Tahquamenon Falls and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, I’ll get to the reason later, maybe. I think that I’ll focus more on photos, and less on the written word.
On the plus side, I hit the area at the time of peak color in the leaves on the trees and with plenty of water flowing over the waterfalls that I photographed. On the minus side, the weather was horrible the least four days of my one week vacation in the area. There was even snow on the ground as I was heading home.
This is a image I shot on my way home, and it’s one of my favorites from the trip, even if it isn’t spectacular.
Scene I saw along the road home.
Maybe one of the reasons I ike this one so much is that it isn’t one of the big name tourist attractions I visited, It’s something I noticed and photographed on my own.
But, back to the beginning of my trip. I started at Michigan’s Tahquamenon Falls State Park, camping there to photograph the falls and anything else I found. Here are the upper falls in all their glory…
The upper Tahquamenon Falls
…up close, then moving farther away…
The upper Tahquamenon Falls
…as I stopped at every location along the short trail that offers views of the falls, until I shot this one…
My quintessential image of the upper Tahquamenon Falls
…which is why so many people visit the falls in autumn.
The “problem” with both the upper falls seen above, and the lower falls…
The lower Tahquamenon Falls
The lower Tahquamenon Falls
The lower Tahquamenon Falls
The lower Tahquamenon Falls
…is that you’re limited to staying on a boardwalk that only gives one limited views of the falls. The lower falls are really a series of small cascades, and while they’re pretty, don’t have the impact of the upper falls.
It didn’t help that I was at the lower falls at the wrong time of day, with one side of the river in full sun, and the other side in full shade. Also, as happened all week long at any of the big name spots, I had to wait in line for a chance to shoot the photos that I did, and I didn’t want to take too much time at any one location so that the people waiting would be able to take my place once I had finished shooting.
Another factor in my decisions as when to go where is that I had done a lot of research into the subjects that I wanted to photograph on this trip, and I knew that even though I attempted to keep it to a reasonable number, there were more places on my list than what I would have time for. And, I didn’t want to burn myself out as I did on my last trip to Michigan’s upper peninsula, when I found myself barely able to function by the 5th day due to not eating right or staying hydrated.
One other thing that I should mention too, during the time of my trip, many of the businesses and even government campgrounds are beginning to close for the winter season. This contributed to the long lines I encountered everywhere, from the scenic wonders to photograph, to waiting for over an hour for a bowl of chili at a local eatery. Major portions of my time during this trip were spent waiting, but I held up well for the entire week.
Anyway, here are a few photos that I shot in the Tahquamenon Falls area, mostly in the campground itself.
Sunset over the Tahquamenon River
Sunrise over the Tahquamenon River
Reflections of color on the Tahquamenon River
Just a spot of red
Camping on the Tahquamenon River
I spent two nights there, then it was time to pack up and head to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Along the way, I stopped to shoot the Crisp Point Lighthouse…
The Crisp Point Lighthouse
The Crisp Point Lighthouse
I climbed the lighthouse, and crawled through a tiny doorway at the top to shoot these next two.
The view from the top of the Crisp Point Lighthouse
The weather was already changing for the worse, I had to brace my knees against the railing on top of the lighthouse, and push my back into the glass of it to keep myself steady due to the wind. As stiff as the wind was, it was from the south, so Lake Superior, the body of water in these images, was still relatively calm. I was wishing the wind was from the north to build up some large waves that Lake Superior is known for, but I took what I could get.
The view from the top of the Crisp Point Lighthouse
Not long after that, as I was on my way to the Lower Hurricane River campground in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, it began to rain, moderately hard at times, very hard at others. But before the rain became unbearable, I did stop to shoot these images on the way.
Another scene along the road
I loved that scene, but I screwed up, I should have zoomed in a bit tighter on the red leaves of the trees, and the golden vegetation at the back of this pond. I did shoot another image while zoomed in, but for that one, I went too far, and lost the other parts of the scene that really are needed to convey how attractive I found it.
Color over the road, the first of many of these that I shot
I could have shot hundreds of images from along the road like the one above, as I said, I was there for peak color, and just driving down the roads was awe inspiring.
I made it to the Lower Hurricane River Campground, and managed to get my tent set up during a lull in the rain, without getting too much water in the tent. I dried it out best I could, then went into town for food, making it a good day over all.
The next morning, I woke up to intermittent rain showers, interspersed with sunny periods later in the morning. I spent most of the morning at the mouth of the Hurricane River, which may be one of the most photogenic small areas in Michigan.
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
At the mouth of the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Perhaps my biggest disappointment during this trip was that of all the time I spent at the campground, the weather and the lighting never really changed there. I never got a good sunrise or sunset image, nor enough light to freeze the motion of the Hurricane River as it cascades into Lake Superior. I may have included too many images of it, but I spent several hours there, setting up my tripod in various spots, shooting what caught my eye. And, even though I spent quite a bit of time there, and shot many images, I could have easily spent much more time there. As a budding photographer, I truly enjoyed this area more than many of the other places I visited because there were few people there, and I wasn’t limited to shooting from a designated spot as I was in many other places that I visited.
Still, I’m quite proud of these images, as I had to wait until there was a lull in the wind so that the vegetation wasn’t moving as the shutter was open for long periods of time as I shot these.
I’m about to wrap this post up, but first I have to go back to the upper Tahquamenon Falls and a video that I shot there to give every one an idea of what it’s like to be there in person.
Now then, for some boring photo talk. All of these images were shot with the Canon 5D Mk IV, some are HDR images, most are not. I probably would have shot more HDR images if it hadn’t been for the wind which plagued me the second half of the week. The lulls in the wind weren’t long enough to shoot three images without the vegetation moving, I had enough trouble getting good sharp single images with the winds gusting to over 30 MPH most of the time. Also, the 24-70 mm f/4 lens was my workhorse lens for this trip, I only occasionally switched to the 16-35 mm f/4 lens, and I did shoot a few using my 100-400 mm lens as well.
In my next post, there will be plenty of images of the various waterfalls that I visited, along with a few other scenic wonders as well. It was with out a doubt one of my best vacations ever despite the weather and the crowds.
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
My vacation in the UP, the Keewanaw Peninsula
I’m going to begin this post with a few facts on the area from Wikipedia.
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States.
The ancient lava flows of the Keweenaw Peninsula were produced during the Mesoproterozoic Era as a part of the Midcontinent Rift. This volcanic activity produced the only strata on Earth where large-scale economically recoverable 97 percent pure native copper is found.
The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale, formed by the Midcontinent Rift System, are the only sites in the country with evidence of prehistoric aboriginal mining of copper. Artifacts made from this copper by these ancient Indians were traded as far south as present day Alabama. These areas are also the unique location where Chlorastrolite, the state gem of Michigan, can be found.
The northern end of the peninsula is sometimes referred to as Copper Island , although this term is becoming less common. It is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway, a natural waterway which was dredged and expanded in the 1860s across the peninsula between the cities of Houghton (named for Douglass Houghton) on the south side and Hancock on the north.
Beginning as early as seven thousand years ago and apparently peaking around 3000 B.C., native Americans dug copper from the southern shore of Lake Superior. This development was possible in large part because, in this region, large deposits of copper were easily accessible in surface rock and from shallow diggings. Native copper could be found as large nuggets and wiry masses. Copper as a resource for functional tooling achieved popularity around 3000 B.C., during the Middle Archaic Stage. The focus of copper working seems to have gradually shifted from functional tools to ornamental objects by the Late Archaic Stage c. 1200 B.C. Native Americans would build a fire to heat the rock around and over a copper mass and, after heating, pour on cold water to crack the rock. The copper was then pounded out, using rock hammers and stone chisels.
The Keweenaw’s rich deposits of copper (and some silver) were extracted on an industrial scale beginning around the middle of the 19th century. The industry grew through the latter part of the century and employed thousands of people well into the 20th century. Hard rock mining in the region ceased in 1967 though copper sulfide deposits continued for some time after in Ontonogan.
The Keweenaw Fault runs fairly lengthwise through both Keweenaw and neighboring Houghton counties. This ancient geological slip has given rise to cliffs along US 41 and Brockway Mountain Drive north of Calumet.
The peninsula receives copious amounts of lake-effect snow from Lake Superior. Official records are maintained close to the base of the peninsula in Hancock, Michigan, where the annual snowfall average is about 220 inches (560 cm). Farther north, in a community called Delaware, an unofficial average of about 240 inches (610 cm) is maintained. At Delaware, the record snowfall for one season was 390 inches (990 cm) in 1979. Averages over 250 inches (640 cm) certainly occur in the higher elevations closer to the tip of the peninsula.
OK, back to me.
The drive on US 41 between the twin cities of Houghton and Hancock to the south, and Copper Harbor to the north is one of the most scenic roads that I have ever driven. However, I have few photos from that stretch of highway, because I couldn’t find places to pull off the road safely in order to take photos. The road is twisty and undulating, due to the rugged terrain that the road passes through, and there’s no shoulder to the road for most of the drive.
For much of the distance between Houghton/Hancock and copper Harbor, the road runs along the bottom of a valley, with sheer cliffs several hundred feet high towering over the road to the west. Even though the trees were just beginning to change color for the fall, the views were magnificent, even if they were inaccessible for photography.
So, I’ll begin this tour with a photo I shot coming into Houghton, and then a few from the other side of the ship canal that separates the twin cities of Houghton/Hancock.
Coming into Houghton, Michigan
Looking back at the fog shrouded valley
Looking back at the fog shrouded valley
One of the few places where I could pull off the road and take photos during the drive north was at Lake Medora.
Lake Medora
Lake Medora
From there, it was just a few miles to Copper harbor. My first stop was Fort Wilkins Historic State Park.
The U.S. Army occupied Fort Wilkins, located east of Copper Harbor, Michigan on the strait of land between Copper Harbor and northern shore of Lake Fanny Hooe, in 1844. The troops stationed there were intended to help with local law enforcement and to keep the peace between miners and the local Ojibwas, some Chippewa opposed the Treaty of La Pointe that had ceded the area to the United States in 1842-1843.
However, the fort proved to be unnecessary. The Chippewa largely accepted the influx, and the miners were law-abiding. The Army built 27 structures,including a guardhouse, powder magazine, 7 officer’s quarters, two barracks, two mess halls, hospital, storehouse, sutler’s store, quartermaster’s store, bakery, blacksmith’s shop, carpenter’s shop, ice house, four quarters for married enlisted men, stables, and a slaughter-house, all to house the operations of two full-strength infantry companies. Several of these structures still survive. Others have been rebuilt following archaeological excavations.
Here’s a few exterior photos of the fort.
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
I’d love to show you the interiors of some of the buildings, and the displays inside, but they are all glassed off to prevent theft. I ran into the same problem later in the week while at Fayette Historic State Park, trying to take photos through glass partitions doesn’t work well.
So, my next stop was the Copper Harbor Lighthouse.
Copper Harbor Lighthouse
Copper Harbor Lighthouse
Copper Harbor Lighthouse
The Copper Harbor Lighthouse was built on the tip of the eastern point of land that hugs the harbor. The lighthouse aided in the transport of copper from the Upper Peninsula.
Funding to build the light was approved in 1847. The first tower was constructed in 1848 and resembled that at Old Presque Isle Lighthouse. The Stone Masonry was dismantled, and the stones used as the foundation for the replacement lighthouse built in 1866.
The current lightkeeper’s dwelling house is a survivor of the first light tower. An improved lighthouse, which also survives, was raised in 1866 three years before the installation of the Copper Harbor Front Range Light and the Copper Harbor Rear Range Light. The steel light tower in current use went into service in 1933.
From there, I took M 26 as my route back, as it runs along Lake superior…
Lake Superior shoreline
Lake Superior shoreline
…and there are several waterfalls along the way, starting with the Silver River Falls….
Silver River Falls
Then Jacob’s Falls
Jacob’s Falls
And finally, Eagle River Falls.
Eagle River Falls
Eagle River Falls
Then it was on to Eagle Harbor, and the historic lighthouse there.
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
Edward Taylor was the first to realize the commercial potential of Eagle Harbor, building a short timber pier in the bay in 1844 from which to supply the growing number of miners in the area. A rocky ledge with only eight feet of water above it spread across the harbor entry, and represented a barrier to vessels of deep draft. However, the copper boom saw an increasing number of vessels visiting the dock, and Taylor began to lobby for federal funding for improving the entry into the harbor.
The original Eagle Harbor Light was built in 1851. The structure took the form of a rubble stone keeper’s dwelling with a square white-painted wooden tower integrated into one end of the roof. The tower was capped with an octagonal wooden lantern with multiple glass panes, and outfitted with an array of Lewis lamps with reflectors. With the lamps standing 21 feet (6.4 m) above the dwelling’s foundation, the building’s location on high ground placed the lamps at a focal plane of 47 feet (14 m) above lake level.
By 1865, a total of four new Keepers had worked at the station, with two of them removed from office, one resigning, and one passing away after only seven months at the station. The structure was deteriorating and was replaced in 1871 using a design that had previously been used for Chambers Island Lighthouse in Wisconsin; and McGulpin Point Light in 1868. It was thereafter used at White River Light in 1875; and Sand Island Light (Wisconsin) in 1881. The octagonal brick light tower is ten feet in diameter, with walls 12 inches (300 mm) thick and it supports a 10-sided cast iron lantern. The Lighthouse was manned by a head keeper and two assistant keepers.
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
My last stop for this post was McLain State Park, located on the shores of Lake Superior at the entrance to the Portage Lake Ship Canal.
The waterway was dredged in the 1860s, extending a small river previously used by natives for transportation and fishing. The effort was a joint venture between the United States Government and several mining corporations. Legislation for construction of the canal was passed in 1861. This legislation created the Portage Lake & Lake Superior Canal Co. The company began construction of the canal in September 1868. The canal starts at the mouth of Boston Creek and continues on to Lake Superior.
The expanded canal allowed freighters to haul copper from the rich copper mines of the Keweenaw Peninsula out through Lake Superior to larger cities. It also enabled supply boats and freighters to reach the cities of Houghton and Hancock, which supplied goods to most of Michigan’s copper region. The expanded canal and shipping lane has a depth of 25 feet (7.6 m), deeper in some locations. As the waterway connects Lake Superior to itself, there are no locks needed.
The only land route across the waterway is US 41/M-26 across the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. My reason for stopping there was to get a photo of this rather dull looking light.
Portage Lake Ship Canal Light
But, it was a fortuitous stop for me, because that’s where I photographed another lifer for me in my birding quest, a Lapland Longspur.
Lapland Longspur
There you have the quickie tour of the Keewanaw Peninsula. Here’s a map of the area for reference.
Keweenaw Peninsula
And a road map to help even more.
Keweenaw Peninsula
I wish that I had more time to spend there, the area certainly deserved more time, and photos, but I was short of both time and money on this trip. But, that gives me an excuse to return again at another time.
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
My vacation in the UP, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by boat
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore on the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for 42 miles (67 km) along the shore and covers 73,236 acres (114 sq mi; 296 km2). The park offers spectacular scenery of the hilly shoreline between Munising, Michigan and Grand Marais, Michigan, with various rock formations like natural archways, waterfalls, and sand dunes.
Pictured Rocks derives its name from the 15 miles (24 km) of colorful sandstone cliffs northeast of Munising. The cliffs are up to 200 feet (60 m) above lake level. They have been naturally sculptured into shallow caves, arches, formations that resemble castle turrets, and human profiles, among others. Near Munising visitors also can view Grand Island, most of which is included in the Grand Island National Recreation Area and is preserved separately.
The U.S. Congress made Pictured Rocks the first officially-designated National Lakeshore in the United States in 1966.
This is the second of two posts that I do on the Pictured Rocks area, this one covers the cliffs that give the park its name as seen from a tour boat, the first is what I saw while hiking.
Pictured Rocks Cruises offers daily trips from Memorial Day weekend through October 10.
Sea kayaking is a popular method of exploring the park. While this may be the best way to see the natural formations, it is a serious trip in dangerous and cold water, which should not be undertaken lightly or without proper equipment. Guides are available. The most efficient port of entry to Pictured Rocks, for a sea kayak, is from the harbor at Munising.
I’ll start with a photo of one of the other tour boats that we passed as we were headed back to port.
Pictured Rocks tour boat
Now, it’s the photos of the Pictured Rocks themselves, in no particular order. I shot well over 200 photos, whittling that number down to 40 for this post was extremely difficult.
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Chapel Rock
Chapel Rock
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Spray Falls
Spray Falls
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Bridalveil Falls
Bridalveil Falls
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Here’s a map that covers the area.
Here are links to the previous posts I’ve done on my vacation to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
My vacation in the UP, the highlights
My vacation in the UP, Sunrise, sunset
My vacation in the UP, the bridges
My vacation in the UP, Tahquamenon Falls State Park
My vacation in the UP, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by land
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
My vacation in the UP, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by land
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore on the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for 42 miles (67 km) along the shore and covers 73,236 acres (114 sq mi; 296 km2). The park offers spectacular scenery of the hilly shoreline between Munising, Michigan and Grand Marais, Michigan, with various rock formations like natural archways, waterfalls, and sand dunes.
