Warming Up

Next Swims: Friday 7/1 6AM, Saturday & Sunday 1PM

Monday July 4th place and time to be determined (we anticipate that Klode beach will be closed for the fireworks on the 4th, so we may need to swim from Big Bay)

Last swim: Thursday 6/30 6AM

Water Temp: 61

Waves: gentle rollers

Water Clarity: Crystal Clear

Crew: Kahuna, Diablo, Cap'n, Patriarch, David, Tim

It's good to see warmer water temps at the beach, and from looking at the maps, the entire lake is finally warming up. I'll be glad to shed the wetsuit. Hopefully this weekend we can do some longer swims.

This was a morning of firsts: the first time we saw Tim this year, the first sighting of the cannon (in eight feet of water off the small beach just south of Klode). And our first twenty-one bun salute from the exercise group.

Up Early. For What?

Next Swim: Thursday 6/30 6AM

Last Swim: Wed 6/29 6AM

Water Temp: 56

Waves: small

Water Clarity: Clear

Crew: Cap'n, Kahuna, Slip & Slide, Ellen, Patriarch

I would have swum at a more civilized hour, but I was promised that Blondie & Ellie would show up at 6AM, but NOOOOO........., they wimped out, supposedly because it was too cold. You guys are numbers 1&2 on my S*** list. Just so you know.

There are some braver women in the world, as proved by Lane's wife Ellen, who joined us for the first time. I was surprised that she did not seem at all intimated by the cold water as some newbies are. She stayed with us as we swam to Cedar Grove and back.

Also, it was good to see our old friend Steve, who lives just down the shore. Last night we saw him on his jet ski, and this morning he was riding a watercycle type contraption. He offered to host a swim one day, which would be great - his house is on a sand beach and he has a hot tub overlooking the lake - the perfect spot, it would seem to me, to warm up and enjoy some post-swim refreshment.

In search of...

Next Swim: Wednesday 6/29 6AM

Last Swim: Tuesday 6/28 6:30PM

Water Temp: 57.4

Waves: calm

Water Clarity: Clear

Crew: The Patriarch, Diablo, Slip-n-slide, Riptide, Lane, Beth, Capt'n with special guest appearance from Gumdrop

Indeed, it was a pleasant evening to walk the plank. Clear skies, no wind, calm seas, crystal clear water and an air temp in the low 70's. Unfortunately the Lady of the Lake didn't get the same memo. While the Klode bay may have had a very appealing topical appearance the water temp registered just 57.4 on the Captn-o-meter.

This evening's swim featured a voyage up to mudslide and back following a route further offshore than normal. While it was never officially spoken I think our route this evening was dictated by a secret desire to find the warm water which to the eye always appeared to be just a tad bit further out than we were swimming....although it was a bit odd how a few crew members momentarily thought they had found warm water just behind The Patriarch.

Washing Machine

Next Swim: Tuesday 6/28 6:30PM

Last Swim: Mon 6/27 6AM

Water Temp: 62

Waves: Heavy Chop

Water Clarity: Clear

Crew: Cap'n, Kahuna, Beth, Patriarch

Not a day for a sensitive stomach. We were tossed, turned, churned, slapped in the face, and put through the spin cycle. Impossible to get any kind of rhythm going. It didn't matter which direction we were going in. Still, we had a good swim to the Silver Spring drain pipe and back, if you didn't mind a little queasiness, that is.

Exceptional

Next Swim: Monday 6/27 6AM

Last Swim: Sunday 6/26 1PM

Water Temp: 62-65 on the south end of the beach but warm pockets (upper 60s?) away from Klode

Air Temp: 75 & Sunny
Waves: calm

Water Clarity: Very clear

Crew: The Patriarch, Diablo, Kahuna, Slip-n-Slide, eRun, Crash, Riptide, Chris, Dave, Capt'n

Ahoy mates!! It sure was a fine day to walk the plank for our biggest crew of the year. The water at Klode's south beach measured anywhere from 62-65 depending on where you were standing. The Patriarch, Diablo and I were a bit skidish at first about whether or not to swim skin but when The Patriarch declared with his trademark crazed eye stare that he was in for skin, Diablo and I too knew we would share the same fate of walking the plank minus a wetsuit. As fate would have it, our decision turned out to be an exceptional one.

