Laboring off the plank

Next Swims:
   Sunday September 1st @ Noon
   Monday (Labor Day) @ Noon

Last Swim:
   Saturday August 31st @ Noon
      Water Temp: 58 (Itch-o-meter), 58 (Ducky-Dawg), 55.8 (Macho-meter)
      Waves:  1-2ft chop from south
      Clarity: murky near shore / Caribbean blue  50 yards offshore
      Kru: The Patriarch, Diablo, Kahuna, Moondawg, Itch, Linda the Lampre, Forger, Panini, Dragonfly, Mr. Anonymous, Mr. Bubbles, Wet Taco, Not-The-Patriarch (Other Greg), Not-Mr-Bubbles (other Mitch), Liz, Steve, Phil, Capt'n

The Klode Kru Kiddie-pool (a.k.a. the shallow but swimmable area on the beach side of the rock piles) today was thick with silt, choppy and cold.  The onslaught of waves crashing into the rock piles probably didn't help those struggling with the "do or do not...but at least this isn't a tri" conundrum. Not the most enticing plank to walk for the Kru mates. 

Just offshore though the Caribbean blue waters under a warm sunshine filled sky teased us with the promise of the warm waters we enjoyed not long ago.  Helping matters was a buoy report of water temps in the low 60s.  Certainly, the warm water must be out there...some place...right???  So undeterred by a daunting plank walk the entire Kru took the plunge today.  While some debated whether the Caribbean blue water offshore was any warmer than the Klode Kiddie Pool all agreed that today's swim was worth the voyage.  The east winds bode well for the return of the warm water...surely tomorrow's swim will be even more delightful than today's!

The New Normal

Last Swim:  Friday August 30th, @ 5:30 pm
Next Swims:  Sat/Sun @ Noon, maybe Monday, too

Water Temp:  54 per Itch-o-meter,  51.6 per macho-meter
Waves:  4 inch ripples coming in slowly, strong enough to push you around though
Clarity:  kinda clear, maybe 3-4/10. 
Kru:  Itch, Mr. Anonymous, Synchro, Handyman Hank, Mr. Bubble, the Other Mitch, Capt'n, 
Shore Support:  We'Taco, Liz, Patriarch, Mrs. She-who-must-not-be named, Kahuna plus big dog/little dog

Great turnout tonight.  Unusual to see almost as many people on shore support as swimming 😀

We march down the hill to the beach.  Seeing several serious looks upon arrival.  Is it going to be cold again tonight?  How cold?  Should I stay or should I go? 

"So, Itch, what's the temperature?"  Different people here different things - "64?", "44?" no, it's 54!

When we reassemble after our swims, another surprise awaits us - Itch has brought Margaritas instead of Killepitsch.  Everyone agrees these are really good Margaritas.

The Kru proceeds to obey Newton's Third Law: 
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 
For every swimmer who goes in the water, there is an equal number who will come back out.
For every person who walked down the hill, there will be an equal number who walk back up.

Inverted Reality

Last Swim:  Thursday August 29th, @ 6am
Next Swims:  Thursday August 29 @ 6pm, Friday 8/30 @ 6am & 5:30pm

6am Conditions:
   Water Temp:  64 (Buoy) / 46.6 (macho-meter)
   Waves:  glass
   Clarity:  Crystal Clear
   Kru:  Ziggy, Snap, Joshing Around, Mr. Anonymous, Ala Mode, Capt'n

Despite recent blog reports that the Klode water temp had plummeted, the following indicators this morning pointed to an exceptional morning for a swim:

• Buoy reporting a water temp of 64  (pictured below)
• a brilliant sunrise over a glass like lake surface (pictured below)
• a hearty morning Kru eager to walk the plank to paradise (pictured below)
• a pod of nearly naked mermaids greeting us atop of the north rock pile  (not pictured)

Sadly our perceptions of a paradise swim this morning were shocking dispelled upon our first attempt to walk the plank.  Instead of water temps nearing 64 the macho-meter this morning struggled to stay above 46.  

Believe in the buoy!  The warm water is definitely close by and will surely arrive soon, right?

Side debate....is a mermaid sighting early in the morning a good thing or a sign of impending doom?

Those who don't read history are bound to repeat it

Next swim: Thursday 6 am, 6pm?

Last swim: Wedmesday 6 pm
Water temp: 53
Water conditions: crystal clear
Waves: perfectly flat
Kru: Itch, Linda the Lamprey, Super Hera, Mr. Bubble (sorta)
Shore Support:  Patriarch, Erin, Synchro

God, I just had to swim tonight!  I needed the stress relief so I fought traffic to get to Klode by 6:01.  Rest of the Kru already heading down to the beach or arrived on the beach.  

Got to the beach and did not see the beaming smiles I'm used to seeing.  More like looks of concern.  Itch just getting the itch-o-meter out of the water - 53!  Synchro definitely did not look undecided - no way, not even a second thought.  Same with Patriarch.  Itch and Ms Lamprey of course proceeding without hesitation. Neither one wearing a wet suit.  

Mr. Bubble starts out full of bravado - sticks his feet in - "It's not that bad!  I'm in".  Puts on his Roka shorts and dives straight in, following Ms. Lamprey's example.  Gets out to the rocks and thinks - "This is cold.  It hurts.  I'm done".  What a wimp!  About face, and back to shore.  

Super Hera arrives a little late and goes about getting in her wet suit, looking very determined.  Wades in to about waist deep, goes in to a warrior type pose and contemplates her next move with a very serious look on her face.  She holds this pose for 3 or 4 minutes and then takes the plunge.  Itch and Ms Lamprey make it back first - "Looks like you're sunburned!"  Super Hera comes a bit later, after making it out to mudslide.  

So, the moral of the story is - those who don't read the blog from the 6 am swim are bound to repeat their experience.  Those who don't check the Atwater buoy temp before getting to the beach may be in for a big surprise.  Those who quit bringing along their full wetsuit because the water has been consistently warm for the past three weeks may wind up embarrassing themselves.  

A Gift

Next swim: Wednesday, 6pm; Thursday 6 am, 6pm

Last swim: Tuesday 6 pm
Water temp: 68
Water conditions: murky but blue
Waves: wind rippled breeze on the very surface
Kru: early shift, Handyman Hank.  Later shift, Patriarch, Dragonfly with husband Jim as shore support, still later shift, Sir James

As we strolled down from the bluff, we were greeted by such serenity that I knew photographic evidence would be required:

The Lake was absolutely flat, a gift, with an occasional strong breeze ruffling just the surface of the water.  To quote Magic Mike, if only people knew what we know.  While about a foot of surface was 68, below was a different story.  I could feel my forearms getting cold as I stroked along.

Patriarch and I arrived on the beach to find a compact pile of stuff in the Kru spot.  Written in the sand, one word: 

Naturally we deduced that the stuff belonged to Mr. Anonymous....but it turned out to be Handyman Hank.  Apparently the line in the sand was drawn earlier in the day.  As we left, the hungry waves began creeping up toward the letters.  Once again, the future is unwritten.

The calm after the storm(ing)

Next swim: Tuesday, 6pm; Wednesday 6 am, 6pm

Last swim: Tuesday 6am
Water temp: 68
Water conditions: very murky
Waves: low rollers
Kru: Forger, Pool Noodle, Showgirl, Ala, Magic Mike

After five days of pretty tumultuous waters testing our ability to swim straight and achieve distance, including two vain attempts on my part to get in yesterday, this morning broke calm and clear. The lake offered one of those relatively rare opportunities to glide peacefully across a smooth surface, watch the sun rise, and wonder why in the hell there aren't dozens of people swimming along side you. If only the whole world knew what we know.

Love Rollercoaster

Next swims: 
Monday - Thursday 6 am and 6pm, 
Friday 6am, 5:30pm, Saturday/Sunday Noon

Last swim: Sunday 8/25 @ Noon
Water temp: 68 per itch-o-meter, 69 per sirjames-o-meter
Water quality: dirty and stirred up, lots of twigs and other plant trash
Waves: 3-4 footers, coming in frequently, maybe 5 - 15 seconds apart
Kru: Patriarch, Capt’n, Ziggy, Kahuna, Itch, Snap and Josh, Diablo,  Alamode (new nickname for Ala), Erin, Tattoo Lady, Linda the Lamprey, Mr. Bubble, The Other Mitch,  Liz (not Stickler and Vice Versa),  2-Ply, Panini, Mr Anonymous, Sir James (doing overtime)
Shore Support:  Kahuna's pooch 


Oh yeah baby, it was a Rollercoaster of Love out there today.  Good size waves coming one after another.  Dirty water but still nice and warm.  

A lot of folks out for long swims today, so those of us who came back earlier had a chance to hang around and chat.  

Had been seeing blog entries saying that Mitch was at swims I didn't attend.  Finally got to meet my Doppelganger, The Other Mitch.  Had a conversation I've never had before; "Hi, are you Mitch?", "Yes", "So am I".  We both agreed it's pretty rare to have more than one Mitch in any group.  

My non-Lake Michigan swimmer friends have already started sending me National Weather Service Beach Advisory warnings for Monday.  

Has anyone seen or know anything about Reid?  I have a pair of Blue Seventy lava pants that we're pretty sure belong to him.  Haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. 

From table top to washing machine

Next swims: Thursday 6pm, Friday 6am, 5:30pm

Last swim: Thursday, 6am
Water temp: 71
Water quality: dirty and stirred up
Waves: 3-4 footers, a lot of energy out there, not organized
Kru: Capt’n, Ziggy, Showgirl, Mr Anonymous, and Magic Mike. Sir James on the early shift; Ala and Matt on the late shift.

I lay in bed this morning thinking about not swimming. But then the force of habit propelled me up and toward Klode with memories of yesterday’s placid sunrise swim still echoing around in my brain.

The table top flat water we swam into yesterday

That is not what greeted swimmers this morning. Instead, I took a peek as I drove past Big Bay and saw some pretty rough waves. Got to Klode and walked to the bluff and said to myself, If the water’s not warm, I’m not going in. By that time Capt’n and Ziggy and Showgirl had arrived and we walked down to the beach. Mr A joined us as we made landing in the sand. That’s about when Showgirl said, “If the water’s not warm, I’m not going in.” Just what I was thinking.

The water was warm, but rough. Waves were big, and unpredictable. I swam to birches getting tossed around the whole way. Twice I almost got flipped over by a wave cresting right on top of me. As we were toweling off after the swim, Mr A mentioned how it felt like we were in a washing machine out there. Also just what I was thinking.

That's a dog's leash next to that backpack

Next swim: Wednesday 6 am and  6 pm
Last swim: Tuesday 6pm
Water temp: 69 per patriarch-o-meter and duck-o-meter
Water quality:  very clear in close, not as clear further out. You could occasionally see the bottom.
Waves: nice rollers, 6-8"
Kru:  Patriarch, Handyman Hank, Gumdaug Moondrop, Mighty Mac, Mr. Bubble, Kelly and her canine companion, Sierra

So, the guys came strolling down to the beach and noticed a mystery backpack and towel - who's out already?  Could it be Ms. Lamprey? (nah, not her changing gown), Sir James?  Diablo?  or one of the other early arrivals?

Then Gumdaug made an insightful observation - "That's a dog leash".  Hank repeated that observation a little later - but still no clue who is the swimmer and where is the dog?

We waited for 5  or 10 minutes and finally noticed a green swim cap heading our way,  swimming between the northern rocks and the shore instead of around the rocks.  That's not a Klode Kru standard - who is this deviant?  She comes ashore and starts walking our way - still not recognizing her.  We make some quick introductions and find out her name is Kim and that she is a past participant.  She knows the Patriarch's real name and asks for the other's nicknames - she reads the blog regularly.  Then we're introduced to her canine companion.  Sierra loves to play fetch, but he wants to chase after limbs that are more like small logs, seeming much to big for his mouth.  

The fog settled in

Next swim: Tuesday, 6pm

Last swim: Tuesday, 6am
Water temp: 68
Water quality: very clear in close, not as clear further out. You could occasionally see the bottom.
Waves: no waves, just ripples from the wind
Kru: Showgirl, Mr Anonymous, Forger, Pool Noodle, Magic Mike, Ala

The sun is just rising at six o'clock, so that makes things nice. But I saw on tv news recently that this is the last day we'll have a sunrise at or before 6am until sometime in April, 2020--a humbling reminder of the shortness of the days ahead.

But the water is still warm, the Kru is still numerous, and the fog didn't keep us from getting our swim in. Although it did keep some of us swimming a lot closer to shore than we normally do. It can be an eerie feeling to lose your direction in the water.  On the trip back, I found myself swimming almost directly out into the fog (perpendicular to the shore). I knew something was wrong when I couldn't see the shore to my left or to my right. It was only when I looked behind me that the vague outline of the shore revealed itself. Good thing I looked when I did.

Ugly little wormy things are still plentiful on the beach.

Best Treats of the Season!

Next swims: Tuesday, 8/20 @ 0600 and 1800
Last swim: Monday, 8/19 @ 1800
Water temp: 70 per itch-o-meter
Waves: very gentle swells, maybe 3-4 inches
Water quality: mixed - maybe 4/5 out of 10.  Could see bottom sometimes
Kru: Patriarch, Itch, Stickler, Kahuna, Wet Taco, Mr. Bubble
Early Shift Kayak Support:  Sir James

Will wonders never cease?  All these warmer water temperatures, day after day, and relatively calm, too.

Liz and those carmel treats though!  Mucho gusto - and with a shot of Killepitsch to wash them down.  

My first time swimming with Ala - she does the breast stroke, too!  She mixes it up with some free style, which I'm trying to do now.  

Days are getting shorter - have to go further out to swim in the sun in the evening.  

Surfs Up

Milwaukee.Surfrider.Org-Surf-Atwater

Like a resort

Next swim: Sunday, noon

Last swim: Saturday, noon
Water temp: 69
Waves: small, less than a foot
Water quality: I'd put it at about a 7 out of ten
Kru: Mr Anonymous, Laguna, Handyman Hank, Dragonfly Riffraff, Patriarch, Capt'n, Moondaug, Stickler, Sir James, Pool Noodle, Forger, Neo, Diablo, Linda the Lamprey, Magic Mike, Greg, Mary, Ala, Eric, Cammy,

The noon sun shone on the Kru (which was doubtless larger than the list I've included, so include any names I missed in the comments). The water sparkled in the sunlight. Families were at rest and play along the beach. Old friends and newcomers mingled both before and after an idyllic swim south out of the cove. Kayaks accompanied swimmers. The general feel was that of a resort at some popular vacation spot. Only we weren’t shelling out hundreds of dollars a day, and risking tainted tequila. Instead, the convivial shot of ‘Pitsch was sure to be pure—thanks Capt’n, the beach was public, and the swim was free. Definitely a contender for best swim of the season!

Heavenly Body

Next swim: Friday 5:30pm

Last swim: Friday 6am
Water temp: nice, warm, not shocking in any way, probably 70
Water quality: can't-see-your-hand murky
Waves: none, flat
Kru: Drangonfly Riffraff, Mr Bubble, Magic Mike, Forger, Scuba, with Diablo on the early shift (as he was yesterday, as he often is), and another swimmer who went out before we got there, swam north and came in after we went out. Linda?



As this heavenly body was coming out of the water, our decidedly human bodies were going in. We swam south (except the mystery swimmer, and perhaps Diablo). Some swam to Love Rock, some swam shorter, some longer. After a few days of high energy water, it was nice to be in a calm swimming environment. I swam out looking for clear water and didn't find any. Perhaps I should have been more persistent. But at 350-400 yards out, the water was just as murky as at the rock piles. So I angled back toward shore and joined the rest of the Kru.

At the beach, the clouds had begun to move in and the swimmers, with one good thing done for the day, slowly moved out.

Feliz Cumpleaños

Water Temperature = 71℉

Last swim: Thursday, 6pm
Next swims: Friday, 6 am and 5:30 pm
Water quality: various shades of light brown, some plant junk floating near shore
Waves: 1-2 feet 
Kru: Sir James (early shift), Patriarch,Itch, Kahuna, Handyman Hank, Wet Taco, Stickler, Liz, Super Hera (late shift)
Shore support:  Wet Taco's mom

YES! It finally happened!  The water temperature was above 70℉ - as confirmed by 3 different readings by two different people using two different instruments.  Unanimous consensus of those present was that it was the warmest swim of the year.

Looking down on the water from the bluff, you could see that the first 80 yards from the beach was a total sandbox, than tapering off to a diluted brown in the midst of blue, then bluer blue and finally crystal blue out on the horizon.  Waves rougher closer to shore, as usual, and pretty steady further out.  

Another novelty besides the warmer water - today is Itch's Birthday.  His gift to all of us were little Pay Day candy bars and pre-mixed Margaritas - very tasty Margaritas in fact.  Super Hera, who normally declines Killepitsch, was more than happy to be offered a Margarita before her swim.   Itch also left one for her post swim, which she posted about on Facebook!

Super Hera Making a Post Swim Toast to Itch's Birthday

In honor of Itch's birthday, Mr Bubble sang Las Mañanitas, the Mexican birthday song.  Wet Taco shared a story of being down in Mexico and being surrounded by people who were singing Las Mañanitas and she had no idea what it all meant.  Fortunately, Mr. Bubble could only recall the first three verses from his high school Spanish class, and no one was clamoring for an encore.  

Congratulations Kahuna, and thanks

Next swim: Thursday, 6pm

Last swim: Thursday, 6am
Water Temp: 66, per the macho-meter
Water quality: very cloudy, but very clear out further
Waves: 1-2 feet
Kru: Patriarch, Capt’n, Showgirl, Mr. Anonymous, Snap, Josh, Pool Noodle, Magic Mike, Ziggy. Shore support (and more!): Kahuna

Celebrating six years of successful legal practice—making the rent and making payroll!— Kahuna treated this morning’s swimmers to a frothing cup of hot coffee, a croissant, and some berries as we stepped out of the water. What a pleasure. Read Showgirl’s tribute haiku in the comments on the previous post. There were plenty of us who benefitted from the breakfast largesse and felt similarly. Thanks.

The spread

The Kru (in part)

Also, the clouds provided another diversion from the usual routine of drying off and heading back up the hill. They did not move in the manner typical of clouds over the lake. They just drifted slowly from north to south covering and uncovering the sun, in turn. And generally looking impressive.

The clouds: pre-swim

The clouds: post-swim

There are haiku at the end of this post

Next swim: Wednesday, 6pm

Last swim: Wednesday, 6am
Water Temp: 70
Water quality: clear, then murky, then clear
Waves: big 3-4 feet
Kru: Linda the Lamprey, Magic Mike, Moondaug

Light rain broke out as Linda and I made our way down the path. Once on the beach, Moondaug magically appeared behind us. Big waves reaching high onto the beach greeted us as we slid into the water. The rain stayed steady and light the whole swim.

