". I got a chance to "inspect" the boat and it looked quite sea worthy.

I'm told it weighs in at around 175 lbs and is 19 feet long. It appeared to be quite quick as it manuevered the course. Portages looked like they might require some extra effort.

I'm told even if it was filled with water it would float. A concrete boat weighing 175 lbs would float. OK! I guess that's why I'm not an engineer. I would have bet otherwise.

It was cold and windy on the bay today but it didn't seem to discourage this crowd. Good luck in your up coming race. Thanks to the team for taking the time to explain your unusual craft and activities.