Jordan River Valley color from Deadman’s Hill Overlook

Posted on by farlane

Deadman's Hill Overlook

Deadman’s Hill Overlook, photo by Frank Wulfers

The Michigan DNR’s page on the Jordan River Valley in Northwest Lower Michigan says:

The Jordan River Valley is an 18,000-acre block of state-owned forest land in northeast Antrim County. Good wildlife watching and beautiful scenery are common along the Jordan River, Michigan’s first waterway to be officially designated as a Wild and Scenic River. Much of the area has been proposed as an old growth forest area. Access to the river valley is provided by local county roads and an 18-mile hiking trail, the Jordan Valley Pathway, that winds through this portion of the Mackinaw State Forest. The Pathway contains several loops of varying lengths. One loop begins at Deadman’s Hill, which offers a spectacular vista of the surrounding countryside and river floodplain. A second breathtaking and popular vista is Landslide Overlook. Part of this Pathway is the North Country National Scenic Trail, that when finished, will extend 4,000 miles from New York to North Dakota.

…Fall colors are noteworthy in early October due to the hardwood forests throughout the valley.

Indeed! Click to read more about wildlife in the Jordan Valley and get directions.

Frank took this shot on Saturday so you can see that color is coming along nicely. View it background bigtacular and see more in his Michigan – Northwest slideshow.

Lots more fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!

The Lunar Express

Posted on by farlane

Something Special in the Air

Something Special in the Air, photo by Shane Wyatt

A reminder that The Lunar Express boards early tomorrow morning for a total eclipse of the October full moon. The partial umbral eclipse begins at 5:15 AM EDT on October 8, with the total eclipse starting at 6:25 AM, peaking at 6:55 and ending at 7:24.

Get all the details on the Super Hunter’s Blood Moon in eclipse from Michigan in Pictures!

View Shane’s photo bigger and see more of Shane’s moon photos right here.

 

Fall at Sugar Loaf Rock on Mackinac Island

Posted on by farlane

Sugar Loaf Rock Mackinac Island

The Rock, photo by Sandy Hansen Photography

Here’s a color check-in from last week on Mackinac Island. The Mackinac Island State Park Commission says the following about Sugar Loaf rock romation:

Sugar Loaf, a 75 foot tall limestone stack, is the largest rock formation on Mackinac Island. When glacial Lake Algonquin covered much of the Island 11,000 years ago, Sugar Loaf was connected to the nearby bluff face (today called Point Lookout). Wave action slowly washed away the softer limestone between the stack and the bluff, leaving Sugar Loaf as a stand-alone feature. High water levels during the Lake Algonquin period left only the top of Sugar Loaf exposed, as evidenced by the small cave cut into the north face of the formation by wave action. This cave was originally on the shoreline of the lake.

As with other geological features on the Island, numerous Native American legends have been passed down relating to the origin of Sugar Loaf. One story relates that a young man asked the spirits for eternal life. In response, they turned him to stone, creating Sugar Loaf.

View Sandy’s photo bigger and see more of her Mackinac Island photos.

Also check out Arch Rock and the Devil’s Kitchen on Michigan in Pictures.

Zodiacal Light on Isle Royale

Posted on by farlane

Zodiacal Light by Shawn Malone

Zodiacal Light on Isle Royale, photo by Shawn Stockman Lightseeker/Lake Superior Photo

The Earth Science Picture of the Day is pretty much my favorite photo blog. Regarding the Zodiacal Light, Rudi Dobesberger and blog curator Jim Foster wrote:

Zodiacal light is now thought to be caused by dust particles scattering sunlight in the orbits of comets. In both hemispheres it’s best observed in late winter/early spring after sunset and late summer/early fall before sunrise. However, it can be detected before astronomical twilight (morning) or after astronomical twilight (evening) at other times of the year as well, providing that the sky is quite dark.

Head over to the EPOD for more and definitely subscribe!

The photo above is from Shawn’s recent journey to Isle Royale. Follow her at Lake Superior Photo on Facebook and view and purchase many more photos – including a gallery of Isle Royale pictures –  on her website.

Fall Color at Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Posted on by farlane

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Upper Tahquamenon Falls, photo by Ashley Williams

If you’re wondering what fall color looks like in the northeastern Upper Peninsula, wonder no more! Ashley took this shot at Michigan’s largest waterfall, the Tahquamenon Falls last week. As you can see, it’s shaping up nicely.

If you’re wondering about statewide color, the Freep shared a NASA photo of Michigan’s fall color from space that’s pretty cool!

View her photo background bigtacular and see more in her Michigan’s Upper Peninsula slideshow.

There’s lots more fall wallpaper and more Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures!

Playoff Time, 2014

Posted on by farlane

Tigers Win by rudymalmquist

Tigers Win, photo by Rudy Malmquist

The Detroit Tigers kick off their fourth straight postseason appearance today vs the Baltimore Orioles at 5:30 PM at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. While the Tigers were almost everyone’s pick for the playoffs in 2014, the Orioles were definitely not. View the series preview right here.

Here’s some interesting post-season storylines that may be of interest to only me!

View Rudy’s photo bigger and click for more of his baseball pics.

Lots more Detroit Tigers on Michigan in Pictures!

PS: Take a moment to appreciate what a great job Rudy did of capturing the Detroit skyline in this shot and LET’S GO TIGERS!!

October’s Full Moon: a super Hunter’s Blood Moon in eclipse

Posted on by farlane

sandhill moon

sandhill moon, photo by Frank Kaelin

EarthSky reports that for the full moon on October 8th, there’s a whole lot going on!

In skylore, the Northern Hemisphere’s Hunter’s Moon on October 7-8 will be called a Blood Moon. Plus the October 7-8 total lunar eclipse – the second of four total lunar eclipses in the ongoing lunar tetrad – has been widely called a Blood Moon. Voila. Double Blood Moon.

Hunter’s Moon the name for the full moon after the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon nearest the September 23 autumnal equinox. This year, the Harvest Moon came on September 9. That’s why tonight’s moon bears the name Hunter’s Moon.

…In 2014 and 2015, a new usage of the term Blood Moon sprang up. Surely you heard about it at the total lunar eclipse in April 2014. It’s the name being used for the four eclipses of the ongoing lunar tetrad – four total lunar eclipses in a row, each separated from the other by six lunar months. (more on this on Michigan in Pictures)

The partial umbral eclipse begins at 5:15 AM EDT on October 8, with the total eclipse starting at 6:25 AM, peaking at 6:55 and ending at 7:24.  On top of all that is the question as to whether or not October 8th’s moon is a supermoon:

At least two commentators – Richard Nolle and Fred Espenak – disagree on whether the October 8, 2014 full moon should be called a supermoon. Is it? You’re likely to see all sorts of conflicting information in October, 2014. If you define a supermoon based on the year’s closest perigee and farthest apogee, then the October 8 moon is not a supermoon. If you define a supermoon based on the perigee and apogee for a given monthly orbit, then it is a supermoon. And not just any supermoon, but a super Hunter’s Blood Moon in eclipse!

I guess with Frank’s photo from October 2013, we could add “Sandhill Moon” to the list! He writes that he took this at the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary where counts were as high as eight thousand sandhill cranes a day during last fall’s migration! View his photo bigger and see more in his Landscape slideshow.

Lots more full moon magic on Michigan in Pictures!

 

Early fall color at Chapel Rock

Posted on by farlane

Chapel Rock Fall Colors

IMG_4776, photo by John Clement Howe

Around the end of September every year the request start to roll in regarding the state of fall color around Michigan, so it’s great to have photos like this one from last Wednesday to point them to! It shows one of my personal Seven Wonders of Michigan, Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

View John’s photo bigger and see more in his Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

Lots more fall color on Michigan in Pictures!

PS: Check out John’s first appearance on Michigan in Pictures back in October of 2006!

Surf’s Up in Michigan!

Posted on by farlane

Surfs Up

Surf’s up, photo by Bill Dolak

Fall is surf season in Michigan, so I thought I’d share this photo and a link to a slideshow of nearly 500 photos from the Absolute Michigan photo group on Flickr.

View Bill’s photo from South Beach in South Haven background bigtacular and see more in his South Haven slideshow.

More surfing on Michigan in Pictures!

PS: I feel like I should tell you that if you aren’t a very good surfer, you should stay away from the Great Lakes in high winds and waves, particularly when the water is cold!

Michigan Movie Moment: Christopher Lloyd, Mickey Matson and the City of Milwaukee

Posted on by farlane

Christopher Lloyd on the City of Milwaukee

Christopher Lloyd on the City of Milwaukee, photo courtesy Mickey Matson/10 West

While Michigan hasn’t become the movie mecca that was envisioned when the state created its film incentive – in large part because it was abruptly gutted – movies are still being made here. Pirate’s Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson, was filmed in Manistee and Muskegon and premiers October 16 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum to kick off their 160th year. If you click that link, you can check out the movie trailer! It’s opening weekend of their new exhibition “Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship.”

Here’s a production skill showing Christopher Lloyd, one of the film’s stars, on the pilot deck of the SS City of Milwaukee, a car ferry that is now a museum in Manistee that plays a big role in the film.

View the photo bigger and see more and learn more about the movie at the Mickey Matson Facebook page.

PS: Every Friday & Saturday night in October, the City of Milwaukee does a really cool haunted Ghost Ship that’s a blast!