Lake Erie is a very big, very shallow body of water. Light reflects off water. For some reason it bends in a peculiar fashion over this body of water. I remember stories about the Cleveland skyline appearing in the sky to observers along the north (Canadian) shoreline. At that point the lake is about 50 miles wide and Cleveland is way over the horizon. If you look long enough, you can probably see anything there.
When there is a temperature inversion over the lake, it forms a sort of magnifying lens affect and bends the light over the curvature of the surface such that you can see objects on the opposite side at times. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_morgana_%28mirage%29