Ice on the Chippewa River

Posted on by farlane

_JMC5873aw

_JMC5873aw, photo by Jeff Caverly

Wikipedia’s Chippewa River (Michigan) says that the river runs 91.8 miles from its beginning in northeast Mecosta County in the village of Barryton to where it flows into Big Cranberry Lake in southwest Clare County. It’s a tributary of the Tittabawassee River and part of the Saginaw River drainage basin.

To learn more about the river and some of the natural preserves on the river, visit the Chippewa River Watershed. You can also check out the Chippewa River Water Trail.

Get Jeff’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.

More Michigan rivers on Michigan in Pictures.

city

Posted on by farlane

city

city, photo by buckshot.jones

Check Scott’s photo out background big and see more in his slideshow.

More Detroit on Michigan in Pictures

Bond Falls in black & white

Posted on by farlane

Bond Falls

Bond Falls, photo by wingsfan1705

Michigan in Pictures has a number of photos from Bond Falls, but there’s always room for one more. ;)

Check this out background bigtacular and see more including some detail shots in Kim’s slideshow.

More black & white photography on Michigan in Pictures.

Michigan Wild & Scenic Rivers: Manistee River

Posted on by farlane

Manistee River, near Sharon, Michigan

Manistee River, near Sharon, Michigan, photo by gregorydseman

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.
~Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968

Michigan has 16 nationally designated Wild & Scenic Rivers. The stretch of the Manistee River from the DNR boat ramp below Tippy Dam to the Michigan State Highway 55 Bridge is the designated stretch (click for map and river management plan). They explain:

The Manistee Wild and Scenic River is well known for beautiful scenery, excellent fishing and a variety of recreational activities. In the spring and fall, high numbers of anglers are attracted to the superb salmon and steelhead runs. During the summer, walleye and pike fishing become the primary recreational activity. The river supports a variety of other recreational uses including wildlife viewing, hiking, canoeing and hunting.

Private businesses and government agencies have developed a variety of facilities and services to meet the expanding recreation demands of the public. Commercial guided fishing is one of the most popular activities on the Manistee River. The amount of recreational use fluctuates from year to year, mostly based on the fishing runs and local economic factors. There are eight developed river access sites within the wild and scenic river corridor. The Forest Service maintains sites at High Bridge, Bear Creek, Rainbow Bend and Blacksmith Bayou. The state of Michigan operates a river access site at Tippy Dam. Private recreation sites include Big Manistee Riverview Campground and Coho Bend Campground. The U.S. Forest Service developed recreation sites along the Manistee River require a vehicle parking pass under the Recreation Enhancement Act.

Greg says he took this photo back in 1998 when the river had more water – check it out bigger and see more in his slideshow.

More Wild & Scenic Rivers on Michigan in Pictures!

Detroit Panorama: City Lights Mix

Posted on by farlane

Detroit, MI

Detroit, MI, photo by w4nd3rl0st (InspiredinDesMoines)

Jason put this photo together from about a dozen HDR images taken from a large park in Windsor. He notes that if you make the trek across the Detroit River, the Tunnel BBQ in Windsor is tasty and affordable.

For a real treat, view his photo background bigtacular and see more in his Detroit & Michigan slideshow.

Lots more from Detroit on Michigan in Pictures.

Enjoy your New Year’s Eve!

Posted on by farlane

086

086>, photo by mark5032001

Here’s hoping everyone has a safe & fun New Year’s Eve as we all bid farewell to 2012 and enjoy the first moments of 2013!

View this photo from Bay City’s 4th of July celebration on black and see more in Mark’s photos from Bay City.

Back into the Woods Day, 2012

Posted on by farlane

Sandstone Creek Ravine

Sandstone Creek Ravine, photo by joeldinda

The hardest 15 days for the year for the non-hunting lover of the outdoors in Michigan are November 15-30th. I think of December 1st as a mini-holiday. Call it “Back into the Woods Day” and celebrate as you will.

Joel’s photo is from Fitzgerald Park aka “The Ledges”, an amazing park along the Grand River near the town of Grand Ledge. Check this out background bigtacular and see more in his Into the Woods slideshow.

Langely Covered Bridge is Michigan’s longest

Posted on by farlane

Langley Covered Bridge, Centreville, Michigan

Langley Covered Bridge, Centreville, Michigan, photo by bill.d

Bill writes this of the Langely Covered Bridge over the St. Joseph River, a Michigan Registered Historic Site:

This is the longest of Michigan’s few remaining covered bridges. It is 282 feet long with three, 94-foot spans of the Howe-truss construction. The bridge was built in 1887 by Pierce (?) Bodner of Parkville, using the best quality white pine for the frame timbers. The bridge’s name honors a pioneer Centreville family. When the Sturgis Dam was built in 1910, the Langley Bridge had to be raised eight feet. In 1950-51 extensive repairs and replacement of parts on the bridge were carried out by the St. Joseph County Road Commission to preserve for the future this historic link with a bygone era.

Personal note – the bridge is only one lane wide. Drivers take turns crossing the bridge, but this is a part of Michigan that doesn’t see much traffic anyway, so the wait is seldom long. The speed limit on the bridge is 15 mph.

Wikipedia’s entry on the Langley Covered Bridge adds that it was named for Thomas W. Langley and his family, the first settlers who helped establish the village of Centreville in St. Joseph County in the mid-19th century.

Check it out as big as a bridge and see more in Bill’s Michigan: Saint Joseph County slideshow.

More Michigan bridges on Michigan in Pictures!

111 Years of over the river at Hines Park

Posted on by farlane

Hines Park, Livonia, MI, November, 2012

Hines Park, Livonia, MI, September, 2012, photo by Norm Powell (napowell30d)

Nice shot from Hines Park in Livonia. Here’s hoping everyone and their guests have safe travels this holiday whether you’re headed over the river, through the woods or somewhere else.

Check this out background big and see more in Norm’s slideshow.

More bridges on Absolute Michigan.

Tahquamenon Falls are pretty big

Posted on by farlane

Tahquamenon Falls Panorama

Tahquamenon Falls Panorama, photo by Unified Photography

Wikipedia’s Tahquamenon Falls entry says that the upper Tahquamenon Falls in Tahquamenon Falls State Park are more than 200 feet across with a drop of approximately 48 feet. In the spring, the falls can push as much as 50,000 gallons of water per second. That makes it the third most voluminous vertical waterfall east of the Mississippi, after Niagara Falls and Cohoes Falls in New York.

As you can see, they are impressive even during times of lower flow. I thought this shot did a great job of conveying the size of these magnificent falls and really hope you get a chance to see them!

Check this out big as a waterfall and see more in Kenneth’s Pure Michigan slideshow.

Much more about Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures!