​
https://preview.redd.it/8f9ur76lj7cc1.jpg?width=6048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f30823edf0a542da70667ba2b1f4c67b3d6b407

Comic I made for "Hiawatha" by Laurie Anderson

I have an old Gary fisher gutchie gumie in my shed. All original except the saddle. I'm thinking of playing with it as a project to do over winter.
Things in debating with myself if I should:
Paint it.
Replace the drive train to 1x (currently 3x7?)
Replace the grip shift
Through on drop bars, and make it a gravel bike
What do you all think? Is it worth it?
https://knowyourbike.com/gary-fishegitche-gumee
(not my photo but same bike)

​
The Song of Hiawatha Childhood
​
Downward through the evening twilight,
In the days that are forgotten,
In the unremembered ages,
From the full moon fell Nokomis,
Fell the beautiful Nokomis,
She a wife, but not a mother.
She was sporting with her women,
Swinging in a swing of grape-vines,
When her rival, the rejected,
Full of jealousy and hatred,
Cut the leafy swing asunder,
Cut in twain the twisted grape-vines,
And Nokomis fell affrighted
Downward through the evening twilight,
On the Muskoday, the meadow,
On the prairie full of blossoms.
"See! a star falls!" said the people;
"From the sky a star is falling!"
There among the ferns and mosses,
There among the prairie lilies,
On the Muskoday, the meadow,
In the moonlight and the starlight,
Fair Nokomis bore a daughter.
And she called her name Wenonah,
As the first-born of her daughters.
And the daughter of Nokomis
Grew up like the prairie lilies,
Grew a tall and slender maiden,
With the beauty of the moonlight,
With the beauty of the starlight.
And Nokomis warned her often,
Saying oft, and oft repeating,
"Oh, beware of Mudjekeewis,
Of the West-Wind, Mudjekeewis;
Listen not to what he tells you;
Lie not down upon the meadow,
Stoop not down among the lilies,
Lest the West-Wind come and harm you!"
But she heeded not the warning,
Heeded not those words of wisdom,
And the West-Wind came at evening,
Walking lightly o'er the prairie,
Whispering to the leaves and blossoms,
Bending low the flowers and grasses,
Found the beautiful Wenonah,
Lying there among the lilies,
Wooed her with his words of sweetness,
Wooed her with his soft caresses,
Till she bore a son in sorrow,
Bore a son of love and sorrow.
Thus was born my Hiawatha,
Thus was born the child of wonder;
But the daughter of Nokomis,
Hiawatha's gentle mother,
In her anguish died deserted
By the West-Wind, false and faithless,
By the heartless Mudjekeewis.
For her daughter long and loudly
Wailed and wept the sad Nokomis;
"Oh that I were dead!" she murmured,
"Oh that I were dead, as thou art!
No more work, and no more weeping,
Wahonowin! Wahonowin!"
By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha,
Rocked him in his linden cradle,
Bedded soft in moss and rushes,
Safely bound with reindeer sinews;
Stilled his fretful wail by saying,
"Hush! the Naked Bear will hear thee!"
Lulled him into slumber, singing,
"Ewa-yea! my little owlet!
Who is this, that lights the wigwam?
With his great eyes lights the wigwam?
Ewa-yea! my little owlet!"
Many things Nokomis taught him
Of the stars that shine in heaven;
Showed him Ishkoodah, the comet,
Ishkoodah, with fiery tresses;
Showed the Death-Dance of the spirits,
Warriors with their plumes and war-clubs,
Flaring far away to northward
In the frosty nights of Winter;
Showed the broad white road in heaven,
Pathway of the ghosts, the shadows,
Running straight across the heavens,
Crowded with the ghosts, the shadows.
At the door on summer evenings
Sat the little Hiawatha;
Heard the whispering of the pine-trees,
Heard the lapping of the waters,
Sounds of music, words of wonder;
'Minne-wawa!" said the pine-trees,
Mudway-aushka!" said the water.
Saw the fire-fly, Wah-wah-taysee,
Flitting through the dusk of evening,
With the twinkle of its candle
Lighting up the brakes and bushes,
And he sang the song of children,
Sang the song Nokomis taught him:
"Wah-wah-taysee, little fire-fly,
Little, flitting, white-fire insect,
Little, dancing, white-fire creature,
Light me with your little candle,
Ere upon my bed I lay me,
Ere in sleep I close my eyelids!"
Saw the moon rise from the water
Rippling, rounding from the water,
Saw the flecks and shadows on it,
Whispered, "What is that, Nokomis?"
And the good Nokomis answered:
"Once a warrior, very angry,
Seized his grandmother, and threw her
Up into the sky at midnight;
Right against the moon he threw her;
'T is her body that you see there."
Saw the rainbow in the heaven,
In the eastern sky, the rainbow,
Whispered, "What is that, Nokomis?"
And the good Nokomis answered:
"'T is the heaven of flowers you see there;
All the wild-flowers of the forest,
All the lilies of the prairie,
When on earth they fade and perish,
Blossom in that heaven above us."
When he heard the owls at midnight,
Hooting, laughing in the forest,
"What is that?" he cried in terror,
"What is that," he said, "Nokomis?"
And the good Nokomis answered:
"That is but the owl and owlet,
Talking in their native language,
Talking, scolding at each other."
Then the little Hiawatha
Learned of every bird its language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How they built their nests in Summer,
Where they hid themselves in Winter,
Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Chickens."
Of all beasts he learned the language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How the beavers built their lodges,
Where the squirrels hid their acorns,
How the reindeer ran so swiftly,
Why the rabbit was so timid,
Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Brothers."
Then Iagoo, the great boaster,
He the marvellous story-teller,
He the traveller and the talker,
He the friend of old Nokomis,
Made a bow for Hiawatha;
From a branch of ash he made it,
From an oak-bough made the arrows,
Tipped with flint, and winged with feathers,
And the cord he made of deer-skin.
Then he said to Hiawatha:
"Go, my son, into the forest,
Where the red deer herd together,
Kill for us a famous roebuck,
Kill for us a deer with antlers!"
Forth into the forest straightway
All alone walked Hiawatha
Proudly, with his bow and arrows;
And the birds sang round him, o'er him,
"Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!"
Sang the robin, the Opechee,
Sang the bluebird, the Owaissa,
"Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!"
Up the oak-tree, close beside him,
Sprang the squirrel, Adjidaumo,
In and out among the branches,
Coughed and chattered from the oak-tree,
Laughed, and said between his laughing,
"Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!"
And the rabbit from his pathway
Leaped aside, and at a distance
Sat erect upon his haunches,
Half in fear and half in frolic,
Saying to the little hunter,
"Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!"
But he heeded not, nor heard them,
For his thoughts were with the red deer;
On their tracks his eyes were fastened,
Leading downward to the river,
To the ford across the river,
And as one in slumber walked he.
Hidden in the alder-bushes,
There he waited till the deer came,
Till he saw two antlers lifted,
Saw two eyes look from the thicket,
Saw two nostrils point to windward,
And a deer came down the pathway,
Flecked with leafy light and shadow.
And his heart within him fluttered,
Trembled like the leaves above him,
Like the birch-leaf palpitated,
As the deer came down the pathway.
Then, upon one knee uprising,
Hiawatha aimed an arrow;
Scarce a twig moved with his motion,
Scarce a leaf was stirred or rustled,
But the wary roebuck started,
Stamped with all his hoofs together,
Listened with one foot uplifted,
Leaped as if to meet the arrow;
Ah! the singing, fatal arrow,
Like a wasp it buzzed and stung him!
Dead he lay there in the forest,
By the ford across the river;
Beat his timid heart no longer,
But the heart of Hiawatha
Throbbed and shouted and exulted,
As he bore the red deer homeward,
And Iagoo and Nokomis
Hailed his coming with applauses.
From the red deer's hide Nokomis
Made a cloak for Hiawatha,
From the red deer's flesh Nokomis
Made a banquet to his honor.
All the village came and feasted,
All the guests praised Hiawatha,
Called him Strong-Heart, Soan-ge-taha!
Called him Loon-Heart, Mahn-go-taysee!