The water today was exceptionally clear and the surface water for the most part was comfortably in the upper 60's to around 70. (...although there were a few pockets of cold water to remind you how temperamental the Lady of the Lake can be...) Certainly warm enough to support a 40 minute swim up to the mudslide and back. A few others, (Slip-n-slide, eRun, Chris, Dave), ventured further up to 3 piers before heading back.

To celebrate this afternoon's unexpectedly pleasant swim conditions we hoisted 10 shots of Pitsch to the wind. Ahhh, this sure be livin' large!!

A Great Swimming Weekend

Next Swim: Sunday 6/26 1PM

Last Swim: Saturday 6/25 1PM

Water Temp: 59 on the south end of the beach, 54 between the rock piles, it was definitely on the colder side when we got away from the beach

Waves: Small chop

Water Clarity: Very clear

Crew: Patriarch, Crash, Cap'n, Diablo, David, Jodie, Lane

We swam south to the storm drain below Silver Spring (a mile round trip?). It was slow going against the chop on the way out, but we flew back. A very nice day and a pleasant swim, and it looks like Sunday should be another great day.

Wondrous things

Next Swim: Saturday@ 1pm
Last Swim: Friday @ 6:30pm
Water temp: 53.8
Air Temp: 67 & cloudy
Waves: calm
Clarity: clear
Crew: The Patriarch, Diablo, Lane, Chris, Chris, Dave, David, Slip-n-Slide, Capt'n

Considering all the rain we've received and how dark and murky the water was just a few days ago it wouldn't have been surprising to find the water quality to be poor this evening....but instead it was exceptionally clear.

Considering the cool air temps and lack of sun it wouldn't have been surprising if we had a skeleton crew this evening....but instead we had our largest group of the year.

Considering the water temp was a mere 53.2 this evening it would not have been surprising to see some crew members abandon ship before walking the plank....but instead each and every crew mate walked the plank and logged at least a minimum swim to the north down spout and back.

Also considering the water temp of a mere 53.2 this evening it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for everyone to turn around at the garage....but instead every crew member at least made the garage and the majority of the crew made it all the way up to mudslide before returning home.

Tomorrow we swim at 1pm....I wonder if the Mother Nature and the Lady of the Lake will warm up by then? While it may not look likely wondrous things have been known to happen....

Good to be Back

Next Swims: 6:30PM Friday, tentatively 1PM Saturday & Sunday

Also: tonight (Thu) is the second in the Aquathon series at Lannon Quarry, Menomonee Park

http://www.racedayeventsllc.com/content/aquathon-series-milwaukee

Cap'n & me plan to do it skin

Last Swim: Thursday 6/23 6AM

Water Temp: 54

Waves: calm

Water Clarity: Very clear (surprisingly, after yesterday's storms)

Crew: Cap'n, David, Beth, Patriarch

It was good to be back after a week in Nashville. I can tell Cap'n missed me, he said I looked good in my new wetsuit. What a softie! The water felt colder than the 54 we measured from shore, so we did a relatively short quick swim to garage and back.

Here's a picture of my granddaughter Ava, which has nothing to do with swimming, but since I'm a Patriarch, I can blog what I want.

Eerie swim conditons

Next Swim: Thursday @ 6am
Last Swim: Tuesday @ 6pm
Water temp: 61.7
Air Temp: 64 & fog
Waves: very slight chop from northeast
Clarity: murky
Crew: Diablo, Lane, Capt'n with special guest appearance from Diablito

Fog once again dominated the Klode shoreline on Tuesday. Similar to yesterday it wasn't the thin wispy variety of fog but rather the think pea soup fog that made large objects like the Klode rock piles disappear from sight. The water today was dark and murky. No doubt the result of today's storms and the lack of sunlight. Oddly, the top 1ft of water was relatively clear but beyond that the water clarity rapidly faded to brown.

The crew today swam up to the garage and then down to south south beach before calling it a day. The setting was quite eerie if you swam more than 100 meters from shore. Similar to being in a forest clearing, the stark turquoise blue hue of the rippled lake surface was prominent all around you but beyond that there was nothing but thick white fog.

