Frigid Sunrise at Wawatam Light

Posted on by farlane
Frigid Sunrise at Wawatam Light by Robert F Carter

Frigid Sunrise at Wawatam Light by Robert F Carter

Pure Michigan shares that Wawatam Lighthouse started life in 1998 as a Michigan Welcome Center travel icon at Monroe, Michigan. In 2004, the Monroe Welcome Center was being revamped and the lighthouse was put up for relocation. The City of St. Ignace was the lucky recipient and the structure was trucked north in five pieces. It stayed on the Chief Wawatam Dock for a time, awaiting the construction of its new platform … The Wawatam Lighthouse beacon was first lit on August 20, 2006. Visible for more than 13 miles out over Lake Huron, it is now an official aid-to-navigation. The 250 millimeter Fresnel lens casts its light in a 152 degree arc.

Robert writes “Four of us from my camera club decided to visit Michigan’s U.P. in search of the Snowy Owl. We left early and before we got up to the hunting grounds, we stopped by St. Ignace to see the sunrise. This area of Lake Huron was not frozen over yet even though it was about -5 degrees this morning. One did not stay outside the car very long with the blowing breeze.”

See more in Robert’s Lighthouses gallery on Flickr & see lots more lighthouses on Michigan in Pictures.

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Michigan State Parks Seeking Employees

Posted on by farlane

Rocky Raccoon by Lexington State Harbor

Michigan State Parks, Trails and Waterways is seeking employees & shared this pic from Lakeport State Park & Lexington State Harbor who wrote: If you ask any of us Rangers why we love our jobs, we would all say the same exact thing: each day is different and you never know what you’re going to run into.

Meet Rocky the Raccoon. He was waiting by the door to the fuel dock, likely to reserve a slip for his boat. Little did he know we don’t open until May 1st. After feasting on crackers, scampering around the side of the dock office and dangling over the water, DNR Harbormaster Travas was able to safely remove him from the premises and told him to come back when we’re open.

Click for a couple more pics of our boy Rocky & if you’re looking for a summer gig, consider these jobs at Michigan’s amazing parks!! (look to be in the $18-30 range)

Macatawa Masts

Posted on by farlane

Sail Boat Masts - Macatawa, Michigan by Lita Sandy

Sail Boat Masts – Macatawa, Michigan by Lita Sandy

Here’s a gorgeous shot of the masts in Macatawa’s harbor. See more in her Other West Michigan Photos gallery on Flickr & have a great day!

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Sunset on Summer 2020

Posted on by farlane

Summer Glow - Manistee by Stacy Niedzwiecki

Summer Glow – Manistee by Stacy Niedzwiecki

Here’s hoping that you get a chance to enjoy some of Michigan’s gorgeous scenery this Labor Day Weekend & also that it’s the LAST lost summer for a state that relies so heavily on tourism & travel & fun in sun!

Stacy took this back in 2008 on Labor Day Weekend. See more in her Michigan BLUE Summer album on Flickr & visit her website for more great work!

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Looking Over Charlevoix

Posted on by farlane

Charlevoix Michigan by Laurent Fady

Charlevoix, Michigan by Laurent Fady

Visit Charlevoix says that the Charlevoix area was part of what was called Michilimackinac formed in the Treaty of Washington in 1836:

French explorer Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix is said to have stayed on nearby Fisherman Island and the area was named after him in 1836.

…Exclusive hotels, the Inn and the Beach, were the summer destination for people from around the Midwest. Two depots served summer guests, one at Belvedere and the Pere Marquette Railway depot. Guests also arrived in the late 1800s on steamships including the Manitou, Alabama, North American, South American, Milwaukee Clipper, and Illinois.

During the Prohibition, Chicago area gang members moved their operations to Charlevoix. The Colonial Club became a gambling joint for some of the Midwest’s most powerful. A barge-turned-speakeasy traveled from Charlevoix to Boyne City carrying passengers in style during the summer months.

Lots more at Visit Charlevoix. Laurent took this sweet aerial photo of Charlevoix back in June. See many more views from above in his Aerial Photos of Northern MI gallery!

More Michigan aerial photos & more from Charlevoix on Michigan in Pictures.

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Ludington Harbor

Posted on by farlane

Ludington Harbor, photo by Daniel L

View Daniel’s shot of the Ludington Marina (with the SS Badger at the back) bigger and see more in his Ludington slideshow.

Stillwater

Posted on by farlane

Stillwater, photo by Jamey Robertson

One of the things I love about spring in Michigan – even in a very windy spring like 2017 – are those days when the water is smooth as glass.

View the photo of the soon to be filled Northport Marina bigger and follow Jamey on Instagram for more.

High and Dry in the Leland Harbor

Posted on by farlane

high-and-dry

High and Dry, photo by Mark Smith

Here’s a cool shot by Mark Smith of the Leland, Michigan harbor mouth that has become choked with sand through the actions of Lake Michigan. The spot where he’s standing is normally 10 feet deep, effectively blocking access to the harbor. Despite federal responsibility for the harbor, things were looking dire as no federal funds were forthcoming for a project that usually costs over $150,000.

The story has a happy ending as the harbor is buying their own dredge – click that link to read more on Leelanau.com.

View the photo background bigilicious and see more in Mark’s Leland slideshow.

 

Waabi-Maang (White Loon)

Posted on by farlane

Waabi-Maang White Loon

Waabi-Maang, photo by Mark Smith

Here’s a shot from last week in my hometown of Leland by Mark Smith who writes:

The tribal fishing boat Waabi-Maang (White Loon) fires up for another fishing season in Leland, Michigan. I have been fooling around with a vintage lens here .. quite a trip! (if you look closely you can almost see the storm coming – 8 inches of snow tonight. Thanks, Spring.)

View Mark’s photo background big and see more in his slideshow.

PS: The lens is a Contax Sonnar 2890 – here’s another photo “Branches to Branches” that Mark took with it.

Branches to Branches

 

Marquette Lower Harbor Ore Dock

Posted on by farlane

Marquette Lower Harbor Ore Dock

Lower Harbor Ore Dock, photo by Rudy Malmquist

Travel Marquette shares the story of the Iron Ore Dock in Marquette’s Upper Harbor is also known as the Presque Isle Dock.

The dock was built in 1911 and is still commercially active. Each year approximately 9.5 to 10 million tons of ore are shipped from this dock. The dock is owned and operated by the Cliffs Natural Resources. This steel-framed dock is 1,250 feet long and 60 feet wide, with the top deck sitting 75 feet above the water level. It contains 200 pockets, each of which has a capacity of 250 tons of ore, for a total storage capacity of 50,000 tons. Supporting the dock is a foundation of 10,000 wooden piles enclosed by a 12-inch thick timber sheet plank wall filled with sand.

After being mined the ore is crushed and the iron separated out with either a chemical or magnetic process. The iron is combined with a binding agent (a glorified cornstarch) and rolled into small balls roughly an inch in diameter. The balls are fed through a kiln and fired by temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees F. The result is Taconite Pellets which are loaded on the ore boats and shipped. Most of the pellets shipped from the Presque Isle dock go to Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario the largest integrated steel mill. These pellets, which are roughly 70% iron, will be combined with coke and limestone at the mill to make steel.

The ore comes to the dock via railcars and is dumped into steel “pockets” or bins beneath the tracks. To load the boat, the chute is lowered to the open cargo hatch and a door at the bottom of the pocket opens, allowing the pellets to run into the boat shown in the picture. Loading time is variable, depending on the size of the boat and how prepared the dock is to load. Four hours is typical. Loading is the responsibility of the First Mate. It is important to load the ore in a proper sequence to avoid over-stressing the boat unevenly. Each chute (or drop of ore) is about 20 tons.

View Rudy’s photo big as the sky and see more in his slideshow.

More Marquette and more aerial photography on Michigan in Pictures.