Pictured Rocks derives its name from the 15 miles (24 km) of colorful sandstone cliffs northeast of Munising. The cliffs are up to 200 feet (60 m) above lake level. They have been naturally sculptured into shallow caves, arches, formations that resemble castle turrets, and human profiles, among others. Near Munising visitors also can view Grand Island, most of which is included in the Grand Island National Recreation Area and is preserved separately.
The U.S. Congress made Pictured Rocks the first officially-designated National Lakeshore in the United States in 1966.
This will be the first of two posts that I do on the Pictured Rocks area, this one will cover what I saw while hiking, the second one will show more of the cliffs that give the park its name as seen from a tour boat.
I’ll start at the east end of the park, near Grand Marais, Michigan and work west to Munising, Michigan, which is where I boarded the tour boat.
So, first up, the Grand Sable dunes. The Grand Sable Dunes, at the eastern end of the Lakeshore, are a perched dune formation. Sand washed ashore by wave action was then blown up slope by northerly prevailing winds until it came to rest atop a glacial moraine. The Grand Sable Dunes today form a sand slope that rises from Lake Superior at a 35° angle. The summits of the tallest dunes are as high as 275 feet (85 m) above lake level.
Grand Sable Dunes
Grand Sable Dunes
Sable Falls – Sable Falls tumbles 75 feet (23 m) over several cliffs of Munising and Jacobsville sandstone formations on its way to Lake Superior.
Sable Falls trailhead
Sable Falls
Sable Falls
The Au Sable Light Station was built in 1874 on Au Sable Point, a well known hazard on Lake Superior’s “shipwreck coast”. The Au Sable Point reef is a shallow ridge of sandstone that in places is only 6 feet (1.8 m) below the surface and extends nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) into Lake Superior. The Au Sable Point reef was one the greatest dangers facing ships coasting along the south shore of Lake Superior during the early shipping days when keeping land in sight was the main navigational method. The Au Sable Point reef was known as a “ship trap” that ensnared many ships, including the passenger ship Lady Elgin which was stranded there in 1859.
The shoreline in this area is considered one of North America’s most beautiful, “but in the 1800s it was considered one of the most deadly because of unpredictable features below the surface and violent storms and blinding fogs above.” The reef extends nearly a mile out as a ridge of sandstone a few feet below the surface. The shallow water caught many a vessel following the shore. Turbulence was common when the lake was “pushed in by violent storms out of the north and northwest.” Thick fogs resulted form the mix of frigid lake air and warmth from the sand dunes. “As early as 1622, French explorers called the region ‘most dangerous when there is any storms’.”
Au Sable Point Lighthouse
Au Sable Point Lighthouse
Au Sable Point Lighthouse
Miners Falls drops 50 feet (15 m) over the sandstone outcrop.
Miner’s Falls
Chapel Falls cascades some 60 feet (18 m) down the sandstone cliffs on its way to Chapel Lake.
Chapel Falls
Chapel Falls
Chapel Falls
Miner’s Castle.
Miner’s Castle
Miner’s Castle
Munising Falls, a 50 feet (15 m) waterfall over a sandstone cliff.
Munising Falls
Munising Falls
I’ll include a map and more details when I do the second post, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore as seen from the tour boat.
Here are links to the previous posts I’ve done on my vacation to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
My vacation in the UP, the highlights
My vacation in the UP, Sunrise, sunset
My vacation in the UP, the bridges
My vacation in the UP, Tahquamenon Falls State Park
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
My vacation in the UP, the highlights
I’m home a day early from my planned vacation. For one thing, I have a huge task ahead of me sorting photos. For another, I also had a lot of stuff to do when I got home, so it made more sense to cut my vacation a little short, and not have to rush around on Sunday to complete everything. And, as I always seem to do, I ran myself ragged trying to hit every spot in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in just one week. By Thursday morning, I was so worn out that I couldn’t even remember how to operate some of the features of my camera.
I was up at first light every morning, and on the go until after sunset, which is when I did most of the distance driving that I did, rather than the short hops between photo ops that I did during the day. You’ll get an idea when you see the photos.
Well, I’m not going to list excuses, but I’m going to post of few of the photos that I shot this week, and I think you’ll see that I was on the go all day, every day. Most of the subjects in the photos required hiking, from 1/4 mile up to 3 1/2 miles one way, 7 miles round trip. I think that I averaged 10 miles per day on my feet.
I slept in my Forester, which saved time messing with my tent. It was cramped, but it worked. Subaru makes a terrific vehicle, I averaged 30 MPG for the trip, which included a lot of twisty, hilly, dirt and gravel roads. The Forester handled the back roads with its typical sure-footed nimble handling due to its excellent all wheel drive system. Enough of the advertising.
I shot well over 1,000 photos, this post will serve as a highlight reel for what’s to come.
Mackinac City Lighthouse
McGulpin’s Point Lighthouse
Mackinac Bridge
Tahquamenon River sunrise
Lower Tahquamenon Falls
Upper Tahquamenon Falls
Grand Sable Dunes
Au Sable Point Lighthouse
Chapel Falls
Miner’s Rock
Munising Falls
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Teal Lake sunset
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
Eagle in the early morning fog
Emily’s Lake sunrise
Just a lake
Fort Wilkins State Historic Park
Rocky Lake Superior shoreline
Lake of the Clouds
Porcupine Mountains State Park sunset
Fayette Historic State Park
Portage Bay (Lake Michigan) sunrise
Raven in flight
Spruce grouse
Red-breasted nuthatch
Otter
Flaming gull
Lapland Longspur
Not bad for just the tip of the proverbial iceberg so to speak.
I’m still deciding if I should post by day of the week that I was up there, or do posts on lighthouses, waterfalls, wildlife, bridges, parks, etc. No matter how I do it, I have enough photos to last me for quite a few posts.
I had wished for more color in the foliage, but green isn’t a bad color for backgrounds, it beats bare trees all to heck.
I had hoped for more wildlife, but one can’t have everything.
So, I need time to sort and organize, I hope that you have enjoyed this teaser of sorts.
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
Scenic Michigan, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Jutting out into Lake Michigan, the Leelanau Peninsula forms one of the sides of Grand Traverse Bay. It is one of Michigan’s most scenic areas, containing such features as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Empire Bluffs, miles of sandy beaches, and quaint little towns. There are rivers and streams of gin clear water flowing through the area on their way to join Lake Michigan, and lakes of turquoise water dotting the landscape.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was voted as the most beautiful place in the United States by ABC’s Good Morning America viewers, and the National Geographic Society rates it in the top ten of the most beautiful places in the world.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau County and Benzie County. The park covers a 35-mile (60-km) stretch of Lake Michigan’s eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou Islands. This northern Michigan park was established primarily because of its outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena. The Lakeshore also contains many cultural features including the 1871 South Manitou Island Lighthouse, three former Life-Saving Service/Coast Guard Stations and an extensive rural historic farm district.
The park is named after a Chippewa legend of the sleeping bear. According to the legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. After many miles of swimming, the two cubs lagged behind. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited in hopes that her cubs would finally appear. Impressed by the mother bear’s determination and faith, the Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou Island) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The “bear” was a small tree-covered knoll at the top edge of the bluff that, from the water, had the appearance of a sleeping bear. Wind and erosion have caused the “bear” to be greatly reduced in size over the years.
The Sleeping Bear Dune
These next few are nothing special, just a creek that I used to fish for steelhead, and some colorful berries and bushes nearby.
Otter Creek
Otter Creek
Berries and leaves
Berries and leaves
I found a information sign and map at a scenic turnout that is no longer maintained by the state.
Leelanau Peninsula map and info
The next few were shot from along the Pierce Stocking scenic drive within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Most of are of Glen Lake, and I think that it’s the most beautiful spot within the park. A friend used to rent a house on Glen Lake, and that’s where I would often stay on trips to the area.
Glen Lake
Glen Lake
Glen Lake
Glen Lake
Looking North towards the Sleeping Bear Dune
North Manitou Island
South Manitou Island
Historic D.H. Day Farm
The Sleeping Bear Dune in the distance
South Manitou Island and lighthouse
Farther north, there’s a scenic look out that provides great views of the Empire Bluffs to the south.
Looking south towards the Empire Bluffs
Looking south towards the Empire Bluffs
Looking down at North Bar Lake and Lake Michigan
Near Glen Lake is the “Climbing Dune”. This is one of the few areas left in the park where visitors are allowed on the dunes, due to the erosion caused by people. You can see on the left side of this photo how much the foot traffic is changing the shape of the dune.
The “climbing” dune
The “climbing” dune
Passing gull
One of the richest areas in Michigan for shipwreck diving is the Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve. It surrounds the North and South Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan and lies next to Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. During the heyday of Michigan lumbering, this was a booming shipping area. It is also an area where ships have sought safety by attempting to ride out storms in the lee of the Islands. These activities have produced a substantial inventory of known and unknown shipwrecks.
A northbound freighter taking the Manitou Passage
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
Scenic Michigan, the Leelanau Peninsula
Jutting out into Lake Michigan, the Leelanau Peninsula forms one of the sides of Grand Traverse Bay. It is one of Michigan’s most scenic areas, containing such features as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Empire Bluffs, miles of sandy beaches, and quaint little towns. There are rivers and streams of gin clear water flowing through the area on their way to join Lake Michigan, and lakes of turquoise water dotting the landscape.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was voted as the most beautiful place in the United States by ABC’s Good Morning America viewers, and the National Geographic Society rates it in the top ten of the most beautiful places in the world.
The area has long served as a playground for the rich and famous, and the rich and infamous. Mobster Al Capone built a hideout on the Leelanau Peninsula, and when things got too hot for him in Chicago, he had a high-speed boat to whisk him away to his northern Michigan hide away.
So, for my trip up there, I took the back roads, and I stopped at Nub’s Knob, the highest point in the county in which I live to take a few landscape shots to make sure that I had my set up correct for when I got to the good stuff. While there, I noticed some one watching me intently.
I didn’t catch its name
My first real stop was a scenic overlook just north of Arcadia, Michigan.
Looking north towards the Empire Bluffs
I shot this one to add a little perspective as to how high up the bluff I was shooting from is.
Looking north towards the Empire Bluffs
And, about that time, an eagle did an obligatory fly by to wow all the tourists.
Bald Eagle in flight
Bald Eagle in flight
Bald Eagle in flight
I knew that the light was wrong, but I had to shoot a couple looking south.
Looking south towards Arcadia
This is typical northern Michigan, heavily forested, there are times that it’s hard to see the scenery for all the trees.
Looking south towards Arcadia
My next stop was the Point Betsie Lighthouse.
Point Betsie Light is located on the northeast shore of Lake Michigan, at the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage, north of Frankfort in Benzie County in Northern Michigan. Construction began in 1854, but it was not completed until 1858, and began service in the shipping season of 1859. The lighthouse cost $5000 to build. In 1875, a life saving station was built for $3000.
Point Betsie Lighthouse
Point Betsie Lighthouse
I then entered the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but I’m going to do a separate post on that, so I’m going to skip ahead to the village of Leland, Michigan.
As early as 1880, commercial fishermen sailed out of the harbor at Leland, Michigan to catch trout and whitefish, building wooden shacks where they processed their catch and serviced their fleet. Up to eight powered tugs once sailed out of “Fishtown,” as the buildings came to be known. Today, the historic fishing settlement and two fish tugs, Joy and Janice Sue, are owned by a non-profit organization, Fishtown Preservation Society.
Leland, Michigan’s Fishtown
The small harbor at Leland
The large boat is the one that does the tours of the Manitou Islands
Just a pretty sailboat
Looking up the Leelanau River
The dam on the Leelanau River
The dam on the Leelanau River
One of the old fishing tugs
A pretty old-time Chris Craft wooden boat
From there, it was on to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.