​
Hiawatha and Mondamin
​
Long ago, by the shores of the great lake Gitchee Gumee, a boy was born to a beautiful young woman.
His father was Mudjekeewis, the West Wind.
Alas, just after the boy's birth, Mudjekeewis flew back to the kingdom of the West Wind, leaving his wife and newborn son.
The boy's mother died of a broken heart.
The boy, whose name was Hiawatha, was raised by his grandmother, Nokomis, daughter of the Moon, who had long ago fallen to Earth.
By the time Hiawatha was born, Nokomis was very old, but she was a marvelous nurse, teacher and mother.
She rocked Hiawatha in a cradle made of linden.
She stilled his weeping with gentle words and songs.
She taught him the secrets of the sky and the Earth and all the creatures.
In the winter months Nokomis taught Hiawatha about the northern lights, and in summertime she showed him the Milky Way, explaining that this was a wide, white road in heaven.
She taught him to listen to the whispering pines and to the lapping waters, and to know that all of Earth was wonderful.
Hiawatha grew quickly.
He was curious about the world around him and asked his grandmother countless questions.
He asked about the rainbow, and Nokomis explained that this was the heaven of flowers, the place the blossoms on Earth traveled after they had faded.
He asked his grandmother to tell him why the owls laughed and hooted.
Nokomis taught him to listen closely until he could understand their language.
Then he learned the language of all the birds, and how they built their nests and where they hid. The birds became Hiawatha's friends.
So, too, did all the animals, for as Hiawatha listened, he learned.
He knew the names of all the animals; he knew how they built their dens and lodges, and why they were timid or bold.
He called them his brothers and sisters. Hiawatha understood that all creatures share the Earth with one another.
When Hiawatha was a young man, the aged storyteller Ioagoo told him he would become a great hunter.
Loagoo made a bow and arrows for him from the branches of the ash trees, the skin of the deer, the bough of the oak and the feathers of the birds.
With his new bow and arrows, Hiawatha went into the forest to hunt his first deer.
The deer were his friends, and Hiawatha knew the deer offered themselves as gifts to his people.
He shot a deer and returned to his people.
From the deer's hide Nokomis made her grandson a warm cloak, and from its flesh she cooked a great feast.
All the people celebrated that night, for they knew Hiawatha would be a great man among them.
Hiawatha knew in his heart that he must bring good things to his people, but he did not know how.
So one day he went into the forest to fast and to pray to the Ojibway god Manito to show him how he might help his people.
On the first day of his fast, Hiawatha sat in the forest waiting for a message from Manito. Suddenly a herd of deer fled past, calling out to Hiawatha as they ran. Watching the herd, Hiawatha suddenly felt sad.
"If the deer die out," he said to himself, "my people will starve. What shall I do?"
Manito did not answer. Hiawatha waited and prayed.
On the second day of his fast, Hiawatha walked through a field filled with ripe berries.
He looked up at the bright blue summer sky and again he grew sad.
"When winter comes to the land, the berries will wither and my people will go hungry," he said. "What shall I do?"
Still Manito said nothing.
On the third day of his fast, Hiawatha sat upon the banks of the lake, watching the fish swimming beneath its gleaming surface.
"One long, hot summer may dry up our lake," Hiawatha sighed. "The fish will die.
Then what will my people eat? What shall I do?"
But Manito did not answer.
On the fourth day, as Hiawatha lay upon the grass watching the sun begin to set, he was startled by a young man who appeared before him as if by magic.
Hiawatha sat up and stared at the stranger.
The tall, slender man wore clothes of green and yellow. is hair was soft and golden, and on his head grew golden plumes. Hiawatha watched in awe as the man seemed to dance in the wind, though his feet were planted firmly on the ground.
"Who are you?" Hiawatha whispered.
"I am Mondamin," the young man answered.
"Manito has sent me to answer your prayers.
He wants you to know your people will always have food.
But they must work hard for it. And now you must work.
You must wrestle with me."
Hiawatha was weak from his fast, but he stood up and began to wrestle with Mondamin. The moment they began to struggle, Hiawatha's strength returned.
But in the midst of their wrestling, Mondamin vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
The next day, the fifth day of Hiawatha's fast, Mondamin appeared again.
As before, he told Hiawatha to wrestle with him, and Hiawatha obeyed.
Again Mondamin vanished.
On the sixth day, the same thing happened, though this time Mondamin stayed longer.
Just before he disappeared, he stopped wrestling and smiled at Hiawatha.
"You will win, my friend.
Tomorrow when we wrestle, I shall fall as if dead. Let me whisper to you what you must do."
The next day they wrestled, but this time Mondamin fell to the ground, and Hiawatha remembered Mondamin's words.
He leaned over the stranger, stripped him of his clothes and buried him beneath the soft earth.
Then Hiawatha waited and watched over the grave.
He was careful to weed and to make sure the sun warmed the soil. He drove away the squirrels and the crows.
Soon, as Mondamin had promised, a green shoot sprouted, and beside this one grew another, and then another and another.
By summer's end, the field was full of tall, slender plants with coats of green leaves and yellow tassels that waved in the wind.
Hiawatha called Nokomis and Ioagoo and his people to the field.
"This is Mondamin, Manito's gift to our people! This corn will be our food forever."
In autumn Mondamin's leaves turned yellow, and Hiawatha showed his people how to strip away the leaves.
Inside they found hard yellow kernels, and these they gathered and cooked.
They held a joyous feast in honor of the great Mondamin, and forever after, with Hiawatha as their guide, they cared for Mondamin and reaped his rewards, and they never went hungry.
​
​
This story was adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 poem, "The Song of Hiawatha."
The real Hiawatha (whose name means "He Who Makes Rivers") lived around 1570 and was known to have been a statesman, a lawgiver and unifier of what were once known as the Five Nations of the Iroquois (eventually Six Nations).
According to some sources Hiawatha was born a Mohawk but lived among the Onondaga when his own tribe rejected his teachings.
His efforts to unite the Iroquois tribes were opposed by a chieftain named Wathatotarho, who eventually defeated and killed Hiawatha's daughter, Mini-haha.
But Longfellow's Ojibway Hiawatha is a romantic hero, and the story is adapted from the poem, with references from other Iroquois sources.

https://i.redd.it/6mvvgcraxh8a1.gif

Humans Are Weird Compliments

"Ranger Mack Dodge! You venting system is quite fragrant today!"
Mack twisted around and peered through the gaps in the inner workings of the hover truck he was attempting to fix.
"My what is what now?" Mack asked.
The Undulate mechanic who hadn't yet chosen a verbal name proceeded to writhe his way up through the engine compartment only to pause just in front of Mack's face. The alien was the dusty maroon color that most Undulates turned when they were out of the water for any length of time. It was hard to get a good look at him as he twisted his vertebra free body through the small gaps in the engine. Mack resisted the urge to pull back as the swarming mass of pseudo-pods stopped just short of his face. The Undulate reached out with one gripping appendage and held it in front of his mouth like a microphone.
"Your venting system," the Undulate gestured at his mouth, "is quite fragrant today." the Undulate gave the portion of himself facing Mack a wiggle that suggested approval or pleasure.
"Oh, ah, thank you," Mack said. "Your, ah color, is a lovely shade of maroon today."
"Thank you for the compliment Ranger Mack Dodge," The Undulate said.
Mack blinked at him. "I guess I will get back to fixing this hover truck now." Mack said. Turning back to his work.
The Undulate wriggled out of the truck and Mack focused on clearing out the biomatter impacted in its undercarriage.
"How did your conversation with Friend Mack go?" The commander asked the mechanic as he swam back into the base.
"Oh quite well," the mechanic informed him. "You were correct. Ranger Mack Dodge is quite friendly. Hopefully I will soon be able to call him Friend," the young mechanic paused and wiggled happily. "And perhaps he will feel comfortable enough to engaging in the 'petting' ritual with me."
"Perhaps," the commander agreed. "Remember that humans do not communicate quite so much through touch as we do so you must give him time."
"I understand," the mechanic said. He twisted around as if to go further into the base but paused at the door. "Humans do give the oddest compliments though."
​
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Humans are Weird - Omnivorous