Fog, fog, fog....blah, blah, blah

Next Swim: Tuesday @ 6pm
Water temp @ 6pm Monday: 60.7
Air Temp: 56 & dense fog
Waves: frequent 1/2 foot rollers
Crew: ???...probably wouldn't have saw them even if they were standing next to me.

A thick fog covered Klode today. From the parking lot down to the water front...nothing but pea soup. Not a very pleasant day to walk the plank...although the water temp of 60+ sure was inviting! Oddly even the ducks and seagulls were avoiding the water this evening. They all sat nestled on the rocks and shoreline waiting for....something. I think summer officially starts tomorrow...right???

3 crew members with 12 kids

Next Swim: Monday @ 6pm
Last Swim: Sunday @ noon
Water temp: upper 50's
Air Temp: 62 & fog
Waves: 1ft rollers from southeast
Clarity: murky nearshore / considerably clearer offshore
Crew: Kahuna, Diablo, Capt'n

The Captn-o-meter was on the fritz this afternoon...but the unofficial toe test and later 5 minute skin swim placed the water temp just shy of 60. Not bad for day highlighted by grey skies and a sudden fog that similar to Friday morning rolled in very quickly during the swim and hid the Klode rock piles if you were more than 100 meters from shore.

Three of us walked the plank today. An interesting statistic that was revealed was that between us we have a total of 12 kids. (...that we know of...) Accentuating that stat is that one of us doesn't have kids. Obviously, some of us are better at swimming than it would appear during our swim adventures.

Speaking of adventures, today's journey took us up to Cedar Grove and back. The water away from Klode's rock piles was noticeably warmer and the water away from the shore was also considerably clearer. Frequent rolling 1ft waves spiced up the swim a bit...especially if you swam near shore or over a sand bar where they would crest and attempt to roll you over.

Diablo's Friday Evening & Saturday updates

Last Swim: Saturday @ 1:30pm
Water Temp: Warmer than yesterday
Air Temp: ? Cloudy/sunny
Waves: slight chop from everywhere
Clarity: Much better than yesterday
Crew: Me, myself, I and Chuckie Chester

Friday night swim.
Water Temp: refreshing
Air Temp: si
Waves: Chop from NE (Capitan said)
Clarity: None by the rocks, great away from the rocks
Crew: Diablo, Gabe, The Spaniard and Chuck

It seems like the water is warming up. Hard to say without the Patriarch O'meter, but it felt warmer than the Friday evening swim. Today with the sun in our backs thoughts of a long swim cross our minds. We went to the garage fighting the Lady of the Lake. Avast! She was kind of mad, angry, disappointed, because the love lube is MIA and the love stick was not there.
Arrr! Matey!!! El Capitan be on deck tomorrow

Fog & Cooler

Next Swims:
Friday @ 5:30pm (Diablo)
Saturday ???
Sunday Noon
Last Swim: Friday @ 6am
water temp: 54.2
Air Temp: 53 & fog
Waves: slight chop from the northeast
Clarity: great
Crew: Kahuna, Lane, Capt'n

Water temps continued their downward trend Friday morning but that didn't stop the crew from walking the plank. The skies were clear when we took the plunge but by the time we arrived at Garage a thick fog had rolled in. Lane and I continued our journey up to rock wall despite a slight chop from the northeast that would occasionally slap you the face if you took a breath off your right side. Water clarity was exceptional despite the thick fog that choked out the sunshine and hid the Klode rock piles from sight until you were within 100 meters of them.

Swim plans this weekend are a bit sketchy at the moment. The Patriarch is MIA until next Wednesday and I'll be in Madison for the Horribly Hilly bike ride until Sunday. Diablo is rumored to be making an appearance at Klode at 5:30 this evening. I'll be back in action Sunday at noon.