Grand Traverse Light is a lighthouse in the U.S. state of Michigan, located at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, which separates Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. It marks the Manitou passage, where Lake Michigan elides into Grand Traverse Bay. In 1858, the present light was built, replacing a separate round tower built in 1852. The lighthouse is located inside Leelanau State Park, 8 miles (13 km) north of Northport, a town of about 650 people. This area, in the Michigan wine country, is known for its exquisite beauty and is a popular spot for tourists during the summer months.
Grand Traverse Lighthouse info
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
The Lake Michigan side of the Leelanau Peninsula
Looking across the Grand Traverse Bay towards Charlevoix, Michigan
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
That’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as what there is to see on the Leelanau Peninsula, I hope that you have enjoyed this quick tour. It would require weeks or months to photograph everything well, and I tried to do it in a day, so I also hope that you don’t mind the postcard look of most of my photos.
That’s it for this one, thanks for stopping by!
Memorial Day weekend, the Lake Huron lighthouses
These are the photos I took of three Lake Huron Lighthouses over the Memorial Day weekend, 2013. I shot so many, and varied photos this weekend that I have to break them up into several posts. The lighthouses are the easiest ones to post quickly, so I’m starting with those.
I’ll have several more posts about this weekend, one of the flowers I saw, one on each of the two state parks I visited, and birds galore! I’m still working on Identifying many of the species of birds that I photographed, that may take me some time, as many are warblers or shorebirds, both of which can be very hard to ID.
Anyway, I’ll do the lighthouses here, and I’ll post a link to more information and detailed directions for any one interested, starting with the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse.
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Located just off US 23, just a few miles north of Harisville, Michigan.
The Sturgeon Point Light Station is a lighthouse on Lake Huron in Alcona County. Established to ward mariners off a reef that extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) lakeward from Sturgeon Point, it is today regarded as a historic example of a Cape Cod style Great Lakes lighthouse.
History: In 1854, Perley Silverthorn established a fishing station and cooperage at this site. The dangerous reef that extends 1½ miles east from Sturgeon Point presented a serious hazard to ships so one of the earliest lighthouses in Michigan was built in 1869 and placed in operation in 1870. Mr. Silverthorn, the first Keeper, served from 1870 until 1874. In 1939 the lighthouse was electrified and automated and in 1941 the last personnel departed. The lighthouse fell into disrepair due to neglect and vandalism. In 1982 the Alcona Historical Society, under the leadership of Floyd Benghauser, leased the Keeper’s house and Lighthouse and restored it to its 1890s grandeur, using mostly volunteer labor. The light with its 3.5 order Fresnel lens, no longer used by the Coast Guard, is kept operational by the Alcona Historical Society for boaters.
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Old lifeboat at the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
For more info…
http://www.us23heritageroute.org/alcona.asp?ait=av&aid=6
The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Located just off from US 23, roughly 15 miles north of Alpena, Michigan.
The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on the Great Lakes. Built in 1840 by Jeremiah Moors of Detroit, the harbor light operated until 1871 when the keeper transferred to a new, taller, coastal lighthouse a mile to the north. The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse park is a complex composed of two main structures, a keepers dwelling and a light tower. The stone and brick tower measures thirty feet tall and eighteen feet in diameter. Visitors can climb the hand-hewn stone steps for a panoramic view of the Lake Huron shoreline and Presque Isle Harbor. Nearby is the one-story side-gabled brick keeper’s dwelling which serves as a hands-on museum. Here, visitors can blow foghorns and examine other interesting artifacts. They can also ring the bell from the Lansing City Hall clock tower. Tipping the scales at an impressive 3,425 pounds, this bronze behemoth is much bigger than the Liberty Bell, which weighed 2,080 pounds when cast. Visitors may also pose for the perfect photo opportunity with head and hands in an old set of punishment stocks.
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Scenery at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Scenery at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Scenery at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Light keeper’s quarters at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Scenery at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Scenery at the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse light
Lake freighter passing by the light
A link to more info…
http://www.us23heritageroute.org/presque_isle.asp?ait=av&aid=326
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
Presque Isle Light Station is a complex of three historic buildings including a lighthouse tower and two keeper’s residences. Located on the Lake Huron shoreline near Presque Isle Harbor, the “New Presque Isle Light” is the tallest lighthouse tower accessible by the public on the Great Lakes. Built in 1870, it replaced the 1840 harbor light. The light station complex is part of a 99-acre township park that includes a playground, picnic area, pavilion and nature trails. A gift shop is located in the original keeper’s quarters connected to the tower. Visitors, for a nominal fee, may climb the 130 steps to the top of the tower for a spectacular view. An unattached 1905 keeper’s dwelling has been painstakingly restored. It is now a museum that provides visitors with an opportunity to learn about local history, as well as how keepers and their families lived.
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
Lightkeeper’s quarters at The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
Lifeboat
Cannon
Lake Huron at the new Presque Isle Lighthouse
A link to more info…
http://www.us23heritageroute.org/presque_isle.asp?ait=av&aid=20
Well, that’s about it for this one. I had photographed the lights before, using my old Nikon and the lens I had for it, but wasn’t completely happy with the results. This time, I used my Canon and my 15-85 mm lens, and I’m still not completely happy with my photos. I tried to compensate for the distortion that I knew I was going to get with the wider angle lens, but the buildings still look somewhat askew. Sorry, I am not going to buy a tilt-shift lens just to photograph a few lighthouses. 😉
Thanks for stopping by!
The Big (photo) Dump, the leftovers
These are a few of the pictures I have leftover from my trip to the Pigeon River Country and beyond over the Labor Day weekend. I’ll start with a couple of the new Presque Isle lighthouse tower.
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
It’s the tallest lighthouse on Lake Huron. I don’t know who the guy up there is, but it gives you some idea how big the tower is.
