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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
Homeward Bound, photo by Bobby Palosaari
Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light is my go-to for Michigan lighthouse lore. His entry for the Keweenaw Upper Entrance Lighthouse says in part:
With the meteoric growth of copper mining in the Keweenaw between 1843 and 1968, increased shipping access to the twin cities of Houghton and Hancock became increasingly important. To this end, the Portage River Canal was cut through a tamarack swamp at its western end in 1860, creating a channel 10 feet deep and 80 feet wide, opening full Portage River navigation for the largest vessels of the day from western Lake Superior.
In 1874, to assist in safely guiding ships into this cut, a large gabled two-story brick dwelling with attached square 33 foot high brick tower was constructed on the west bank at the entrance to the canal. With increasing use of the canal, silting became a major problem, and tolls were levied for its use in order to cover the continuing expenses for repairs and dredging.
For reasons as yet undetermined, the original lighthouse was replaced with the existing fifty foot square steel Art Deco style tower at the end of the breakwater in 1950.
View Bobby’s photo background bigtacular and view & purchase more of his photos including this one at palosaariphotography.com.
The Vortex, photo by Nick Nerbonne
My corner of Northern Michigan was all abuzz last weekend due to a relatively rare meteorological phenomenon known as a “roll cloud.” Wikipedia’s entry on Arcus clouds explains:
An arcus cloud is a low, horizontal cloud formation. Roll clouds and shelf clouds are the two types of arcus clouds. A shelf cloud is usually associated with the leading edge of thunderstorm outflow; roll clouds are usually formed by outflows of cold air from sea breezes or cold fronts in the absence of thunderstorms.
…A roll cloud is a low, horizontal, tube-shaped, and relatively rare type of arcus cloud. They differ from shelf clouds by being completely detached from other cloud features. Roll clouds usually appear to be “rolling” about a horizontal axis. They are a solitary wave called a soliton, which is a wave that has a single crest and moves without changing speed or shape.
View Nick’s photo background big, scroll through his pictures on Facebook, and watch this time-lapse of the cloud…
View from my hammock, photo by Bailiwick Studios
The photographer says that the outlet of Little Black Creek was the view from his hammock at Hoffmaster State Park near Muskegon. Not too shabby!
The Gillette Nature Center’s page on P.J. Hoffmaster State Park says (in part):
P.J. Hoffmaster State Park was established in the 1960s in honor of Percy James Hoffmaster, the longest acting Director of Conservation and the first chief of state parks in Michigan. The park encompasses 1200 acres, including 3 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, and represents one of the finest examples of high relief, parabolic dunes and forested backdunes on the Great Lakes. The undisturbed quality of the habitat makes the park a refuge for 460 species of plants, nearly 90 species of birds and a rich array of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Hoffmaster is home to several listed species of plants, reptiles and birds.
The park’s pristine sandy beach is often described in magazines and travel guides as one of the wildest and most scenic beaches in Michigan.
…The park’s ten miles of trails and diversity of birds provides a birding experience unparalleled in the region, especially in the spring at the peak of migration. The park’s 293 site campground provides the opportunity for an overnight stay, and the surrounding landscape abounds with outdoor adventure for overnight or day visitors alike.
View the photo background bigtacular and see more in Bailwick Studios’ slideshow.
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