Gordie Howes Last Girder by photosbyjoeyd
Joey got an incredible drone shot of workers laying the last girder in place to connect the deck of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge to the Detroit Port of Entry. An astonishing project that is directed and paid for by Canada!
Check out more photos by Joey on his Instagram and view & purchase photos on his website!
Lots more bridges on Michigan in Pictures!
Black Slate River Falls by Amie Lucas
Go Waterfalling’s page on the Slate River Falls shares that:
Slate River Falls is, unsurprisingly, on the Slate River. This is the largest of many drops over a three mile stretch of the river. This is a wild waterfall, with no fences, and the only trail is one left behind by the curious feet of others.
The falls are located along Skanee Road between L’Anse and Skanee, about 10 miles east of L’Anse. There is a sign marking the Slate River, so the falls are easier to find than some.
If you continue upstream past the falls a few hundred yards you can find two smaller falls, Slide Falls and Ecstasy Falls (so named by kayakers). About 3 miles upstream you can find Quartzite Falls, Black Slate Falls and more unnamed drops.
Amie took this way back in October of 2015. View the photo background bigilicious and see more in her Michigan Waterfalls gallery on Flickr.
Shalda Creek Iris by Michigan Nut Photography
John got this shot of wild Iris along the banks of Shalda Creek in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
See more on the Michigan Nut Facebook page and at michigannutphotography.com.
wsykes52722dawn_rb by Rod Burdick
Rod took this photo of the classic laker and steamer Wilfred Sykes in fog on the St. Clair River at dawn last week. Head over to his Flickr for the latest!
Sunrise at Gabbro Falls by Neil Weaver
GoWaterfalling’s page on Gabbro Falls has directions to this western Upper Peninsula waterfall and begins:
Gabbro Falls is on the Black River and is as impressive, if not more impressive, than its more celebrated neighbors downstream along the Black River Scenic Byway. This is a largely wild waterfall with no fences or barriers of any kind. It consists of three separate drops. When the water is high there is a fourth drop that is the height of the other three combined. The main drop falls into a narrow crevice between two large rock formations.
Follow Neil on Facebook and for sure head over to his website to view & purchase prints. This pic is on his Michigan Waterfalls page!
River Otter by Ashleigh Mowers
Great Lakes Now has an excellent feature on the return of river otters to the Detroit River that says (in part):
On the cool morning of April 25, doctoral student Eric Ste Marie from the University of Windsor’s department of integrative biology went out for a walk with his partner along the Detroit River prior to an anticipated long day in his lab. Much to his surprise, he saw an animal pop its head out of the water. It was too big to be a mink and, as it dove, he noticed that it did not have a flat beaver tail. Ste Marie ran out to the end of a pier beneath the Ambassador Bridge to get a closer look to check, and there it was: a river otter.
River otters were quite common in southeast Michigan, including the Detroit River, up through the arrival of European explorers and fur traders,” said Gearld P. Wykes, a historian from the Monroe County Museum System. “During the fur trade era, they were much sought after for their fur, along with beaver. Based on historical records, river otters were likely extirpated from the Detroit River in the early 1900s.”
In 1986, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reintroduced river otters into high water quality rivers and streams in eastern Ohio. The river otters thrived. As their population grew, they began to move westward – what scientists call expanding their range. By the early 2000s, they had found a home in western Ohio, particularly near Cedar Point and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, just east of Toledo.
…Biologists studying the Detroit River and resource managers have been excited about the possible range expansion of river otters into the Detroit River. There have been a few anecdotal reports from citizens, but no photographic or videographic proof until Ste Marie was greeted with that ecological surprise on the morning of April 25.
…River otters are considered an indicator species, and their return to the Detroit River after an absence of more than 100 years is a hopeful sign of improving watershed conditions.
Ashleigh took this back in 2016 in Detroit at the Detroit Zoo. Hopefully she gets a shot of them in the wild! See more in her Detroit gallery on Flickr & for sure check out her Go See Do Photography website for more great pics!
More about River otters on Michigan in Pictures.
The Karen Andrie and Endeavor by Craig Hensley
Craig got this tasty shot of the tugboat Karen Andrie and the barge Endeavor making their way up the Detroit River last summer. Detroit is on the left & Windsor, Canada is on the right.
Head over to Craig’s Flickr and his website for more!
Interstate Falls on the Wisconsin – Michigan border by Tom Clark
Tom shares, “Interstate Falls is an 18-foot waterfall on the Montreal River, along the Wisconsin / Michigan border, at the edge of the City of Ironwood, Michigan and Hurley, Wisconsin. A 0.3 mile trail through hardwood-hemlock forest leads to the falls, and is a popular attraction to residents and visitors of the Gogebic Range.”
See more in his North Shore Waterfall Trip 2020 & see lots more on his website!
Golden Rays over Canada by Craig Hensley
Craig got this supersweet drone shot of downtown Detroit last week. In his photo you can see Belle Isle, the sun shining on Canada across the Detroit River at the left, the Renaissance Center towers in the center, and the art deco Guardian Building in the foreground.
See more great shots in Craig’s Detroit gallery & view and purchase his work on his website.
Victoria Dam & Falls December 2021-11 by Nathan Miller
The Waterfalls of the Keweenaw entry for Victoria Dam Falls has directions & says in part:
This section of West Branch Ontonagon River was once the home of the famous Ontonagon Boulder (a copper boulder now housed in the Smithsonian weighing almost two tons) and a tall, impressive waterfall. A dam and basin now covers both landmarks and only an overflow channel, one that is rarely flowing, remains. Viewing the drop is easy as it flows down from the opposite bank facing an access point.
Nathan took this back in December of 2021. For sure head over to Flickr to see this & other shots extra big in his Victoria Dam & Falls gallery.
Michigan in Pictures 