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
I’ll bet it looks even taller from where he’s standing. 😉
Next up, a shot through the trees of the surrounding country taken while driving in the rain.
Pigeon River Country
The only reason I included it is that the small opening in the trees along the road is one of the few times you get any kind of sense of the scale of the place, and the hills. It isn’t rugged country, it is over 100 square miles of forested rolling hills cut by three deep and wide river valleys. The area is also peppered with sinkholes, some that fill with water, like Lost Lake.
Lost Lake in the Pigeon River Country
Darn trees again, blocking my view of the green water in the lake.
Lost Lake in the Pigeon River Country
Then there are the swamps and marshes. There is a difference between the two, swamps are flooded forests, and marshes are flooded fields. In the PRC, some of the marshes were at one time forests, until the beavers dammed small streams to create beaver ponds. The trees that were there have died from being flooded and underwater all the time, leaving a marsh like this one.
A marsh in the Pigeon River Country
Eventually the beaver pond fills in with sediment, the beavers move on, leaving the marsh to the wildflowers.
A marsh in the Pigeon River Country
Most of the flowers don’t show up well in these wide shots because the flowers are so small.
A marsh in the Pigeon River Country
But I hope that gives you some idea about the area and why I love it, swamps, marshes and all.
Osmun Lake in the Pigeon River Country
That’s Osmun Lake, one of several man-made lakes in the area from the logging days.
The 40 Mile Point Lighthouse
That’s the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, it has been fully restored and is now a museum.
The wreck of the Joseph S. Fay
That’s the wreck of the Joseph S. Fay that you can find at the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Park on the shores of Lake Huron.
Those are far from the end of the pictures I took that weekend, but I’ll be going back and getting better ones, so I will leave it where it is for now. Thanks for stopping by!
Pigeon River Country weekend, day two
I have no idea what time I woke up on Sunday, except it was already light out when I woke up. Between the heat, the distant thunder, and the fact that I’m getting too old to sleep on just a foam pad, I hadn’t slept that well. The rain from the night before had ended, and there was some mixed clouds and sun. Here’s the view from my tent that I was treated with when I got up that morning.
The view from my tent
I fired up the stove to brew coffee, and started to plan my day. I wanted to take advantage of the sunshine for photography purposes, and there was already a good breeze blowing, which meant that fly fishing could be tough. Besides trying to get a good photo of a bull elk, my other goal for the weekend was to check some of the places along the Lake Huron shore for some future trips I am planning. What tipped the scale was the sunshine. I won’t say that I am tired of the flower and insect pictures I have been taking around home, but I really wanted to take some scenery pictures for a change.
Since I have never seen the Ocqueoc Falls, and they are only a few miles north of the Pigeon River country, I decided that the falls would be where I headed to first. If I headed north on Osmun Road, I could also stop at Inspiration Point and get some pictures there in some good light for a change. After that I would go to the closest point that I had marked on my GPS unit, and continue on from there.
So after finishing my coffee, I headed for Inspiration Point, one of the highest points in the Pigeon River country. It is also one of the few places that isn’t completely forested, so you have a great view of the area.
The view from Inspiration Point
That’s looking west, and the water that you can just barely make out is the Cornwall Flooding. Here’s the view to the south.
The view to the south from Inspiration Point
This is looking to the west again, zoomed in on the Cornwall Flooding and several bright white birch trees near it.
The view from Inspiration Point.
It is only a quarter of a mile walk from the road to the top of Inspiration Point, through what I believe is an old orchard. There are dozens of old stunted apple trees, a few cherry trees, and many crab apple trees along the path. Mid-May is a great time to go there when the fruit trees are in bloom. Since this was Labor Day weekend, the trees weren’t blooming, but the wildflowers along the path made up for that.
Wildflower
That’s just one of thousands, I don’t have room to post all the wildflower pictures I took along the path, as I have so many great photos from the day to try to fit in this post, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
I started north again, and decided that since I was going right past Osmun Lake, I would stop to see if the loons that live on the lake were within range of my camera. I didn’t see the loons, but I did see a butterfly that I tried to get good photos of, but it would not turn the right way for me, and eventually it flew off. I turned around, looked down, and saw that I was nearly standing on a northern water snake! As soon as I began to lift the camera, it took off swimming, under water.
Northern water snake
Now that’s some clear water! That’s what I love about the Pigeon River Country, it seems so pure and unspoiled by humans, it is hard to believe that just over 100 years ago it was a burned over desert of sorts. Some people find it boring, since it isn’t developed at all except for a few campgrounds, and it is mostly heavily forested. There are few grand vistas like the one from the top of Inspiration Point, 99% of the time, you are in the woods. It is a subtle area, you have to love forests, in all their many types. You will catch glimpses through the trees of deep, wide valleys and distant high hills, but you have to use your imagination to pull those glimpses together to form a mental picture of the terrain.
I was going to go on at length about the Pigeon River Country, but I am going to save that for the post about the third day of this three-day weekend.
From Osmun Lake, which is on the northern edge of the PRC, it is only a 20 mile drive to Ocqueoc Falls, the Bicentennial Pathway, and a state forest campground. The route to the falls is well signed, maybe too well. The place was jammed with vehicles and people, and there was no room left for me to park. The Bicentennial Pathway to the falls was closed for repairs, but that wasn’t stopping people, some were using the trail, some were wading the river to get to the falls, even though the DNR had tried roping off the river trying to prevent people from doing so. The campground is nice, somewhat developed, not like Round Lake, and it was about full.
I didn’t want to fight the crowd, there was no place left to park anyway, so I edited the info about the falls and campground in my GPS unit, then looked for the next closest spot I had marked. Surprisingly, it turned out to be 40 Mile Point Lighthouse and the park there. I took N. Ocqueoc Road north from the falls, and as soon as I came to the junction of that road and US 23, I saw a sign for an access site at the mouth of the Ocqueoc River where it enters Lake Huron.
