Promising Start, photo by Heather Higham
Heather writes:
Hard to believe that a raging storm tore through just hours after this idyllic morning in the dunes. But this is from the same day (Sunday) as the monster winds that uprooted and snapped countless large trees…
View her photo bigger, see more in her Sleeping Bear Dunes slideshow and follow her at Snap Happy Gal Photography on Facebook.
PS: I’ve been posting lots of updates from the storm on my Leelanau.com Facebook.
Plugged In, photo by Third Son
View Third Son’s photo background bigilicious and see more in his Commute slideshow.
More great summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Tahquamenon Falls, photo by Charles Bohnam
The Tahquamenon Falls State Park page says:
Tahquamenon Falls State Park encompasses close to 50,000 acres stretching over 13 miles. Most of this is undeveloped woodland without roads, buildings or power lines. The centerpiece of the park, and the very reason for its existence, is the Tahquamenon River with its waterfalls. The Upper Falls is one the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. A maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls. Four miles downstream is the Lower Falls, a series of five smaller falls cascading around an island. Although not as dramatic as the Upper Falls, they are equally magnificent. The falls can be viewed from the river bank or from the island, which can be reached by rowboat rented from a park concession. The island walk affords a view of the falls in the south channel.
This is the land of Longfellow’s Hiawatha – “by the rushing Tahquamenaw” Hiawatha built his canoe. Long before the white man set eyes on the river, the abundance of fish in its waters and animals along its shores attracted the Ojibwa Indians, who camped, farmed, fished and trapped along its banks. In the late 1800’s came the lumber barons and the river carried their logs by the millions to the mills. Lumberjacks, who harvested the tall timber, were among the first permanent white settlers in the area.
Rising from springs north of McMillan, the Tahquamenon River drains the watershed of an area of more than 790 square miles. From its source, it meanders 94 miles before emptying into Whitefish Bay. The amber color of the water is caused by tannins leached from the Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock in the swamps drained by the river. The extremely soft water churned by the action of the falls causes the large amounts of foam, which has been the trademark of the Tahquamenon since the days of the voyager.
Click through for maps, photos & more.
View Charles’s photo background bigtacular (really – do it!) and click more of his waterfall photos.
Lots more Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures and (just found it) waterfall wallpaper. :)
Untitled, photo by Molly Perkins
View Molly’s photo background bigtacular and see more in her slideshow.
More summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Road Closed in Glen Arbor, photo via the Glen Arbor Sun
One more day of storm reporting from my neck of the woods…
In Glen Arbor Hit By Knockout Storm, Jacob Wheeler of the Glen Arbor Sun lays out a diary of the destruction of the storm and wrote:
In the storm’s wake yesterday, Glen Arbor residents immediately recognized that the destruction they witnessed was unprecedented for our town. This was worse than the 1987 storm, people said. In fact, it was far worse. The storm was more powerful and more destructive than any other Glen Arbor storm ever recorded. And now we have stats to prove it.
I spoke late this afternoon to Jeff Lutz, meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Gaylord. While Lutz clarified that yesterday’s storm was not a tornado (you can blame some of the hyperbole on this newspaper) he did confirm that the straight-line winds which accompanied the sudden thunderstorm reached speeds of 100 miles per hour. That’s strong enough to be called a tornado. More significantly, it blows away the previous wind velocity record for Leelanau County. According to the NWS, on Sept. 13, 2005, a barrage of wind traveling at 63 miles per hour hit Leland and Empire, but not Glen Arbor. But 63 is not 100. Not even close. Nope, yesterday’s storm was the strongest to ever hit Leelanau County, since records were kept starting in 1950.
You can click through to the Sun for more pics and storm coverage and get even more on their Facebook. Jacob also shared the National Weather Service’s Aug. 2 severe weather recap:
Lots more at that link including some pics of that hail.
Michigan Rock, photo by Seasons Photography
A few weeks ago I featured a great shot of kayaking to Turnip Rock from Seasons Photography. Here’s another shot from that trip!
View the photo bigger, see more in their Michigan slideshow and visit the Seasons Photography website.
Superior Flight, photo by Cory Genovese
Cory writes:
Have a Yoop-tastic weekend and be sure to get your Superior flight on ;)
I’ve got an amen for that!
View cory’s photo bigger, see more in his Yoop Life slideshow and definitely follow him at PhotoYoop on Facebook!
Finally….a good sunset to watch, photo by Kevin Povenz
Kevin writes that it’s been awhile since he’s gotten to see a good sunset. View it bigger and see more in his massive Sunrise / Sunset slideshow.
Of course there are lots more Michigan sunsets on Michigan in Pictures.
Hot Air Balloon Glow, photo by diane charvat
Diane took this last weekend at the Grand Rapids Balloon Festival (which I hadn’t heard of).
Check it out bigger and see more in her Hot Air Balloons slideshow.
More balloons on Michigan in Pictures.
Spray Falls, photo by David Juckett
Go Waterfalling’s page on Spray Falls begins:
Spray Falls is the remotest, and perhaps the most impressive of the several waterfalls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The 70′ waterfall plunges over the cliffs at Pictured Rocks and lands directly in Lake Superior.
The falls is right on the edge of the cliffs, and the creek has not cut back into the cliffs at all, so it is impossible to view the falls from the front unless you are on the water. The cliffs are sheer for miles in both directions, so there is no way to get near the base of the falls without a watercraft. Lake Superior is too cold for swimming. :)
The Lakeshore Trail passes right over the top of the falls, and you can get right to the brink of the falls. Be careful because the cliffs are undercut and unsafe in many places. About 1/4 mile east of the falls there is a safe lookout point from which you can get a nice, but distant, side view of the falls. There is a sign marking the lookout.
Read on for more including tips on hiking in and photos from the top. You can get views like this on the Pictured Rocks Cruises.
View David’s photo background bigtacular and jump into his slideshow for more great views of the Pictured Rocks!
More summer wallpaper and more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures.
Michigan in Pictures 