Mid-day Thursday update

Last Swim: Tuesday @ 6:30pm
Tuesday water temp: 58.6
Waves: choppy from the northeast
Clarity: great 50 meters from shore
Crew: Diablo, Slip-n-slide, Dave, Capt'n and (Kahuna too!) with guest appearance from Crash

Thursday 2pm water temp: 57.2
Waves: none
Clarity: Looks great from shore
Next Swim: 6am Friday (Diablo may be heading out Thursday evening)

I had a few extra minutes this afternoon so I dipped my toes in the water at Klode. I was expecting a warmer reading but perhaps the warmer water will be here by this evening or perhaps Friday morning. Diablo is rumored to possibly be coming out Thursday evening. I will for sure be out Friday morning at 6am.

Tuesday's swim wasn't nearly as pleasant as Monday's but Slip-n-slide and I still managed to make it up to the rock wall despite a choppy northeasterly current. The water felt cooler the further you swam out from shore but the clarity improved considerably.

Big swing in water temp

Next Swim: Tuesday 6:30PM

Last Swim: Monday 5:30PM
Water temp 62.9
Waves: none....sheet of glass

Water Clarity: Exceptional

Crew: Diablo, Nick, Austin, Capt'n

The swim conditions were exceptional Monday evening! Water temp was approximately 10 degrees warmer than Sunday, the water surface was a virtual sheet of glass and the clarity was superb. An ideal evening for a rock wall and back adventure.

Looking forward to continued exceptional swim conditions this evening! :)

What the Chuck?

Next Swim: Monday 5:30PM

Last Swim: Sunday 3:30PM
Water temp 52.9 (warmer in most spots offshore)
Waves: Calm

Water Clarity: stirred up near shore, 6-8ft 100 meters from shore

Crew: Chuck, Chuckster, Chuckerino, Capt'n with special guest appearance from Chuckie and Charlie
(a.k.a. Diablo, Slip-n-Slide, Kahuna, Capt'n with special guest appearance from Crash & Lil' Sista)

Swimming after doing the beer run always makes for an interesting experience. Today was no exception. This one probably can be filed under the "who knew" category. Unbeknownst to me, I subconsciously started calling everyone the same name this afternoon. The shocking part is that it turned out everyone actually has the same name....why else would everyone respond when called....Chuck?

The surface water was definitely warmer than the water just a few feet below the surface. That combined with a nice warm sun made for a delightful Cedar Grove and back adventure this afternoon. Minus The Patriarch and his 'love lube' I would theorize that today's warmer conditions were attributed to Kahuna's counter to The Patriarch's 'love lube'....I think he called it "Kahuna's love stick' or something like that. Regardless, both Mother Nature and the Lady of Lake warmed up nicely to it. What's interesting is that Kahuna uses his stick in different places than where The Patriarch uses his lube....still formulating theories on this one folks. Stay tuned....

Three shots of Pitsch to the wind

Next Swim: Klode, Sunday 3:30pm
Today's Water Temp: 49.9
Today's Air Temp: 54
Killepitch Crew: The Patriarch, Diablo, Capt'n

Mother Nature and the Lady of the Lake showed no signs of ending their seize on summer today. Regardless, we still found reason to convene a meeting of the Klode Crew and raise 3 shots of Pitsch to the wind. The Patriarch sported his new TriWisconsin swim threads today. Perhaps this combined with his magic love lube will bring cause for both Mother Nature and the Lady of the Lake to take notice and warm their spirits? Stay tuned....

End of Summer(?) Swim Saturday

Next Swim: Klode Saturday (6/11) 2PM
Today's water temp: 49.2
Today's air temp: 51

Could it be that summer's come and gone already? The exceptional summer like 90's enjoyed earlier this week now feel like a distant memory. Now we just have.....flaw, flaw, flaw!!!!

Well, if summer is indeed over let's celebrate what summer we did have with a dip in the Lake! 2pm Saturday. Perhaps The Patriarch can try to woo Mother Nature and the Lady of the Lake with his 'love lube' to coax a few more summer like days out of them? :)

Cold, colder....really cold

Next Swim: Friday 6PM

Last Swim: Wednesday 6/8 6:00AM
Water temp 6am Thursday 46! :(

Water Temp 6am Wednesday : 50 (considerably cooler away from Klode rock piles)

Waves: Calm

Water Clarity: Excellent

Crew: Diablo, Lane, Jodi, Capt'n with Special Guest Appearance by The Patriarch

We were greeted on the Klode shore Wednesday morning by the M-Power fitness crew and 3 new triathletes who had driven up from Bayview for an early morning swim. (...sorry, in all the excitement I don't think I caught your names...) As was the case Tuesday, the Klode beach water temp turned out to be considerably warmer than the water just 25-50 meters down shore. (...could it be that The Patriarch doesn't event need to apply his 'love lube' to entice the Lady of the Lake to warm the water underneath his feat???)

