Walking on the beach

“Footprints”, Twelvemile Beach, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, photo by Michigan Nut

“I’d rather do 20 miles on soft sand than 10 miles on the side of the road. There is something about being where water meets land. I feel very clicked-in there. I feel like I can go forever.”
~Loreen Niewenhuis

USA Today has a feature on Loreen Niewenhuis, a Battle Creek resident who has hiked a good deal of the shorelines of all the Great Lakes. As to why, she explains:

“Our older son had gone off to college. The nest was emptying. I’d gotten my” master’s of fine arts degree … “but I felt I could stack up novels and not have an agent and be in my office writing novels forever,” says Niewenhuis, 49. “So I thought, let me do something completely different and get out of my office.”

So she put on her hiking boots. She got out the office.

Boy, did she ever.

Click through to read more about her journey and what she learned along the way. You can keep up with Lorraine’s latest including a planned walk on 1000 of Michigan islands on her Facebook page and at laketrek.com.

This photo is of Twelve Mile Beach in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, certainly one of the state’s best beaches. Check John’s photo out on black and see more in his My Favorites slideshow.

Lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior & Erie? Michigan in Pictures has them and all kinds of beach photos!

Sunset & Sequestration

“Lake Michigan Overlook” Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, photo by Michigan Nut

The other day on Leelanau.com I posted Sequestration and the Sleeping Bear Dunes detailing cuts that will be made at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to meet their 5% budget requirement. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Isle Royale and the Keweenaw National Historical Park will all be forced to trim budgets as well. Due to the fact that the NPS fiscal year ends in September, the cuts end up being closer to 10% than 5%.

All of the officials quoted stress that the parks remain open and (mostly) accessible, but when Michigan is spending millions of dollars promoting Pure Michigan nationwide with these parks at the center of our offerings, there’s no question that this is bad news for tourism!

John took this photo about a year ago – view it bigger and see more in his Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore slideshow. He is a frequent guest on Michigan in Pictures – view more of his posts right here.

Pancake Ice

Pancake Ice, photo by ChiliFrei64

I believe that Daniel took this photo in Lexington. Check it out background bigtacular and see more in his Water slideshow.

More ice on Michigan in Pictures.

Ice Arch: Cold grips Michigan

Ice Arch by adonyvan, photo by adonyvan

Got to love what a lake like Superior can carve out of ice.

Right now the coldest air of the last 4 years has settled in across Michigan. Metro Detroit will see wind chills below zero today, Bay City/Saginaw and the surrounding area faces single digit temps and wind chills 15-20 degrees below zero, and it’s just 1 degree right now in Traverse City with double digit wind chills. A scan of Michigan temps shows Ironwood leading the way at a frigid -18 degrees with wind chills up to -26 expected. Bundle up!!

Here’s a funny chart about how Michiganders deal with cold via Absolute Michigan!

View on black and if you want a treat, kick back and watch Jiqing Fan’s Houghton & UP MI slideshow.

More cold on Michigan in Pictures!

Low water exposes Grand Haven shipwreck graveyard

Grand Haven Shipwrecks, photo by Kevin Ryan

mLive has a feature on how our historically low water levels have revealed a number of shipwrecks in Grand Haven:

Maritime archaeologist and director of the Tri-Cities Historical Museum Kenneth Pott said the area around Harbor Island was an apparent dumping zone for abandoned vessels and 1930s aerials held by the museum and the city of Grand Haven show that additional wrecks exist there. If the water line were to recede even more, then more vessels may be exposed.

“We’re quite sure that there are more in the area,” Pott said. “This is something akin to a graveyard for vessels. This is very unusual.”

The wooden sections of the 290-foot steamer Aurora, once the largest wooden steamer on the Great Lakes, and parts of at least four other shipwreck hulks were exposed recently by the low water levels and area residents alerted maritime historians to the find. The Aurora was identified by members of Holland-based Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates and local historians earlier this week.

Read on for more info including the publicly-accessible location. You can also read more about the Aurora right here and see a photo gallery.

Check this out background big and see a couple more views including a nice one of the rough outline of the wreck in Kevin’s slideshow.

More Michigan shipwrecks on Michigan in Pictures.

Riding towards Halloween

Halloween sunset…, photo by Through My Eyes, Nicole Wamsley (astra.amara)

Nicole has the perfect photo for the day before Halloween. Check it out on black and see more including some really cool Headless Horseman (woman?) shots in her Halloween slideshow.

More Halloween photos on Michigan in Pictures.

The Edge of Isaac

The Edge of Isaac 6492-12, photo by StacyN – MichiganMoments

Hurricane Isaac’s northern push as see at sunset at Ludington State Park (or see the DNR site). I know this is twice in a week for Stacy, but I guess that’s just how it is sometimes.

Check this out bigger and in her Most Interesting slideshow.

More Michigan weather on Michigan in Pictures.

Farmland Sundown

Farmland Sundown, photo by karstenphoto

Near Montague. Check this out background bigilicious or in Steven’s sunset slideshow.

More sunset wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.

Big Sable Sunset

Big Sable Sunset, photo by Robby Ryke

Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light has all the history on Big Sable Point Light Station. One interesting fact is that it holds the distinction of being the last Great Lakes light to become electrified in 1949.

Terry notes that electrification was always a double-edged-sword, because it paved the way for automation in 1968 which in turned paved the way for vandalism and deterioration. In 1977 waves came perilously close to undermining the tower before the seawall could be replaced, but the Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association has helped restore this light to its former glory.

Check this photo out bigger and in Robby’s great Pure Michigan slideshow.

Sunset over Copper Harbor

Sunset over Copper Harbor, photo by Xavist on the colorful way

You may remember Xavist from his sweet northern lights shots in April. (he shot some at Yellowstone last week)

Check this out big as the sky or on his map.