Looking back on the Midland flood of 2020

Posted on by farlane

Swinging the Arch into Position by Charles Bonham

Five years ago yesterday, the City of Midland was devastated by the collapse of the Edenville & Sanford dams. If you’re wondering whether or not the State of Michigan taken this tragedy to heart, the answer according to this mLive article appears to be “Nope”:

“Did we really use Midland to do deep learning and then change our regulations and invest in this infrastructure time bomb?” said Bryan Burroughs, executive director of Michigan Trout Unlimited and a member of a former task force that issued a suite of mostly unrealized recommendations on dam safety after Edenville.

“Not dramatically, not significantly.”

…Republicans and Democrats pledged action. Lansing politicians secured large sums to rebuild the mid-Michigan dams, channeled smaller pots of money to other dams and added state inspectors. But corresponding dam safety reforms were introduced and quickly faded away. “We’re still at the starting blocks waiting for the gun to go off with dam safety in Michigan,” said Bill Rustem, a former task force member and advisor to Michigan governors William Milliken and Rick Snyder.

Lots more in mLive & also check out the latest in the case of Midland residents & businesses vs the State of Michigan in the Detroit News.

Charles shared a ton of photos with us during the Midland Flood of May 2020, so I thought it would be a great time to check back and see how things are looking lately! See more lovely spring pics in Charles’s Dow Gardens gallery on Flickr!

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Big Penny: Lansing’s 12′ Truck Munching Bridge

Posted on by farlane

UPDATE AUG 28, 2025: Big Penny celebrates munching her 100th truck!

Big Penny Scoreboard by Stupid Lansing

Big Penny Scoreboard by Stupid Lansing

The other day, the hardworking team at Stupid Lansing alerted me to the existence of Big Penny, Lansing’s Truck-munching bridge! mLive shares that the bridge was completed in the summer of 1928 by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, spanning Pennsylvania Avenue (thus the name Big Penny) near the Potter Park Zoo. Read on for more about the bridge & to learn about how the Stupid Lansing team gave Big Penny its new fangs & eyes!

The 12′ 0″ bridge has now snacked upon 87 semis since counting began in 2004, and 8 so far this year! Will it surpass the 29 trucks munched of 2024? Stay tuned to Stupid Lansing for updates!!

The last three pics are from the Big Penny Google Maps Listing by RJ Cormack.

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Meeting in the Middle on the Gordie Howe Bridge

Posted on by farlane
Connection of the Gordie Howe Bridge by Joe Decenso

Connection of the Gordie Howe Bridge by Joe Decenso

One year ago today, I shared Joe’s photo of them laying the last girder on the Gordie Howe’s Bridge. With over 3,000,000 views on Facebook & Michigan in Pictures was the most popular post ever so I figured I would return with his shot of the crews meeting in the middle of this Canadian-funded bridge from Canada to the US.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge Authority has confirmed a September 2025 opening date, and you can head over to their website for lots more info & updates.

You can see lots more from Joe on his Instagram and for sure view & purchase his photos on his website!

Gordie Howe’s Last Girder by Joe Decenso

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Top 5 Photos for 2024 & looking ahead to 2025

Posted on by farlane

Every year I like to look back on the most popular photos from the previous year of Michigan in Pictures, and this year is no exception. Joey’s incredible drone shot of workers laying the last girder in place to connect the deck of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge to the Detroit Port of Entry was not only the most popular post in 2024 — with 2.9 MILLION views it also became the most popular post ever on Michigan in Pictures! This astonishing project has been directed and paid for by Canada & opens in November of 2025! Learn more about the Gordie Howe Bridge on Michigan in Pictures & for sure follow Joey on Instagram and view & purchase photos on his website!

Gordie Howe’s Last Girder by Joey D

Checking in at number two is this peach of a photo of Turnip Rock near Port Austin in Michigan’s Thumb. Tom shared that this gigantic stone developed its signature look after millennium of being worn away by waves thumping across its bow to the point where it’s just an island inhabited by some trees and very little else. Head over to Tom’s website to view & purchase his work!

Turnip Rock at sunset by Tom Clark

Fly Me to the Moon by Morgan Andrew Somers

This shot from Flint by Morgan Andrew Somers of a plane flying into the eclipse was the 3rd most popular pic of 2024. It is also one of the coolest eclipse photos & photos in general I’ve ever seen!

MASPhoto has the receipts – it’s not fake. View & purchase prints including this one at morganandrewsomers.com.

Mackinac Bridge Walk & Herbert C Jackson by the Mackinac Bridge Authority

The 4th most popular post was a pair of pics showing the freighter Herbert C Jackson passing under the bridge with Mike Rezabek’s photo of the walk below from the deck of the Jackson completing the 360 view!

Bridge Walk from Herbert C Jackson by Mike Rezabek

Milo and the Morazan by Chris Roxburgh

Milo is a good boy & this photo by his owner & Great Lakes shipwreck explorer Chris Roxburgh was our 5th most popular photo of the year.

Follow Chris on Facebook, view & purchase his work including coffee table books on his website, and learn more about the shipwreck of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore from Leelanau.com!

Eastern Hognose Snake by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The most popular post from previous years was the 2014 feature on the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos). The “puff adder” is one of only 17 species of snake in Michigan and like all but one of the, it’s harmless to humans.

FYI, the only poisonous snake native to Michigan is the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake which has the weakest venom of any rattler.

I promised a look at what’s in store for 2025, so here are five goals I think I can achieve in the coming year:

  1. Visiting or revisiting places I’ve talked about on Michigan in Pictures, either in person or real life. One of the biggest reasons I created Michigan in Pictures was to provide a window into the many cool experiences available in the Great Lakes State. Back in the day when I started, I was able able to get out and about to all corners of the state, but these days I just don’t have the same time to do that. I’m hoping that in addition to pushing myself to do more, I can find some photographers exploring them.
  2. Highlighting more photos from our Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook and creating addition virtual & maybe even real world opportunities to share photos. There used to be some very fun Exposure.Detroit shows & meetups back in the day, and I was even able to lead a field trip to the Grand Traverse Commons with the group. These days I work & know folks at some cool spots here in Detroit that would be fun to explore, and there are a lot of photographers featured here that have deep roots in all corners of Michigan. Social media is cool & all, but for my money, the real world is where things are going to be at in the years to come.
  3. Reaching out to some of the amazing Michigan photographers I’ve profiled over the years to see what they’re up to now & what they’re thinking about photography. And of course to do profiles on some of the great new photographers I’m sharing. I didn’t do a whole lot of Michigan Photographer Profiles, but the ones I did were absolutely fascinating to me both as a photographer and as a lover of Michigan.
  4. Find more Michigan companies & photography companies to donate swag to give away. When we were running Absolute Michigan at full steam, we used to get a lot of free promotional items like concert tickets, museum passes, free lodging stays, outdoor & other gear, and lots more.
  5. Featuring more of my own photos. Because I enjoy taking them!

Stay tuned & thank you for being a part of Michigan in Pictures! Click for more Michigan in Pictures Year in Reviews & related posts.

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How about Michigan as Canada’s 11th Province? 🤔

Posted on by farlane
2Nations by James Devlin

2Nations by James Devlin

There’s been some honestly crazy talk about Canada becoming our 51st state in the news. Leaving aside the fact that Canada is actually bigger than the US, only 13% of Canadians actually want this. David Olive of the Toronto Star thinks it’s funny because many Canadians think of Michigan as Canada’s 11th province. He makes some humorous points but concludes with some compelling facts:

Canada is Michigan’s biggest trading partner, accounting for about 41 per cent of Michigan’s exports, or approximately $40 billion per year. And so, at its own expense Canada is nearing completion on a $6.4-billion second bridge across the Detroit River, named for Red Wings legend Gordie Howe.

Thousands of people commute each day from their homes in Michigan to their work in Canada and vice versa. Let’s join Michigan to Canada so that those nurses, engineers, municipal workers and computer programmers can more easily travel within the same country. The pandemic played havoc with those commuters, when the international crossing was closed.

Let’s scrap that border before the next pandemic.

As someone who has regularly visited Canada all my life; vacationing on Sugar Island & St Joseph Island, skiing in Searchmont, enjoying music in Toronto, and zipping across to Windsor with just my enhanced Michigan license whenever the mood strikes me, I’m giving that a big amen!