As we've already completed several journey's this year at the 50 degree water temp we walked the plank without even batting an eye. Clad in socks, multiple neoprene and silicone swim caps were able to complete a journey from Klode's south beach down to south south beach and back before calling it a day. Only Lane (...who shared with us his trade secret of practicing by soaking his hands in ice water...he had a more 'technical' phase for this practice but you get the picture...) had the desire to press onward. If I had to guess, the actual water temp was probably in the 45-46 degree temperature range. For those of you who decided not to swim today, your choice was certainly a sane one. Warmer water days are certainly ahead for us...it's out there. Perhaps it will be here Friday? :)

Deceptive

Next Swims: Wednesday & Thursday 6AM Klode

Last Swim: Tuesday 6/7 6:30M

Water Temp: 61 (considerably cooler away from Klode rock piles)

Waves: Calm

Water Clarity: Excellent

Crew: Patriarch, Diablo, Gumdrop, Crash, eRun, Dave, AJ, Nick, Capt'n

A delightful air temp hovering around 90. A downright hot breeze from the south. A water temp pushing 62 degrees. Should be a no brainer for ditching the wetsuits....right? Well, at least Gumdrop, Diablo and I thought so. The rest, however, weren't quite as ambitious this evening.

As fate would have it, our journey southward quickly revealed that the water temp at Klode was more the exception than the norm.....and not by just a few degrees. If I had to guess, the actual water temp was probably in the low to mid 50s the further south and north from Klode you swam. (...but the bay around Klode was downright delightful for a skin swim!) Ah....the joys of how unpredictable the Lady of the Lake can be....even when you have technology on your side.

THEORY ALERT: Now, if you love to theorize....which I definitely do...you might question why the water was only warmer around the Klode beach this evening? Could it be that The Patriarch's 'love lube' IS actually enticing the Lady of the Lake??? Hmmmm...

The Lady Beckons

Our next swim was planned for Wednesday morning, but this being such a godawful hot day, how can we resist the call of the cool beautiful Lady? 6:30 PM today (Tuesday) at Klode.

We'll be there tomorrow morning too (Wed 6/8 6AM).

Morning Swims to Begin Wednesday

Next Swim: Wednesday 6AM Klode

Last Swim: Sunday 6/5 1PM

Water Temp: 54

Waves: Calm

Water Clarity: Excellent, bottom clearly visible even in deep water

Crew: Patriarch, Gumdrop, Cap'n, Kahuna, Beth, Jodi, Lane, Sarah

If it were up to me, we'd swim every day at noon, but since everyone else is a working slob, I must sacrifice my leisurely mornings for the crew. We'll start regular morning swims on Wednesday at 6AM. Don't expect me to be cheerful though.

Today was another beautiful sunny day, and the beach was littered with sunbathers, kids and dogs. We had a delightful swim in calm clear water that was teeming with huge clouds of minnows, so thick they often obscured the bottom. Some of us swam to Cedar Grove (maybe 3/4 mile round trip?), and rest continued on to Rock Wall (over a mile).

It has been rumored that Kahuna is some kind of giant freak. If you look at the pictures that accompany this blog, the third picture has Kahuna standing in the water on the far left, appearing to be twice the size of everyone else. Is that just because of the perspective of the picture? I think so. (I better think so, or the giant freak will beat me to a pulp.)

Late arrivals miss the Pitsch

Next Swim: Sunday 1pm
Last Swim: 1pm Saturday
Water Temp: 55
Waves: calm
Clarity: good...turquoise blue water with hazy view of bottom
Crew:
1st Shift - The Patriarch, Diablo, Gumdrop, Capt'n with special guest Crash
2nd Shift - Slip-n-slide, eRun, Steph

Ahh, what an exceptional day to be at Klode beach! The call of the Lady of the Lake this afternoon was nothing short of mesmerizing. Brilliant blue waters along with plentiful sunshine and air temps in the 80s made it down right impossible to resist walking the plank....despite a water temp of just 55.

The seas were calm....quite the stark contrast to yesterdays turbulent adventure. Water clarity has improved significantly from last weekend and now the lake bottom can easily be seen in 10 feet of water. Pockets of warm water were sparse today but were sufficient to encourage Diablo to swim our mile long journey down to the "sewer pipe" and back with a sleeveless wetsuit. (It would appear that Diablo intends to compete with Kahuna for the title of "Badass".)

Upon arriving back at the Klode beach we were greeted by a second shift crew of Slip-n-Slide, eRun (....known by some as Feldy or Erin...) and Steph. They were a bit shy at first to walk the plank....but that may have been because they knew there were missing out on an exceptional round of Killepitsch. Next time mateys arrive a little earlier so ya' don't miss out. :)

Nothing Like Your First Time

Next Swims: Saturday 1pm & Sunday 1pm
Last Swim: 6pm Friday
Water Temp: 56
Waves: 1-2ft
Clarity: cloudy...clearer further offshore
Crew: The Patriarch, Diablo, Gumdrop, Beth, Capt'n

Ah....there's nothing like your first time in the Lake for a season. In a way it's kind of like falling in love again. Of course for most it doesn't go beyond a simple facial expression or a few words to share the experience.

Friday marked The Patriarch's first swim for the season. Determined to make this a special occasion The Patriarch came prepared with a new wetsuit and....a great a great big bottle of love lube??? Now he claimed that it came with wetsuit....but there was just something about the way he gleefully spritzed himself with from head to toe that just didn't look....normal. Was he perhaps trying to woo the Lady in the Lake? Or perhaps his goal this year it to one up Gumdrop's flashy budgie smuggler outfit? Regardless, next time The Patriarch pulls out his lube I'm turning the other way....unless of course Gumdrop is in that direction in which case I'll just close my eyes and pretend I'm in my happy place.

The waves were a blast on Friday! Even though the Patriarch and Captin-o-meters read 56 the water didn't feel nearly that cold. Our swim route Friday followed Monday's journey down to South South beach upto the north beach downspout and then home. To top off our great adventure we all went out to the Pirates Pizza Kitchen for some grub afterwards. Ahhh....livin' the dream!!

Weekend Plans (6/3-6/5)

Next Swims: Friday (6/3) 6pm, Saturday & Sunday 1pm
Last Swim: 12pm Monday (5/30)
Water Temp: 50
Waves: calm
Clarity: cloudy / 1-2ft visibility
Crew: Kahuna, Sarah, Jodi, Lane, Capt'n with special guest appearances from The Patriarch, Diablo, Sir James, Crash & Lil' Sista

The weather forecast for the upcoming weekend looks exceptional! With Friday's forecasted high in the 80's who can say 'no' to an early evening dip in the lake? Saturday & Sunday's 1pm start time should accommodate those who plan to do the Smile Miles 5K Saturday morning at Veteran's park & the Miller Ride for the Arts Sunday morning. ...heck, Sunday's start time should also accommodate anyone who may be thinking of heading up to West Bend Sunday morning for the Boys & Girls club 5K....not sure if any one's thinking of driving all the way up there though.... :)

We had a great turnout for Monday's swim adventure. 10 crew members showed and 5 actually walked the plank despite a water temp of just 50! Our swim journey took us from Klode's south beach down to south south beach and back. Not having our fill of fun Lane and I continued our journey northward up to the north beach downspout before calling it a day. According to the Lane-o-graph our total swim time was 25 minutes.

Concluding today's festivities was a hearty round of Killepitsch. 8 shots were poured to bring our season total to 11. For the record, 10 hearty souls (...and their even heartier soles...) have walked the plank this season. Our Killepitsch counter now leads in that category too!

PS. Good Luck to Sonofkahuna who will be competing at the State High School Track meet this weekend in the 3200!!