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| Sanctuary Woods Park |
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| Trying out some "Yak Trax" - the trendy universal West Michigan stocking stuffer |
I had some eccentric seatmates on the plane rides home from Florida to Michigan. One woman from Kansas was totally convinced that we knew each other from somewhere (we didn't) and on my last puddle-jump flight from Chicago to Grand Rapids the elderly gentlemen next to me stared at my hands quietly for several minutes. Finally he said, "I've been noticing your extremely long fingers - do you happen to play the piano?" Thankfully, he shifted gears from appendages to the topic of Michigan. He had never been to West Michigan before and wondered what all the fuss was about "lake effect" snow. If there's one thing I feel comfortable and confident talking about it's growing up with an intimate knowledge of lake effect snow.
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| Lake Effect Snow in action - Photo credit - University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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| Photo of the snowfall in West Michigan a few days ago - Photo credit: AndyByTheLake |
Lake effect snow is simply the process when cold air moves across a warmer lake and picks up water vapor which in turn freezes and is then deposited on the shores of the lake. The conditions for Holland, Michigan, on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan are textbook for prime lake effect snow. Holland saw this type of snow in action the past few days when cold air moved west across the lake and we got dumped on - about 6 inches worth. Schools were closed, children were happy and parents sweated their way through shoveling driveways.
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| Our snow-covered house |
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| Giant wild turkeys under our bird feeder |
I arrived last night to a true winter wonderland of white and couldn't believe how much my town had changed since I had left; I couldn't wait to get out and play in it. I attempted to run out to Sanctuary Woods, a nearby park, but I ended up doing more of a shuffle through the heavy snow. Neighbors on snowmobiles whizzed by me waving happily and creating clouds of white fluff in their wake. The hike up and into the park was awesome. Snow covered everything and it was so quiet I could hear the flakes land on my jacket.
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| Heading up into the woods |
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| Entrance to Sanctuary Woods |
Shuffling back home, the snow was falling faster and thicker by the minute and I thought about how I'll be in sunny, tropical Brazil in a few weeks and how I want to enjoy the beauty and the thrill of the snow while I can. Pure Michigan!
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