Power House Falls on the Fall River

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

n2c_111-8241

n2c_111-8241, photo by sgowtham.

GoWaterfalling.com says that Power House Falls is located on the Falls River:

It is the largest of many falls to be found on the aptly named river. The river is about 40 wide here and drops 15 feet. The falls is named for the old power house that stands next to it.

Reaching this waterfall is easy. From US-41 about 1 mile south of L’Anse head west on Power Dam Road. There is a sign for the falls. Follow the road for about a mile. When it crosses the train tracks it branches. There is another sign for the falls. There is a small park at the falls.

There are a number of small drops just above the falls, and there are supposed to be a dozen or so more between Power House Falls and the Middle Falls in L’Anse.

Check this out bigger and also see this photo on Gowtham’s map!

Many more Michigan waterfalls can be found on Michigan in Pictures!

Summertime Dreaming

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Summertime Fun

Summertime Fun, photo by Ann279.

I think that I want to live here. Here’s hoping your weekend is dreamy!

Check this out on black, background big and in Ann’s slideshow.

Update: a commenter below explains that this is the Harbor Island neighborhood of Detroit in case you (like me) were wondering!

Enjoy every hour of February in Michigan!

Posted on by farlane

Ice Climbing - Tannery Falls

Ice Climbing – Tannery Falls, photo by James Marvin Phelps

“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”
~ John Boswell

Our February Michigan Event Calendar features all kinds of cool events, from races like the i500 snowmobile race, the UP 200 sled dog race or (we can’t make this stuff up) outhouse races to winter celebrations like the Winter WOW Fest in Traverse City or Perchville USA in Tawas. One of the neatest happens this weekend: The Michigan Ice Fest in Munising.

James took this shot at Tannery Falls near Munising. Click to view it extra-large and see more in his Michigan slideshow.

A little more about Tannery Falls on Michigan in Pictures.

FIS Continental Cup at Pine Mountain

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

2010 FIS Continental Cup - Pine Mountain -U.P Michigan

2010 FIS Continental Cup – Pine Mountain -U.P Michigan, photo by ebaillies.

Next weekend (February 10 & 11, 2012) the FIS Continental Cup takes place at Pine Mountain. This annual competition celebrates the long heritage of on of the first ski flying sites and draws competitors from all over the United States and the world along with 20,000 fans!

Over on Absolute Michigan today we have a feature on the Pine Mountain ski jumping tournament. 2012 is the 73rd annual and you can learn all about it and see some videos at the link! There’s also a vintage shot from the 1930s on Michigan in Pictures!

See this photo on black and in Eric’s great Pine Mountain Ski Jumps 2010 slideshow!

Cherry-o Baby: February is National Cherry Month

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

cherry

cherry, photo by *Alysa*.

February is National Cherry Month and Michigan is the leading producer of tart cherries. Absolute Michigan is kicking it off with a cherrypalooza of facts, links and a cool video from the cherry harvest along with the first of our giveaways through The Daily Michigan: 5 pounds of dried cherries from Cherry Republic!

All you have to do to be eligible is to let us know that you want to win – get all the details at the link above and choose (Michigan) cherries!

View this photo bigger and in Anna’s Flora slideshow.

Because you might be humming it … Cherry O Baby by UB40.

Sleeping Bear Dune Rides

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Sleeping Bear Dune ride

Dune rides, photo by creed_400.

This photo prompted me to dig out a ton of information & photos about this vanished part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes experience. Enjoy Sleeping Bear Dune Rides: Remembering the Dunesmobiles at Leelanau.com.

See it background big and in creed_400s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore slideshow.

Snowy Owl Irruption in Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)_0314_1

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)_0314_1, photo by johndykstraphotography.

We’ve been seeing a lot of snowy owls this winter in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. These 2′ birds are native to the Arctic tundra, but they’ve been sighted in large numbers in Michigan this winter. Snowy owls flock to Mich. in unusual numbers in USA Today explains:

Scientists say the likely reason for the explosion is that the owls’ chief food source, small animals called lemmings, was abundant last summer, allowing the adults to raise more young. Now, in search of food, young owls are heading farther south.

Although there are a few snowy owls spotted in Michigan every year, “I can tell you this winter is highly unusual,” said Karen Cleveland, bird biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

…The phenomenon is called an irruption, an invasion of birds in unusual places or in high numbers. It usually occurs because of a lack of food in the birds’ home territory.

They even talk with photographer Stacy Niedzwiecki about her snowy owl photos, which we featured on Michigan in Pictures a few months ago!

The Snowy Owl page at All About Birds notes that they are the northernmost, heaviest, and most distinctively marked owl of North America, and that an individual adult Snowy Owl may eat three to five lemmings per day, or up to 1,600 per year! While this irruption means that there are many more owls than usual in Michigan, they are a common wintertime visitor.

John captured this owl in Muskegon County earlier this month. See it bigger and see more in his Snowy Owl slideshow.

More Michigan birds on Michigan in Pictures!

Reach into the sky

Posted on by farlane

Reach into the sky

Reach into the sky, photo by adonyvan

Jiqing Fan writes: As I was snowshoeing on the lake shore, I was constantly looking for interesting lines as my foreground. Lucky for me, the snowdrifts have so much to offer.

Check it out on black and see more from his wander along Lake Superior in the Houghton & UP MI slideshow.

Hope you get a lot of what Michigan has to offer this weekend. I don’t know if you got a look at our impromptu mashup with tweets to #mich175 on Twitter and photos from the Absolute Michigan pool we did on Absolute Michigan. It was fun: check out What’s great about the Great Lakes State.

Iced Roots

Posted on by farlane

Iced Roots

Iced Roots, photo by Happyhiker4

See this photo from the Lake Michigan shore at Point Betsie bigger on Mark’s Facebook, where you can also see the trees from the other side! About these photos, Mark writes:

Sometimes gifts just appear in the strangest places. In this case it was the gift of the most beautiful trees, wrapped and protected with the most beautiful layers of ice, with a most amazing lake in the background. I watched as the waves crashed and delivered the next layer. It certainly was a gifted and blessed day. Blessed in Nature, What a Life.

What a life indeed.

#Mich175 = Happy 175th Birthday Michigan!!

Posted on by farlane

Sugar Cookies - Michigan

Sugar Cookies – Michigan, photo by betsyweber

We, the PEOPLE of the territory of Michigan … mutually agree to form ourselves

into a free and independent state, by the style and title of “The State of Michigan’”

~Constitution of Michigan of 1835

While Michigan’s Constitution was written in 1835, it took until January 26, 1837 for President Andrew Jackson to sign the bill making Michigan the nation’s 26th state (more about that right here but the short answer is, blame it on Ohio). That makes today the 175th birthday of the Great Lakes State. We’ve been making a fuss of it and giving things away on Absolute Michigan all week, and joining a whole lot of people in touting the good things about our great state at #Mich175 on Twitter.

Here’s some fun facts about Michigan:

  • Michigan is derived from the Indian word Michigama, meaning great or large lake. (more about Michigan’s name on Michigan in Pictures)
  • French explorers Étienne Brulé & Grenoble are the first recorded Europeans to set foot in Michigan (you never know though). In 1668 Fathers Jacques Marquette and Claude Dablon established the first mission at Sault Ste. Marie, and in 1701, French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded  Fort Pontchartrain in Detroit.
  • The Michigan Territory was created, with Detroit designated as the seat of government and William Hull appointed as our first governor.
  • Michigan became the 26th state on the 26th of January, 1837. Is 26 our lucky number? FYI, our first State governor was Stevens T. Mason, the 25 year old Boy Governor (the youngest state governor in American history).
  • Michigan’s nickname is “the Wolverine State”. It is generally believed to have been coined during the 1835 Toledo War between Michigan and Ohio, when our southern rivals gave us the name due to the wolverine’s reputation for sheer orneriness!
  • The Great Seal of Michigan was designed by Lewis Cass and was patterned after the seal of the Hudson Bay Fur Company. It depicts an elk on the left and a moose on the right supporting a shield that reads Tuebor (“I will protect”).The interior of the shield shows a figure on the shore with the sun rising over a lake. His right hand is raised, symbolizing peace, but he holds a rifle in his left hand, showing readiness to defend the state and nation.Below the shield is the inscription of our state motto Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice: “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” (I just learned that Michigan has an Office of the Great Seal – how cool would it be to say you worked there??)
  • The original State Capitol of Michigan was Detroit, and it moved to Lansing in 1847 to help develop the western side of the state and due to the need to develop the western portions of the state and for easy defense from British troops. Here’s a pic of Michigan’s original Capitol Building and an 1890s view of the current Michigan capitol.
  • Michigan is the 10th largest state by area if you count the water … and who wouldn’t count the water??
  • Speaking of water, we have 3,288 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, good for second to only Alaska in coastline!

More fun facts from the State of Michigan.

Check this out background bigilicious and in Betsy’s Cookies slideshow.

PS: I made a little Michigan Birthday cover photo for Facebook that you are free to grab.

Happy 175th Birthday Michigan!!