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Carp Lake or Lake of the Clouds?

Posted on August 31, 2010August 31, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

I was looking for the legend of why the Lake of the Clouds got its name. It turns out that this signature scenic site in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park got its romantic name in the 1930s or 1940s depending on the source you believe. The later source has some more detailed information, so I’ll relate it here:

The name “Lake of the Clouds” makes me chuckle. The lake was originally named “Carp Lake” by the settlers of these parts in the 1840s. In this usage “carp” is short for “scarp,” or “escarpment,” the rocky basalt-and-conglomerate ridge you see to the left, and has nothing to do with the ugly bottom-feeding fish. When the area became the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in 1945, some marketer thought “Carp Lake” wouldn’t fly with city-slicker tourists and insisted the name be changed.

Whatever name it goes by, it is indeed a beautiful vista – get information about Lake of the Clouds trails from Hunts Guide to the UP.

Check this out bigger and in Jim’s slideshow.

More Porcupine Mountains on Michigan in Pictures.

(not) A Gyrfalcon in Michigan

Posted on August 30, 2010December 22, 2013 by farlane

NOTE: Apparently this isn’t a gyrfalcon but a rough-legged hawk. See the comments below.

photo by Angela Merz

I was showing a friend the recent post about osprey in Michigan and he said “well guess what my wife got a photo of the other day?” What Angela got was a rare (for Michigan) photo of a gyrfalcon taken at Fayette State Park.

The Rouge River Bird Observatory has a report on a sighting in Dearborn in 2005 that caused quite a stir:

The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the world’s largest falcon, nearly the size of a Red-tailed Hawk. This Arctic-nesting bird is rarely seen in the United States. When populations of ptarmigan, chicken-like tundra birds that are a main prey item of Gyrfalcons, fall below certain levels, some Gyrfalcons move into southern Canada and the United States in the winter. When one is found, many birders will rush to see it.

In Michigan, the most reliable place to see a Gyrfalcon is at Sault Ste. Marie (click here for a more thorough report on the occurrence of this species in the state). They are very rare in the Lower Peninsula.

Thus it was sensational when Kim Hall, Julie Craves, and Darrin O’Brien located a subadult (first year) Gyrfalcon at a Dearborn office complex while participating in the annual Detroit River Christmas Bird Count.

Get more information about Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) from the UM Animal Diversity Web and click the photo to the left for another view of this rare Michigan sighting!

Indian Head: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Posted on August 28, 2010August 28, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Boat Tour, photo by napowell30d.

“These coasts are most delightful and wondrous … for Nature made it so pleasant to the eye, the spirit and the belly.”
Pierre Radisson, 1658

The above is from the Pictured Rocks timeline on Google. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore entry on Wikipedia relates:

In October 1966, Congress passed a bill authorizing the establishment of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, “… in order to preserve for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of the public, a significant portion of the diminishing shoreline of the United States and its related geographic and scientific features.” When President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill, Alger County became the home of America’s first National Lakeshore.

This shot of the sandstone formation “Indian Head” was taken from the Pictured Rocks Cruises boat tour – a great way to see the many waterfalls, formations and sights of one of Michigan’s unquestioned jewels. More Pictured Rocks on Michigan in Pictures.

Check this out background big and in Norm’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

A sunset at sunset

Posted on August 27, 2010August 27, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Seascape, photo by Aaron M Jones.

Normally I get Michigan in Pictures done in the morning. Took the morning mostly off today however.

Aaron took this amazing shot off Drummond Island – No HDR or exposure blending using a circular polarizer + Cokin GND8. Wow.

Check it out background boomtacular and in his slideshow. And speaking of wow, in his slideshow he has a very cool video short titled Night.

Grand Rapids gets ready for ArtPrize 2010

Posted on August 26, 2010August 26, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Face Paint, photo by TerryJohnston.

Last year ArtPrize in Grand Rapids launched and was the most successful art event in Michigan’s history, attracting 200,000 visitors to see the work of over 1000 artists in every media from fine art to paper airplanes. In 2009, Absolute Michigan was on location for ArtPrize and I have to say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to see this city transformed into a giant gallery teeming with active, engaged crowds of people looking this way and that, trying to take in a mind-boggling amount of art.

In 2010 the format will be the same, with artists submitting a single entry at venues all over the city, all vying for the votes of those who attend and the $250,000 1st place prize. Absolute Michigan will be back to cover the event, and I sincerely hope you can make the time to go to Grand Rapids and experience ArtPrize.

Terry took this photo of 2010 ArtPrize artist Jeff Zimmermann at the Kendall College of Art & Design. More in his Jeff Zimmerman slideshow and also stay tuned to Terry’s art prize 2010 slideshow for many more photos as ArtPrize gets rolling!

PS: Be sure to stay tuned to ArtPrize in the Absolute Michigan pool and add photos if you take them. Here’s the ArtPrize 2009 video we did last year from some of the pics we received!

Holy Hay!

Posted on August 25, 2010August 25, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Holy Hay ..Landscape…[82/365], photo by sharona 315 사론아.

A whole lotta hay…

Definitely check it out bigger and in Sharona’s slideshow.

Birds of Michigan: Osprey

Posted on August 24, 2010April 16, 2015 by Michigan in Pictures

This entry is now located at: https://michpics.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/birds-of-michigan-osprey/

Michigan in Pictures has lots more Michigan Bird photos!!

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse

Posted on August 23, 2010August 23, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Lower Harbor Light House, photo by Perucco Photography.

Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light has an extensive recounting of the history of the Marquette Harbor Light begins:

With the Jackson Mining Company active a few miles inland, a thriving community sprang up around the natural harbor at the foot of Marquette Bay. Incorporated in 1849, docks and wharves soon appeared to support the shipment of ore. With plans underway for the construction of the new lock at Sault Ste Marie, it was plain that Marquette was destined to become the premier shipping point and destination for Superior maritime traffic. To serve as a guide to vessels entering the harbor, Congress appropriated $5,000 for the construction of a lighthouse on September 28, 1850.

Read on for information about the demise of that first light and the construction of the current light. The lighthouse is now part of the Marquette Maritime Museum and is open mid May to October for tours.

Check this out bigger and in Brett’s Waterscapes slideshow.

Many more Michigan lighthouses from Michigan in Pictures.