Have a seat … and some Michigan eats

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Inside the Rocket

Inside the Rocket, photo by Apocaplops.

All February on Absolute Michigan we’re going to be checking out Michigan dining & restaurants on Absolute Michigan. I hope you’ll pull up a chair and help us as we try and nibble our way through Michigan!

About this photo of the Rocket Restaurant in Pontiac (home of the Monster Burger), Erich writes:

Holly thinks the SX-70 works particularly well with vintage locations like the Rocket Restaurant. The Rocket is a step back in time. I’d hazard a guess the menu and decor hasn’t changed much over the decades, but it works.

Michigan International Auto Show in Grand Rapids

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Beach ride.

Beach ride., photo by LedaVL.

Leda says this jeep would be her perfect beach cruiser and wonders how much fun this girl could have in the dunes with this baby. She has several more photos from the Grand Rapids auto show as well (also check out her LVL Photography blog).

The annual Michigan International Auto Show in Grand Rapids runs through Sunday (Feb 3) at DeVos Place. In addition to the latest dune conquering technology, there’s new vehicles and concepts, a display from the Gilmore Car Museum and the “Million Dollar Motorway” – featuring vehicles with retail prices over $100,000.

Absolute Michigan went to the 2007 show and brought back this multimedia feature on the Grand Rapids Auto Show that’s a great introduction to the event.

Climbing Munising’s Amazing Ice Formations

Posted on by farlane

Ice Climbing on Grand Island

Grand Island VI, photo by gowaterfalling.com

Waterfalls of the Great Lakes Region and Beyond is an incredible website – packed with pictures of waterfalls – including a ton of Michigan falls (full list on the home page). You may know about the beauty of Michigan’s tumbling cascades, but have you seen them when winter freezes them in their course? The picture above is from the cliffs on the east side of Grand Isle opposite Sand Point is just one of many on their Munising Ice Formations page which explains:

Munising, Michigan is located at the western end of the sandstone cliffs that dominate the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore. Every winter, water seeping over and through the sandstone freezes forming ice columns, curtains and other formations. Ice climbers flock to the area to tackle the ice, but even if you do not climb the ice formations are a fascinating sight…

Grand Island sits in Munising Bay. In summer there is a ferry service that takes you to the island, but in winter the bay usually freezes over and you can walk, ski or snowmobile out to the island.

Numerous ice formations form on the sandstone cliffs shores of the island. The most accessible ice is on the east side of the island opposite Sand Point, but there is ice all around the island. All the pictures below are of the cliffs opposite Sand Point and were taken in February 2003.

They advise to check with the locals on the ice conditions before crossing – and I advise you to click over and look at more of the pictures – there’s a bunch of great views! If you don’t have a snowmobile, it looks like Grand Island Sled Rentals can help you out (some more great pictures of the ice too!).

You should probably check out the Waterfall Mosaic too!

The Grand Marais Lifesaving Station

Posted on by farlane

Captain Trudell and his crew from the Grand Marais Lifesaving Station

Captain Trudell and his Gallant Crew, courtesy Archives of Michigan

Something about the weather of the last few days has made me think about what an amazingly tough job members of the US Lifesaving Service must have had. This photo is of Captain Trudell and his Gallant Crew going to relief ship in distress, Grand Marais, Michigan (c. 1910). Anyone who has ever been to Grand Marais during inclement weather will know that those rollers they’re stroking through for a photo op are mere ripples compared to what they saw when they were really needed.

The Grand Marais Lighthouse page on Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light has a brief bit about the station:

With traffic exploding along the south shore, the frequency of maritime accidents increased proportionally. To help guard the safety of mariners, 1898 also saw the beginning of construction of a life-saving station at the foot of the west pier. On its completion the following year, the station was considered one of the finest in all of the Great Lakes, boasting 2 surf boats, a 34-foot self-righting life boat, and a full complement of beach apparatus.

There’s a nice photo of the entirety of the Grand Marais complex from 1910, and you can see a few more photos at the Archives including a view of the station and the track to launch the surfboats, a Captain Trudell & his crew at attention in front of the station and the Grand Marais Harbor Range with the station in the background. The awesome historic photo gallery from the Grand Marais Chamber of Commerce has an aerial view of the complex, a photo of the station on July 4, 1927 and some other photos of maritime history.

The lifesaving station was replaced in 1938 by a US Coast Guard Station, which was deactivated in 1981 and transfered to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for use as a ranger station.

Lone tree on a winter beach

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Lone tree on a winter beach

Lone tree on a winter beach, photo by norjam8.

This photo was taken and is part of Norm’s set of Winter photos, a very cool set that includes photos like this amazing shot of “Big Red” aka the Holland Harbor light.

Like pretty much all of Norm’s photos, this one is available in super-biggie wallpaper size. I think that’s a beautiful thing.

Lake Superior In January

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Lake Superior In January (2)

Lake Superior In January (2), photo by siskokid.

A rare moment of calm on the Greatest of Lakes.

There’s also Lake Superior In January (1). Both are nicely “wallpaper sized” and in his Lake Superior and Winter sets.

Explore Michigan … and Lake St. Clair ice piles

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

1

1, photo by Dane Van.

This photo is from the Explore Michigan group on Flickr that seeks to promote Michigan photographers and the people that travel Michigan in search of its beauty. They are planning events that will take members all over Michigan, so maybe drop by and check them out.

This photo is from Dane’s Random Detroit set (slideshow). It made me wonder what it is about Lake St. Clair that encourages this sort of ice pileup. Current? Prevailing east winds? The Lake St. Clair Monster? Then I realized that a a photo of a similar jam on Lake St. Clair from Michigan in Pictures last year had the answer.

More photos of Lake St. Clair on Michigan in Pictures.

The first Capitol Building in Michigan was here

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The first Capitol Building in Michigan was here

The first Capitol Building in Michigan was here, photo by femaletrumpet02.

Lauren writes: Here is the historical marker for the first capitol building in the state of Michigan, hence the name for Capitol Park.

January 26 is Michigan’s Statehood Day, our state’s birthday – 171 years since the day Michigan joined the Union as the nation’s 26th state on January 26, 1837. If you’re in Lansing, you might drop by the Michigan Historical Museum for the Statehood Day Celebration. There’s a lot of special activities and it’s the one time of year that Michigan’s first constitution is displayed for the public. (pdf of the text of Michigan’s Constitution)

I spent a lot of time looking for some grand online commemoration of Michigan’s founding, but the site of the state’s first capitol isn’t even an official state historic marker and Capitol Park appears to be an afterthought in the annals of our state’s history.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Michigan. I love you, pigeon poop and all.

Fantasy in Blue & Aluminum

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

[PHOTO GONE]

Sorry. This was a photo that Lexie took this photo of Mazda’s Taiki Concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show aka the North American International Auto Show aka The Place Where Car Designers Get To Go Crazy. She had a few more too but they’re now gone because she quit Flickr.

I thought it was probably the quintessential concept car because is made me ask that all important question: Are we ever going to be driving cars that look like this? while simultaneously thinking It would be pretty darned cool if we did!.

Kicking Tires at cars.com took a look at a few 2008 Detroit Auto Show concept car winners and losers and you can read more about the Taiki at Jalopnik.

And No One Showed

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

And No One Showed

And No One Showed, photo by Amy Palomar.

Music Hall is located in Detroit’s Theatre District. On the History page at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts they have some cool old photos and say:

Since Matilda Dodge Wilson opened Music Hall’s doors in 1928, our intimate downtown venue has been a significant player in Detroit’s performing arts sector. As the last remaining legitimate stage theatre, Music Hall is the only Detroit venue built for the primary purpose of presenting live performances. We have been home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre, one of the nation’s first Cinerama screens, and a wide variety of quality performances that embody the diverse cultures of the world.

They seem to have the best schedule on their MySpace at myspace.com/musichalldetroit – yes, even 80 year old theaters have MySpaces – and you can see the location of Music Hall on the Absolute Michigan Map of Michigan.