The Ocqueoc River flowing into Lake Huron
That wasn’t marked on my maps, it is now! It will make a great spot for kayaking, either the river or Lake Huron. My next stop was a scenic overlook on US 23.
Lake Huron
There were several scenic turnouts on US 23 on my way to 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, but I don’t have room for all the photos I took. I also found an unimproved access site on Lake Huron that would be OK for kayaking at Hammond Bay, right next to the federal Hammond Bay Biological Research Station there on Hammond Bay. The research station is dedicated to lamprey control, they give tours there, maybe someday I’ll stop by again and check it out.
I arrived at the 40 Mile Lighthouse Park.
40 Mile Point Lighthouse
This is a cool park! I just did a quick walk around since I was going to try to hit as many places as I could, and this park was somewhat crowded as well. They have a lot of stuff there at the park, including the wheelhouse from the Calcite, one of the old “Lakers” that used to ply the Great Lakes.
Inside the wheelhouse of the Calcite
That’s the only structure I went into, I’ll save the rest for a future trip, and I’m sure there will be many. If you are into lighthouses, Great Lakes shipping history, or shipwrecks, you have to check this place out! That reminds me, there is the wreck of the Joseph S. Fay there at the park as well, a very short walk from the lighthouse.
The wreck of the Joseph S. Fay
OK, so there’s not a lot left of the wreck. There is enough to give you an idea how ships were constructed back in the day, and also a sense of how small those ships were back then. They weren’t like the 1,000 footers on the lakes today. Those were brave men who worked in all types of weather on small ships in big storms.
I edited the info in my GPS unit, and headed off to the next spot I had marked, which turned out to be the old Presque Isle Lighthouse.
The old Presque Isle Lighthouse
That is another very nice park, and once again, I just did a quick walk around, then it was off to the New Presque Isle Lighthouse.
The new Presque Isle Lighthouse
It is the tallest lighthouse on Lake Huron, and sits in another great little park. I did a quick walk around the outside of the buildings, then checked out several other of the park’s features, which you can find if you click the link above.
I found most of the information for this trip at one web site the US 23 Heritage Route. It is a fantastic source of information about almost everything there is to see or do in the counties along Lake Huron in northern Michigan. Most of the time these websites are all ads for local businesses, and there is some of that on that website, but it has surprised me how much information they have that appeals to some one like me as well. If you are at all interested in visiting the northeastern Michigan area, you should check it out.
I am leaving many of the things I found this day out of this post, simply because I could go on forever with what I saw. I went past several state parks that I am sure that I will visit in the future, like P. H. Hoeft and Thompson’s Harbor State Parks. Thompson’s Harbor really looks interesting, from what I saw, it is mostly coastal marshland. That may not sound appealing, but they are beautiful areas filled with wildflowers, many of which grow nowhere else in the world, like the dwarf lake iris. I didn’t find any of them, too late in the season, but when I was wandering around another coastal marsh later in the day, I did find these.
White wildflower in a coastal marsh
and these.
Blue wildflower in a coastal marsh
And if you have never seen a Great Lakes coastal marsh, here’s what one looks like.
Lake Huron coastal marsh
Those pictures were taken at Isaacson Bay, just outside of Alpena Michigan, which was my last stop on my trip, so I have sort of jumped ahead of myself here. Oh, I do have to go back to this photo though!
Red tailed hawk
I shot that photo through the sunroof of my explorer. The hawk heard the bird chirping sounds my camera makes when I turn it on, and the hawk thought that maybe I was bringing him supper, or wondering why I was chirping like a bird.
I am not going to write any more about the other things from this day trip right now, because I will be going back when I can spend more time at each of the places I checked quickly on this day. I did find a better access site to Misery Bay than I knew of before this trip, but I missed a couple of spots to check out somehow or another. Misery Bay is part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, where there are over 200 shipwrecks, some of which can be seen from a kayak or while swimming. In addition, Misery Bay is a cool place to kayak in its own right, with many islands and marshes to explore. To top it off, there is also a giant karst sinkhole in the bay. So I will write more about all those places when I am able to spend more time there exploring them fully.
It was getting late in the afternoon by the time I got to Alpena, so it was time to head back to the PRC for the evening. I took the back way in, going through Atlanta, Michigan, and then north to Clear Lake State Park, and into the PRC from the southeast side, which I had never done before. Of course I found even more places I wanted to stop and wander around, but there wasn’t time, and the weather had turned somewhat nasty. It had been warm with a lot of sun all day, but then the wind picked up and was driving intermittent rain showers into the area. I shot this picture of a marsh as it was still raining, but the sun was also coming out from the clouds at the same time.
A marsh in the rain
I stopped at a couple of the fields the DNR plants that I had learned about from the couple on the ATV’s the night before. I walked back into one, found a nice tree to sit down against, and the rain started coming down hard again. I didn’t have a good way to protect my Nikon from the rain, other than tucking it under my rain jacket, so I walked back out, then drove to a spot where I could remain in my vehicle and see most of that field. No elk appeared at all. Note to myself, from now on, do two things, carry the case for the Nikon, and check the state’s hunting seasons! When I got home, I saw a news story that the early season elk hunt had ended on the Friday before Labor Day, and that the hunters had been very successful!
No wonder I wasn’t seeing very many elk or deer for that matter. The DNR doesn’t issue many elk permits, but any hunters at all are going to make the elk a lot more wary than they are to begin with. Oh well.
I went back to the campground, ate supper, and turned in for the night.
I have left out a lot of pictures I wish I could add, I may do a post of “leftovers” after I finish a post on the third day of the weekend, I haven’t decided yet. I know I spent too much time on the road this day, or did I? In some ways it seems like a wasted day, but on the other hand, now I have some solid information to go on when I do future trips along Lake Huron.
That’s one of the many things I was thinking about on the third day up there, so I will leave this where it is, and continue on in my next post.
Quiet Solo Pursuits 