Winter comes to Cornie

Last Sunday found me in Cornucopia, WI to drop GalwayGuy and TheLegend off at Mass at St Ann's. My normal routine would be to make a beeline for the Village Inn to do a quality check on the South Shore Nut Brown Ale tap line, but the weather was just too inviting to head to the bar. Since many of us kayak up there in the summer and don't get to the northermost point of Wisconsin in the winter, I figured a Christmas Eve photo tour of the area might be the perfect post for a lazy blogger such as myself.

My first stop was at Meyers Beach, the main jumping off point for the mainland sea caves and the scene of a couple of fatal kayaking accidents in the past few years. It sounds like the real time wave observation system will be functional next season, giving folks a look at the conditions around the caves before venturing out. There weren't many waves to worry about last weekend and parking was ample since I was the only one there. It was plowed but a bit snowy.

The sea caves looked like their annual ice sculpture show was beginning but walking to the caves may be a few weeks off.

Eagle Island looked inviting off in the distance and it has a skein of ice around its shore as well.

I stopped like I always do at the artesian well on the east end of the harbor and park area.

Water flows year round from the well into the lake from the pipe in the foreground. Squaw Point,now called Mawikwe Point, is in the background.

The breakwater at the entrance to the harbor is right in line with the ice crusted motif of the rest of the lakeshore. The commercial guys are still fishing and were off loading an impressive catch of herring when I went past the docks.

The sailboats are all out of the water for the year. Only the commercial guys are still out in boats.

The old eastern rite church, onion domes and all, looks right at home in the snow.

After this latest blizzard that we are in the middle of right now, things will be downright wintry up in Cornucopia. The ice should freeze late January or early February for the walk to the caves and the empty parking lot will be full again. Ski and snowmobile trails should be set for the winter and before we know it spring will arrive and the Meyers Beach lot will be full of paddlers and hikers again.
In the meantime, have a merry Christmas and a productive and fun filled New Year.