Breakin’ the Law at “Michigan’s Best Beach”

Posted on by farlane
Breaking the Law by Eddie Apoc

Breakin the Law by Eddie Apoc

USA Today readers have crowned South Beach in South Haven as Michigan’s Best Beach, dislodging two-time reigning champion First Street Beach of Manistee. That link has all their top 10 but to be honest, any list of Michigan beaches that only includes beaches you can drive to in 5 hours or less from Chicago is pretty lame. Nothing on Lake Huron or Superior? No North Bar or Twelve Mile Beach? (their list is below)

I’m asking all of you to help fix this outrageous circumstance. Don’t give up your favorite secret hidey hole (looking at you Magic Carpet Beach), but share a beautiful beach near you in the comments or on the Facebook post & I’ll try and share some of these through the summer!

Eddie writes “Conan and I don’t care about the laws of men or Gods. We do what we want!!”

The photo is from a Lomo LC Wide camera (half frame) on Kodak Ultramax 400 film. See more in his Lomo LC Wide gallery & for sure follow him on Flickr for lots more photographic fun!!

USA Today’s List of Michigan’s Top 10 Beaches

  1. South Beach
  2. First Street Beach
  3. Stearns Park Beach
  4. Silver Beach County Park
  5. Pere Marquette Park
  1. Oval Beach
  2. Tiscornia Beach Park
  3. Esch Beach
  4. Grand Haven City Beach
  5. Warren Dunes State Park
Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Fly High at the Grand Haven Kite Festival!

Posted on by farlane
When Pigs Fly by The Kite Festival at Grand Haven

When Pigs Fly by The Kite Festival at Grand Haven

The annual Kite Festival at Grand Haven takes place THIS Saturday (May 16th, 2026) from 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 5pm at the Grand Haven State Park beach! (Wind and weather permitting)

PS: Thanks to Michigan Native Photography for reminding me – for sure check out his awesome pics on Facebook!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Angry waters across Michigan

Posted on by farlane
There used to be a bridge here by Nate

There used to be a bridge here by Nate Griswold

The state of Michigan has been absolutely pummeled by severe weather over the last week, and it’s taking a serious & unprecedented toll on our roads & bridges as demonstrated in the photos my friend Nate shared with me from Johnson Rd near Kaleva.

Just a few of the impacted areas include the pictured damage near Kaleva, flooding in Frankenmuth, Traverse City’s Boardman River bridging its banks & taking out bridges (for sure check out the 40 photos+ of the damage by Madi Taylor), a washout on the M-119 “Tunnel of Trees”, flooding along the Muskegon River, worries at dams including Mio Dam, significant damage across southeast Michigan including Ann Arbor & Metro Detroit, and an evacuation order in Cheboygan due to concerns about the Cheboygan Dam failing discussed yesterday. I could go on and on, but I’m just going to share hopes that everyone can stay safe and look in on their neighbors!!

CBS Detroit has an overview of the concerns and how a historic late winter snowstorm combined with an extremely rapid warmup & heavy spring rains to create this perfect storm of terrible outcomes.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Friday Tornadoes devastate Southwest Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Union Lake tornado damage by MSP Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division

Union Lake tornado damage by MSP Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division

Fox 2 Detroit reports that the National Weather Service has confirmed that three separate tornadoes ripped through southwestern Michigan Friday night:

A lone supercell developed in La Porte County, Indiana, that moved up into Cass, St Joseph, and Branch counties in Michigan, where the death and destruction happened. Four people have died, including a 12-year-old boy in Cass County, and three people in Union City. Penni Jo Guthrie was identified as one of the three Union City victims. The other two have not been identified publicly yet.

…The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado had touched down in Union City. An EF-3 tornado with winds reaching at least 150mph has been confirmed according to their initial assessment. An EF-2 tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Three Rivers, and a third tornado was confirmed in the Edwardsburg area, but no rating was assigned to it as of Saturday evening.

Governor Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center Friday night & you can head over to their Facebook for some Michigan State Police Drone overflight videos.

