Fall Colors

2003's fall colors didn't last long in mid-Michigan: For about four days we had excellent color. Joan and I went looking for color after spending an afternoon at her parents' home. Found some, but nothing really special; finally found massed colors near GL's Second Island. The photo's a fortunate accident. The elements (besides the obvious branches in the foreground) are multi-colored trees, and their reflections in the river. The Olympus isn't real good at handling contrast, and with my poor vision (since fixed) I hadn't got much control over depth of field in complex shots. Worked out well, though....

And today we prove the possibility of taking an excellent photograph with an inexpensive camera.... Took this photo by pointing my camera out my hotel window in Houghton on the prettiest fall weekend I remember, in late September of 1990. The Keweenaw National Park was not "real" at this time but while we were in the vicinity we had some contact with the efforts which would create it. The wreck of a building complex across the Portage River was the Quincy Copper Smelter in Ripley--it still stands, more or less, and folks still hope to restore it. That would be worthwhile, but I'll believe it when it happens. Like Cliffs Shaft Mine and Painesdale's Champion, these buildings were last fully active in 1967, but have not stood up nearly so well. The ship in the foreground is Ranger III--transportation to Isle Royale National Park--and the buildings in the foreground are a part of that truly remote park. I was in town for a meeting of the South Shore Special Interest Group (DSS&A SIG) of the Soo Line Historical & Technical Society, which was just forming at the time (the SIG, not the Society). We spent the weekend touring mining locations, looking over old rolling stock, and sharing stories. A good time. This photo has often been mistaken for a model railroad picture. Nope: A photo from real life. Camera: Minolta Freedom 100

Michigan Audubon's Baker Sanctuary, near Battle Creek (even nearer Bellevue).

Northern Michigan's mining districts: Heavy industry in the wilderness. Now largely gone to ruin. Champion Mine's Rock (Shaft) House #4 in Painesdale on a gorgeous fall day in 1990--another pic from our DSS&A excursion. Like Cliffs Shaft Mine and the Quincy Smelter, this facility closed in 1967. That coincidence of dates is not really a coincidence. About half the Champion Mine complex still stands and is in reasonably good shape, partly because the mine serves as Adams township's main water source. The shaft house and other structures at the location now belong to a local preservation/historical group, called Painesdale Mine & Shaft, who are turning the place into a museum. Camera: Minolta Freedom 100

Another picture from Painesdale's Champion Mine on a beautiful autumn day in 1990. Since I was there with a railfan group, the Copper Range boxcars naturally drew some comment, and some speculation about the efforts which might be required to preserve them. There should have been some follow-through, as the cars were eventually sold for scrap. Camera: Minolta Freedom 100

Not sure where I took this. Above Laughing Whitefish? Silver River Falls? Upper Michigan, anyway. Thanks to Michigan Nut for identifying this fall. See the comment below. Camera: Minolta Zoom 110 SLR

South of Bellevue, Michigan. Michigan Audubon's annual CraneFest is next weekend . During October, Big Marsh Lake is one of the premier places for watching Sandhill Cranes. Around sunset thousands of cranes gather at this lake. Taken from the Kiwanis Youth Area a couple years ago. No cranes in this picture, but some time ago I posted another view which hints at the event's beauty.

Autumn colors are just beginning to show around here (central Michigan). This shot is from the canoe launch on Charlotte Highway, between Mulliken and Portland.

GL's Second Island park, a couple autumns back.

Joan's family calls this "the granary." It's wasting away. Compare with this photo , from a couple years ago....

In its prime, Little Venice wasn't much--a motel, a general store, a handful of houses, and a great view of Michigan prairie. Not a canal in sight, though. Venice is now well past its prime. Not a proper ghost town, but a place which hints of failed ambitions.

Little Venice, Michigan; on M-50 not far from Mulliken and Sunfield. (If those are your local "big towns," you're in a really small place; neither has more than 800 inhabitants.) The Siesta had some pretensions to being a resort when I first found the place, though there's really nothing close-by to call a tourist attraction. Now a rural apartment complex.

Best large, at least in my opinion. One of my neighbors, out harvesting corn. Think I'll stick with my office job.

Chester, Michigan. I seem to be out photographing really small towns, this week.

Dow Road, just north of Mt. Hope. Basically a snapshot from one of last weekend's rides, but it came out well. My little point-n-shoot can do some good stuff. Lots of detail in the larger size. Technically, this is outside Roxand Township, but only by inches so I'll include it in that set. Shot over my shoulder from the bike. One of these days I'm gonna get hurt, doing that.

A few of the thousands of Sandhill Cranes which descended on Big Marsh Lake this evening while we were watching. Taken at Michigan Audubon Society's Baker Sanctuary , just south of Bellevue; technically I was in the Kiwanis Youth Area.... I can hint at the visual effect with a photo or two. This medium, unfortunately, doesn't capture the sound of these large, loud birds. Picture's better in the large size, of course.

Better large! Another photo from yesterday. Not all the birds in the preserve are cranes.