By the time I reached a point a little beyond birches, I looked out for the other two swimmers. They were hard to find because of the large waves. Moondaug said he thought the waves were ocean-like, because they had a particular power behind them. Agreed. I found that as I scanned the water for the other swimmers, a steady current pushed me further north along the shore. So, despite the fact that the waves were coming in from the north, the current was pushing in from the south. Does that even make sense?

Here’s a haiku-

Droplets on the beach

Changing in the rain’s a pain

Its all just water

Here’s another-

Mini centipedes

Ugly little “wormy things”

Crawling on the beach

Post yours in the comments. Or, if you are Kahuna, post an epic poem.

Warm and wavy

Next swim: Tuesday, 6pm

Last swim: Tuesday, 6am
Water temp: probably near 70, but Showgirl will have to correct in the comments
Water quality: generally clear
Waves: 1-3 footers
Kru: Showgirl, Mr. Anonymous, Pool Noodle, Magic Mike

Seems like there is some energy building out there in the lake today. Walking down the path, I could hear small waves, the ones that only break right at the shore and that you don’t really notice until you get close. I saw the other swimmers in a line headed toward sewerpipe with about 40 yards between them. They each had a barbie bobbing behind them, and the waves were bouncing them around a bit. As I swam out, considerably behind the others, it seemed I had to bust through some larger waves to get beyond the rockpiles. And by the time I was midway through my swim, I was up and down in pretty big waves. On shore, it was evident that some sizeable waves had recently reached a place higher on the beach than the rest. It might be an active afternoon swim, if this keeps up.

Another odd feature of the swim was the patch of turbid waters between the rockpile and sewerpipe. Otherwise really clear, the waters were stirred up enough that I could not see bottom in this patch. This was also the spot on the swim where there was a lot of flotsam to dodge: leaves, sticks, branches, small logs, etc. It’s never the same swim twice.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Last Swim:  8/12 @ 6 pm

Water Temp:  69

Clarity:  very clear.  Quagga and Zebra mussels  are on the clock

Waves:  Flat at first, picked up a tiny bit of chop as it got later

Kru:  Patriarch, Sir James, Itch, Mr. Bubble, Super Hera

Next Swims:  Tuesday @ 6 am and 6 pm

The same feelings were expressed by all five swimmers when they came out of the water - "That was really nice!".  It was.  The only thing lacking was some sunshine.  Few raindrops before we went down the hill and a few when we came back up.  Tiny bit foggy at first but it cleared.  It was so calm, it was almost like an early morning swim. 

I'm still in possession of the neoprene shorts that were left at the beach on Sunday and which allegedly belong to Reid.  Reid - if you read this, please leave a comment to let me know if they are yours and when you might be coming to swim again.  

Sometimes it's better not to know

Next Swims:  Tues-Fri 6am, Tues-Thurs 6pm, Fri 5:30pm

Last swim: 6 a.m. Monday

Water temp: low 60's (toemometers), colder around the rocks
Clarity: Very clear 
Waves: nearly flat, minor north-south current

Crew: early shift:  Julie Pool Noodle, Forger, Magic Mike, Drangonfly.  later shift:  Patriarch

How better to start the workweek than with an excellent, invigorating sunrise swim with comrades?  And it smelled like Up North...except for a few strokes near sewer pipe on the return trip, where it smelled briefly like something decidedly more urban.  Forger recommended staying near shore in case fog rolled in - good advice, and I noticed new landmarks - Mike pointed out three-four trees that appeared to be growing out directly out of the beach (just north of the trees beyond Birches)...and I also saw the new staircase on the way to Mudslide. The clear, relatively still water at 6 a.m. (compared to midday) is really special, and I find myself mesmerized by the ever-changing bottom topography.

Walking down to the beach, Magic Mike pointed out the multitudes of tiny non-woolly millipedes blanketing the pavement – slender, black things about 1/2 inch long, evenly spaced about 8 inches in every direction. I tried not to inquire too closely, but it was difficult to see how one might completely avoid stepping on any. So I carried on,  simply telling myself I was actually stepping between them.

“Thanks for showing me,” I said to Mike. 

“I’ve noticed them before,” he said. 

I never had.  

"Just hope they don't get into our clothes," he added.

When we spread our things out on the sand, one immediately appeared on his towel!

"Stay away from my clothes!" he commanded as he headed toward the water.

