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Fall 2006: Finally!!!! I finally got back to Michigan!
Despite a very cold and rainy, dismal weather forecast, I headed
out for Michigan this fall. I hadn't been there since 2002 and
was suffering some serious Lake Superior Separation Anxiety.
I missed the UP and Hiawatha Forest. I missed Lake Huron and
Huron National Forest. I missed how dark gets up there (go
ahead, laugh**). I just missed traveling northern Michigan
in general.
This was a short but good trip. Even if peak tree color had
passed, it was beautiful in the UP. I started off driving straight
to the UP and spent the night in St. Ignace, catching a great
sunrise and rainbow along the highway. I stopped at various
points along Lake Superior. The weather went between rain, sun,
and clouds about every half hour. It was good to see the shoreline
again but clear that the lake had beaten the shore up pretty
good sometime over the past 4 years, including
taking out two of my favorite trees. I stopped at a very
unpopulated Tahquamenon Falls and saw some good sites.
The next stop on the trip was along the Au Sable and at Lake
Huron. It was cloudy and cold and most of the color was gone,
but got some nice shots anyhow. I ended at Tawas Point and stayed
just until a sheets of rain came my way from the lake. Despite
the weather, it was really nice to be outside again, just wandering
the shore.
I decided on this trip that I really want to visit Michigan
in the winter and spring sometime. Seeing the lakes with ice
would be a real treat and I can only imagine how beautiful things
would be in spring green.
In truth, this page should really be called "Northern
MI and UP" photography since that seems to be where I spend
most of my time. I have yet to visit a large city in Michigan.
That's the short story. And of course - you asked for it, you
got it... new photos are in! Follow the links on the left.
Michigan has always been one of my all time favorite relaxation
spots. From 1998-2002, I'd made an annual trip to the eastern
part of the Upper Peninsula and to Huron National Forest.
In 2002, there was a fantastic storm with 60 m.p.h. winds one
night that turned Lake Superior
into something that looked more like the Atlantic Ocean
than one of the Great Lakes.
I spend better than three quarters of my time in the Upper
Peninsula on Lake Superior and in Hiawatha National Forest,
despite torrential rain at times. I didn't get to do a whole
lot of walking by the lakes in 2002, mainly due to the weather
and cold temperatures. I generally finish the trip on the Au
Sable river and Tawas Bay.
I've always loved the UP for the solitude, silence and darkness
at night. The UP allows me to be truly alone. Anyone who routinely
needs to be alone understands that need. I can go into Hiawatha
Forest and listen to nothing but the wind in the trees. Same
with the Superior shoreline - it has been rare I've seen or
heard other people in the area.
Hiawatha allows me to see some of the (very little bit) of
untouched land left here in this country. I
live in an area that is being heavily developed (Columbus, OH)
and practically all the "green space" is gone. This
makes me even more grateful for such
natural places as Hiawatha. It would be nice to have a larger
quantity of primitive land in this country.
As funny as this may
sound, I really appreciate the darkness in the back parts of
Michigan. I've spent my entire life
in a well-lit city and never got to see a truly black sky until
I visited the UP. Michigan was where I learned the stars actually
do shed light down here - very little, but light just the same.
Some people may not get this, but to me that dark sky with so
many stars reminds me of how much else there is out there than
just our little rock in space.
If you have a Michigan experience, story, or a suggestion of
places to see (especially off the beaten path), please tell
everyone about it in the Guestbook. I'll check out those places
my next trip!
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