Miner’s Castle, before it fell

Posted on by farlane

Miner's Castle before it fell

Miner’s Castle before it fell, photo by spauldi1

Today is the 10th anniversary of the collapse of one of the turrets on the Miner’s Castle formation in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

On Thursday morning, April 13, 2006, the northeast turret of Miners Castle collapsed. One turret remains on Miners Castle, the best-known feature of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The collapse was reported via cell phone by fisherman in the area, according to chief ranger Larry Hach. Most of the rock fell north and into Lake Superior, and there were no injuries. The lower overlook platform near Miners Castle appears to be unaffected.

While the rockfall at Miners Castle on April 13 was startling, such events are not rare along the Pictured Rocks escarpment.

Click for the full report on Absolute Michigan.

Sue took this back in 2003. View it background big and jump into her slideshow for more pics from “before the fall”at Miner’s Castle.

Paging Spring

Posted on by farlane

Crocus bokeh

Untitled, photo by Brooke Pennington

Come on Spring, we know you’re out there.

View the photo bigger, view & purchase photos at brookepennington.com, and definitely check out more in Brooke’s slideshow.

Sixth Street Bridge in Grand Rapids

Posted on by farlane

Built for Horses Sixth Street Bridge Grand Rapids

Built for Horses, photo by Rudy Malmquist

News that the Michigan Department of Transportation is testing drones for bridge inspection reminded me that I was asked to share more of were “bridges other than than the Mackinac Bridge.”

Historicbridges.org is an excellent resource, and their entry for the Sixth Street Bridge in Grand Rapids begins:

The Sixth Street Bridge, with its long 544 foot length excellent physical condition, is a fitting tribute to its builder, the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon Ohio. Constructed in 1886, this bridge is made of wrought iron. This bridge is one of the most important historic bridges in the entire state of Michigan, since it is the longest pin-connected highway truss in the state. Also, Michigan only has a few truss bridges that are more than one span in length, and most of those are two spans. A four span bridge in Michigan is thus extremely rare for its unusually long length, for Michigan. The bridge is also significant for the length of its individual spans. The bridge has three spans that are 154 feet in length. This is a very long span length for a pin-connected Pratt truss, and is among the longest in Michigan.

…Construction of the bridge began in 1885, when the piers and abutments were constructed. These, with approaches, cost $11,084.95. The wrought iron truss superstructure was erected in 1886 by the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio, costing $20,281. This made the total cost of the bridge $31,365.95.

Read on for much more.

Rudy adds that this is the oldest metal bridge in Michigan. View his photo bigger and see more in his Neutral Density slideshow.

More bridges on Michigan in Pictures.

Fishermen on Crystal Lake

Posted on by farlane

Fishermen by Noah Sorenson

Fishermen, photo by Noah Sorenson

Noah took this on Crystal Lake a month ago. Back when it was Spring and not Winter II.

View his photo background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.

More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.

Coast Guard Aviation Centennial

Posted on by farlane

Coast Guard Centennial Helicopter 6517 Traverse City

Welcome home “Coast Guard 6517”, photo by US Coast Guard Traverse City

Air Station Traverse City officially kicked off the Coast Guard Aviation Centennial this week. They received 1 of only 8 MH-65D helicopters adorned in the centennial “throwback” paint scheme. 2016 is the 100th year celebration of Coast Guard Aviators.

You can see the chopper at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City along with the USAF Thunderbirds and read more on the U.S. Coast Guard’s Aviation Centennial page.

View the photo bigger on Facebook where you can click for a couple other views and be sure to follow the Traverse City Air Station – they really share some amazing shots from their work over the Great Lakes!!

Line 5 and the Great Lakes

Posted on by farlane

Mackinaw-City-and-Mackinac-Bridge

Mackinaw City and Mackinac Bridge, photo by Sandy Hansen Photography 

“There is a pipeline that‘s sitting at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. It was designed for a 50 year life and it’s been down there for 63 years. There’s a risk involved in this.”
-Mark Shriberg, National Wildlife Federation

In Line 5 puts Great Lakes at risk on Absolute Michigan via the University of Michigan (video below):

Up to 152 miles (245 km) of coastline in lakes Huron and Michigan could be fouled by a single oil spill at the straits, according to the simulations. When all 840 simulated spills are plotted on a map, a total of 720 miles (1,162 km) of shoreline in the U.S. and Canada are considered potentially vulnerable to spills that would require cleanup. Seven hundred twenty miles is roughly the distance from Detroit to Atlanta.

Areas at highest risk include Mackinac and Bois Blanc islands, as well as locations directly east and west of Mackinaw City. Communities also at risk include Beaver Island, Cross Village, Harbor Springs, Cheboygan and other places along the lakes Huron-Michigan shoreline.

…”Until now, no one knew exactly how much shoreline was vulnerable to spills in the Straits of Mackinac,” said Schwab, a research scientist at the U-M Water Center. “These findings show that under the right conditions, a spill in the Straits of Mackinac could affect a significant amount of shoreline and open-water areas in either Lake Michigan or Lake Huron, or both, very quickly.”

View Sandy’s photo bigger, see more in her aerial slideshow, and follow her on at Sandy Hansen Photography on Facebook.

 

Celebrate Dark Sky Week in Michigan’s Parks

Posted on by farlane

Milky Way & Meteor at Fayette

Milky Way and Meteor above Fayette, photo by Lake Superior Photo

This week (April 4-10) is International Dark Sky Week. The State of Michigan has a list of 20 state parks that will be open late all week. One of the parks that will be open late is Fayette State Historic Park, located on the Garden Peninsula of Lake Michigan’s north shore:

Fayette Historic State Park blends nature and history with a Historic Townsite, a representation of a once-bustling industrial community. Visitors can learn about the town through guided tours and information from the Visitor Center, or simply by walking through the townsite and exploring on their own. Walk through restored buildings like the town hotel and a cabin, built to replicate the homes in which residents of Fayette used to live. Interpretive panels provide information to transport visitors back in time and tell the story of the town.

On the second Saturday of August, the park is transformed back to its glory days with period displays, food and music at the annual Heritage Day.

Shawn took this at Fayette a couple of years ago. See it bigger, view & purchase more dark sky pics in her Milky Way & Miscellaneous Night Sky gallery, and definitely follow Lake Superior Photo on Facebook!

More Michigan parks on Michigan in Pictures.

Pure Michigan Picnic: April Edition

Posted on by farlane

Pure Michigan Picnic April 2016 Edition

Nice Day for a Picnic, photo by mileelanau

I don’t usually post my own photos on Michigan in Pictures, but I felt I had to share this one from Sunday. Pure Michigan! …yay??

mileelanau is the Instagram for my “flagship” Leelanau.com, and where I post pictures from hiking around northern lower Michigan. Follow mileelanau on Instagram for more.

PS: This turned out to be the picnic table of some old family friends. Loved discovering that on Facebook!! ;)

PPS: More beach and more Lake Michigan photos on Michigan in Pictures.

A Tree in the Fog

Posted on by farlane

A Tree in the Fog

A Tree in the Fog, photo by Joel Dinda

Joel took this photo on April 4, 2014 in Eaton County’s Roxand Township. View it background bigilicious and see more in his The Showcase slideshow.

More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!

Whipped Up Waves for the Weekend!

Posted on by farlane

Whipped Up

Whipped Up, photo by Terry Clark

mLive reports that big waves are expected for parts of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan this weekend:

High winds and an arctic air mass are set to hit Michigan this weekend, and gales are in the forecast for the Great Lakes as a result.

A gale warning for much of Lake Huron’s offshore waters, issued by the National Weather Service, is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Sunday, April 3.

Winds are expected to reach up to 41 mph from the northwest with gusts up to 53 mph. According to the warning, waves will build up to 13 feet tall with the potential for an occasional 19-footer. The largest waves in an area 5 nautical miles off shore and out are expected around 1 a.m. Sunday on Lake Huron.

If you want to tune in, check out NOAA’s Great Lakes Coast Watch and the Great Lakes Webcam page.

View Terry’s photo background big and see more in his Wintry Scenes slideshow.

More waves and more wild weather on Michigan in Pictures!