Thanks for the wilderness, Congressman Dale Kildee!

Sturgeon River Gorge I by David Mayer

This week longtime Congressman Dale Kildee passed away. Kildee, uncle of current Flint Representative Dan Kildee, represented Flint for over 30 years earning the nickname “the Cal Ripken of Congress.” He was involved in many efforts including some vital early childhood bills and (of course) auto industry support, but one interesting thing that I learned from writer David Dempsey is that Dale was the sponsor of the 1987 Michigan Wilderness Act which created 10 State Wilderness Areas protecting nearly 100,000 acres of old growth forest, dunes, lakes, and rivers including Sturgeon River Gorge.

Thank you Dale for your work on the behalf of Michigan’s wild places! Click for a map of all 18 of Michigan’s Wilderness Areas.

David took this back in October of 2012 in the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness. See more in his Porcupine Mountains gallery on Flickr.

Riverbank Reflection

Riverbank Reflection by Jeff Dehmel

Sweet shot by Jeff from last October. See more in his Fall 2020 gallery on Flickr.

More fall color on Michigan in Pictures!

The House at the End of the Dock

The House at the End of the Dock by Mark Smith

I can’t be the only person who wishes I lived in the Hall Cottage in Leland’s Fishtown!

See more from Mark at Downstreamer on Flickr!

High above the St. Joseph River

St Joseph River by Bill Dolak

Encyclopedia Britannica says that the 210-mile-long Saint Joseph River rises near Hillsdale in south-central Michigan, flowing generally west with a swing south into northern Indiana through Elkhart and South Bend before reentering Michigan to empty into Lake Michigan at Saint Joseph and Benton Harbor. Check out places to access the St. Joseph on Michigan Water Trails.

Bill took this photo of the St Joseph River near the Langley Covered Bridge with his drone a couple of weeks ago. See more of the river & the bridge in his Michigan: St. Joseph County gallery on Flickr!

High Rollaway Horseshoe

High Rollaways Horseshoe by Alanna St. Laurent

Traverse City MI explains the name for the High Rollaway, officially the Manistee River High Banks Rollaway:

The high river bluff is the reason for the area’s unusual name. At the turn of the last century, lumbermen needed inexpensive ways to transport timber from the forest to the sawmills and wide-flowing rivers like the Manistee were the answer. Steep banks were used to “rollaway” the logs in a thunderous avalanche to the water where they floated to the mills. Unfortunately, the practice quickly stripped the vegetation from the river banks and, by the time the lumbermen moved on, eroding sand was clogging and narrowing the rivers. In the last 20 years, efforts have been made to stabilize the Manistee River High Banks with fieldstone terraces and replantings. The observation platform was installed in 2001 so visitors could enjoy the stunning view without damaging the fragile system.

Alanna took this stunning photo with her drone last week. Follow her on Facebook for lots more great shots & check out her photography workshops at Creative Visions Photographic Workshops!

Fall Color on the Rouge River

Newburgh Bridge by River Wanderer

River Wanderer shared this shot of the Newburgh Bridge along the Middle Rouge River, heading into Newburgh Lake on a beautiful day in October of 2016. See lots more on their Flickr page.

You can learn more about the Rouge River from Friends of the Rouge.

Waterfall Wednesday: Potawatomi Falls on the Black River

Potawatomi Falls on the Black River by Tom Clark

Waterfalls of the Keweenaw entry for Potawatomi Falls says in part:

A short distance below Great Conglomerate Falls is an awkward duplicate: Potawatomi Falls. Like its twin, Potawatomi is a split drop over a dome of conglomerate rock that creates two tall, curving waterfalls. However, this one is not split evenly. Much of the water is pushed to the eastern bank by an uneven riverbed to create a wide and multi-tiered drop. A few small streams converge for the other side and make for a smaller, but more direct, plunge.

As a bonus, it’s walkable to another beautiful waterfall, Gorge Falls.

Tom took this last month and you can see lots more in his excellent Waterfalls, Rivers & Streams gallery on Flickr & definitely follow Tom Clark Photography on Facebook for more great pics from his travels!

Reflections on Fall Color

Reflected colors by Ann Fisher

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”
– John Burroughs

Ann took this photo back in October of 2015 on the Dead River, just west of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula. See more in her 2015 U.P. Gallery.

Tahquamenon: The River of a Hundred Bends

Tahquamenon River by Jim Sorbie

According to Wikipedia’s entry for the 89-mile long Tahquamenon River in the eastern Upper Peninsula:

The river is best known for the Tahquamenon Falls, a succession of two waterfalls in Tahquamenon Falls State Park totalling approximately 73 feet (22 m) in height. Because the headwaters of the river are located in a boreal wetland that is rich in cedar, spruce and hemlock trees, the river’s waters carry a significant amount of tannin in solution (i.e., it is a blackwater river), and are often brown or golden-brown in color. The Tahquamenon Falls are thus acclaimed as being the largest naturally dyed or colored waterfall in the United States.

The meaning of “Tahquamenon” is not known. Some called it the “River of the Head Winds” because they bucked the wind on the lower river no matter what direction they were paddling. Others called it the “River of a Hundred Bends”. Twentieth century descendants of local Chippewa translated the name to mean “river up against a hill” or “lost river island” or “river with an island part way”. In 1930 Jesuit scholar, Father William Gagnieut, concluded that the meaning of the name had been lost.

Jim took this in early July. Check out more in his awesome From the Air gallery on Flickr!

The Port of Detroit

Letters in Port Detroit by Scott Shields

The Port of Detroit is located along the west side of the Detroit River and is the largest seaport in the state of Michigan:

The port consists of multiple marine terminals handling general, liquid, and bulk cargo as well as passengers. The Port of Detroit’s single most valuable commodity is steel, and the largest commodity handled by tonnage is ore. Other important commodities handled at the port include stone, coal and cement.

…Each year, the Port Authority oversees millions of tons of cargo at 29 private and public sector terminal facilities in the Port of Detroit. International and domestic high-grade steel products, coal, iron ore, cement, aggregate and other road building commodities are shipped in and out of Detroit’s port. It is the third largest steel-handling port in the nation.

More at the Port of Detroit website.

Scott shared this photo back in April in one of my favorite Facebook groups, Detroit’s Urban Beauty. Click to view it in the group & see more of his work on his Facebook page.