Otherside of the Tail, photo by John Rothwell
Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life.
The evening beam that smiles the clouds away,
and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.
-Lord Byron
View John’s photo background bigilicious and see more in his slideshow.
More summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Shining Cloud Falls, photo by Paul Wojtkowski
GoWaterfalling shares that Shining Cloud Falls is the largest and one of the wildest backcountry waterfalls in the Porcupine Mountains State Park:
You will have to hike at least 5 miles in to see the falls, and another 5 miles to get back. If you are looking for a good long day hike this is a winner. In addition to the main falls there are also a number of smaller cascades, and whatever route you take there is lots of wilderness scenery.
The total drop of the falls is about 20′. The falls consists of two parts, a slide on the left, and a plunge on the right. In higher water the two parts merge, but in lower water the two parts are distinct, as can be seen in the photos on this page. Plunge falls are rare around Lake Superior.
…Downstream of Shining Cloud Falls are a number of unnamed falls and rapids. Several of these are larger than some of the named falls on the Little Carp River. The last drop near the Lake is known as Bathtub Falls. If you are hiking upstream to the falls, do not be fooled by the smaller drops. The trail follows the river closely, but it climbs away from the river before reaching Shining Cloud Falls. There is no sign marking Shining Cloud Falls, but it is very distinctive.
You can read on for more including directions. FYI, “plunge falls” are those where the water descends vertically without contact with the surface.
View Paul’s photo background bigtacular, see more in his slideshow, and view & purchase his photos in his Especially in Michigan gallery at the-woj.com.
Lots more waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!
Blackcaps, photo by David Marvin
When I first saw these, I was sure they were blackberries, but after reviewing Blackberry or Black Raspberry? from Identify that Plant, I’m changing my mind. They say that Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) is frequently confused with Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis).
I’m leaning towards Black raspberry based on the appearance of the berry, but I could certainly be wrong. What do you think?
View David’s photo background bigilicious and see more in his macro goodness in his slideshow.
More summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
Holland, MI – Sailboat City, photo by Cyndie M
Over the weekend, Pure Michigan rolled out a new hashtag on Instagram, Twitter and Vine. You can click those links to check out #PureMichiganLakeEffect on each of the services or head over to the Pure Michigan Lake Effect Gallery to see how to share yours and what kind of summer fun people are up to in the Great Lakes State!
View Cyndie’s photo background big and see more in her slideshow.
Haying It, photo by John Wright
View John’s photo of a hay field near Standwood background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.
More summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Ready for the 4th of July, photo by Ann Fisher
This barn in Chatham (Alger County) is definitely ready for Independence Day – here’s hoping you are too!
View Ann’s photo background bigtacular and see more in her 2016 UP slideshow.
Bay City River Roar, photo by Jeff Caverly
Summertime in Michigan is perfect if you enjoy things that go fast. From the Belle Isle Grand Prix to last weekend’s Bay City River Roar, Michiganders get a healthy dose of go fast. It doesn’t stop on land and see, as a lot of aerial teams are in our skies including the cream of the crop, the Blue Angels in Traverse City all weekend for the National Cherry Festival.
View Jeff’s photo background big, see more action in his slideshow, and view and purchase photos from Bay City & elsewhere on his website.
For some reason this post went to May 26th when I published it this morning. Not sure what I did, but I will try not to do it again!
Union River Waterfalls, photo by David Clark
Every time I think I know every waterfall in Michigan, one more comes a long. Great Lakes Waterfall Adventures shares that Little Union Gorge Falls is:
Located inside an outpost campground off of South Boundary Rd. in the beautiful Porcupine Mountains State Park, the Union Gorge Falls slide shallow water over a 100 plus foot drop in a forested setting. It is a short hike to reach the start of the falls, and the trail follows the river bank for a quarter mile, intersecting several times with the Union Mine Interpretive Trail. Several sections of 10-25 feet highlight the area, thin water most of the year, most likely the best time to visit is in the spring.
…The first long drop has a small, three foot deep pool below it, adding to the calm of the area.
View the photo background bigtacular, see more in his Waterfalls slideshow, and check out David’s blog for a report with more from the Porcupine Mountains!
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, photo by Paul Wojtkowski
Sorry this is a little late today and apologies to anyone who’s on Lake Superior/UP overload – today is my birthday and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is my favorite place in Michigan!
One of the items on my Michigan bucket list is to paddleboard or kayak the stretch of the Hiawatha Water Trail that passes through Pictured Rocks – or the whole thing! They say:
Gitche Gumee, the Ojibwa (Native American) name for Lake Superior, has inspired all who have stood on her shore or paddled her waters. Running 120 miles from Big Bay to Grand Marais Michigan on Lake Superior’s south shore, the Hiawatha Water Trail (HWT) follows a shoreline paddled by Native Americans, Voyageurs and early European explorers. Experience some of the most scenic paddling available in the Midwest at places such as Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Grand Island National Recreation Area, Hiawatha National Forest and other public lands. Stopping in at the communities of Big Bay, Marquette, Munising and Grand Marais, a paddler finds places filled with history and friendly people.
View Paul’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his slideshow.
The Port Crescent Smokestack, photo by Joel Dinda
One of the blogs I enjoy reading is ThumbWind, a blog about (you guessed it) Michigan’s Thumb. In A Ghost Town in the Thumb they tell the story of the town of Port Crescent that was within what is now Port Crescent State Park:
Walter Hume established a trading post and hotel near the mouth of the Pinnebog River in 1844. From these humble beginnings the area took the name of Pinnebog, taking its name from the river of which it was located. However, a post office established some five miles upstream also took its name from the river. To avoid confusion the town changed its name to Port Crescent for the crescent-shaped harbor along which it was built.
Port Crescent had two steam-powered sawmills, two salt plants, a cooperage whichPort Cresent manufactured barrels for shipping fish and salt, a gristmill, a wagon factory, a boot and shoe factory, a pump factory, a brewery, several stores, two hotels, two blacksmith shops, a post office, a depot and telegraph office, and a roller rink. Pinnebog employed hundreds of area residents. Others worked at blockhouses where they extracted brine from evaporated water to produce salt. At one time a this 17 block village boasted of a population of more than 500.
Read on for more and click for more about Port Crescent State Park.
View Joel’s photo background big and see more in his Port Crescent Vacation slideshow.
Michigan in Pictures 