"So you just eat...anything?" The breadbox sized alien's vocal chords were perhaps the closest to a human's as any of the speaking species they had encountered. They tended to be quieter and pitched lower but the one that Mack had dubbed Threes had learned to "shout" early on and knew how to aim his words in the thin air.
"Well not anything," Mack corrected as he tightened the bolts on the underside of the hover bike he was working on. "There are a lot of chemical compounds that are toxic in plants-"
"Of course there are," Threes said, exasperation tinting his voice. "It does not serve the plants ends for you to devour their photosynthesis surfaces. They pump all sorts of anti-predation compounds into their energy rich biomass!"
Mack heard the rustling that was the Undulates version of footsteps and the human couldn't resist a smile at the image of the giant caterpillar like creature moving across the ground. Fortunately a species that expressed its chosen collective name as a rippling motion along the dreadlock like appendages that seemed to compose the entirety of their bodies that varied from individual to individual as well as from sub-culture to sub-culture didn't mind getting 'named' by the other cultures they met.
"It is far safer to feed on the simpler creatures that the water is practically teeming with!" Threes made his way up onto Mack's chest and Mack absently pushed him to a more comfortable position.
"Maybe safer," Mack agreed as he reached his hand deep into the guts of the machine. "But not as convenient. Not much of the human population lives with enough water to make that a viable option."
Threes clicked in distress and moved up Mack’s chest to prod gently at his chin with - Mack assumed and hoped - his frontal appendages.
"But how?" Threes demanded.
Mack grunted and gave the hand signal for needing more information. Apparently human fingers were one of the best cross species communication aids that the Undulates had ever discovered.
"Humans like water." Threes explained his query. "I know you don't live in it like we do but you..." Mack assumed Threes was struggling with trying to communicate a complex Undulate word/position to someone who wasn't looking at him. "...you swim and, and I think the closest word is wade, just like we do and it is a valued exercise."
"Yup, we do love our bodies of water," Mack agreed as his hands finally found the loose nut he had been feeling around for. "Personally I grew up near Gitche Gumee. Went swimming a lot as a kid."
"But not everyone is so fortunate?" Threes pressed forward again and Mack shoved him down again.
"Keep down for a while Threes, I gotta get this loose. But yeah, some humans can go their entire life without ever seeing enough standing water to wade in, let alone grow enough biomass to feed the population."
"Perhaps it has something to do with your fantastic biomass and nutrient needs," Threes suggested, trying to keep his voice level, but Mack could feel the Undulate shivering at the clearly horrible thought of desert living.
"Well lots of folks even prefer it," Mack said with a grin.
"It certainly explains your dependence on omnivorous," Threes speculated.
"Omnivory," Mack corrected absently. Threes was particular about his languages and like to get it right.

​
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There are hundreds and thousands of lakes in the United States. Out of them, you can find some massive lakes as well. Let’s take a quick look at the biggest lakes that you can discover in the United States as of now. Any person who has an obsession with large lakes can think about visiting any of these lakes in the country.

1. Lake Superior – Largest Lake in the USA

Lake Superior, the largest, deepest, coldest, cleanest, least developed, and most pristine of the Great Lakes, is the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area, spanning state and nation boundaries.
This 31,820 square mile behemoth is the fourth largest in terms of volume, with 2,900 cubic miles (9,799,680,000 acre feet), or 400,000 gallons of water for every person on the planet.
Today, these vast swaths of land are home to national parks, water sports, and a plethora of other activities.
Lake Superior is known by various names, including Gichigami, which means “large water” in the Ojibwe language.
The huge lake is alluded to as “Gitche Gumee” in both Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha and Gordon Lightfoot’s The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Finally, in the 17th century, French explorers named the lake le lac superieur, or Upper Lake, from whence the English “Lake Superior” was derived.
Despite not being an inland sea, the lake is massive: its surface area of 20,288,000 acres is greater than South Carolina, and it spans for more than 350 miles in length and 160 miles in breadth.
Waves on Lake Superior may often surpass 30 feet, and the lake’s lowest point — 1,333 feet deep — is also the lowest point on the North American continent, at 733 feet below sea level.
The lake has 2,726 miles of shoreline to explore, and if the lake’s drain lock were to be uncorked, it would flood both North and South America, submerging the continents under a foot of water.
Lake Superior is a very magnificent piece of water. Gates on the Saint Marys River at Sault Sainte Marie manage water levels on Lake Superior for hydroelectric power generation.
The International Joint Commission manages the lake’s water levels through the Board of Controls.
Following the retreat of the previous Ice Age’s frozen glaciers, the Plano first settled on the lake 10,000 years ago.
The Shield Archaic peoples arrived around 5,000 years later, leaving traces of their bows, arrows, boats, and fishing equipment all throughout the region.
The Ojibwe and Cree, the lake’s most recent indigenous occupants, are thought to be direct descendants of these early people.
By the 1700s, however, European influence surrounding Lake Superior had grown significantly, owing in part to the burgeoning fur trade.
What were once ancient mining and maritime communities are now modern shipping ports with a new industry: tourism.