Mystery Solved: Aliens Take Our Warm Water and Use It To Power Their Space Ships

Next Swims:  Mon-Fri 6am, Mon-Thurs 6pm, Fri 5:30pm

Last swim: Sunday noon

Water temp: low 60's
Clarity: crystal
Waves: biggish chop out of the south

Crew: Stephanie, We'Taco, Handyman Hank, Liz, Drangonfly, Kim, Mr. Anonymous, Allie, Cap'n, Reid not Reed, Showgirl, Cool Hand Luke, Son o' Cool Hand (aka Simon),Scooby, Mr. Bubble, Itch, Kristina, Brian, Diablo, Amelia, Greg

Shore Support: NSN, Squeeze o'Showgirl,

Amphibious Support: Moondog, Sir James

If you were unable to attend last Wednesday's lecture titled "Where the Warm Water Goes," the answer is in the subject line. Photos below. Kudos to Kahuna for organizing that event.

Spaceship hovering over Lake Michigan

Alien space vessel removing warm water from Klode Beach

We had an awesome turnout for today's noon swim.  Despite the annoying chop and cooler temps, there were several who swam long and far, and many who delighted in their not so long, not so far swims.

Unexpected rewards of the swim: for the second week in a row, Liz graced us with her fantastic home-made treats.  Last week it was brownies, this week it was cookies. What will she bring next week?? I can't wait to find out.

It is extremely likely that I may have your actual name rather than your cool swimming name listed above. Your name may also be misspelled. Other words in this blog may be misspelled.  Because your happiness and satisfaction are my highest priority, please continue to register your complaints at www.idgaf.com.

We also had a super-nice swim Saturday thru much warmer (71F!), flatter, crystal clear water, north through a parking lot of boats.  The crew was small and intimate, but not so small that I can actually remember all the names (Patriarch, Mitch, We'Taco, Pool Noodle, Cool Hand Luke, Laguna, Squeeze o'Laguna, Daughter o'Laguna, Showgirl, others?)

Cream City Classic 2019 Race Report

Last swim: Saturday 8:10 and 8:15 am at 
Public Pier at N. Jackson St and E. Eire St
Next Swim  Noon Sunday at Klode Park
Water temp: 70 per itch-o-meter - see story about that below
Clarity: umm....clearer than last year.  Still brown but not as dense?
Waves: flat
Current:  I could swear there was a very slight current running upstream at the beginning, where water was flowing in from the lake, and then the current switched to downstream right around where the Menomonee River and Milwaukee Rivers intersected. 
Kru: Mr. Bubble, Itch, Scuba Steve, Gumdaug Moondrop. Sir James, my neighbor, Karen  
Shore Support:  Pool Noodle, Mrs. Bubble

Before I get into the long, funny story about the lead up to the race, I'll cut to the most important part  Sir James once again was first place overall and set a new course record.  He won some dope prizes, too!

Stories about the lead up to the race start on Thursday afternoon, when they send out their "We're good to go" e-mail.  At the bottom of this message, they say:

See below for the full report from Milwaukee Riverkeeper.

Water quality at the two upstream sites were both below the federal recreational use standard for E. coli of 235 MPN/100 ml (MPN=Most Probable Number) for much of the week and the most recent sample measured 100 MPN/100 ml for both sites. The starting point for the race registered higher levels of E. coli earlier in the week, but were still at levels that were below the beach closure standard in Wisconsin of 1000 MPN/100 ml for E. coli. The most recent sample for the Erie St. site was 300 MPN/100 ml of E. coli, so slightly above the recreational standard. The testing method that we use tends to overestimate bacteria levels. MMSD has had no sewage overflows since March.

This may have been too much information for some people.  Turned out that 7 of the 90 people who registered bailed.  Didn't matter to me because I didn't see it until almost 24 hours later.

The other e-mail I didn't read until after the race came out at 4:37 am saying:
Hello again swimmers!  A quick heads up that the water temperature is a bit cooler this year than last year- about 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  You are allowed to wear a wetsuit if you would like.

So, I'm blissfully ignorant of all these facts when I arrive on the scene, and the first thing I hear from my friend Karen is that the water is 60 degrees.  She's concerned because she has some physiological issues that make it hard for her body to adjust to cold water.  Another guy I met down there, Blake (who I invited to come swim with us sometime) is pre-occupied about the water temperature, too.  Should he wear a wetsuit?  Karen is pre-occupied with that question, too, as are other people I run into.  

Then, our hero, Itch arrives on the scene.  He's already done his thing with the itch-o-meter at two different spots on the course, and his verdict is a very firm 70 degrees from both measurements.  The people who were anxious about the temperature are now both anxious AND confused.   How could the two readings  be so far off?  Can we really believe the itch-o-meter reading over the official reading?  Itch has no doubts of course, and neither do I really.  Even if I did have doubts, there's nothing I can do about it - I hadn't read the e-mail so I just brought my trunks and Roka shorts assuming it was going to be 74 again this year.  No need to agonize over a decision about whether to wear a wet suit.  

