I value the simple pleasures in life more as I get older. It was a hot and humid day yesterday, and we cooled off with a swim at Sunset Lake Park. Sunset Lake is one of 314 lakes in Iron County, and if you include the 900 miles of rivers, that is a lot of water! The lakes were formed between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago during the last Ice Age (Wisconsin Glaciation) period. As the glaciers retreated, they carved depressions that eventually formed lakes. Iron County has a “knob and kettle” topography, which means lots of small hills and depressions. This is the characteristic impact of glaciers.
It is awesome to think that all this time later, residents of Iron County can cool off on a rare hot and humid day in the Upper Peninsula, thanks to geological processes that took place so long ago. The lake is located in Bates Township, and officials have maintained a nice public beach area, campgrounds, and a boat landing. There were only a few people there. Oliver, Ocean, and I swam to the dock and had fun pushing each other off and diving off the dock. I noticed a lot of freshwater clams embedded in the bottom of the lake. This is a sign of a healthy lake where filter feeders can thrive.
The forecast is for heat and humidity today, our last full day of summer holiday before heading back to Tashkent. We might have to visit another of the 314 Iron County lakes.
Bill's Blog 