Tahquamenon Falls

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Tahquamenon Falls

Tahquamenon Falls, photo by Odalaigh.

Lay aside your cloak, O Birch-tree!
Lay aside your white-skin wrapper,
For the Summer-time is coming,
And the sun is warm in heaven,
And you need no white-skin wrapper!
Thus aloud cried Hiawatha
In the solitary forest,
By the rushing Taquamenaw
The Song of Hiawatha

I don’t think I’ve see a photo that better captures the majestic sweep of the Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I guess that justifies returning to the subject of Michigan waterfalls so soon!

Go Waterfalling says this about Tahquamenon Falls:

This is the largest waterfall in Michigan, and in terms of volume it is in the top five for waterfalls east of the Mississipi. It is a bit out of the way. There are no other significant falls within a two hour drive, but the park offers lots of hiking and camping activities. If you happen to be circling Lake Superior visiting waterfalls , make sure to visit this one.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park park is on MI-123. It is on the map and is easy to find, but it is a bit out of the way. There are three sections to the park: the upper falls, the lower falls, and the rivermouth campsite…

Naturally occurring tannic acids in the water give the falls their brownish tea color.

You can read and see more of Michigan’s biggest waterfall under Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures.

Charles says this is a 30 sec long exposure panorama. See it bigger in his slideshow and also check out the Tahquamenon Falls slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool!

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.

Stand for the land … and the Yellow Dog River

Posted on by farlane

Yellow Dog
Yellow Dog, photo by Luminous Light Huntress

Stand for the Land is asking folks to show up at the State Capitol this Thursday (June 3) at 11:30 AM for a peaceful rally as they deliver a petition to the Natural Resources Commission regarding Michigan’s first permitted sulfide mine. The event features speakers and Michigan musicians and you can get all the details on Facebook.

The mine is located on the Yellow Dog Plains north of Marquette, where this lovely little river flows. Acid mine drainage from sulfide mines has killed many of the rivers in the west, and there has yet to be a sulfide mine that hasn’t created acid mine drainage.

Have a look at what acid mining has done to Sudbury, and then see if the “jobs” argument holds water when you put the 100 or so mine jobs in one hand and Michigan’s countless tourism industry jobs in the other.

The Yellow Dog Watershed has this to say about the river & watershed:

The Yellow Dog River Watershed lies in eastern Baraga and western Marquette Counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The area is known as the Huron Peninsula and is one of the last wild areas in the state. The river begins in the McCormick Wilderness Area as an outflow of Bulldog Lake. It then runs 52 miles and drops 1096 feet at an average rate of 1:150ft through granite gorges, open plains, and hemlock forests to end in Lake Independence. From there, another outflow, the Iron River, runs from Independence to Lake Superior. The Iron River was historically part of the Yellow Dog River but had its name changed once industry came to the area.

The watershed encompasses 98 square miles and drains over six smaller subwatersheds. The Lost, Bob, Bushey, Big Pup, and Little Pup creeks all flow into the Yellow Dog River. Waterfalls abound along the Yellow Dog and its tributaries. The terrain is very hilly (some flatlanders might even say mountainous) with high ridges and low valleys giving a spectacular view. The highest point in the watershed is over 1600 ft. Not only can you see the river and forests from the hilltops but also Lake Superior. Wetlands abound and the forest type varies from old growth pine groves to aspen regeneration to stands of hardwood/conifer mix.

Be sure to check this out bigger.

Enter the Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Crashing Wave

Crashing Wave, photo by James Marvin Phelps (mandj98).

When I was posting information about the Absolute Michigan Summer Photo Celebration to some Flickr photo groups, I came across another cool contest. Rebecca Dill from Great Lakes Forever writes:

With summer vacations to the Lakes just around the corner, the sixth annual Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest is accepting submissions from May 20 – July 18, 2010. Through the 2010 Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest, photographers can help defend the Great Lakes with their cameras – and get noticed throughout the Great Lakes region.

Biodiversity Project’s Great Lakes Forever program has again partnered with Budweiser to sponsor a photography contest that celebrates the beauty of the Great Lakes through the incredible talent of local photographers. Great Lakes Forever is a non-profit education and activism campaign designed to raise awareness about our vulnerable and valuable Lakes.

The grand prize winner in both the professional and amateur categories will be featured on the 2010 Great Lakes Forever/Budweiser beer coasters. These coasters will be distributed to bars and restaurants throughout the Great Lakes region…

Interested photographers can visit the Great Lakes Forever website for contest rules and submission details. The submission deadline is July 18, 2010.

The Grand Prize is a kayak and portable navigation system and you can get all the details on their 6th Annual Photo Contest page!

Check this out bigger and in James’ Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore set (slideshow). You can also purchase it if you like!

Laughing Whitefish Falls (and hey brother help a brother from Michigan out!)

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Laughing White Fish Falls

Laughing White Fish Falls, photo by John.Dykstra.

I’m goin away, ’cause I gotta busted heart.
I’m leavin’ today, if my TravelAll will start.
And I reckon where I’m headed, I might need me different clothes
way up in Michigan, where the Laughing River flows.
~Greg Brown, Laughing River

Waterfall supersite Go Waterfalling says that Laughing Whitefish Falls looks bigger in person and:

…is in the Laughing Whitefish Scenic Site. This is one of the most impressive of Michigan’s waterfalls. I believe it is the highest waterfall in Michigan that is readily visitable.

The falls can be found off of M-94, about 30 miles from Munising or Marquette, and just outside of Chatham.

…The waterfall is named for the river. The river is so named because the mouth of the river resembled a laughing fish when viewed by the Ojibwe from Lake Superior.

The photo was taken by John Dykstra and John is a high school senior who is near the top of the voting for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship. They will award a cash gift & Sigma products for one senior to advance his or her education and goals toward obtaining a career in the photography industry.

John asks you to look at his work as he wants honest support. He writes that he is an:

…aspiring artist with an intense passion for landscape photography, the main point of interest being the innate beauty of the Michigan wilderness. The prize is for $5000 + $1000 in Sigma products, all of which I would be using to get an immense jump start in my fine art photography and nature conservancy career. I would be able to get the equipment I need right now and begin shooting across the state’s forests within weeks of graduating.

You can learn about the contest here and see and vote for John’s entry right here. See this photo bigger in John’s slideshow.

Douglass Houghton Falls

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Douglass Houghton Falls

Douglass Houghton Falls, photo by We Are CS.

These falls are located on private property. Kyle writes that after nearly 10 years in Houghton, he was finally able to visit Douglass Houghton Falls with permission from the land-owner.

The page on Douglass Houghton Falls from Waterfalls of the Keweenaw Area says:

Extremely impressive waterfall, with the water dropping from grassy plains over a hundred feet into a deep, wooded gorge. Falls are almost a true plunge with the a spike of rock splitting the water into two falls halfway down. Smaller drops directly upstream and downstream.

Be sure to check it out bigger and see more in his Douglass Houghton Falls set (slideshow).

Many more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!

Rain Forest, Michigan style

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Deep Woods Magic

Deep Woods Magic, photo by CreateWithKim.

Hey everyone – very sorry for not updating Michigan in Pictures yesterday and Monday. I was in the El Yunque rain forest* and the Internet wasn’t!! I’m back in the arms of Mama Michigan and ready for spring!

Since we were on the subject of rain forests, I figured this photo from an Eastern Hemlock Forest on the Little Union Gorge Trail in the Porcupine Mountains would be nice. You have to check it out large on black and in her Porcupine Mountains Autumn 2009 set (view the slideshow).

*If you want to see my pics, they’re right here.

Watch your step atop Castle Rock

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Watch your step!

Watch your step!, photo by robizphoto.

In their entry about Castle Rock, Hunt’s Guide to the UP says that Castle Rock is a limestone stack, eroded by water and wind to form a “castle” nearly 200 feet above Lake Huron:

Clarence Eby, a St. Ignace photographer and pioneer of area tourism, acquired Castle Rock and, in 1928, opened it as a destination, just as somewhat better area roads enabled motorists to go sightseeing in outlying areas. He made postcards of sights in Mackinac County, the island, and the Straits, created a guidebook with ads from resorts and cabins, and worked to create a Chamber of Commerce information center in town. Today Eby’s grandson Mark runs Castle Rock

Click the link above to see one of Eby’s colorized postcards and get more info including a panoramic photo from Wikipedia.

Check this out bigger and in robizphoto’s Landscapes slideshow.

Still winter on Kitchi-Gummi

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Kitchi-Gummi

Kitchi-Gummi, photo by Holkeboer.

The Great Lakes Information Network has this to say about the world’s largest lake:

The first French explorers approaching the great inland sea by way of the Ottawa River and Lake Huron referred to their discovery as le lac superieur. Properly translated, the expression means “Upper Lake,” that is, the lake above Lake Huron. Kitchi-gummi, a Chippewa Indian translation, signifies Great-water or Great-lake. A Jesuit name, Lac Tracy, was never officially adopted.

An Indian name for Lake Superior was “Kitchi gami” (or “Kitchi-gummi”).

Be sure and check this out bigger or in John’s Feb. Munising Trip set (slideshow).

The rock in the picture is Miner’s Castle, which you can learn more about from Michigan in Pictures.

March in Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Lake Superior In March (3)

“Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” – Lewis Grizzard

Every month we post an event calendar on Absolute Michigan that highlights some events from all over the state of Michigan. Our Michigan March Event Calendar features music & entertainment including the Metro Times Blowout in Hamtramck, the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Brew-Ski Festival in Harbor Springs, celebrations of spring like Foremost’s Butterflies Are Blooming in Grand Rapids, reminders that winter isn’t quite over including the Annual Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon in Calumet and (of course) the Detroit St. Patrick’s Day Parade. March is also the season for shows, including the West Michigan Home & Garden Show in Grand Rapids and the Lansing Home & Garden Show and the The Michigan Golf Show in Novi.

Jim took this shot of an ice formation on Lake Superior taken near Little Girl’s Point in the far western end of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He says to check it out bigger, so do, and also see it in his Winter slideshow.