Read: Biggest Lakes In Texas [Top 20]Learn about the largest natural lake in Texas

2. Lake Huron – one of the five Great Lakes of North America

Lake Huron is the second biggest of the five Great Lakes in terms of surface area, with a surface area of 23,010 square miles and a 3,825-mile shoreline.
The huge lake, which has 850 cubic miles of fresh water inside its basin, is the third biggest of the Great Lakes in terms of water volume.
With such vast lengths of water, as well as the lake’s rocky rip-rapped shoreline and sandy beaches, Lake Huron has become a popular destination for tourists, part-time residents, and full-time inhabitants who enjoy the sun and water fun that this Great Lake offers.
Lake Huron was inhabited by Native Americans, especially the Algonquin and Iroquois, who had been competitors for generations before European arrival.
After failing to find any of the other Great Lakes, French explorers dubbed it La Mer Douce, or the Freshwater Sea, when they landed on the lake’s shores in 1612.
On early maps, the lake was frequently referred to as Lac des Hurons, or Lake of the Huron Indians.
By 1615, the French had formed bonds with the lake’s Native American tribes and had acquired some of their habits and trades, accumulating money via wood, fishing, mining, and fur production.
Naturally, these businesses and the quest of money led to the French and Indian War, which ravaged the region for seven years.
Today, the lake has recovered from past abuses and is teeming with wildlife, fish, and a plethora of other natural wonders.
The beaches of Lake Huron appear to go on forever, which might be daunting at first.
When planning your visit, think about what you want to do, where you want to travel, and how you want to organize your time.
If you’re coming from the Michigan side of the lake, start your journey on Michigan’s Sunrise Coastal Highway, a 10-mile stretch of road that runs along the lake’s coastline and has asphalt-paved pathways for bicyclists, skaters, and walkers.
The trails begin in Rogers City and weave their way to the lake’s edge, where they meet Lake Huron’s soothing, lapping waters and smooth sandy beach.
The street route eventually leads to Hoeft State Park, a lovely 300-acre wildlife refuge with its own trails that connect to the Huron Sunrise Trail, providing an excellent transition for further hiking and bicycling.

Read: Biggest Lakes In Ohio [Top 20]Learn about the largest and deepest lake in Ohio

3. Lake Michigan – second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume

Lake Michigan is the pride and pleasure of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan since it is the only Great Lake entirely inside the United States’ borders.
The lake spans 22,400 square miles, making it the world’s biggest freshwater lake (by surface area) enclosed within a single nation.
Lake Michigan is roughly 307 miles long and 118 miles broad, with 1,640 miles of shoreline.
More than 80 lighthouses may be found along the coast and on major islands.
Lake Michigan, on the other hand, is more than a lake of superlatives; it is a freshwater paradise that is home to 12 million people and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are linked by the five-mile-wide Straits of Mackinac, which are both 577 feet above sea level.
In terms of hydrology, this unites the two lakes, which some refer to as Lake Michigan-Huron.
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are treated separately by LakeLubbers; however, the combined surface area and volume are considered “points of interest” by Lakelubbers.
Many towns and cities line the beaches of Lake Michigan, but you’re probably best familiar with Chicago (Illinois), East Chicago (Indiana), and Milwaukee (Wisconsin) (Wisconsin).
Many Lake Michigan beaches may be found in these towns and their surrounding areas, especially those in Michigan and Northern Indiana are known for their remarkable beauty.
In fact, the region is sometimes referred to as the United States’ “Third Coast,” as it rivals certain beaches on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
These Midwestern beaches are an oasis in the heart of the country, with smooth, white sand that is said to “sing” as you walk through it.

Read: Biggest Lakes In California [Top 20]Learn about the largest natural lake in California

4. Lake Erie– the eleventh-largest lake globally

Lake Erie, one of North America’s Great Lakes, crosses the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and Ontario in Canada.
The lake was named after a Native American tribe that lived along its shores before being exterminated by the Iroquois League for assisting their adversary, the Hurons.
Lake Erie is the fourth biggest in surface area, the most southern-reaching, the shallowest, and the smallest in volume among the Great Lakes.
But don’t be fooled: Lake Erie has a surface size of 9,940 square miles (6,261,500 acres), spans 241 miles in length and 57 miles in width, has 871 miles of shoreline, and reaches a maximum depth of 210 feet.
Lake Erie is the only Great Lake that freezes over on a regular basis, owing to its modest average depth of 62 feet.
Lake Erie is known as the “Walleye Capital of the World” and is widely regarded as having some of the greatest walleye fishing in the world.
The lake’s modest depths provide a perfect environment for walleye and make it great for ice fishing.
But don’t worry if walleye isn’t your thing. Yellow perch, steelhead, salmon, and smallmouth bass are also popular in the lake.
Whether you go out on your own to fish the depths or hire one of the numerous fishing charters in the region, you’ll have an interesting and gratifying fishing experience.
Lake Erie is enormous, and with it comes a plethora of recreational opportunities.
Swimming in the calm blue waters, boating, hiking, birdwatching, seeing the natural flora and wildlife, playing on a sandy beach, water skiing, dining lakeside, and a variety of other activities are all available.
Depending on your own preferences, the possibilities are nearly limitless.

