Paint the Sky (3).jpg, photo by smartee_martee.
Part of Marty’s The Assortment of Moments set (slideshow).
The Badger – steaming out of summer
The Badger — Steaming out of the harbor, photo by Diann*.
Diann says that the SS Badger leaving its home port of Ludington en route to Manitowoc, Wisconsin was the grand finale of a great Labor Day weekend.
It’s one of a number of cool shots in her Trains, Tugs, and Ferries set (slideshow) and she has posted it in big, beautiful, background-class glory!
More about this Lake Michigan car ferry at the SS Badger web site and from Michigan in Pictures.
Barack Obama in Detroit – Labor Day 2008
Detroit Loves Obama, photo by Maia C.
Maia writes that this is just part of the crowd gathered in Detroit’s Hart Plaza to show their support for Barack Obama on Labor Day, 2008.
The Detroit News has a great panorama by photographer Anne Savage and there’s a nice photo gallery on the Freep as well. There’s some video at the Freep and (when that gets removed) on YouTube from tdndavid. Nice to see Michigan get as little national face time looking sunny & fun!
You can see a lot more photos from Obama’s Labor Day visit to the Motor City on Flickr (slideshow).
Note: Not trying to be partisan here, just documenting a major Michigan story. As an aside, I’ve been looking all summer for pics from John McCain in Michigan – nothing has been shared with Absolute Michigan yet. So get out there, you McCainiacs and get clicking!
Michigan Logging Train Excursion
Excursion Logging Train, Harbor Springs, photo from Detroit Publishing Co., c1906 (at the Library of Congress)
I noticed that the Newaygo Logging Festival (Eventful link w/ map) happens this weekend. Several recent conversations and excursions of my own have driven home how profoundly the logging industry has shaped Michigan. Like miners, the timber trade roamed from river mouth to natural harbor up and down our Great Lake shoreline, into connected lakes and with the coming of the railroad, across the entire Lower & Upper Peninsulas.
At every stop, when the trees were gone, the land was left cleared and ready for villages and farms. Many of those working in the timber trade turned to farming and town building, and the names of the founders of these towns (and the owners of the dry goods stores) were often the names of the principals of the lumber companies.
Over Labor Day Weekend, I think it would be neat if Michigan were to somehow remember and honor the role of logging and loggers played in creating our state.
…and when it’s not such a lovely, last weekend of summer out there, be sure to check out some Michigan lumbering history and this really cool collection of Michigan logging photos from MichiganEpic.org.
Seriously, these logging photos are great!
Saving up your acorns
Acorns, photo by StormchaserMike.
StormchaserMike says that he gathered these up because he heard that blue jays like them.
Hope everyone gets a chance to put away a few golden moments of summer before it slips away!
Michigan Orange
Untitled, photo by Blondieyooper.
Usually you have to wait a month or so to see orange like this in Michigan.
Be sure to check it out bigger. This one too!
In fact, if it’s raining where you are, why not settle back and wander through April’s Negaunee photos (slideshow).
The Fabulous Fox Theater of Detroit
The Fabulous Fox Theater of Detroit, photo by SNWEB.ORG Photography
Wikipedia’s Fox Theatre (Detroit) entry says that Detroit’s Fox is the largest of the 28 Theaters built by movie mogul and 20th Century Fox founder William Fox (or purchased by his company):
…it was the first movie palace to have live sound. The architect, C. Howard Crane, designed a lavish interior blend of Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Persian motifs. There are three levels of seating, the Main Floor above the orchestra pit, the Mezzanine, and the Gallery (balcony). The exterior of the attached 10-story building features an Art Deco facade, which at night is illuminated and can be seen for several blocks.
The Fox was Detroit’s premier movie palace for decades, but by the 1970s it was a shadow of itself, showing horror and Kung fu movies to sparse audiences. In 1988, new owners Mike and Marian Ilitch conducted a $12 million renovation by its new owners which restored the theater to its former glory as Detroit’s premier venue.
Detroit’s historic Fox Theatre from the Detroit News has some great historical photos and details some of the amazing materials utilized. Those red columns, for example, are solid marble and each apparently holds a jeweled figure representing various Asiatic Gods and the lobby held the largest wool rug ever made in the US.
