Full Color in the Keweenaw and at Haven Falls

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Haven Falls

Haven Falls, photo by dcclark.

This morning the folks at Pasty.com emailed me to say that the Keweenaw doesn’t get much more colorful than this and that they’re:

…hearing that it’s peak or just past-peak with the changing leaves UP North here, but whatever you call it, our surroundings look like someone took out a paintbrush and went to work coloring the Copper Country. If you haven’t already had a chance to go for a color tour, you’d better hurry, because the show won’t last forever.

Click over to Pasty.com to see some photos from Joe Kirkish and check it out every day for great shots from the Pasty Cam!

GoWaterfalling.com says that Haven Falls is

…a very scenic falls located in a small county park near the shores of Lac La Belle. This waterfall is very symetrical. Haven Falls is very similar looking to Jacob’s Falls, but Haven Falls is considerably steeper. It is possible that there are more drops above Haven Falls just as the are additional drops above Jacob’s Falls, but I did not explore.

Visiting this waterfall is very easy. It is visible from the road and the falls is only a few hundred feet from the parking area…

Haven Falls is a bit out of the way. But then again, the entire Keewenaw peninsula is a bit out of the way. The park is on the north side of Lac la Belle Road on the north west shore of Lac la Belle.

David has thoughtfully posted this photo background boomtacular. Check out more photos from David in his Fall slideshow and on his photo-a-day blog, Cliffs and Ruins.

Michigan in Pictures has lots more Fall wallpaper and a sweet fall color tour of the The Keweenaw Peninsula (Houghton, Eagle River, Copper Harbor).

Flow: Au Train River

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Flow

Flow, photo by John Clement Howe.

John took this shot in Au Train, Michigan where the Au Train River flows into Lake Superior. Check it out bigger in his Lakeshores slideshow.

Speaking of flow, rivers and water, if you’ve never seen Irena Salina’s documentary on the World Water Crisis, I heartily encourage you to check out Flow. The New York Times review has this to say about Flow:

A documentary and a three-alarm warning, “Flow” dives into our planet’s most essential resource — and third-largest industry — to find pollution, scarcity, human suffering and corporate profit. And that’s just in the United States.

Yet Irena Salina’s astonishingly wide-ranging film is less depressing than galvanizing, an informed and heartfelt examination of the tug of war between public health and private interests. From the dubious quality of our tap water (possibly laced with rocket fuel) to the terrifyingly unpoliced contents of bottled brands (one company pumped from the vicinity of a Superfund site), the movie ruthlessly dismantles our assumptions about water safety and government oversight…

Studying the Rouge Complex

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Rouge Remnants: Study II

Rouge Remnants: Study II, photo by Jeff Gaydash.

Jeff writes:

Freighters travel this portion of The Rouge to access Henry Ford’s Rouge Complex, where upon completion in 1928 was the largest industrial complex in the world. The massive facility had the ability to turn raw materials such as iron ore into complete vehicles ready for the showroom. Many buildings within the complex were designed by Albert Kahn and have been subjects for Diego Rivera, Charles Sheeler and Michael Kenna, whose work here has been some of the biggest inspirations in my own work.

Can we see Michael Kenna’s work at the Rouge Plant?, you ask. Just click that link, I answer!

Check this out bigger in Jeff’s slideshow.

More black & white photography on Michigan in Pictures!

Would the Loch Ness Monster be considered an invasive species?

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster, photo by Eridony.

Because the Emerald Ash Borer isn’t very photogenic, we’re taking a break from Invasive Species Week to bring you a reminder of another kind of invasion that’s about to descend on Michigan: the fabulous Grand Rapids ArtPrize! 2009 brought all kinds of incredible sights to the city, including the Nessie Project. See a bunch of them in our ArtPrize Video from 2009.

ArtPrize starts next Wednesday (September 22) and continues through October 10th. We will once again be On Location with Absolute Michigan, and we encourage you to attend and to share your photos from ArtPrize in the Absolute Michigan pool and also to the ArtPrize Promotion Group for anyone who wants to share their photos & video of ArtPrize installations and the accompanying hoopla with bloggers and online media outlets.

Be sure to check this out monstrously massive and see it and many more in Brandon’s ArtPrize slideshow!

Muskrat

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Muskrat

Muskrat, photo by Adore707.

The University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web entry for Ondatra zibethicus, muskrat says:

Muskrats are found in wet environments, favoring locations with four to six feet of water. While muskrats are found in ponds, lakes, and swamps, their favorite locations are marshes, where the water level stays constant. Marshes provide the best vegetation for muskrats. They find shelter in bank burrows and their distinctive nests. Bank burrows are tunnels excavated in a bank. The nests of the muskrats are formed by piles of vegetation placed on top of a good base, for example a tree stump, generally in 15 to 40 inches of water.

…Muskrats have large, robust bodies, with a total body length of twelve and a half inches. The tail is flat and scaly and is nine and a half inches in length. Muskrats have dense fur that traps air underneath for insulation and buoyancy. Their heads are very large and their ears are almost invisible underneath the fur. The whiskers are mediun size. Muskrats have short legs and big feet; the back feet are slightly webbed for swimming. Adult muskrats have glossy upper parts that are dark brown, darker in winter and paler in the summer.

A Michigan muskrat recently made the news in these photos from the Kalamazoo River oil spill.

See this photo bigger in Eli’s Nature slideshow and check out more Michigan animals on Michigan in Pictures.

Black River Falls – Ishpeming, MI

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Black River Falls - Ishpeming, MI

Black River Falls – Ishpeming, MI, photo by Odalaigh.

The awesomely awesome GoWaterfalling.com has this to say about Black River Falls which are located 8 miles south west of Ishpeming off of Country Road 581 in the Escanaba River State Forest:

The Black River surges through a narrow channel here. When viewed from the front, the falls looks like a plunge, but it actually slides down the rock at a relatively gentle angle. That is fairly typical of the type of waterfalls you find in this rocky country.

…The Black River flows into the Escanaba River, which flows into Lake Michigan, making this waterfall part of Lake Michigan’s watershed. However it is probably much easier to visit while circling Lake Superior than Lake Michigan. It is only about 10 miles off of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. It is over 60 miles off the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.

Check this out background bigalicious and in Charles’ slideshow.

Many more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures.

Michigan gets its own oil spill on the Kalamazoo River

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Danger

Danger, photo by raddad!.

On Monday about 850,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River near Marshall. Over on Facebook, the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill group has been formed to provide a hub to volunteer, offer goods or services for donation, provide expertise, provide information and anything else that will help clean this mess up post-haste.

In addition to the photos from the oil spill group on Facebook, the Freep has photos of the spill – the worst in Michigan history – and you can get the latest updates on the Kalamazoo River from mLive.

Check this out bigger in Randy’s Kalamazoo River slideshow and here’s the Kalamazoo River Slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr.

Boat Night and a boatload of Michigan July Events!

Posted on by farlane

Boat Night
Boat Night, photo by Jon DeBoer

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
~Sam Keen

Every month, we feature some of the coolest events in Michigan on Absolute Michigan. Our July Michigan Event Calendar features big events you probably know like the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Common Ground in Lansing and Blissfest in Cross Village and some less well-known ones including Jackson’s Michigan Shakespeare Festival and the Michigan Elvisfest in Ypsilanti. Head over for all these and many more!

One event we didn’t have was Boat Night in Port Huron. It’s held every year on Black River in Port Huron on the Friday night before the Port Huron to Mackinac sailing race. The race is Saturday, July 17th, making Boat Night Friday the 16th.

Check this out bigger in Port Huron, MI + surrounding areas slideshow and get out and enjoy some Michigan July!

Red river fireworks

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Red river fireworks

Red river fireworks, photo by JohnnyRR.

John says this was shot from the Liberty Bridge in Bay City. You can see a great video titled Fireworks Melee that he took from there as well!

Hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Canyon Falls: The Grand Canyon of Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Canyon Falls

Canyon Falls, photo by gkretovic.

I saw a cool picture of Canyon Falls the other day that prompted me to look this up!

Go Waterfalling is simply the best site for waterfall info in Michigan, and their page on Canyon Falls says:

This is an impressive and easy to visit falls, and the gorge is quite impressive by Michigan standards. It is located along US-41 which is one of the main routes through the U.P. so there is a good chance it is on your way if you are travelling through the area.

Canyon Falls is along US-41 near Alberta, about 15 miles south of L’Anse. The trailhead is located in a recently renovated roadside park. The trail to the falls is about 1 mile over level terrain. (see it on their map)

Beyond the falls the river has cut a gorge into the rocks, and an unmaintained trail continues along the rim of the gorge. The gorge is quite interesting, especially by Michigan standards. The rock has broken along straight line faults, resulting in a very boxy canyon. Numerous rapids and some smaller drops can be found downstream. Much farther downstream, where Sturgeon Falls is located, the gorge widens and deepens, becoming a mile wide and 300 deep. This is the “grand canyon of Michigan”.

Check this out bigger in Greg’s slideshow and see a slideshow of photos of Canyon Falls and the canyon itself from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!

More Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures.