Fellow Sun Gazer, photo by Footsore Fotography
While lots of people are looking at their gardens and thinking about April showers & May flowers, here’s a reminder from Sunday in Grand Marais that for some in Michigan, winter is still very much in play!
View the photo bigger on Facebook and follow Gary at Footsore Fotography on Facebook for lots more from Grand Marais and the surrounding area.
Winters, photo by Waseem Akbar
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
-Anne Bradstreet
Am I the only one who feels like Winter really mailed it in this year? Still, I am not going to stand in the way of the cycle of the seasons – bring on the Spring!
View Waseem’s photo bigger and see more in his slideshow.
A Little Light Changes Everything, photo by John Gessner
I hope that you get a chance to get out there this weekend and let the sunlight in!
View John’s photo bigger and see more in his Michigan Water slideshow.
Hopefully the daffodils are tougher than I am, photo by Bill Dolak
Bill took this shot yesterday at Celery Flats Park in Portage where it got down into the teens the night before.
View the photo background bigilicious and see more in his Portage, Michigan slideshow.
More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Mackinac Bridge 1, photo by John McGraw
View John’s photo from beneath the mighty Mackinac Bridge bigger, see a few more from the Straits in his slideshow, and follow John McGraw Photography on Facebook to view & purchase more photos.
Words escape me, photo by Lake Superior Photo
Words escape ME on the beauty of the video that Shawn of Lake Superior Photo shared. The ice caves on Grand Island near Munising didn’t happen this year, a very unfortunate thing for everyone in Michigan who makes their livelihood from winter recreation. However, thanks to the magic of the video below, we can travel back to 2015.
You can view Shawn’s photo from winter of 2015 bigger on Facebook and purchase the photo right here. I can’t stress enough that you should follow Shawn and Lake Superior Photo on Facebook. Please do it.
Now here’s that video. Be sure to turn your volume up and watch in HD – there’s a “boom” from the ice sheet at 4 seconds that’s incredible!
Fog, Afterglow, and Persistence!, photo by David Behrens
David says that the fog signal at Grand Haven wasn’t visible from the shore the other night, so he went out to it. View the photo bigger and see more in his slideshow.
PS: Here’s a shot of the fog signal covered in ice that I featured from David on Michigan in Pictures last February. Quite a change!
Hacking Site Camping Trip, February 2017-25, photo by Nathan Miller
Nathan took this photo in the Ottawa National Forest’s Trap Hills along the North Country Trail in winter.The Trail winds 4600 miles through 7 states in America’s northern heartland. It is our longest National Scenic Trail, stretching from New York to North Dakota. Michigan holds more of the North Country Trail than any other state:
Entering Michigan from Ohio the first completed segment of NCT is within the Lost Nation State Game Area near Pittsford. The route then threads through a mix of forest and farm country and is a mix of road walks and completed segments. Off-road trail exists in Fort Custer National Cemetery (near Battle Creek), Yankee Springs State Recreation Area (near Hastings) Middleville and Barry State Game Areas. In Lowell, hikers can walk down East Main Street and stop in at North Country Trail headquarters to purchase some official trail gear. Heading north from Lowell, hikers will travel through two more areas with built trail before arriving at the southern boundary of the Manistee National Forest. These include the Lowell State Game Area/Fallasburg County park segment just outside of the city of Lowell and the Rogue River Game Area near Rockford.
Hikers get their first glimpse of the Northwoods in the Manistee National Forest. Within Manistee National Forest, enjoy sandy soils that support a pine-hardwood forest and great hiking along the Manistee River Trail, which forms a great loop hike opportunity. The NCT leaves the Manistee National Forest near the Hodenpyl Dam Pond which features a fabulous new (2009) trail along the Hodenpyl Dam Pond and Manistee River. Continuing south of Traverse City to Kalkaska the NCT is routed through state forest land (the Pere Maruette SF) which offer a number of year round recreation opportunities. The next jewel along the NCT is the Jordan River Pathway, which offers a scenic loop hike near Alba. From here the trail heads towards Petoskey through the Mackinac State Forest. North of Petoskey wonderful hiking opportunities exist in Wilderness State Park, where the trail follows the Lake Michigan shoreline. As one leaves Wilderness State Park and heads towards Mackinaw City the lights of Mackinac Bridge become visible.
…The U.P.’s prime scenery includes large lakes, old growth forests, rugged hills and the Lake Superior shoreline, all set amid some of the most remote, uninhabited country found on the North Country Trail. From St. Ignace the trail heads through the eastern unit of the Hiawatha National Forest towards Tahquamenon Falls State Park (home to the second largest waterfall in the eastern United States). Continuing west, the trail passes through Muskallonge Lake State Park and Lake Superior State Forest towards Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Within Pictured Rocks, enjoy the 43-mile Lakeshore Trail along the Lake Superior shore, one of the greatest hits of the entire North Country Trail. West of Pictured Rocks the trail enters the western unit of the Hiawatha National Forest passing through public and private lands before reaching Marquette. West of Marquette the trail passes through Presque Isle City Park, McCormick tract Wilderness, Craig Lake State Park, Copper Country State Forest, Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness and cuts through historic copper mining sites near Old Victoria. Once entering the Ottawa National Forest segments run along the Black River canyon, towards the wild country of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The NCT leaves Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near the community of Ironwood.
Read on for more at the North Country Trail website, including maps!
View Nathan’s photo bigger and see more in his North Country Trail Camping Trip, February 2017 slideshow.
High and Dry, photo by Mark Smith
Here’s a cool shot by Mark Smith of the Leland, Michigan harbor mouth that has become choked with sand through the actions of Lake Michigan. The spot where he’s standing is normally 10 feet deep, effectively blocking access to the harbor. Despite federal responsibility for the harbor, things were looking dire as no federal funds were forthcoming for a project that usually costs over $150,000.
The story has a happy ending as the harbor is buying their own dredge – click that link to read more on Leelanau.com.
View the photo background bigilicious and see more in Mark’s Leland slideshow.
The Jaws of Point Betsie, photo by Kristina Lishawa Photography
Sweet shot of Michigan’s most photographed lighthouse, the Point Betsie Light just north of Frankfort. Kristina writes:
Ordinarily, someone trying to take a photo from this angle would be pounded mercilessly into the break wall by crashing waves. Lake Michigan granted me an unusually calm window in which to see Point Betsie from a new perspective.
View the photo bigger, follow Kristina Lishawa Photography on Facebook, and view and purchase prints on her website at kristinalishawa.com.
Michigan in Pictures 