You can see a whole lot more photos of this amazing structure in a Flickr search for Fox Theatre Detroit (slideshow) and you can purchase the photo above at snweb.org.
Here’s a link to the official site for the Fox Theatre (where you can order tickets to Broadway and other shows) and here’s the Fox Theatre on the Absolute Michigan Map.
Bond Falls on the Ontonagon River
Bond Falls 04, photo by Jeff Milton
Jeff writes:
This is an image of the lower Bond Falls from a recent trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Bond Falls, close to Bruce Crossing, is my favorite of the waterfalls that I have visited in Michigan. If you visit Bonds falls early on a summer morning, there is often an dramatic fog.
This is one of his gorgeous Bond Falls set (slideshow). I had a nearly impossible time deciding which one of these to feature – be sure to check them all out!!
GoWaterfalling.com has this to say about Bond Falls on the Ontonagon River:
Bond Falls is in the western U.P. on Bond Falls Rd, east of Pauding MI. This is the most impressive waterfall in Michigan with the possible exception of Tahquamenon Falls. The main drop is 40 feet high and 100+ feet wide. Above the main falls are a series of cascades and rapids that must drop a total of 20 feet.
The water level is controlled by a dam, and a steady flow over the falls is maintained for scenic reasons. Of course during the spring melt the flow is much higher.
Bond Fall is a Michigan State Scenic Site. The site was renovated around 2003. The old parking area was upstream of the falls, and a steep concrete stairway led to the base of the falls. The new parking area is near the base of the falls, and a level boardwalk leads you to prime views of the falls. The area is not quite as wild looking as it once was, but it is accessible to everyone. The trail on the east side of the falls is still wild with some steep rocky climbs. There are other trails that go off into the woods, and there are campsites nearby.
Click through for more, including a short video of Bond Falls. You can also check it out Bond Falls on the Absolute Michigan Map!
Vermilion Point and the Vermillion Life Saving Station
Vermilion Bunkhouse, photo by Odalaigh
The Little Traverse Conservancy says that the Vermilion Point Nature Preserve is a 175 acre tract on Whitefish Point (north of Paradise in Chippewa County) that features over 9000 feet of Lake Superior frontage:
This preserve is defined by the majesty and moods of Lake Superior and its remote location. It contains a wide sandy beach, low shore dunes, upland forest, old cranberry bog wetlands, and a stream. Ecologically, the land is known habitat for the federally endangered piping plover.
…Historically, this property and its associated buildings were a life saving station first built in 1847. Years of neglect and harsh Lake Superior weather have taken a toll on the buildings which are being restored. Researchers from Lake Superior State University, The Nature Conservancy, and Michigan Audubon use the property to study the piping plovers as well as other birds, and the wetlands.
Charles works for the Conservancy and has a ton of photos of their preserves everything from installing the new sign to these cool bird prints. He posts his photos in beautiful, background bigness – check out his Vermilion set and this slideshow of his vermilion tag.
Marty Hogan has some pictures from the Vermillion Life Saving Station, and more pics can be found at Vermilion Michigan and this photo map for the Whitefish Point area on Flickr.
If you’d like to go back in time, check out the Vermillion Life Saving Station courtesy Archives of Michigan Digital Collection…
Golden Journey… Standup paddle surfing
Golden Journey…., photo by Doug Langham.
Doug has a great shot of a sport I’ve been itching to try. Wikipedia’s Stand Up Paddle Surfing entry says:
Stand Up Paddle, (SUP), is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage. It can be traced back to the early days of Polynesia. The sport is ancient form of surfing and began as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of learner surfers as standing on the board gave them a higher view point increasing visibility of what was going on around them such as incoming swell….
Today SUP, or Stand-Up-Paddle, is gaining popularity as the demands for global-conscious green sports increase. Additionally the sport benefits athletes with a strong ‘core’ workout. SUP’ing is popular at warm coastal climates and resorts, and is gaining in popularity as celebrities are sampling the sport and cross-over athletes are training with SUP. SUPs have been spotted around the globe anywhere there is easy access to safe waters as well as in the surfing lineups of the world.
Like on the Great Lakes, for example. As the photo shows, the sport isn’t wave-dependent. However, as this video from Stand Up Paddle Surfing Magazine shows, it’s fun in the waves too!
Michigan in Pictures 