Who else is ready for summer sunsets?
Scott shared this incredible sunset shot of the St. Joseph Lighthouse ten years ago. See more in his Lighthouses gallery & check out his latest photos on Flickr.
Many more Michigan sunsets on Michigan in Pictures. Sunrises too!
USA Today readers have crowned South Beach in South Haven as Michigan’s Best Beach, dislodging two-time reigning champion First Street Beach of Manistee. That link has all their top 10 but to be honest, any list of Michigan beaches that only includes beaches you can drive to in 5 hours or less from Chicago is pretty lame. Nothing on Lake Huron or Superior? No North Bar or Twelve Mile Beach? (their list is below)
I’m asking all of you to help fix this outrageous circumstance. Don’t give up your favorite secret hidey hole (looking at you Magic Carpet Beach), but share a beautiful beach near you in the comments or on the Facebook post & I’ll try and share some of these through the summer!
Eddie writes “Conan and I don’t care about the laws of men or Gods. We do what we want!!”
The photo is from a Lomo LC Wide camera (half frame) on Kodak Ultramax 400 film. See more in his Lomo LC Wide gallery & for sure follow him on Flickr for lots more photographic fun!!
When Pigs Fly by The Kite Festival at Grand Haven
The annual Kite Festival at Grand Haven takes place THIS Saturday (May 16th, 2026) from 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 5pm at the Grand Haven State Park beach! (Wind and weather permitting)
PS: Thanks to Michigan Native Photography for reminding me – for sure check out his awesome pics on Facebook!
The US Coast Guard says that the USGS Great Lakes District will deploy autonomous drones to support Coast Guard missions on the Great Lakes from May to October this year:
The drones are wind- and solar-powered vessels the Coast Guard will use to monitor the Great Lakes, gather critical weather data for emergency response planning, track illicit activity and keep maritime borders safe.
The autonomous vessels are highly visible, equipped with radar, cameras and collision-avoidance artificial intelligence and monitored continuously by human operators who can take manual control if needed. Sail drones are equipped with sensors focused solely on maritime domain awareness, providing critical information on vessel activities, including vessels in distress or engaged in illegal operations.
Anyone else feeling nervous about the explosion of drones & datacenters we’ve seen over the last year or is that just me?
photo caption: A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel operates in the Arabian Gulf during Exercise Phantom Scope, Oct. 7, 2022. During the bilateral exercise between the United States and United Kingdom, USVs operated in conjunction with crewed ships and naval command centers in Bahrain. Credit: Navy Chief Petty Officer Roland Franklin
Grand Haven After Burn by SG Captures
Sarah shares that Sometimes, the actual sunset itself isn’t terribly ‘earth shattering’….but the after burn sure is! Such as the case last evening, when the sky erupted into the most brilliant of vibrant color! I also hit the jackpot with the outer pier being beautifully covered in what remained of melted snow and ice!
Regrettably she learned too late something that any digital photographer fears – all of her images from last night had been inadvertently saved as JPEGs 🫤 Still, it’s a dynamite shot! Head over to her Facebook or Instagram for her latest, and view & purchase her work on her website.
Empire Ice Caves by Robin Lane
Robin shared these otherworldly shots of the ice caves on Empire Beach in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore earlier this week. Click the pics to see them bigger & follow her on Instagram for more!
As with any time we share photos of ice caves, we need to caution you that you can 100% lose your life exploring ice caves. Be smart.
It can be dangerous because you might think you’re walking on solid ground, when actually you’re out over the water. Due to the layered nature of shelf ice, even if you’re out over four feet of water, if you were to fall through a thin spot in the ice, you could find yourself trapped in an ice cavern and even though you may not be fully submerged in the water, you’re unable to get out because the walls of the cavern are ice and impossible to climb.
Training for Trouble by South Haven Area Emergency Services
Preparedness for all kinds of emergency situations is vitally important for first responders. While the fantastic forms wrought by wind & water draw folks onto Great Lakes ice, they also risk creating nightmare scenarios for rescue. South Haven Area Emergency Services shared these photos from the other day when several staff donned cold water suits and ventured into frigid Lake Michigan and onto the ice formations along the shoreline to practice rescue techniques.
Here’s a few more photos from the training and another from an actual rescue of a person fell who while on the Lake Michigan ice shelf approximately 100 yards offshore! Follow them on Facebook for the latest.
Fortress of Iciclitute by Andrew McFarlane
Like many businesses & individuals across the nation, Michigan in Pictures will be participating in the nationwide Ice Out of Everywhere general strike on Friday, January 30th. The protest calls on Americans who believe that the Administration’s immigration enforcement campaign is violating our Constitution and national fabric to voice their displeasure with a nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping.
You of course are free to do whatever you want, but if this post offends you, trust that I will almost certainly offend you again.
No post Friday – stay safe & see you next week everyone!
Ice on St Joseph Lighthouse by Michigan Native Photography
These photos of the St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse on Lake Michigan taken just four days apart provide a dramatic example of how fast cold weather & high winds can build ice! For sure follow Michigan Native Photography on Facebook for their latest & more great Michigan photos.
The Blizzard of ’78 by John Russell
48 years ago one of the most powerful blizzards in Michigan history brought the state to a standstill. In her feature on historical Michigan snow days in the now defunct Seeking Michigan, Jessica Miller of the Archives of Michigan related:
On January 26-27, 1978, snowstorms with fifty-to-seventy-mile per hour winds pummeled much of Michigan. Snowfall totals ranged from eighteen inches in Lansing to an incredible fifty-one inches in Traverse City. More than 100,000 cars were abandoned on roads and highways, and travel was impossible for days. Governor William G. Milliken declared a state of emergency on January 26 (See the image below.) and activated the National Guard to assist with the cleanup. The governor also requested financial assistance from the federal government and estimated damage totals to be more than $25 million, not including lost productivity from workers who were unable to get to their jobs.
Regarding the photo, John wrote: Marty Lagina stands on the frozen pier at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy on January 29, 1978, viewing the capsized training vessel Allegheny, which capsized from ice buildup during the Blizzard of ’78. This image was on assignment for TIME magazine, who had seen my b&w image on the UPI wire and wanted a color image. Marty and I were lucky – the sky cleared and the wind stopped for about 20 minutes, then the storm began again. I wondered at the time who TIME knew to make that happen…
See the latest from John on his TC Photo Facebook page & stay warm folks!!
