Klode Kafé Slated to Return

FYI, Klode Kafé (a/k/a "Kahuna Kafé" or "Kahoonapalooza") will return this Thursday, August 22nd.  Have a nice morning swim, then have a nice cup of coffee.  Please spread the word.  Hope to see you on the beach.  --  Sandie    

Das Fest Outing Sunday... cuz Das water unt Vonderful!

 Captn's Log Saturday August 3rd, 2024 - Noon

Last Swim:  Saturday, Aug. 3rd, Noon

  

Upcoming Swims:  The Typical/Regular Schedule (all at Klode Beach):  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Check blog comments, for additional "impromptu" group swims.)    

Water temp: In the mid-upper 70's per me toe-mometer 

Weather: 85 & abundant Sunshine          

Water Quality/Clarity:  Crystal clear.    

Waves:  light chop/current from the north

Kru:  Diablo, Kahuna, Mr. Anonymous, Ziggy, Billy-Bobber, Capt'n and sightings of Magic Mike and Eric(?) with shore support from She Who Shall Not Be Named

**LATE BREAKING SOCIAL OUTING NEWS** - Following Sunday's (8/4) Noon swim at Klode, join us for a round of grog (...or two...) at Das Fest!  Das Fest is going on this weekend at the Bavarian Inn Bier Garten.  As das vater conditions are vonderful at Klode, vy not join us to celebrate, ja!    

 (**side note:  "The Alex Meixner Band" taking the Main Stage at 4pm is perhaps the best German Oompa-pa-pa band I've ever heard...bring family, friends and your favorite stein to join in on the fun!**)

Here are a few snaps and video from Ziggy and Captn's Das Fest adventure from Friday...

It's All Rainbows & Unicorns at the Beach!

 

Last Swim:  Thursday, Aug. 1st, 6:00 a.m.  

Upcoming Swims:  The Typical/Regular Schedule (all at Klode Beach):  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Check blog comments, for additional "impromtu" group swims.)    

Water temp: In the 70's per my toethrometer. 

Weather: Air in the 70's, with a bit of haze on the horizon (which made it nice, not having to look into full sun), and some interesting fog banks moving up the bluff several places south of Klode.          

Water Quality/Clarity:  Crystal clear.    

Waves:  Flat as a pancake run over by a steamroller operated by a really fat guy

Kru:  Diablo, Lt. MJ, Cindy, Magic Mike, Two Unknown Swimming Females, Assorted Teenagers, Kahuna and some Wimhoffers.

Ya just never know what you're gonna get, if you get out of bed, and go down to the beach on a summer's day.  Today, the "well, that's weird" thing was seeing something floating out towards Michigan, away from Klode.  The folks on the beach (all of us of a certain age, and therefore squinting), were trying to determine whether the floating thing had a teenager connected to it, or not.  We guessed not (as said imaginary kid was not calling for help).  

Never a man to leave a mystery unsolved, Diablo (unicorn wrangler extraordinaire), swam out there, and led back to shore the Kru's new mascot:

Turns out our new mascot was not yet broken in, which led to some riproarin bronco-busting, rodeoing on the beach:

Contest:  Name that mascot.  Submit suggestions in the Comments.

Post-swim and bronco-busting, it started to sprinkle on us in the parking lot, which led to the appearance of the above rainbow.  Who needs a pot of gold, when you've got a golden sunrise, and flat, perfect water to go for a long swim in?  Truly a magical morning of swimming at the beach today!

P.S.:  Good luck to all who are headed Nort this weekend (including Cindy & Lt. MJ), to take on the Point to LaPointe Challenge.  

Klode beach closure PSA

The Public Works Director of Whitefish Bay came personally down to the beach today to tell us the beach will be closed for rest of the day because of construction (but may be open around 4) and also tomorrow, so 

no swimming tomorrow morning at Klode!!

-Atwater is a possibility

Water today was warm and flat, over 70 degrees, slight current from the South.

Gunk on the Thermometer

 Last Swim:  Friday, June 12, 6 a.m.

Upcoming Swims:  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  Check blog comments, for additional impromptu group swims, or post to suggest a swim time.    
Water temp: 70

Air temp: 64 (est.), chilly little NE breeze, hazy sun

Water Quality/Clarity:  Murky with clear areas

Waves:  A bit of chop here and there

Kru:  Early shift:  Diablo.  Sunny Luna Laguna,  Lt. MJ, Mermaid Princess, Holly, Hollywood, Fin-Fyn, Dragonfly, Magic Mike, another fellow (Gordon?)

Despite the Gunk on the Thermometer as Mary Jo took the temperature, it was arguably the best swim of the season!  We skirted the masses of green moss lining the water's edge and eased in near the south rocks.  The moss was warmer than the sand in the early sun.  If the water started at 70, the further you got from the rocks and out into the lake, the warmer it was.  Several of us were in wetsuits as the air was chill and we had an inkling the swim might turn long.  This was certainly the case for me as I cruised beyond the Cute Chairs,  White Canoe, One-Man Beach, Three Piers, and the Blue Thing.  I know there are Sandbags beyond the Blue Thing, but I may have been too far from shore to identify them.  What I saw seemed to be nondescript rocky shoreline for a couple of hundred yards as I slogged against a developing chop increasingly eastward, as the north arm of the bay curves in.  I turned at 2,000 yards at no particular landmark and felt a friendly push all the way home to Klode.  I later learned that the mythical Crystal Palace was still 500 yards, or about 10 minutes, away by my current speed from my furthest north.  Since that would have added 20 minutes to my total swim, I left it for another day.  But having inched a bit closer to these significant landmarks - Big Bay last week, Crystal Palace this week - my respect for those who have actually achieved these storied sights has only increased.

MJ confronts the gunky thermometer. She noted that the water was "more of a solid," fortunately it re-liquified further out!

Real Live Wham-O Instant Fish -- Just Add Water!

 

Last Swim:  Sat., July 20, 2024, noon.  

Upcoming Swims:  The Typical/Regular Schedule (all at Klode Beach):  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Check blog comments, for additional "impromtu" group swims.)    

Full Moon Swim:  If you are interested in organizing a full moon swim on Sunday evening, leave a note in the comments. 

Water temp: 71 at shore per the Sandy-O-Meter; cooler areas (maybe down to the low 60s) in multiple areas during the swim.

Weather: High 70's, mixed sun and clouds.        

Water Quality/Clarity:  Clear; 9 of 10.   

Waves:  Riffled.    

Boat Traffic:  Moderate.    

Kru:  WeTac, Hawaii 4.0, Amy, Peaches, Brick, BillyBobber, Sandy (Beach Name "Sandy"), Dragonfly, Mr. A, Forger, Amy-With-A-Duck, Sarah, Bahtiari, Diablo, Kahuna (maybe others, sorry if I missed adding you to the list, if I missed you, leave a comment).

Several members of the Kru took advantage of the pleasant conditions today, and went long, going to Big Bay and Back. 

The above is a picture of my new granddaughter, Gloria.  I went swimming with her in  Lake Michigan last night, but I don't have photographic proof of it, so I'm just posting a picture I took of her this morning.  She liked the Lake and the beach.  When she was born in February, I made sure that she tasted Killepitsch before she tasted mother's milk.

OK, in last Sunday's blog, the Captain had a link to some old 1960 Mountain Dew TV commericials.  After I watched that, I went down the rabbit hole, to the 1960 TV commericial for "Real Live Wham-O Instant Fish."  I embeded a link to the commercail above (and here is the link again, just in case the above embedded video does not work).  If there is an official toy of the Klode Kru, I think it should be "Live Wham-O Instant Fish." 

As I mentioned above, if you are interested in organizing a full moon swim on Sunday evening, leave a note in the comments. 

Update:  After I posted the above, a relative sent me a picture of Gloria and me at the beach.  Cue The Lion King Song.

A New Day

 

If you stayed in bed this morning, and didn't go to the beach, your life might well be less than it might otherwise have been.  

Last Swim:  July 15th, 6:00 a.m. 

Upcoming Swims:  The Typical/Regular Schedule (all at Klode Beach):  M-F 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.;  Sat. & Sun.  8 a.m. and noon.  (Check blog comments, for additional "impromtu" group swims.)     

Water temp: My guess is 68 at the beach, colder by the rocks, but maybe in the 70s as we headed North.  Some substantially colder water was in places, but that was 1 to 2 feet below us, so as long as it stays there, it's all good baby.  [7/16 update: see King Triton's comment about 52 degree water near shore today; be careful how much faith you put in reports from the Atwater off-shore buoy temp graph].       

Weather: High 70's, full sun, headed towards a hot 90 and thunderstorms this afternoon.       

Water Quality/Clarity:  Clear.  10 of 10.   

Waves:  Flat.    

Boat Traffic:  Zero.   

Firsts seen at the Beach: Someone has erected a reasonalby tall wooden flagpole, but neglected to hoist a flag on it.  T'would be a good place for a MKE People's Flag.  

Kru:  Lt. M.J. (a long distance swimmer today), FinFin, newbie Gloria (beach name "Gloriosos"?), Doug, Wimhoffer June, Kahuna, and early shift Aquaman, and Diablo.

Invitation: If you are visiting Milwaukee this week, and want to try open water swimming in Lake Michigan, you are more than welcome to come swim with us.  Anyone who wants to swim with us, can swim with us.  Just show up at the appointed time at the south end of Klode Beach, and introduce yourself to the folks putting on swim caps or wetsuits. If you have questions, see "Kru FAQ's" on the right side of this blog, below the pictures.    

As the storm clouds magestically progressed there way to the East, the Sun rose above the horizon, and our intrepid little group of sleepy-eyed swimmers made our winding way down to the beach.  

We were met with the glory that is Lake Michigan, on a beautiful summers day.

We introduced ourselves to young Gloria from New Berlin, who had decided to try open water swimming in Lake Michigan today, after reading the blog.  Gloria boldly and bravely stated her purpose: I'm going to learn how to swim open water well, because I'm going to do the Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon next year.  Good on ya, and good luck in your training (and yes, you should get a wetsuit).  Welcome Gloria, and we hope to see you back on the da beach soon.  

Had a nice talk too with Doug (who I don't think I've met, even though his wife June is a regular wimhoffer dunker at Klode year round).  Doug is getting ready to do a 1.2 mile swim as part of a triathlon relay with his son in Maine in a week or so.  Good luck Doug!  

Watch the forecast if you are thinking about swimming this evening, as some thunderstorms are predicted to roll through Milwaukee this evening.  

"Bye bye, gotta go swim now!"