The Edmund Fitzgerald

[Friends just call me Ross]

I wanted to know what the weather had in store, because I need to paint

our 'Got Hay?' sign.  

 

When I visited our local weather site, I was shocked

to see that the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald 

was rapidly approaching. (November 10, 1975--November 10, 2015.)

 

http://www.weather.gov/mqt/Edmund_Fitzgerald

 

 

 

The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the loss of her 29-member crew during a violent fall storm on November 10, 1975 just northwest of Whitefish Point in southeast Lake Superior was, at the time, the worst maritime disaster on the Great Lakes in nine years. Of the more than 1000 ships that have found their graves under the icy waters of the Great Lakes, the Fitzgerald is still the largest ever to go down. Just like the Titanic, the demise of this seemingly invincible vessel has attracted widespread attention and inspired songwriters and authors to tell her story.

http://www.weather.gov/mqt/fitz_fitz

 

I have very vivid memories of that day, and the one prior to it. 

 

On November 9th, 1975, I had to go to Marquette, Michigan.

As I passed the Rock Cut, where US 41/M28 run really close to Lake Superior's shoreline,

white-capped waves were hitting the breakwall and spraying the pavement.

As I reached my destination and stepped out of my car, my scarf stuck straight out

in the gale-force wind.

I can remember thinking, 'Something horrible is going to happen in this wind.'  

 

The next morning, on the news, I heard that the Edmund Fitzgerald had been lost

in the storm.  

 

I cannot believe that, on November 10th, it will have been 40 years since it went down.  

 

 

[Tortuga]

I love Gordon Lightfoot. I listened to that song a lot..

[ReadYourBible]

It's weird, but I've always loved this song, everything about its composition drew me to it.  It caused me to look up the history of the song, and I was surprised to see it was based on this wreck.  

 

Perhaps if you can, when the resurrection occurs, you can find the captain and the crew mates of this vessel and sit and hear the tales they will tell of this night.  

 

I have this unrealistic fear of the capsizing in the ocean, I know it seems odd, but I would never travel by cruise liner, and even the ferry going from Victoria to Vancouver gave me cause for pause.  I have had 3 near misses, where vessels have sunk either just before I've been scheduled to go on them, or its happened just after.  

 

My husband said he'd like to go from the tip of Alaska to the most Southern State for one of our anniversaries, and I said to him that's really nice but there's no way in H-E double hockey sticks I'm getting on that boat.  He said WHAT?  I told him the above, and he says well okay.

 

THEN one of the boats sank around the time we could have been on it.  http://www.adn.com/article/20120118/cruise-disaster-wake-call-alaska-says-safety-adviser...

[ReadYourBible]

Pardon me whilst I laugh maniacally at Richard's top status 'the quiet one' someone take his keyboard away.

[Tortuga]

Pardon me whilst I laugh maniacally at Richard's top status 'the quiet one' someone take his keyboard away.

Shhh....I'm posting.....

[Dustparticle]

 I assuming we have storms in the new system and we will have sense to stay out off the lakes and oceans when storms happens. Lake Superior is dangerous lake along with lake Michigan too. They are monsters with no brain.

[Joey]

I can remember the disaster and it seemed like only a few weeks later the song was playing on the radio.Such a touching ballad.

[bronwyn]

Wow. 40 years! 

 

I saw the  exhibit at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum when I visited there. I believe they have the bell from the ship that was recovered.

[shali]

Pardon me whilst I laugh maniacally at Richard's top status 'the quiet one' someone take his keyboard away.

He must have a moisture proof keyboard - I'm sure his fingers are battered and bloody from all the posting! 

[Friends just call me Ross]

It is the 10th of November once again and we are experiencing some mighty balmy weather here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Got a high wind/high waves alert on my phone this morning and took my Mom up to Lake Superior to see the whitecaps rolling in.

We had to leave just as the waves were starting to build. 

 

The temp is 72 degrees F.  Roses are still blooming

and we didn't even have to wear coats.

 

The trees have dropped their leaves, but we are experiencing a second round of fall colors from

the Tamaracks and shrubs:

 

All in all, a gloriously BEAUTIFUL day! 

 

A store clerk reminded me that this was the day the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, 41 years ago.

[nanceebgd46]

Thanks Ross for such lovely and inviting pictures!

 

Lake Superior looks beautiful....and for a second, all seemed right with the world.

 

 

[50gumbys]

Just wondering - do you ever go swimming in Lake Superior?

[Friends just call me Ross]

7 hours ago, 50gumbys said:

Just wondering - do you ever go swimming in Lake Superior?

Yes.  

But you want to remain horizontal in the water, or stick to the shallow water

next to shore.

The sun only heats the very top layer of the lake.  

If you go vertical, the bottom half of your body will feel the FRIGID

temp of the lower level of "her ice-water mansion".

 

[JudyO]

Gordon will be 80 next year. He might even see Lake Superior give up her dead in Jehovah's new system of things.

[pnutts]

Gordon Lightfoot was from Orillia, ON or probably from the nearby Rama reserve. He is a native Canadian.