They start the Safety Briefing and announce "That water is 60 degrees.  That's REALLY cold. so you might want to wear a wetsuit".  Of course, I wanted to yell out "Bah humbug!  Fake news!  I trust Itch!", but I held my tongue during the briefing.  Afterwards, I approached the announcer to politely ask "When did you take the river's temperature?"  He responds emphatically "60 degreees!".  "Yes, I heard that, but what time did you take that temperature?  My friend here has just measured it as 70 degrees".  "Yeah, it was earlier this morning.  I hear it may have warmed up a little bit in places".  

Needless to say, the itch-o-meter was right, and afterwards, my friend Karen made a Facebook post about wearing a wetsuit that wasn't needed.  She admitted that she should have trusted the itch-o-meter instead!  

Itch was my hero once again after the race...he sought me out and offered a shot of Killepitsch, which I gracefully accepted.  He offered Mrs. Bubble one, too, which she declined.  Then one of them noticed I had a scratch on my finger, and it was bleeding.  OMG!  an open wound exposed to Milwaukee River water!  What will happen?  This serves as the inspiration for Itch's toast - Blood on the Water!!

Touching the water and saving bugs

Next swims Friday, 5:30/6:00pm; Sat/Sun, noon

Last swim: Friday 6am
Water temp: somewhere around 65, Pool Noodle’s hand perceived it to be soft
Clarity: very clear.
Waves: flat
Kru: Mr. Bubble, Forger (aka Bug Savior), Pool Noodle, Magic Mike

I got down to the water a little later than the others. I saw Pool Noodle reaching an open-palmed hand out to touch the water. She later told me that it felt soft, which she took to mean she didn’t have to don a wetsuit. I want to learn more about this method. Often there is no thermometer in the morning,  so we rely on less conventional methods of determining the water temp.

That said, the cool water made for a brisk swim. Three of us made the mudslide and returned to Mr. Bubble basking in a warming sun that wasn’t quite enough to make any of us actually warm. Sweatshirts, fleece, and warm towels came in handy. But I wasn’t warm until after I returned from walking the dog two hours later. It was a good feeling to be actually cool until well into the morning hours in the middle of August. Who needs air-conditioning!?

Oh yeah, Forger saved a bug with his goggles.

Consistently Inconsistent

Last Swim:  Monday, 8/5, 6:00 p.m.
Water Temp:  57/63 per itch-o-meter, 60 per sirjames-o-meter
Clarity:  Super clear by the beach, a little murkier further out
Waves:  perfectly flat
Kru: Magic Mike (early shift), Mr. Bubble, Patriarch, Cap'n, Itch, Sir James, Handyman Hank, Stickler, Diablo, Kahuna, Parker/Leslie (newbie) & Megan/Parker (first timer), Chris (first timer, new to MKE)
Next Swims:  Mon-Fri. 6 am and 6 pm, Sat/Sun @ Noon

Itch did his usual temperature reading procedure - 57 on one side of the steel barrier, 63 on the other - much larger spread than usual.  Sir James did his one reading in the center fn the beach, and came up with 60.  That's what the whole swim was like - one minute, you're in a pretty cool spot, maybe it's low 50s, next minute you're in something more temperate maybe low 60s and occasionally, you might hit a small patch that felt like upper 60s.

Ah, but even the inconsistency was inconsistent!  Cap'n reports that if you swam north to second staircase, the water temp would all of a sudden change to a very consistent 70.  Cap'n further reports that the water was a consistent 70 at the 6 am swim this morning. 

Another inconsistent consistency - THE FLIES!!  This evening was really bad.  What compels them to inhabit the beach and torture us some days and remain at large on other days?  I don't really want to know, I just want them to go away. 

Ending on a positive note - great turnout tonight!  Greetings to the newcomers, Chris, (previously from Atlanta) Leslie with the  Parker swim cap and her friend Megan, who is also  a Parker Viking. 

Biggest and Bestest Swim of the Season!

Last Swim:  Saturday, 8/3 at Noon.
Water Temp:  67 per Itch-o-meter,
Clarity:  EXCELLENT - Haven't seen it this clear in a long time
Waves:  almost perfectly flat
Klode Kru Krowd: 
Early Shift:  Linda the Lamprey and Diablo 
Noon Shift:  Patriarch, Cap'n, Itch, Northshore Nancy and Handyman Hank, Kahuna, Cool Hand Luke, Neo, Super Hera, Synchro and Wade (her husband, not her cousin), Super Mac, We'Taco, Reed, Sara and Karen (first timer)
SUP Support:  Gumdaug Moondrop


Before I write anything else...please RSVP to Kahuna if you're planning to attend the Kru social gathering/educational event Wednesday night at the Three Lions.  As of yesterday, he's received about a dozen RSVPs.  Send RSVP to sandiependleton@gmail.com.  
When responding, please provide nickname and real name, and also whether you are bringing someone with you.  See the bottom of this post for all the details from Kahuna's previous post.

In all honesty, I'd have to say today was, most def, the best swim of the season.  Warm water, almost perfectly flat, crystal clear everywhere, no leaves or other plant junk floating around on the surface (except for a couple of twigs).  Small school of tiny fish (minnows?) swimming around the base of the northern rocks.  Plus, a great turnout!

There was one little mishap - I brought a bottle of Killepitsch that only had 6 oz in it.  I wanted to keep it cold, so I tried to bury it in the wet pebbles, right on the edge of the water.  The bottle kept trying to float up, because it was mostly filled with air.  But I figured I had buried it deep enough that the weight of the rocks would hold it down.  Come back a while later, after almost everyone else had returned - What happened to the bottle?  Did anyone move it or see it?  Thinking it's been washed away and is a floating piece of trash, we scan the water north of Klode.  Neo looked south and spotted the golden bottle washed up on the beach, maybe 30 feet away, right next to where a bunch of grade school age kids are playing.

The Patriarch bought a full bottle of Pitsch and a dozen of us waited patiently for Cap'n to come back in so we could do our communal thing.  Several of us had our shot glasses in hand for a good 15-20 minutes, griping "Why can't he swim faster?  We want to our Pitsch!"  We asked Moondaug to get out there on his SUP and whack him alongside the head, and tell him to swim faster.  Plus, we could also hear the sounds of thunder getting closer and closer.  The more kind hearted among us were probably concerned that Cap'n get back to shore before lightning started striking.  The rest of us were just jonesing for our Pitsch.

This is a Public Service Announcement
Here's the details from Kahuna's previous post.

We need to get a rough count on how many of us plan on attending next week's Kru gathering (pizza, salad and beer night). The Kru is getting together socially next Wednesday, August 7th, at 7:30 p.m. (post swim), at Three Lions Pub, on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood. 

That night we also will have a special guest appearance by UWM Fresh Water Scientists Dr. Russ Cuhel and Dr. Carmen Aguilar-Diaz, who will give us a presentation/explanation on Lake Michigan water temperature fluctuations. IF YOU COULD PLEASE RSVP ASAP SO I CAN TELL THREE LIONS HOW MANY OF US ROUGHLY TO EXPECT THAT NIGHT, I'D GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. That will enable them to get the room set-up, and have roughly enough pizzas and salad on hand for us that night. 

SEND YOUR RSVP TO: sandiependleton@gmail.com (when responding, please provide nickname and real name, and also whether you are bringing someone with you). So far, I have RSVP's from between 10 and 14 folks (some respondents are a little iffy as to whether they are bringing a "plus one" as well).   I'll publish a blog post this weekend listing the names of the RSVPs I have received. Thanks! -- Kahuna

Just the three of us

Last Swim:  Thursday, 8/1, 6:00 p.m.
Water Temp:  68 degrees per Itch-o-meter, 66 per sirjames-o-meter
Clarity:  Really nice
Waves:  variable 6 inches to 2 feet
Kru: Mr. Bubble, Itch, Sir James
Next Swims:  Fri. 6 am and 5:30 pm, Sat/Sun @ Noon

Was wondering where everyone was on such a lovely day, and then remembered that visitation for Robin was this afternoon.  I hardly knew her - wish I had the chance to get to know her better. Learned a lot about her from reading her obit.  The tributes that everyone has posted about her have been very touching.   

So, even though it was just the three of us at Klode this evening, I saw once again that the Kru is a special group of people.  My friends who have come out to swim with us have all commented on that, as has Mrs. Bubble, the July 4th chauffeur.  Today's example - in typical fashion, Mr. Bubble is swimming further than expected and doing the breast stroke at a much slower pace than the other swimmers.  Nonetheless, Sir James is waiting on shore to make sure I got back OK, and Itch has left a shot of Killepitsch by my sandals.  

Another reason my swim took longer than usual - I was having a ball.  Literally.  As I'm swimming back, off in the distance, I see what looks like someone's head bopping on the surface.  Could that be Itch?  That head doesn't seem to have much hair, but I don't see the bright orange swim cap he was wearing.  As I get closer, it looks like maybe it's someone with short dark hair - maybe it's Sir James?  Whoever it is, they must be waiting for me, because I keep getting closer - no way I could catch up with Itch or Sir James if they were swimming back, too.  When I finally catch up, I see it's a Spaulding basketball.  A little grungy but fully inflated.  Can't leave litter lying around so I experiment with a bunch of different maneuvers to keep the ball moving as I swim back.  On arrival, Sir James says "For all the effort you put into bringing that ball back, I hope it's signed by Giannis".  

Robin Treder | 1974 - 2019

Bon Voyage  | Au Revoir

Some pictures of dear Robin at the beach: