Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll -- Rip It Up

Report:  7/17/25 A.M. swim.

Kru:  Diablo (early shift), Magic Mike, Kahuna (a much smaller Kru than yesterday a.m.) 

Water:  60 degree temp; Waves 4-6.  Big Water.  Rialed up.  Low clarity.  Srong current from the North.  Some good size debris in the water, including some limbs (tree limbs, I think).

Air Temp and Weather:  Cloudy, sweatshirt weather on the beach.  Breezy. 

Other Notes:  Very much a rock 'n' roll, rip it up, morning, with kids getting tossed all over the dance floor of the Lake.  The Magic Man and I initially tried to swim out straight between the rocks, but the Lake decided to spit both of us back on to the beach like watermelon seeds.  We then decided to lanuch from North Beach.  Waves big enough to roll us several times.  We didn't get much further north than Sewer Pipe, than swam back with the intention to come ashore at South Beach.  Sort of tricky, given the current, but both of finally managed to stick the landing.  

Typical Schedule and Locations for Kru 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, or changes.)     

Never Gone for a Open Water Swim with the Lake Michigan Swimmers Before, But You Are "Kru Curious"?  

Folks who are interested in open water swimming in Lake Michigan are always welcome to come swim with us.  To see the answers to frequently asked questions about swimming with us, scroll down past the pictures in the rignt hand column, and click on "Kru FAQ's." If your question is not answered, put your question in the comments, and a member of the Kru will probably reply.    

Bloggers & Commenters Welccome:  If you swim, please consider posting a blog piece, or at least a comment, regarding your swim/experience, especially when you swam, and what the temperature was.  That's very helpful to others who may be contemplating a swim after you.  

Good Day Sunshine

 

Kru:  Sandy (Beach Name Sandy), Brick, Bobber, Peter the Great, Lincoln's Ma, Lincoln's Papa Was a Taylor Man, Bobber, Scooby (Welcome Back!), Captain, Diablo, Itch, Kahuna

Air Temp and Weather:  80, mostly sunny, but some wildfire haze.

Water:  ~68 at shore, some cool pockets along the way, flat and clear water, with a slight current from the south.

Typical Schedule and Locations for Kru 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, or changes.)     

Never Gone for a Open Water Swim with the Lake Michigan Swimmers Before, But You Are "Kru Curious"?  

Folks who are interested in open water swimming in Lake Michigan are always welcome to come swim with us.  To see the answers to frequently asked questions about swimming with us, scroll down past the pictures in the rignt hand column, and click on "Kru FAQ's." If your question is not answered, put your question in the comments, and a member of the Kru will probably reply.    

Bloggers & Commenters Welccome:  If you swim, please consider posting a blog piece, or at least a comment, regarding your swim/experience, especially when you swam, and what the temperature was.  That's very helpful to others who may be contemplating a swim after you.  

Wall of Stink

Next Swims: Mon-Fri 6am Weekday evenings 5? 5:30? 6? Sat/Sun 8am and noon. (All of these are weather and people dependent) 

Last Swim<: 6am Tues, plus others

Water temp: No thermometer but we estimated around 66 

Air Temp: 70-ish 

Water Quality: Flat-ish, with small slappiness 

Clarity: Not too bad, could see bottom towards Mudslides 

Kru: Lt. MJ, Showgirl, Drangonfly, Magic Mike, Cindy, Sunny Luna Laguna, Diablo, Flipper Guy. Mrs. Hollywood and Fin-Fyn Klodecky on early shift. 

Shore Support: Nahid 

The lake seemed even more beautiful than usual this morning, with pale diffused sunlight shimmering off pearlescent water, giving a general effect like the pure white light I imagine in meditation. Up close and personal, it's still a beach, with a necklace of green scum along the shoreline and a wall of stink you had to pass through to get to the water. Coming out from the water, you had to dodge something amorphous buried in the sand that appeared to be both smelly and dead. Numerous people went skin, others opted for their most minimal wetsuits. 

Most went to the Cute Chairs, some to Three Piers. I went to the Little Beach in between. I could see the Three Piers, but thought if I went all the way there, I would not enjoy the trip back so much, and I really wanted to enjoy. It felt a bit colder than yesterday, with the rain, and yesterday I got cold, especially getting out and finding my stuff kind of wet, which is why I am not one of the swim-in-the-rain fans. I'll do it, but I don't seek it out!

We Don't Need Sunshine

 Next Swims:  Mon-Fri 6am

                            Weekday evenings 5? 5:30? 6? 
                            Sat/Sun 8am and noon.  

                            (All of these are weather and people dependent)  

Last Swim:  6am Tues, plus others    

Water temp: 66!

Air Temp:   70-ish

Water Quality:  flat, with very small swells

Clarity:  no

Kru:  Lt. MJ, Lydia the Tattoo'd Lady, Showgirl, Drangonfly, Mr. Anonymous, Katie,  New Swimmer Olivia, Magic Mike

Shore Support:  no

We got to the beach and Dragonfly assured us that the rain in the dark sky was moving north.

Cue the rain.

Now.... TTL and I LOVE swimming in the rain.  There was a moment during this swim when it really came down, perhaps more than during any other swim.  It was great!

Also, after our 52F swim Sunday morning, 66 felt like an amazing gift.

Photo(s) credit TTL, or Lt. MJ, or Katie

BOOM! BANG! OOH! AAH!

July 4th Swim Report:  Twas certainly a day worth celebrating in the Lake.

Kru:  Early shift Sandy (Beach Name Sandy), and Brick; 11:00 Kru: Yonica (badass, who swam all the way from Big Bay to Atwater, or at least that's what she said she was going to do, nobody's seen her since, so we assume she made it), Guardian Goddess, Peter, the Fast One (patrioticly pictured above), Nick "Touché" the Californian, Kahuna, with shore support from Moondog, Jake the Wonder Dog, and Hollywood with her two dogs.

Air Temp and Weather:  80, mostly sunny.

Water:  Brick measured it at 68 or 69.  My sense was it was more like lower 60's near the jetty, but once we got away from the jetty, my estimation is it was more like 72.  Flat and clear water, with a slight current from the south.

Post Swim Toast:  'MERICA! 

Typical Schedule and Locations for Kru 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, or changes.)     

Never Gone for a Open Water Swim with the Lake Michigan Swimmers Before, But You Are "Kru Curious"?  

Folks who are interested in open water swimming in Lake Michigan are always welcome to come swim with us.  To see the answers to frequently asked questions about swimming with us, scroll down past the pictures in the rignt hand column, and click on "Kru FAQ's." If your question is not answered, put your question in the comments, and a member of the Kru will probably reply.    

Bloggers & Commenters Welccome:  If you swim, please consider posting a blog piece, or at least a comment, regarding your swim/experience, especially when you swam, and what the temperature was.  That's very helpful to others who may be contemplating a swim after you.    

Big Bay, Big Bang, July Fourth Swim."

NOTE July 4th Swim Location and Time:  BIG BAY PARK, at 10:00 a.m.  

Typical Schedule and Locations for Kru 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, or changes.)     

Holiday Location Rationale:  Klode Beach and Atwater Beach I'm told are both closed on the 4th, so they can get the fireworks shows set up.  Hence the special "Big Bay, Big Bang, July Fourth Swim."  It may be that others are going to try to sneak in an early morning swim at Klode (check the comments for details).  

Never Gone for a Open Water Swim with the Lake Michigan Swimmers Before, But You Are "Kru Curious"?  

Folks who are interested in open water swimming in Lake Michigan are always welcome to come swim with us.  We are not as weird as we may sound in this blog.  (We are weirder.)  To see the answers to frequently asked questions about swimming with us, scroll down past the pictures in the rignt hand column, and click on "Kru FAQ's." If your question is not answered, put your question in the comments, and a member of the Kru will probably reply.  The Lake should be in pretty good shape and temperature on the fourth, for those who want to give it a try.    

Sheryl says: "It's not having what you want, It's wanting what you've got"

Next Swims:  Regularly scheduled Klode Swims:  Mon-Fri 6am, Sat/Sun 8am and noon.  (All times subject to change; check comments for details.)  (Note, there's a lot of unblogged swims these days; even though a swim isn't blogged, doesn't meant the swim didn't happen).    

Request to Kru members who are swimming in the evening:  Please indicate in the comments whether the regular evening swim is at 5:30 or 6:00 pm.

Last Swim:  Sat. 6.28.25 noon. 

Water temp: 60?  Something like that. 

Air Temp:  78.  And sunny.

Water Quality:  good, waves out of the south, with moderately strong winds; lots of little fishes.

Clarity:   9 of 10 

Kru:  Mr. A, King Triton, Bobber, Sandy (Beach Name, Sandy), Kim, Diablo, Ala Mode, Cap'n, Bakhtiari, Luna, Kahuna (maybe others)

Shore Support:  Maybe 20 teenage members of a bike team from Boulder, in town for TOAD. 

Newbies:  Folks who are interested in open water swimming in Lake Michigan are always welcome to come swim with us.  To see the answers to frequently asked questions about swimming with us, scroll down past the pictures in the rignt hand column, and click on "Kru FAQ's." If your question is not answered, put your question in the comments, and a member of the Kru will probably reply.  

Best quote of the day from the King:  "First best swim of the summer."  Water was clean, and refreshing.  I was thinking as I swam along today in the sunshine and clear water, of Sheryl Crow's song "I Wanna Soak Up the Sun."  I went looking for the video (which I'd never watched before), and actually listened/read the lyrics.  I have even greater respect for the song than I did previously.  Fun, happy summer anthem.   We who swim the Lake are really lucky!