Perseid Explosion at Day Farm

Posted on by farlane

Definitely watch Ken’s Perseid video at the end!

D H Day Farm ... perseid meteor shower

D H Day Farm … perseid meteor shower, photo by Ken Scott

I’ve shared this before, but Space.com has an interesting story about how the upcoming Perseid Meteor shower (peak August 11-13) came to be known as “The Tears of St. Lawrence” and also some of the science behind this annual August sky show:

Laurentius, a Christian deacon, is said to have been martyred by the Romans in 258 AD on an iron outdoor stove. It was in the midst of this torture that Laurentius cried out: “I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked, it is time to turn me on the other.”

The saint’s death was commemorated on his feast day, Aug. 10. King Phillip II of Spain built his monastery place the “Escorial,” on the plan of the holy gridiron. And the abundance of shooting stars seen annually between approximately Aug. 8 and 14 have come to be known as St. Lawrence’s “fiery tears.”

…We know today that these meteors are actually the dross of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Discovered back in 1862, this comet takes approximately 130 years to circle the Sun. With each pass, it leaves fresh debris — mostly the size of sand grains with a few peas and marbles tossed in.

Every year during mid-August, when the Earth passes close to the orbit of Swift-Tuttle, the bits and pieces ram into our atmosphere at approximately 37 miles per second (60 kps) and create bright streaks of light.

Read on for more including diagrams and viewing tips.

Ken Scott captured these Perseid meteors last August over a 2 1/2 hour period at the D.H. Day Farm in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. He says that the barn is lit by rogue lightning and that this is a composite of many meteor images, where each photo is rotated around the north star so that the ‘point of origin’ of the shower can be seen better. He understands it visually but not scientifically – anyone have a simple explanation for him?

View his photo bigger, see more in his Skies Above slideshow, and view and purchase his work at kenscottphotography.com.

North Bar Lake in Sleeping Bear Dunes

Posted on by farlane

North Bar Lake Sleeping Bear Dunes

North Bar Lake, Sleeping Bear Dunes, photo by jdehmel

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore pages on North Bar Lake and the North Bar Lake Overlook say (in part):

The small lake below is North Bar Lake. The name describes how the lake formed: it is ponded behind a sand bar. At times, the sand bar builds up and separates North Bar Lake from Lake Michigan. At other times, a small connecting channel exists between the two lakes. North Bar Lake occupies part of a former bay on Lake Michigan. This ancient bay was flanked by headlands on both sides: Empire Bluffs on the south and Sleeping Bear Bluffs on the north. Shorelines have a natural tendency to become straighter with time. Wave action focuses on the headlands and wears them back, while shoreline currents carry sediment to the quiet bays and fill them in. Deeper parts of the bay are often left as lakes when sand fills in the shallower parts. The same process that formed North Bar Lake also formed many of the other lakes in northern Michigan: Glen, Crystal, Elk and Torch Lakes, for example.

…North Bar Lake is one of the most popular beaches in the Lakeshore because it has shallow, clear water over a sandy bottom makes for warmer swim than in Lake Michigan. But for those who like the refreshing cool water and wave action of the big lake, you can walk across the low dunes that separate the two lakes in just a couple of minutes. The beaches of pure sand and the small outlet to Lake Michigan is ideal for the kids to play.

View jdehmel’s photo background bigilicious and see more in his Sleeping Bear Dunes slideshow.

More dunes and more summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.

Ephraim Shay, the Shay Locomotive & Shay Days

Posted on by farlane

Mancelona Logging and a Shay Locomotive

Mancelona MI Logging and possible Shay Steam Engine, photo by Don, the Up North Memories Guy

The Harbor Springs Area Historical Society holds their annual Shay Days celebration this Friday & Saturday (July 15-16, 2016). They share that inventor Ephraim Shay was likely retiring when he moved to town in 1888, but during his “retirement” he created over twelve miles of water mains to bring running water to the city, designed and constructed his unique Hexagon House, and started a railway known locally as the Hemlock Central.

They will celebrate his life and work with all kinds of engaging history including live steam model trains with the Michigan Small Scale Live Steamers group, games, historical photograph displays, and self-guided tours at the Shay Hexagon House. Shay himself will even be on hand Saturday so you can wish him a happy 177th birthday – click for all the details.

Shay Locomotives is an online book about the most widely used geared steam locomotives invented in Michigan lumber camps by Ephraim Shay. They share that Shay was born July 17, 1839 in Huron County, Ohio and received a better than average education for the day. After serving in the Union Army in the Civil War, Shay married his lifelong companion, Jane Henderson:

Shortly after their marriage, the Shays moved up to a farm in Ionia County, Michigan. Here Ephraim was known to have served as a clerk in the Township of Sebewa, 1867-1868. In 1869 the Shays were in the Township of Sunfield, Michigan and Ephraim was now operating a steam sawmill until 1873. Their son Lette was born here in January of 1870.

In 1873, with the tract of timber in Sunfield exhausted, the Shay family moved north to the Manistee river basin of Michigan and set up his sawmill and a general store near a lumber camp called Haring, newly settled only the year before.

Logging in the 1870’s was far different than today. Essentially once all the trees along the rivers were harvested and floated down river to a mill, logging operations were done in the winter month as loggers depended on snow cover to more easily move the cut timber on sleds drawn by horse or oxen. This method naturally depended on the weather systems and if there were a mild winter there would be a low yield of lumber from the mills.

…What Ephraim Shay had invented was a locomotive capable of delivering equal torque directly to wheels on both sides of the engine at the same time. This over came the dynamic force of his common rod engine whose normal pistons strokes jerked the engine side to side on each stroke, delivering excessive force to the wood rails, especially on the curves.

Read on for much more about one of the pioneers of modern transportation – includes some great old photos!

View Don’s postcard background big and click for more of his Shay Locomotive photos.

More trains on Michigan in Pictures.

Bald Eagle Rescue by Wings of Wonder

Posted on by farlane

via leelanau.com…

Wings of Wonder Catching a Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle Rescue, photo by Ken Scott Photography

Wings of Wonder is a non-profit raptor sanctuary located in Empire, Michigan that focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of birds of prey and also in educating people on their role in the natural world. Last weekend, WOW founder & director Rebecca Lessard led a very appropriate rescue for Independence Day. She writes:

Last night I was called in on the rescue of an adult Bald Eagle, down in Manistee County, who had a fishing lure embedded in his left wing, up near the shoulder. With assistance from Law Enforcement Officer P. Wiese I was able to successfully remove the large 3-hook rapella. Due to the severity of the wounds and the poor condition of this eagle it was apparent that the hook had been in his wing for quite a long time, preventing him from flying or eating. He had severe bruising inside his mouth and all around his beak ….most likely from trying to remove the painful hook, and he was extremely dehydrated, thin and very weak. Once we got the hook removed he was transported to Wings of Wonder and given fluids and small bites of clean meat. He spent the night in intensive care and this morning seemed to be feeling a bit better. Even tho he was still quite weak I decided to move him into our large 100 foot flight pen where he could get some fresh air, bathe, eat and rest. He was offered a large chunk of fish which he devoured eagerly.

These kinds of cases truly drive me crazy as they are soooooooooooo preventable. Fishing tackle and fishing line, as well as all other types of garbage and litter that is left behind, can result in a slow death for a variety of wildlife. Remember ALL of our actions result in a consequence … by making responsible choices our actions can help to make this world a more beautiful place … resulting in freedom, independence and health for all … a reminder on this 4th day of July…

(a huge thanks to Ken Scott Photography for the “imagery capture”)

Click to view the entire process from start to finish on Facebook and definitely consider supporting Wings of Wonder!

Michigan Summer Resolution #23: Watch More Sunsets

Posted on by farlane

Sunset on Grand Traverse Bay

Untitled, photo by Thomas DB

I was thinking the other evening that I need to watch more sunsets this summer. What Michigan summer resolution would you make?

Thomas caught this great photo of a young couple watching the sunset on Grand Traverse Bay. View it bigger and see more in his 6/1/16-6/3/16: Grand Traverse & Leelanau slideshow.

Summer is Rushing In

Posted on by farlane

Rushing In by Heather Higham

Rushing In, photo by Heather Higham

It looks like parts of Michigan will be close to the 90s tomorrow, so get out there and start soaking up some of Michigan’s summertime beauty.

View Heather’s photo bigger, see more in her Summer slideshow, and definitely follow her at Snap Happy Gal Photography on Facebook where she’s got some really incredible shots from the past few days!

End of the Rainbow along the Breezeway

Posted on by farlane

The End of the Rainbow

The End of the Rainbow, photo by T P M

Thomas says that he got to the end of the rainbow, but no Pot ‘O Gold. He took it along the Breezeway in northwest lower Michigan near East Jordan Michigan. According to the Breezeway website, which Thomas is involved with and links to from his Flickr profile:

The “Breezeway” – a rural ride along C-48 from Atwood (U.S. 31) through Ellsworth & East Jordan, and ending in Boyne Falls (U.S. 131) – boasts scenic overlooks, great motorcycle & bicycle rides, recreational amenities galore, working farms & orchards, artist galleries & studios, resale shops, lodging facilities (cottages, campgrounds, B&Bs, motels, and a resort), retail and service businesses with superb customer service, and an epicurean’s selection of dining choices along the route.

View his photo background bigtacular and see more in his Sites Along the Breezway slideshow.

Lots more about rainbows on Michigan in Pictures!

Fishermen on Crystal Lake

Posted on by farlane

Fishermen by Noah Sorenson

Fishermen, photo by Noah Sorenson

Noah took this on Crystal Lake a month ago. Back when it was Spring and not Winter II.

View his photo background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.

More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.

Pure Michigan Picnic: April Edition

Posted on by farlane

Pure Michigan Picnic April 2016 Edition

Nice Day for a Picnic, photo by mileelanau

I don’t usually post my own photos on Michigan in Pictures, but I felt I had to share this one from Sunday. Pure Michigan! …yay??

mileelanau is the Instagram for my “flagship” Leelanau.com, and where I post pictures from hiking around northern lower Michigan. Follow mileelanau on Instagram for more.

PS: This turned out to be the picnic table of some old family friends. Loved discovering that on Facebook!! ;)

PPS: More beach and more Lake Michigan photos on Michigan in Pictures.

Know your Michigan Counties: Kalkaska County

Posted on by farlane

The Mountains of Kalkaska

The Mountains of Kalkaska, photo by Dale DeVries

The State of Michigan has 83 counties, and since I got a number of comments asking for more about our communities, I’ll try and profile them all … sooner or later. Here’s some information via Wikipedia about Kalkaska County, Michigan:

The first settler in Kalkaska County was an Englishman named William Copeland, who purchased land in the northwest corner of the county in 1855. The county was set off in 1840 and called Wabasee until 1843. The name Kalkaska is thought to be a Chippewa word meaning flat or burned-over country. An alternative theory is that this is a neologism or neonym created by Henry Schoolcraft, originally spelled Calcasca. Some theorists suggest this is word play. Schoolcraft’s family name had been Calcraft, and the Ks may have been added to make the name appear more like a Native American word.

Logging was the first important industry. The discovery of substantial deposits of oil and natural gas resulted in the construction of a processing plant by Shell Oil Company in 1973 and a major economic boom in the community.

Kalkaska Sand, the state soil of Michigan, was named after the county because of the large amounts deposited in the area from the glaciers in the Ice Age. Kalkaska County has over 80 lakes and 275 miles of streams and rivers. Much of the county is marshland. County elevation ranges from 595 feet (181 m) to about 1,246 feet. This makes it one of the more uneven counties in the Lower Peninsula.

The Pere Marquette State Forest covers much of the county. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the so-called Grayling outwash plain, which consists of broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.

The population was population 17,153 in the 2010 census and you can click to Wikipedia for more, visit the official Kalkaska County website, read about their big, annual event, the National Trout Festival (April) on Michigan in Pictures, and click to see Kalkaska County on a map!

Dale writes:

“With abundant snow cover yet and temperatures around 65 F, fog forms in almost white out conditions near large snow fields! This can lead to near zero visibility in a matter of seconds and makes for some amazing photographs!”

View his March 9th photo background bigilicious and see more in his massive Fern Ridge Pictures slideshow.

More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.