Disasters are always magnets for scams, so it’s important to research who’s asking and where it’s going. The good people over at Michigan Storm Chasers are sharing great info on their Facebook & have created an Amazon Wish List for relief efforts that I encourage you to consider. If you want to include something for the four legged homies who are also hit hard by disaster, the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan is a good option.

Here’s a video of the tornado that caused the damage in the photo above. There’s something extra terrifying about seeing a tornado across a frozen lake.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Four Days in the Great Lakes Ice Factory

Posted on by farlane

Ice on St Joseph Lighthouse by Michigan Native Photography

These photos of the St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse on Lake Michigan taken just four days apart provide a dramatic example of how fast cold weather & high winds can build ice! For sure follow Michigan Native Photography on Facebook for their latest & more great Michigan photos.

Crying Mary of Oak Hill Cemetery is not really a ghost story but Oak Hill is a really nice cemetery

Posted on by farlane
Oak Hill by Bill Dolak

Oak Hill by Bill Dolak

When I was looking through the many haunted tales on Michigan in Pictures the other day, I realized that one of the many things I enjoy about Halloween is how it draws you into history since so many of our spooky tales are rooted in the long ago. A number that I’ve shared are from our friends at Mysterious Michigan including the brief tale of Crying Mary of Oak Hill Cemetery:

Established in 1844 and over 160 years old, Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan has a lot of history. It’s the final resting place of famous people such as Sojourner Truth, C.W. Post, W.K. Kellogg, his brother John Harvey Kellogg, Bill Knapp, Ellen & James White, founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and others. Among the many famous people slumbering within the grounds of Oak Hill, another famous person exists above ground. While Crying Mary may not be a living, breathing person, she does happen to be a beautiful statue of a Greek goddess at the grave site of Johannes Decker and is well known by the residents of Battle Creek.

The legend of Crying Mary says that at the stroke of midnight every Sunday, the statue cries. People have claimed to have seen and felt her tears. Some say she only cries at night and never during the day.

Crying Mary of Oak Hill Cemetery

The photo makes it appear to be a natural effect of water on the greening bronze, but whatever the cause, I doubt she’s crying about the view – what a gorgeous little cemetery.

Bill took these at Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek. The top one is an infrared photo & you can see more in his Battle Creek Michigan gallery and for sure follow him on Facebook for his latest!

PS: If you need a spooky Michigan cemetery story, allow me to recommend the haunting tale of The Ada Witch!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Green Heron, Brown Alert

Posted on by farlane
Green Heron by Kevin Povenz

Green Heron by Kevin Povenz

Click on Detroit shares that State Representatives Alicia St. Germaine and Ron Robinson have introduced a bill to establish a “Brown Alert” system modeled after existing emergency notification systems like Amber Alerts:

“Right after a raw sewage discharge, we shouldn’t have people paddleboarding on the Clinton River or launching kayaks. They need timely notifications so they can make an informed decision whether they want to go on that waterway,” St. Germaine said.

The proposed system would require county drain or public works commissioners to notify local emergency managers within 12 hours of the water reaching dangerous contamination levels.

“If something like this were to happen, people should be notified in real-time, and in a lot of cases, it’s not reported for weeks or sometimes months afterwards, and by then, what are you going to do about it?” Robinson said.

Many Harrison Township residents have witnessed signs of water contamination firsthand. “The other day, when we had a big rain and you could see chunks of what I’m going to call ‘things’ floating down the river that appeared to be untreated sewage. It was awful,” said Jim Constantino.

That’s a big no from me on floaty things in our rivers & lakes!! The other day I saw a green heron fishing in a containment pond that had a posted “Don’t Eat These Fish” warning. It always makes me sad when I see animals oblivious to our pollution, but hopefully making more people aware of it will lead to generating less of it.

Kevin took this shot of a young green heron last month in a marshy area at the Grand Ravines. See lots more in his Birds gallery on Flickr.

You can read more about Green herons on Michigan in Pictures!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Mounds of snow for Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Lake Michigan Ice Mounds by Mark Swanson

Lake Michigan Ice Mounds by Mark Swanson

The Lansing State Journal reports the National Weather Service says that a triple threat of subzero temperatures, high winds and ice-free Great Lakes really piled up the lake effect snow last week:

“This snowy week is nearly at an end, including a visit from real Arctic air, and many towns near Lake Michigan and Lake Superior got a foot or two of fresh snow as a result,” the NWS said. “Clearly, the vast majority of snow was a result of lake effect, as plenty of other parts of Michigan only saw an inch or two at best.”

Air temperatures in Michigan fell below zero Jan. 18-22. In some cases, the thermometer didn’t read above zero for two days. The coldest reading in the state came Monday night when Stambaugh, in the western UP, registered minus 30 — before wind chill. The town also saw minus 28 on Tuesday night while Ironwood’s NWS observer recorded minus 27.

You can see that the conditions have also piled up shoreline ice in these pictures that Mark took over the weekend at Lincoln Township Beach just north of Grand Mere State Park. Here are some more recent ones and a shot from summer of 2016 below. More in Mark’s 2025 gallery on Flickr!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Hurricane Beryl bringing a different rainstorm to Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Another Angry Sky by Jeremy Vohwinkle

Another Angry Sky by Jeremy Vohwinkle

Beryl is the earliest category 5 hurricane since we classifying them 100 years ago & a pretty clear indication that climate change continues apace. Since we’ve all probably formed an opinion on that which can’t be changed, how about some other science? mLive meteorologist Mark Torrregrossa shares that the storms in Michigan due to Hurricane Beryl are NOT your ordinary rainstorms:

Tropical rain such as the heavy rain we are having tonight and Wednesday originates from a different part of the globe compared to most all other rains in Michigan. The rain now has some moisture in it from Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the deep southern states of the U.S. Most of our rain has moisture gathered from the air over the Pacific Ocean or the western and central United States.

…. The tropical clouds typically have a lower base, sometimes only one thousand to two thousand feet above the ground. You may feel like you can reach up and touch the clouds. Our ordinary rains would have a low base at five thousand feet and many bases are higher than five thousand feet.

…Now think about the different things that can be in a raindrop from Africa and the tropics. I haven’t seen any actual research on this but tropical rains can carry more and different nutrients within the drop. I call this rain, “the great green-up.” Look at your grass. Look at your vegetable and flower garden after the rain. If it’s not drowned out, your garden with go through robust growth this week. It will be like you fertilized it. It’s about to get nature’s “Miracle-Gro.”

Lots more in this fascinating article!

Jeremy took this way back in the summer of 2011 in Edwardsburg, way down in southwest Michigan. See more in his Landscapes gallery on Flickr & stay dry!!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

2024 West Michigan Photo Contest

Posted on by farlane

Hoffmaster State Park Rainbow by Lillian Dotzlaf

The West Michigan Tourist Association invites you to participate in their 2024 West Michigan Photo Contest. Prizes include packages from some great businesses & they are looking for traveler photo submissions from the entire west half of Michigan – all the way from the Indiana border to Mackinac Island and into the Upper Peninsula.

“We love getting to see all of the amazing photos from all throughout West Michigan – it’s a highlight of the summer!” said Kaylie Pomper, Marketing Manager. “We love seeing so many different perspectives from the photos shared with us. It’s a great way to see involvement from the communities that make up our beautiful state.”

Pomper also noted that photos do not need to be taken this month in order to submit them to the photo contest. “If you have West Michigan photos from your past visits to the area, we encourage you to enter those as well! West Michigan is photogenic all seasons of the year, so don’t feel that you’re only limited to submitting summer photos.”

All photo entries must be received by July 29th, 2024. Judges will be awarding prizes in the categories of “Beach/Lake Photo; Travelers Exploring Iconic West Michigan Destinations; Downtown Photo; Fairs & Festivals Photo” with an additional prize awarded via public voting by WMTA’s Facebook audience.

Lillian won the public vote last year & shared “I am elated I won the public vote category with the rainbow photo I took just after my Dad passed away. I am so blessed to call this place home. Thank you WMTA for giving me the opportunity and to Mackinac Island for the phenomenal prize package. I know I’ve got an extra angel looking out for me.”

Indeed!! Check out Lillian’s work on Instagram and at Little Lill’s Photography on Facebook!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon