BEYOND INCREDIBLE ICICLES

Snow and ice add beautiful white blankets, shiny glazes, and twinkling sparkles to our world in winter, creating new ways of seeing where we live and travel. The spectrum ranges from sweet and tender frostings to extreme pilings and formations that spark wonder.

There is a real surreal winter wonder occurring each year on the southeast edge of Lake Michigan, at the St. Joseph North Pier, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, just north of Chicago.

Two lighthouses are transformed into magical fantastical fairytale towers as they stand guard, facing down the harsh assault of subzero temperatures, relentless jackhammer winds, and the perpetual onslaught of powerful spray.

Built over a century ago, these lighthouses stand strong and proud as the icy spray coats and accumulates in layers to create frozen kinetic sculptures, with massive icicles arrested in their sway, hanging from every opportunity.

Photographers Thomas Zakowski and Tom Gill capture the frosty wonder in photos that look like they could have been taken on another planet or a Lord of the Rings in winter movie set.

Winter winds and waves on Lake Michigan are both artist and medium as they get to work, with rapidly freezing water, vapor, and fog covering the lighthouses and the catwalk that links them with ice and rime.

One lighthouse stands 35 ft tall (10.5m). The other is 57 ft (17.4) tall. The piers are often covered with ice boulders, created by turbulent water, washed up in tall piles by the waves.

Lake Michigan is one of the 5 North-American Great Lakes. These lakes are so vast, they help to generate their own weather patterns which impact the surrounding regions.

After capturing the frozen splendor of the St. Joseph lighthouses, Gill expanded his study to include other lighthouses on the lake, including the South Haven, Holland, and Grand Haven lighthouses.

At Grand Haven, Gill found unique magic at the fog signal building at the end of the pier which houses the outer range light. Its lantern room sits 35 ft. above the lake surface. This ice cladding on this structure was mammoth, resembling the bow of a giant frozen ship.

See more of Tom Gill’s work on his Flickr page and blog. See more of Thomas Zakowski’s work on his Facebook page.

Read more about Ice Ice Baby all this week on BeautifulNow, including Our Travel Ice Bucket List and Beautifully Icy Chill Outs and Slow Ice Needs Quick Action. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
2. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
3. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
4. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
5. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
6. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. South Haven Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
7. Image: by Tom Gill. “White Ice.” South Haven Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
8. Image: by Tom Gill. “Iced Outer Lighthouse.” St. Joseph North Pier. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
9. Image: by Tom Gill. “Iced Outer Lighthouse.” St. Joseph North Pier. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
10. Image: by Tom Gill. “Ice Blowing in the Wind.” St. Joseph North Pier. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
11. Image: by Tom Gill. “Ice Beard.” St. Joseph North Pier. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
12. Image: by Tom Gill. “Icy beard.” South Haven Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
13. Image: by Tom Gill. “South Haven Iced.” South Haven Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.
14. Image: by Thomas Zakowski. St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse. Lake Michigan, Michigan.