Waterfall Wednesday: Black Slate Falls

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.

Purple for June: Dwarf Lake Iris

Iris lacustris by Bradford Slaughter

Some of you know that my mother Jill suffered for years from the terrifying effects of Alzheimers disease, ultimately passing last winter. June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, and the Alzheimer’s Association encourages us to wear purple (and of course donate) to raise awareness about a disease that afflicts tens of millions of Americans. 

June is also when you can see Michigan’s official State Wildflower, the Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), in bloom:

The official wildflower of the Great Lakes State is right at home anywhere it can get its feet wet along the rocky coast of Northern Lake Huron, but those places are getting harder to come by.

This pint-sized perennial is known for its deep blue flowers that emerge mere inches above the ground for a fleeting few weeks in May and June—individual blossoms last just days. The rest of the time, its yellow-green leaves cling close to the ground, hiding in plain sight until springtime comes around again.

It’s a bit of a miracle this fragile flower exists at all: They grow in the thin, nutrient-poor soil that overlays limestone gravel and bedrock. The Northeast Michigan coast, rich with sand dunes and limestone deposits, creates the perfect habitat for the iris, found nowhere else outside the northern Great Lakes.

Along with a limited range that’s shrinking due to lakeshore development, the plant has been sought out by collectors who replant or sell it elsewhere. For these reasons, the dwarf lake iris was added in 1988 to the list of federally threatened species.

Read on for more at Huron Pines & for sure check out their Dwarf Lake Iris Best Practice Guide for tips on how to protect this flower!

Coincidentally, Bradford took this photo at Beavertail Point Nature Sanctuary on the northern coast of Lake Huron eight years ago on June 2nd, 2014 so I guess it’s a #TBT to boot! See more in his Iridaceae (Iris Family) gallery on Flickr 

Waterfall Wednesday at Wagner Falls

Wagner Falls and Marsh Marigolds by Footsore Photography

Pure Michigan shares that the Wagner Falls Scenic Site near Munising:

…is nestled amongst virgin pine and hemlock trees. There is a small parking area and a half-mile trail with an observation deck overlooking the falls. Wagner Creek falls over a stratum of erosion-resistant dolomite into order to flow into a shallow gorge containing the Anna River. The Anna, soon afterwards, flows northward into Lake Superior.

Gary shared this last week in the Michigan in Pictures Facebook group where you can see photos from Michpics readers & share your own!!

You can follow Gary at Footsore Fotography on Facebook and view & purchase his work on his website! 

Sand Point Lighthouse

Tip of Sand Point by Mike Sherman

WHOOPS! This is Sand Point Lighthouse on Lake Superior! 

Head over to Mike’s Flickr and his Facebook page for his latest.

Sunrise at Gabbro Falls

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!

Springtime at Root Beer Falls

Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s UP by Tom Clark

Tom swung by Tahquamenon Falls over the weekend and shares:

Amazing! I have never seen it with such a large volume and flow as today. It’s supplied by the spring melt-off and rain. Another benefit of the run-off is the intensity of color – again, never seen such deep rich color. That is why it’s aptly referred to as “root beer falls”.

Indeed!! See more in Tom’s UP Trip with Dave – April 2022 gallery on Flickr & view & purchase his work on his website.

Much more from Tahquamenon Falls on Michigan in Pictures!

Building Boats (and boat skills) in Cedarville

Indian River Skiff by Great Lakes Boat Building School

The Great Lakes Echo has a nice feature on the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville that begins:

At the northwest corner of Lake Huron, in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula, is an 80 square-mile town of 240 people, one phone booth – and one boat building school.

That school is growing explosively, bringing the entire community along with it. Experts estimate that a planned expansion of the Great Lakes Boat Building School could bring an additional $2.5 million to residents of Cedarville.

The small town has a rich history of wooden boat building and repair. For over a century, wooden boats have been the primary mode of transportation around the nearby Les Cheneaux Islands. As the boating crafters grew older, the artful skill risked being lost.

To keep its wooden boat building heritage alive, the Cedarville community founded the school in 2005.

“In all of these academic qualifications we have for high school students, we have neglected our need for tradespeople,” said Ken Drenth, former Great Lakes Boat Building School president and current director of the Les Cheneaux Islands Community Foundation. “Everybody doesn’t have to get a four-year university degree. We need plumbers and electricians and wooden boat builders.”

Much more in the Echo!

The Great Lakes Boat Building School shared this on their Instagram. You can read more about their building of an Indian River Skiff on Facebook.

Fallen

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by Stephen Trynoski

Stephen took this shot of two massive slabs of fallen rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore back in 2015. See more of Lake Superior in all four seasons in his gallery.

Keweenaw topped 25 feet of snow this winter!

McLain State Park Snowshoeing by Nathan Miller

The Keweenaw Road Commission shared last week that they’ve recorded over 300 inches of snow this winter. The 25 feet of snow is about 6 feet more than normal. While that’s definitely a whole lot, it’s 356 inches of snow recorded in the winter of 1978–79.

Nathan took this photo at the beginning of February at McLain State Park near Hancock on the Keweenaw Peninsula. See more in his McLain State Park Snowshoeing – February 2022 gallery on Flickr.

Geared up for the photo

Intrepid MK2 8×10 at Lake Superior by Kirt E Carter

Here’s a sweet shot large-format, black & white shot of Kirt’s rig for a recent photo shoot at Little Girl’s Point on Lake Superior near the Michigan/Wisconsin border. You can see more on Flickr & for sure check out his website to view & purchase his work! 

More black & white photography on Michigan in Pictures & you can click to read more about the Intrepid MK2 8×10 camera.