Read: Biggest Lakes In New York [Top 20]Learn about the largest clear clean water lake in New York

5. Lake Ontario – is one of the five Great Lakes of North America.

The deep, bright, and pristine waters of Lake Ontario, one of the world’s five Great Lakes, meander over state and nation lines, captivating Americans, Canadians, and visiting visitors.
The smallest of the Huge Lakes, with a whopping 4,700,000 acres (7,340 square miles), Lake Ontario is the ideal monument to the enormous size and importance of these great, glacial lakes.
Lake Ontario, which has been home to many people throughout the years, is now surrounded by Toronto, Hamilton, and Rochester, and serves as an aquatic playground for those who visit its shores.
Lake Ontario gets its name from a Huron term that means “big lake,” as opposed to the Iroquois’ “Skanadario.
” The colossus has been called “Lac Ontario or des Iroquois,” “Ondiara,” and “Lac Frontenac” in addition to its Native American titles.
The vast reservoir’s rich history, which began with the Iroquois and Huron nations, is reflected in the wide range of names it has received.
The first contemporary European to see the lake was Etienne Brule, who came in 1615, however relics show that he was beaten by the Norse, who arrived much earlier.
Lake Ontario is remembered today for its contributions to modern history, including the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812.
The Niagara River carries around 80% of the water that flows into Lake Ontario from its western neighbor, Lake Erie.
The rest comes from streams of Lake Ontario and precipitation.
Over 90% of Lake Ontario’s water goes to the St. Lawrence River, with the remainder evaporating and dropping as massive winter snowfalls in northern New York State.
Issues pertaining to any of the Great Lakes system’s lakes are of considerable importance both here and as far upstream as Lake Superior, as the last of the downstream Great Lakes.
The water level of Lake Ontario is controlled by a dam at Kingston, Ontario, for hydroelectric power generation.
The International Joint Commission manages the lake’s water levels through the Board of Controls.

Read: Biggest Lakes In Pennsylvania [Top 20]Learn about The shallowest lake in Pennsylvania

6. Great Salt Lake – the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere

The Great Salt Lake, sometimes known as “America’s Dead Sea,” covers roughly 1,700 square miles of Utah land.
It is the second biggest lake entirely enclosed inside the United States (by surface area); only Lake Michigan is bigger.
The Great Salt Lake has the longest lake coastline in the United States, spanning roughly 10,000 miles.
The biggest relic of the ancient Lake Bonneville, Great Salt Lake has a salinity significantly greater (saltier) than ocean water.
Despite its moniker, the lake is home to a diverse range of vegetation, wildlife, and water life, as well as a large number of tourists each year.
The Great Salt Lake’s water levels fluctuate depending on rainfall and evaporation rates, reaching a peak of 45 feet in 1987 and a low of 24 feet in 1963.
The number of islands dotting the lake varies depending on the water level. According to the Utah Geological Survey, there are 11 islands in the lake, with seven in the south and four in the north.
The Gunnison Island State Wildlife Management Area encompasses the whole island.
Because the island is an important rookery for the American White Pelican, public access is banned.
Antelope Island State Park is located on the biggest of the islands and is accessible through a causeway.
Antelope Island is home to pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, American bison, and waterfowl.

Read: Biggest Lakes In Illinois [Top 20]Learn about the largest body of water wholly contained within Illinois

7. Lake of the Woods – the sixth largest freshwater lake located in the United States

Lake of the Woods is a massive body of water that stretches from Minnesota into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, measuring over 68 miles long and 59 miles broad with 25,000 miles of coastline – the world’s longest lake shoreline.
The western half of the lake is largely open water, but the eastern half is studded with about 14,500 islands where bears, moose, bald eagles, and other species may be found.
With its mind-boggling number of islands, the shoreline of Lake of the Woods stretches over 65,000 kilometers.
Minnesota owns about a third of the lake’s 950,400 acres.
Because of landmark treaties going back to 1783 when Great Britain acknowledged American freedom, part of Minnesota’s land portion of Lake of the Woods, known as the Northwest Angle, is isolated from the rest of the United States.
The Northwest Angle is the contiguous United States’ northernmost territory.
It is accessible by boat from Minnesota or by crossing Canadian territory. Following treaties defining the US-Canada border, the Northwest Angle remained in Minnesota.
Because the Lake of the Woods is so big, it’s important to choose a section and adhere to it.
However, everyone wins here, as the lake provides a variety of outdoor activities for nature lovers.
Start your vacation with a stroll along one of the lake’s nature trails; the coastline is lined with winding routes, difficult terrain, and manicured trails that will give you with amazing views and stunning panoramas.

Read: Biggest Lakes In Florida [Top 20]Learn about the deepest lake in Florida

8. Iliamna Lake – the second largest Finger Lake

Iliamna Lake, commonly known as Lake Iliamna, is Alaska’s biggest lake and the world’s second-largest freshwater lake entirely enclosed inside the United States (after Lake Michigan).
This glacial lake in southwest Alaska is known as an inland sea, with a length of 80 miles, a width of 25 miles, and a surface area of roughly 640,000 acres.
Iliamna Lake is bordered to the north by Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, to the south by Katmai National Park and Preserve, and to the east by Cook Inlet (Gulf of Alaska).
Porcupine, Flat, Triangle, and Seal Islands are among the deserted islands that dot the lake’s surface.
The Tanaina Indians named the lake Iliamna because they believed it was home to a huge blackfish that could bite holes in boats.
Other monsters rumored to reside in Iliamna Lake, known as Lilies, resemble 30-foot-long gigantic fish.
When pilots began seeing monsters from the air in the 1940s, Iliamna’s creatures became more well-known.
In contrast to these mythological animals, the lake is known for its resident colony of freshwater seals, which is one of only two freshwater seal colonies in the world.

Read: Biggest Lakes In North America [Top 20]Learn about the lake Michigan the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume

9. Lake Oahe – the fourth-largest reservoir in the US

The name Lake Oahe comes from an Oahe Indian Mission and means “base” or “place to stand on.”
Lake Oahe is the nation’s biggest manmade reservoir in surface acreage and fourth in volume, stretching 231 miles from Pierre, South Dakota, to Bismarck, North Dakota, and boasting a 2,250-mile coastline.
Lake Oahe, which is located north of Pierre on South Dakota Highway 1804, is steeped in Native American heritage.
Lake Oahe, which was originally built for hydroelectric power generation, flood management, downstream navigation, irrigation, public water supply, and fish and wildlife preservation, is today a haven for outdoor enthusiasts with 50 recreational sites.
Lake Oahe was formed by damming the Missouri River as part of a US Army Corps of Engineers operation.
Construction began in 1948, as authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944. President John F. Kennedy dedicated the dam and lake on August 17, 1962.
Lake Oahe is the world’s 14th biggest man-made reservoir by volume, with a storage capacity of 23.5 million acre-feet.
The length of Oahe Dam is 9,300 feet, with a maximum height of 245 feet.
The 2,250 kilometers of shoreline of Lake Oahe are mainly undeveloped, except from recreational areas.
Visitors will see a mixed grass prairie with trees growing down to the water’s edge.
On the western side of the lake, the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in both North and South Dakota are both major Native American reservations.
If you want to go big game hunting, the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation offers three wildlife areas designated aside for elk and buffalo.
Every year, the Cheyenne River Sioux Game, Fish, and Parks Department offers hunts.

Read: Is Traveling A Hobby? The Ultimate Guide To An Exciting Way Of Life Learn about the Downsides Of Traveling As A Hobby

10. Lake Okeechobee – eighth largest natural freshwater lake in the US

Lake Okeechobee is a lake with numerous names, having approximately 451,000 blue, aquatic acres.
It is the largest lake in Florida in terms of surface area. It is also the fourth-largest lake entirely enclosed inside the United States of America.
Lake Okeechobee, commonly known as Florida’s Inland Sea, Lake O, and The Big Lake, has an average depth of only 9 feet.
The name Lake Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti words for “water” (oki) and “large” (chubi), therefore the lake’s original name was “Big Water”.
The Okeechobe Waterway, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, includes Lake Okeechobee.
From Fort Myers to Lake Okeechobee, the waterway follows the Caloosahatchee River, then continues east via the St. Lucie Canal to Stuart.
Navigation, year-round recreational amenities, potable water, agricultural irrigation, and flood control are all benefits of the Okeechobee Waterway.
The Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project includes the Waterway.

11. Lake Pontchartrain – the lake that is oval in shape

Lake Pontchartrain isn’t officially a lake. It’s known as an estuary in scientific circles.
That’s just a fancy way of saying it’s a coastal body of water with an open connection to the sea or is connected to the sea in some way.
Although Lake Pontchartrain is surrounded by land, it is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by a marsh on one side.
It is classified as a Salt Lake, however salinity levels along the lake’s northern boundary hardly register where rivers pour into the lake.
As one moves towards the Gulf, the salt levels rise; the maximum values are roughly half those of sea water in the Gulf.
There are daily tide variations because it is connected to the Gulf.
Lake Mauripas, a neighboring freshwater lake, is connected to the west shore of Lake Pontchartrain through Pass Manchac.
In addition, the Mississippi River enters the Lake through New Orleans’ Industrial Canal.
Aside from the Ole Miss, the lake receives fresh water from five additional rivers and two bayous. Tchefuncte, Tickfaw, Amite, Bogue Falaya, and Tangipahoa are the rivers, and Chinchuba and Lacombe are the bayous.
After Hurricane Betsey wreaked havoc on New Orleans, the Flood Control Act of 1965 allowed the building of the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection Project.
The levees that we see today were developed and built by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The parishes of Jefferson, St. Charles, Orleans, and St. Bernard are responsible for the maintenance and flood management of their respective parts of the barrier system.
The heights of the levees were determined by the geography of the surrounding region when they were erected. The height ranged from 9.3 to 13.5 feet.

12. Lake Sakakawea – the second largest lake in the United States by area

The second-largest reservoir by surface acreage in the United States (and third-largest in volume), Lake Sakakawea spans 178 miles from Garrison Dam northwest to Williston, North Dakota, and has a surface area of roughly 382,000 acres.
Lake Sakakawea is two to three miles wide on average and six miles wide at its widest point.
The gently rolling prairie and 1,300 miles of shoreline, located 75 miles north of Bismarck, North Dakota, offer a diverse range of activities for visitors.
Camping, boating, fishing, sailing, nature watching, hunting, and ice fishing are examples of recreational activities.
The Missouri River was dammed to create Lake Sakakawea. Garrison Dam was built in 1947 after being authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944, also known as the Pick-Sloan Plan.
Garrison Dam, which extends 2,050 feet wide at the base and tapers out to 60 feet wide at the top, was completed in 1954 and is presently the world’s sixth biggest earthen dam.
Garrison Dam provides a variety of public benefits, including fish and wildlife preservation, flood control, navigation, irrigation, and recreation, in addition to hydropower generation.
Visitors can take a tour of the power plant, which also features exhibits on the construction and operation of the Garrison Dam.

