2013 Mackinac Bridge Walk … and a chance to get to the top of the bridge!!

Posted on by farlane

FULL

FULL, photo by ddt_uul

The annual Labor Day Bridge walk across the Mackinac Bridge takes place this Monday (September 2, 2013). UpNorthLive reports that you can turn your Labor Day bridge walk into a one of a kind experience with a trip to the top of the Mighty Mac!

More than 40,000 people are expected to participate in the 56th Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk which will take on Monday, Sept. 2.

For the second year in a row, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Mackinac Bridge Authority are asking the public to share their Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk experiences on social media with photos and videos. One person sharing their memories will be chosen at random to receive a once-in-a-lifetime tour to the top of the Mackinac Bridge.

Through Monday, Sept. 9, you can post your memories of walking the bridge, either this year or in a previous year, on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #MightyMacWalk13. Memories can include photos or videos.

A lucky person whose entry is chosen at random by computer will receive a tour for two to the top of the bridge, courtesy of the MBA. The person who travels the furthest to walk the bridge this year and post a memory will win a Pure Michigan gift pack, courtesy of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Read on for more and check out the pics on Twitter and Instagram. Get all the details on the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk from the Mackinac Bridge Authority. If you want to see what it looks like from the top, check out my friend Spike’s Mackinac Bridge slideshow!

Dave took this shot on Labor Day, 2010. Check it out background big and see more in his great Mackinac Bridge Walk slideshow.

Much more on the Mackinac Bridge at Michigan in Pictures!

Ludington State Park Beach House

Posted on by farlane

Ludington State Park beachhouse

Ludington State Park beachhouse, photo by R.J.E.

This page from the DNR has a vintage photo of the beachhouse.

Visit Ludington tells a little about the historic Beach House at Ludington State Park.

The Beach House has a long history of weathering the changing Michigan seasons within the Ludington State Park. This landmark has now received a makeover, and it’s a real showplace for the state park system. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, the Lake Michigan Beach at 116 ft. long and 35 ft. wide, has been a familiar sight for visitors to Lake Michigan within the State Park.

…The Lake Michigan Beach House is unique in nature due to the fact it is the only Arts-and-Craft inspired design bathhouse found on the shores of Lake Michigan. Also of significance is the role the CCC played in its construction–from architect Ralph B. Herrick to all the CCC workers who built the Beach House from recycled brick and pressed mortar. This style has not been found at any other state park in Michigan…and it is the largest and most intact of the CCC-built structures within the Ludington State Park.

Check it out background big and see more in R.J.E.’s Ludington, MI slideshow.

More from Ludington on Michigan in Pictures!

Sunset over the Straits of Mackinac

Posted on by farlane

Straits of Mackinac

Straits of Mackinac, photo by GLASman1

A gorgeous view of a beautiful bridge. Definitely check it out bigger and see more in Mark’s slideshow.

Much more about the Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures!

Sugar Loaf Rock on Mackinac Island

Posted on by farlane

Untitled

Untitled, photo by *Alysa*

I was surprised to learn that I haven’t posted anything about Sugar Loaf on Mackinac Island. Here’s a summary with help from Wikipedia’s entry for Sugar Loaf Rock, the Mackinac State Historic Parks geology page and some other sources I’ve linked to.

Located not far from the shoreline on the east side of Mackinac Island, Sugar Loaf is a 75′ breccia limestone stack. Thousands of years ago Lake Algonquin covered all but the center of Mackinac Island. When it receded, this tower of rock remained. The people of the region packed maple sugar into cone-shaped baskets of birchbark, and Sugar Loaf Rock was named for its resemblance to one of these cones.

Sugar Loaf was said by some to be the home of Gitchi Manitou, while another tale explains that the rock was the final form taken by a man who asked for immortality and received it, albiet not as he expected. A distinct profile remains in the limestone face of Sugar Loaf Rock. The rock was also used as a site of ritual burials. In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville and his friend Gustave de Beaumont visited Mackinac Island. De Beaumont reported that the rock was filled with “crevices and faults where the Indians sometimes deposed the bones of the dead.” A natural cave passes through Sugar Loaf from side to side, but it’s too small for any but children.

Check out Anna Lysa’s photo out bigger and see more in her Mackinac Island slideshow.

More from Mackinac on Michigan in Pictures!

Aurora over Mackinac … and a chance tonight!

Posted on by farlane

Aurora over Mackinac

Aurora over Mackinac, photo by Aurora over Mackinac by Neil Weaver Photography

I’ve had an eye on the Space Weather over the last few days, and while it doesn’t look like this weekend’s G1 level solar storm has produced anything, there’s a slight chance we’ll see something tonight. Their definition of the G1 level says that aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine, so you want to check tonight!

Neil shot these Northern Lights over the Straits during the early hours of July 15, 2013. Check it out bigger, view his slideshow and see lots more from Neil on Michigan in Pictures too!

A birthday card from the Grand Hotel

Posted on by farlane

View from West Bluff of The Grand Hotel

View from West Bluff of The Grand Hotel, photo by MI photographer

126 years ago today on July 10, 1887, The Grand Hotel opened for business on Mackinac Island. In honor of Michigan’s most famous hotel, here’s a seldom seen view.

Check it out bigger and see more in MI photographer’s Mackinac Island slideshow.

PS: The lighthouse you can see in the distance is Round Island Lighthouse – click the link to get closer with Michigan in Pictures.

Fighting for Michigan’s Environment

Posted on by farlane

"Bridge to Nowhere" Foggy Mackinac Bridge - Mackinaw City , Michigan.

“Bridge to Nowhere” Foggy Mackinac Bridge – Mackinaw City , Michigan, photo by Michigan Nut

“Unless we move without delay to halt the deterioration of our land, our water and our air, our own children may see the last traces of earth’s beauty crushed beneath the weight of man’s waste and ruin.”
~Governor William Milliken to the Michigan legislature, January 1970

While “environmentalism” has become a polarizing term, it seems to me to be a concept that’s at the core of loving & caring for the Great Lakes State. One of my personal heros, Michigan Governor Bill Milliken, recognized this and he and his wife Helen fought strongly throughout their careers to enshrine protection of the natural bounty that they loved into the fabric of Michigan’s laws. It’s no surprise that every year the Michigan Environmental Council recognizes an individual for outstanding leadership, enduring commitment and extraordinary public service in protecting natural resources at the local, state and national levels with the Helen & William Milliken Distinguished Service Award.

The 2013 recipient has been announced, Dave Dempsey. Dempsey is the author of numerous books, a former member of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, environmental policy adviser to former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, and member of the state’s Natural Resources Trust Fund Board.

“Dave Dempsey is the rare leader who is able to move effortlessly from talking about the arcane technical details of some issue, to explaining in vivid and powerful terms why that issue is so critical to the quality of life for the generations that come after us,” Chris Kolb, MEC president, said in a press release Monday.

“Dave’s contributions to a better Michigan through his public policy advocacy alone deserve our recognition and gratitude. However, when you add in his authoritative chronicling of Michigan’s environmental history through his books, it’s clear he has made a special, positive, and lasting impact on our state.”

There’s no doubt that Dempsey has been a champion of the Great Lakes, and this Sunday (July 14) you have a chance to do some championing of your own as dedicated groups from all over the state host Oil & Water Don’t Mix: A Rally for the Great Lakes to raise awareness about climate change and the dangers posed by an oil pipeline that runs through the Mackinac Straits. Enbridge Energy – the company responsible for the devastating July 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill and over 800 other spills since 1999 – has been pumping oil through the Straits for 60 years. They are seeking to pump even more oil through the aging Mackinac pipeline – possibly including tar sands, the most toxic and hard to clean up if spilled.

The rally this Sunday, July 14 at noon at Bridge View Park in St. Ignace (just across the bridge) and there are numerous busses heading there from Kalamazoo, Lansing, Traverse City and other locations. Click for details or view the event on Facebook!

Check John’s photo out bigger and see more in his Bridges / Covered Bridges slideshow.

The Deadliest Game: Fort Michilimackinac Massacre of 1763

Posted on by farlane

British Troops at Fort Michilimackinac by Robert F Carter

British Troops at Fort Michilimackinac, photo by Robert F Carter

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the most dramatic event at Fort Michilimackinac. On June 2, 1763 the fort was captured by Ojibwa & Sauk warriors, who gathered under the guise of playing a huge game of baggatiway. Elizabeth Edwards of Traverse Magazine has an in-depth article about the massacre that begins:

Under an unusually hot sun on a late spring day on the Straits of Mackinac, British Major George Etherington, commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, was suffering from an acute case of cultural blindness. And there was no excuse for it. Relaxed at the sidelines of a rousing game of baggatiway (similar to lacrosse) outside the fort, the major should have seen the danger signs in this Ojibwe versus Sauk contest of sweaty, half-naked bodies painted with white clay and charcoal.

The 30-year-old officer was born in the colonies, and most likely grew up on stories of Indian uprisings. He’d even served in the just-ending French and Indian War, in which the English had wrested control of North America from the French—a victory that had put this previously French fort in Etherington’s care. Though the major had been raised on American soil and had fought on it, he was still English. And in that country, a battle was a battle, and a sporting event was a sporting event.

Perhaps that explains why the major missed the clues…

Definitely read on for much more at Traverse! Every Memorial Weekend on Saturday, Sunday & Monday, they re-enact this event and much more of the fort’s history in the  annual Fort Michilimackinac Pageant. Next Sunday (June 2) they will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the attack at Michilimackinac at the fort as they open the new South Southwest Rowhouse.

Robert has some more good information about the events at the fort including a link to the painting The Conspiracy – Fort Michilimackinac by Robert Griffing that imagines the planning of the massacre. See his photo background bigtacular and see more in his My Neighborhood slideshow.

More from the Straits of Mackinac & Mackinac Island on Michigan in Pictures.

Mackinac Island in Winter

Posted on by farlane

Mackinac Island in the winter

Mackinac Island in the winter by SuzyQ0763, photo by SuzyQ0763

Mackinac Island is one of Michigan’s coolest places, drawing over 10,000 visitors a day for much of the summer. Winter on Mackinac is different though, and something that many of us never get to see.

The Arnold Line says that they keep boats running across until early January. After that, islanders use a six-seater plane operated by Great Lakes Air. Once the straits freeze (usually by February) folks can cross on snowmobiles, following the “bridge” marked by Christmas trees in the snow and ice between the Island and St. Ignace (click for a video).

If you’re interested in checking out the island in winter, the Mackinac Island Winter Festival takes place next weekend (February 1-3) at Great Turtle Park. The fun includes a bonfire cook out, sledding, snow golf, archery, snow volleyball, and broom hockey.

Check Suzy’s photo out background big or view all her photos from a winter’s day on Mackinac Island.

Happy Hobbit Day

Posted on by farlane

Please come in... 3 Weeks Later

Please come in… 3 Weeks Later, photo by Craig – S

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Today The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens. It really has nothing at all to do with Michigan, but it’s arguably the most powerful fairy tale of the modern era and also my personal favorite tale, both Tolkein’s books and Peter Jackson’s masterful films. So Happy Hobbit Day everyone, and may you find what you’re looking for and the good things you are not!

Craig took this photo at Margaret McIntire’s Boardwalk Cottage on Mackinac Island. Check it out as big as Smaug and see more including another view of this door in his Mackinaw – Mackinac Island slideshow. If it catches your fancy, you can buy a print from Craig too!

If you want to see some real Michigan hobbit homes, check out Earl Young’s boulder houses in Charlevoix.