James shared the photo of the Ambassador Bridge back in February of 2018 writing: Fog covers the cities of Windsor, ONT and Detroit, MI. The Ambassador Bridge connects the two cities. 5 shot panorama stitched in Lightroom. Shot from Detroit Riverside Park.

There’s more pics in his Detroit gallery on Flickr including the photo of the two nations looking downriver.

Overall, the report found 82% of Canadians do not want to become the 51st state with only 13% saying they would.

Detroit by James Devlin

Detroit by James Devlin

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Mist over the Straits of Mackinac

Posted on by farlane
Mackinac Bridge in Fog by Joe Lieghio

Mackinac Bridge in Fog by Joe Lieghio

Joe got these great shots on October 31st of the Mackinac Bridge and a freighter & shared them saying “Mackinaw City has a ghost ship for Halloween!” You can see more of his pics & those of others in the Mackinaw City, Michigan group that he manages on Facebook.

Freighter in the Straits of Mackinac in Fog by Joe Lieghio

Freighter in the Straits of Mackinac in Fog by Joe Lieghio

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Fall Color: Rivers & Bridges Edition

Posted on by farlane
Falls River Drone Shot by Monika Kross

Falls River Drone Shot by Monika Kross

Monika regularly shares photos in our Facebook group but in case you haven’t visited, I wanted to share a couple here. About the photo above she writes:

I saw this out of the corner of my eye last August and gasped! Since then, I’ve been determined to get the shot but being 3 hours from home, I chose to wait until my autumn color tour. I’m as pleased as punch about it as it was a sketchy, tree filled drone flight in but I HAD to get the waterfalls in back and in front of the train trestle.

See Monika’s latest on her Facebook & for sure follow her @Michiganunsaltedgirl on Instagram!

Sturgeon River near Canyon Falls by Monika Kross

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2024 Michigan Whale Migration underway!

Posted on by farlane

Mackinac Bridge Whalewatching Station September 18, 2024

Researchers at the Mackinac Bridge Whalewatching Station (MBWS) have announced that the 2024 Great Lakes Whale Migration is officially underway!

“Warmer temperatures have once again pushed the migration several weeks earlier, but we are seeing great numbers from all species except of course Orcas who just don’t seem to be that into the Great Lakes,” explained MBWS Chief Cetologist Bonnie Beluga. Lots more on the Lake Michigan Whale Migration Station website.

More about Great Lakes whales on Michigan in Pictures.

Hilarious update: Michigan in Pictures is teaching Meta AI about nature!

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The Mackinac Bridge is seeking a steeplejack

Posted on by farlane

Mackinac Bridge Steeplejack by MightyMac.org

If you’d like this to be your next office, the Mackinac Bridge Authority is hiring for the unique job of steeplejack – get all the details & apply right here. The Science & Media Museum shares the history of steeplejacks & steeplejacking:

During the 20th century, expanding cities, new technologies, and changing lifestyles generated demand for new housing, offices and infrastructure—increasingly built to towering proportions. The booming construction industry depended on skilled workers capable of navigating great heights … Named for their historical role maintaining ecclesiastical buildings, ‘steeplejacks’ are the skilled tradespeople who assess, maintain and construct tall buildings, structures and towers.

Click for lots more including very cool photos, and more sure get everything you need to know about the Mighty Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures!

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Remembering the first Mackinac Bridge Walk

Posted on by farlane

Oldsmobile Convertibles at Mackinac Bridge Dedication ~ June 25, 1958

“Michigan at last is to be one state geographically, economically and culturally, as well as politically. Where nature divided us, we have bound ourselves together with this web of steel. This mighty bridge, the world’s greatest, is a symbol of our strength.”
Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams, June 1958

Yesterday’s Mackinac Bridge walk post was so popular I had to bring you a little more! Mighty Mac shares that although the Mackinac Bridge opened to vehicle traffic on November 1, 1957, the official Mackinac Bridge dedication didn’t take place until June of 1958 when only 68 people walked the Bridge. The walk was moved to Labor Day in 1959, and it has been held every Labor Day since then! Much more at Mighty Mac’s Mackinac Bridge Walk page.

Also if you can’t make it, you can check out the Bridge Walk live through the Mackinac Bridge Web Cams!

First Mackinac Labor Day Bridge Walk 1959

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