13. Lake Champlain – natural freshwater lake in North America

Lake Champlain is a natural freshwater lake that straddles the states of New York and Vermont in the United States and Quebec in Canada.
It is 96 feet above sea level. President Bill Clinton recognized Lake Champlain as a Great Lake in 1998, and it reaches a maximum depth of 400 feet, encompasses 435 square miles, stretches more than 100 miles in length, and has a maximum width of 12 miles at its widest point.
Lake Champlain has a total area of 271,000 acres and a coastline length of 587 miles. A total of 71 islands dot the lake, including a full Vermont county.
Burlington, Vermont’s Lake Champlain Region is a year-round living and tourist destination that offers a wide range of recreational and residential opportunities.
Burlington and the surrounding Champlain Lake valley were named “One of Four Outstanding Get-Away Locations in the Northeast” by USA Weekday Magazine, “Number One Place for Families that Love Outdoor Sports” by Outdoor Explorer Magazine, “Sixth Best Family Friendly Place in the Nation” by Reader’s Digest, and “Number One Child Friendly City in America” by Zero Population Growth.

14. Becharof Lake – eighth on list of largest lakes of the United States by volume

On the Alaskan Peninsula, Becharof Lake is the second* biggest lake in the state.
The lake is 35 miles long and 15 miles broad, with depths of up to 600 feet, and spans an astonishing 290,000 acres.
Becharof Lake, located deep in the Alaskan tundra, provides an amazing environment for hunting, fishing, hiking, and animal observation.
Becharof Lake, located in the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge, provides a picturesque and spectacular setting for activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, and seeing Alaska’s abundant wildlife.
From jagged cliffs along the coast to sandy beaches, gently sloped tundra, and volcanic Mount Peulik on Becharof Lake’s southern coastline, the wildlife reserve provides a diverse range of stunning landscapes.
Only a boat, aircraft, or a hard trek along an unmarked path can access the 1.2 million-acre wilderness.
Before venturing into the wilderness, most guests take a commercial airplane from Anchorage to neighboring King Salmon Airport.
Hunting for bear, caribou, and moose, as well as fishing, hiking, and camping, are all popular activities at the refuge.
The refuge’s beautiful scenery and diverse fauna make it an excellent spot for wilderness observation and photography.
Congress has declared about 500,000 acres of the refuge as the Becharof Wilderness, ensuring that this region will be protected for future generations of nature enthusiasts to enjoy.

15. Lake St. Clair – It is part of the Great Lakes system

Heart-shaped The Great Lakes system’s smallest body of water is Lake Saint Clair.
The 275,200-acre Lake Saint Clair is ideally positioned in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, between Lake Huron to the north and Lake Erie to the south.
The St. Clair River, which flows into Lake Huron from the north, feeds the lake. The Thames River, Sydenham River, and Clinton River are among the other inflows.
The Detroit River transports water from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie.
To the dismay and objections of many who have established a strong affinity with this essential component of the Great Lakes system, Lake St. Clair has been denied formal Great Lake designation.
Lake Saint Clair, formed by prehistoric glacial action, originally served as a hunting and trading ground for Paleo-Indian cultures.
The French-helmed Griffon, the first European vessel to sail in the Upper Lakes, found the lake in August of 1679.
There are two hypotheses on the origins of Lake Saint Clair’s name.
First, it’s said that the name comes from celebrating Saint Claire of Assisi’s feast day, with government authorities and mapmakers changing the spelling throughout time.
Second, many think the name was derived from General Arthur St. Clair, the first governor of the Northwest Territory.
Lake St. Clair has served as an essential waterway for generations of people throughout its colorful history, and it continues to do so today as a highly traveled portion of the Great Lakes Waterway and a vital link in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

16. Red Lake – largest natural freshwater lake located entirely within Minnesota

Upper Red Lake, located in Minnesota’s northwest region, has made a remarkable return and is once again becoming a popular vacation destination.
Upper Red Lake lies near Waskish and is located on the border of the Big Bog. When combined with Lower Red Lake, Upper Red Lake is Minnesota’s biggest freshwater lake.
Upper Red Lake, on its own, is Minnesota’s second-biggest lake, with Mil Lacs Lake being the largest.
The Narrows, a three-quarter-mile-wide canal that connects the two Red lakes, has 288,000 acres of great fishing grounds.
Upper Red Lake has a surface area of 120,000 acres, however only 48,000 acres are owned by the state of Minnesota and are open to the public.
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians owns the remaining acres, as well as the entirety of Lower Red Lake, and its waters are off-limits to anybody not enrolled in their band.
In the early 1970s, the Red Lakes were well-known for their outstanding walleye fishing.
The walleye population, however, plummeted as a result of angling and gill net fishing, and walleye sport fishing was banned in 1999.
The restocking of walleye was a success in 2006, thanks to the efforts of both Native American and government authorities.
Anglers may now enjoy walleye fishing in Upper Red Lake thanks to new harvesting rules. Crappie and northern pike fishing are also popular at Upper Red Lake.
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