Rainbow over the Badger, photo by mark zacks
View Mark’s photo big as a boat and click for more of his Ludington shots including a few more of the Badger car ferry.
More ships & boats and more rainbows on Michigan in Pictures.
Fall Transition
Fall Transition, photo by Terry Clark
The autumnal equinox happened last night at 10:29 PM, so today will our the first full day of fall. Here’s hoping this will be a warm & wonderful autumn for Michigan!
View Terry’s photo background big and see more of his fall photos.
Get your computer background updated for the season with more fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures. More fall photos too!
Sunset over the Keweenaw
Sunset over the Keweenaw, photo by Ashley Williams
Here’s a beautiful shot from late October last year on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P. With temps this cold, it won’t be long until the color returns! Hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors this weekend.
View Ashley’s photo background bigtacular and see more in her slideshow. You can also follow her on Facebook or Instagram and visit her photography website.
More from the Keweenaw and more fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
The U.P. stand-off: Lions vs Packers
The U.P. stand-off, photo by Ann Fisher
The Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday at Ford Field for the first of two divisional meetings. Wikipedia notes that the longest continuously-running NFL rivalry is the Lions vs Packers. They first met in 1930 when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans (they were based in Portsmouth, Ohio until they moved to Detroit in 1934 season). They’ve been division rivals since 1933 and have always met at least twice a season since 1932, without any cancelled games.
As Ann notes, that rivalry is no contest in Marquette. Thought it may be in Michigan, the U.P. is Packers territory.
View her photo of lawn geese all dressed up for the season background big and see more in her 2014 U.P. slideshow.
Lots more Detroit Lions on Michigan in Pictures.
ArtPrize 2014, now with Fish on Rocks!
Catfish, photo by Robert Bradley
ArtPrize returns to Grand Rapids for its 5th year next Wednesday and runs September 24 – October 12th. The 19 day event turns downtown Grand Rapids into a free & open art competition for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. While you can certainly debate the merits of ArtPrize and the art displayed, there’s no question that this is one of the most engaging and immersive art events in the country.
You can check out the 2014 entries right here, look back through the years on their History page, and also see a video from 2013 that captures some on the flavor and fun. The only way to really experience it is to go, something that I heartily recommend!!
This is part of Kevin Sudeith’s Contemporary Petroglyphs installation along the Grand River.
View Robert’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his ArtPrize 2014 slideshow (which I expect will grow in the weeks to come).
Lots more ArtPrize on Michigan in Pictures!
Adventurer
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, photo by teddy eduardo iglesias
I’ve stood in this spot, and it felt almost as amazing as this picture.
View Teddy’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his Michigan Outdoors slideshow.
Lots more from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Michigan in Pictures!
#TBT: Tahquamenon Falls Aerial View, postmarked 1948
Aerial View Upper Tahquamenon Fall, Postmarked 1948, photo by Don…The UpNorth Memories Guy… Harrison
In honor of the latest kayaker to throw caution to the wind (or is that water?) and take the plunge over the 51′ Tahquamenon Falls, here’s a cool aerial of the Falls that was postmarked in 1948 and probably taken a few years before.
If you want to see how to do this, check out a great video feature at YooperSteez on How to Kayak Over Tahquamenon Falls with Brazilian extreme kayaker Marcelo Galizio. Things To Do in the UP has an interview with Marcello as well. NOTE: I’m pretty sure this is against the rules at Tahquamenon Falls State Park and probably a great way to kill yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing!
View Don’s photo big as the Falls and see more pics & postcards from Tahquamenon and also follow him at UpNorthMemories on Facebook.
Lots more about Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures!
Monarch & Sunflower
Monarch on sunflower, photo by jgagnon63@yahoo.com
The Michigan DNR page on Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) says:
Often called the Milkweed Butterfly, this large black veined orange winged butterfly can be observed feeding on milkweed. During its mating behavior, the adult male monarch will display a “courtship dance.” Perching on the tips of the milkweed, it will fly to other large butterflies to see if one is a female monarch; if it is, they will fly together in a fast, darting flight, lasting up to a minute and covering many yards and to a height of 100 feet.
As fall approaches, the monarchs can be seen in large numbers migrating along the Great Lakes shorelines enroute to Mexico and Central America.
Monarch butterfly populations have been declining in Michigan for the last decade, and it appears that last winter was another tough blow for this beleaguered beauty. You can learn a lot more about Monarch butterflies and how to help protect them at Monarch Watch.
View jgagnon’s photo background bigalicious and see more in his slideshow.
Edison Sault Hydroelectric Plant
Sault Ste Marie Edison Water Treatment Plant, photo by Matt
Matt linked over to Top Plants: Edison Sault Hydroelectric Plant Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in PowerMag, which says (in part):
Hydroelectric projects are unique in that as long as the water is flowing and the mechanicals are periodically upgraded, there are few reasons their turbines won’t continue making electricity into the next century. The energy source may be renewable, but so is the plant itself. An exceptional example is Michigan’s 107-year-old Edison Sault Hydroelectric Plant, which combines historic architecture with modern technology to successfully generate 25 to 30 MW of electricity when operating at full load.
…Excavation of the hydropower plant’s canal began in September 1898 and was completed in 1902. Concurrently, construction of the Edison Sault Electric Hydroelectric Plant began in March 1900 and was completed in 1902. Official opening of the facility was held on October 25, 1902. At the time of completion, the plant was second only to Niagara Falls in terms of hydro development.
The facility is constructed of stone and steel. Much of the stone that was used was excavated from the power canal during its construction. Additional stone was used on other local landmarks throughout the City of Sault Ste. Marie.
You can read on for more (including diagrams) and visit the Cloverland Electric Cooperative Hydroelectric Plant page for more!
View Matt’s photo background bigtacular and see more in his Michigan Vacation slideshow. Speaking as someone who’s seen a fair amount of Michigan vacation photos – nice vacation Matt!!
More from Sault Ste. Marie on Michigan in Pictures!
Closing out the Summer
Untitled, photo by Jim Sorbie
Summer 2014 – get it before it’s gone!
View Jim’s photo of a sunset paddleboarder on Lake Michigan near Empire background bigtacular and see more in his Leelanau Scenes slideshow!
More sunsets and more summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
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