Get your Polar Express aboard Pere Marquette 1225!

Posted on by farlane

Pere Marquette 1225

Pere Marquette 1225, photo by Mi Bob

Every year, the Steam Train Railroading Institute in Owosso operates an annual North Pole Express that takes you to the North Pole and back. Over on Absolute Michigan, The Polar Express Comes to Michigan from Michigan History Magazine explains that author Chris Van Allsburg his well-known children’s book, The Polar Express, on train experiences he had as a boy in Grand Rapids:

The book’s popularity led to a movie released in November 2004. Michigan railroad buffs recognize the sound of the movie’s train whistle, which comes from one of the nation’s few working steam locomotives.

Built in 1941, the Pere Marquette 1225 is an enormous steam locomotive, measuring one hundred feet long and sixteen feet high. Replaced in 1951 by a more efficient diesel engine, the 1225 was saved from the scrap heap and decades later, ended up in Owosso as the star of the Steam Railroading Institute (SRI). Shortly thereafter, the 1225 was restored to its former glory.

As researchers prepared the movie version of Van Allsburg popular book, they were drawn to Owosso and the 1225. Technicians recorded the sound of the whistle, the clatter of the wheels and the rumble of the four-hundred-ton locomotive rolling down the tracks. The sounds were merged with the animated Polar Express.

Check the photo out bigger and see more in Bob’s slideshow.

More trains on Michigan in Pictures and also check out the Pere Marquette 1225 slideshow in the Absolute Michigan pool!

What Are You So Afraid Of?

Posted on by farlane

What Are You So Afraid Of?

What Are You So Afraid Of?, photo by Thomas Hawk

If there’s a King of Flickr, it’s probably Thomas Hawk. One of his projects is to document the 100 Largest American Cities, and back in June of 2010 he visited Detroit. His massive #11 Detroit, MI slideshow is heavy on the ruin of the Motor City but I think you’ll really appreciate it!

View this photo from Michigan Central Station background bigtacular and see more in the slideshow above and at ThomasHawk.com.

Small Business Saturday Flashback

Posted on by farlane

Downtown shopping 1978

Downtown shopping 1978, photo by creed_400

Small Business Saturday is a campaign backed by American Express to keep your holiday dollars local. It really seems to have some traction this year (unlike most of the cars in the pic above). I hope you’re shopping with your neighbors where you can!

creed’s grandfather took this photo on Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids in 1978. While I couldn’t find a photo from the same vantage, a look at his pics on Monroe Center will tell you that this is a vibrant area today. View this photo background big and see more in his Grandpa Molt’s slides slideshow!

Pinnacle Falls on the Yellow Dog River

Posted on by farlane

Pinnacle Falls - (Yellow Dog river) - near Big Bay, Michigan

Pinnacle Falls – (Yellow Dog river) – near Big Bay, Michigan, photo by Michigan Nut

The Pinnacle Falls entry at GoWaterfalling.com explains that:

Pinnacle Falls is located on a wild stretch of the Yellow Dog River, roughly 8 miles south west of Big Bay. The Yellow Dog has carved out an impressive gorge that must be around 200 feet deep. The falls is about 25 feet high, and is a steep cascade like many of the falls in the area. The falls is named for the large pinnacle of rock on the right side of the falls.

Read on for comprehensive directions and a map of the many Marquette area waterfalls.

John writes:

This was I think the most remote Michigan waterfall I have been to. The only directions we had was an article written in 2006 from some guy who found it on his mountain bike. He included the GPS way-points but when we reached it there was no falls or trail around. We went down one last two-track with the jeep after trying for a couple of hours, and finally found the trail to the falls. It was about a 25 minute hike. The Yellow Dog has carved out an impressive gorge back there. This would be a great place to pack in and pitch a a tent for a night or two. Very beautiful Waterfall. The photo doesn’t do this area justice.

That’s a pretty deep hole right below the falls, I couldn’t resist stripping down and swimming for awhile. :)

That’s probably ill-advised for today! View John’s photo bigger and see more in his awesome 80+ photo Michigan Waterfalls slideshow.

Many (many) more waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures.

Setting the table for Thanksgiving

Posted on by farlane

Before...

Before…, photo by Michael in A2

I hope that everyone is gearing up for an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for all of you who take the time to check out and share Michigan in Pictures every day, and I am hoping to be thankful this afternoon for the Lions beating the Packers … though I suppose many of you U.P. readers would be happy with a Green Bay victory.

In any case, Happy Thanksgiving , and if you want a happy memory, here’s a great post on the 1962 Thanksgiving Day Massacre where the Lions handed the Pack their only loss of the season.

Check this photo out background big and see more in Michael’s Personal Favorite Photographs slideshow.

More Thanksgiving on Michigan in  Pictures.

Early Start for the 2013 Michigan Ski Season!

Posted on by farlane

1126130-winchcat-crystal-mountain

New Cat on Buck, photo by Crystal Mountain Resort

While the blizzardy blowing going on this morning in northern Michigan and the U.P. isn’t the best for “over the rivering”, it is ensuring that Many of Michigan’s ski resorts get to enjoy their earliest opening date in tears with plenty of white gold!

If you’re looking to check out Michigan’s ski scene, head over to goskimichigan.com from the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association. They have updates from Michigan ski resorts on snow conditions & planned opening dates. Their Discover Michigan Skiing program will give you a beginner lesson, ski or snowboard rental equipment and a beginner-area ski lift pass or cross-country trail pass at 23 Michigan ski facilities! It’s available through January 31 and costs just $20 for cross-country skiing, $30 for downhill skiing and $40 for snowboarding. While you’re there, check Cold Is Cool – a promotion that gives every Michigan 4th Grader FREE skiing at participating Michigan resorts.

This photo from yesterday (Nov 26, 2013) shows Crystal Mountain’s new PistenBully Winch Cat roaring up the ski hill “Buck” – they open for skiing and riding Thanksgiving Day! Stay up to date with their ski & snow report.

More Michigan skiing on Michigan in Pictures!

Division: The Movie seeking a little Kickstarter love

Posted on by farlane

division the movie

Location Scouting, photo by Division: The Movie

DIVISION is planned to be the first feature-length film entirely filtered through Instagram. The story is inspired by local folklore from Traverse City and the nearby Old Mission Peninsula and begins when a young man embarks on a journey to cure his girlfriend’s writer’s block. Chaos ensues, sending the couple into questioning what is real and what isn’t. The real truth, or at least part of it, has been recorded by the couple and their friends.

As for processing the entire film through the popular photo-sharing site Instagram, Producer Cat Muncey explains their motivation:

Back when the photo app rolled out video capabilities in June, I got the idea to do a feature through it. First, it was unconquered territory and hadn’t been done before. Second, I thought it would be an interesting way to present a character’s story. Most everything people share through social media is self-edited, so you only see what they want you to view. There’s more to everyone’s story than what they are willing to share, and I think the use of social media makes is a compelling element within a suspense movie.

There’s been a lot of interest in the film locally. We are featuring small businesses and their goods throughout the film and focusing on sourcing local talent. It’s been kind of neat running into people around town talking about the project or recognizing me from our Kickstarter or social media. We’ve also gotten some nice media coverage around town and even on digitaltrends.com.

Really, the biggest aim of this project was to create a community experience. We are still looking for additional extras and filling in the blanks with some locations and we would love to have additional support from local people. If anyone is interested, they can find out more at our Facebook page or contact me.

They have just 3 days left to raise $3000 and complete their Kickstarter goal. Head over to Kickstarter to learn more about the project, see their video appeal, learn more about the Instagram processing and help them out!

More Michigan movies on Michigan in Pictures.

 

Icy Alden, Icy Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Icy Alden Marina

Icy Alden Marina, photo by HLHigham

The winds are howling right now in Traverse City with the wind chill around 20 degrees. A scan of the state via Michigan-based Weather Underground shows that we’re at the top end with temps like 28 in Marquette, 21 in Grand Rapids & Detroit, 19 in Ann Arbor and 20 in Lansing along with wind chills in the low teens.

Although you might now believe it from this bench, Wunderground founder Dr. Jeff Masters writes that October 2013 was the 7th warmest October on record since 1880, the 344th consecutive month with global temperatures warmer than the 20th century average. The month also saw three $1 billion dollar weather disasters.

View Heather’s photo background big and see more in her Torch Lake slideshow.

More winter wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!

Lake Effect Snow Season in Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Lake Effect 4794-09

Lake Effect 4794-09, photo by StacyN – MichiganMoments

Many in Michigan are waking up to frigid temps, high wind and snow – the perfect conditions for lake effect snow. Meteorologist Robert J. Ruhf has an excellent article on Lake-Effect Precipitation in Michigan that explains lake effect snow and rain are common in Michigan, especially in late fall and early winter as cold polar air moves across the warmer Great Lakes. 

The unfrozen waters are relatively warm when compared with the temperature of the wintertime air mass. Therefore, the temperature of the air that comes into contact with the water increases. The warmed air expands and become less dense, which causes it to rise. This is an “unstable” situation. As the air rises, the temperature decreases until it reaches the dew point, which is the temperature at which the air becomes saturated.. Ice crystals or water droplets will then begin to collect until the force of gravity pulls them down. The result is “lake-effect” precipitation. When the cP air mass is very cold, as is often the case between December and February, the precipitation falls as snow. During late autumn, however, the polar air mass may be warm enough for the precipitation to fall in the form of rain.

“Lake-effect” precipitation can cause substantial intensification of snowfall amounts in very narrow bands, often referred to as “snow belts,” along the leeward (downwind) shores of the Great Lakes. The prevailing wind direction in the Great Lakes region is westerly; therefore, most “lake-effect” precipitation events occur to the east of the lakes.

…An interesting feature of “lake-effect” is that the heaviest bands of snow do not usually occur along the immediate shoreline, but tend to fall several miles inland. Snowfall accumulations are enhanced inland because the air experiences more uplift when it is forced over hills and higher terrain. 

Read on to learn lots more about lake effect snow in Michigan including four narrow bands  – Keweenaw Peninsula, Leelanau Peninsula, the Thumb and the southwest Lower Peninsula – where geographic features and the shape of the shoreline contribute to more intense snowfall. Hang on to your hats – winter is here!

Stacy took this photo of Lake Michigan from the North Muskegon shoreline in January of 2009. See it bigger and see more in her awesome Michigan BLUE Winter 2012 slideshow.

Need a winter background?

JFK and the X-100

Posted on by farlane

Kennedy Assassination Car

Kennedy Assassination Car, photo by Mr. History

As everyone is no doubt aware, today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The Henry Ford in Dearborn has a feature entitled JFK Remembered: The X-100 that begins:

The car, code named X-100, started life as a stock Lincoln convertible at Ford Motor Company’s Wixom, Michigan, assembly plant. Hess & Eisenhardt, of Cincinnati, Ohio, stretched the car by 3½ feet and added steps for Secret Service agents, a siren, flashing lights and other accessories. Removable clear plastic roof panels protected the president from inclement weather while maintaining his visibility. The car was not armored, and the roof panels were not bulletproof. The modified limo cost nearly $200,000 (the equivalent of $1.5 million today), but Ford leased it to the White House for a nominal $500 a year.

It was a perfect marriage between car and passenger. The Lincoln’s clean, modern lines broke away from the showy chrome and tail fins of the pervious decade, and they seemed to mirror the young president’s turn toward a “New Frontier.” Kennedy used the limo many times during his thousand days in office, and it became tied to him in the public consciousness even before the tragedy in Dallas.

You can read much more about the X-100, which served Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter before being retired in 1977 and see a lot of photos at The Henry Ford.

Check this photo out background big and see more in Bob’s Automobiles slideshow.

Many more cars and lots more history on Michigan in Pictures.