American Byways

Waking up along the shores of Lake Superior at Five Mile Point was quite the experience. After car camping for the night, I came to and rushed out with my tripod to set up for the morning photograph. Grabbing a whiff of the crisp and chilly air as it rolled in from the shore, I felt refreshed and with awakened senses, I waited. With predictable results, the sun popped out over the horizon, providing subtle hues of warm light along the rocky and barren coastline, bounded only with the evergreens that hug the edge lines.

Living in the Subaru for a few days was actually quite fun. I enjoy my frugal road trips.

For the morning, I wanted to venture to Laughing Whitefish Falls, but roadway conditions led to an early detour and defeat. Following Deerton Road, I came to the small community of Deerton. The Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad constructed a station for the lumbering camp, and a post office opened in 1922. In 1926, a small school was constructed at the junction of Deerton-Onota Road. Today, not much is left in the community – most of the residences are abandoned, although the school still operates.

The railroad was dismantled only a few years ago, and is today part of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway Rail Trail, open to snowmobilers, cross county skiers and cyclists.

Following Peter White Road south to Laughing Whitefish Falls, I came across increasingly deteriorated roadway conditions. The two-lane gravel roadway soon became one, and then dirt. And that generous dirt path became rutted before ending at a washed out bridge over West Branch Laughing Whitefish River.

I turned around and headed back to Deerton, only slightly discouraged. There were other waterfalls to check out that were nearby, of course! I ventured onto a dirt road and proceeded eastbound towards Rock River and descended southward towards Rock River Falls in the Rock River Wilderness. I turned onto a nearly unmarked Forest Road 2276 and followed this single lane route for 4 miles and turned left onto Forest Road 2293. After coming to the small trailhead at the end of a remote and rough dirt road, I hopped out of the car with my camera gear and headed down the trail. The Rock River Falls Trail, while not marked, is fairly well worn and follows portions of logging roads before coming to the waterfall, which has a height of 15 feet and an approximate crest of 30 feet.

After departing Rock River Wilderness, I took a drive over to Chatham for lunch at the Rock River Cafe, which serves local cuisine that was locally sourced. The cafe was also vegetarian and vegan friendly, which was a bonus, and served some great house coffee roasted in Michigan. Near to the restaurant was the former Munising Railway Company (MR) depot, which was later used for a private business and is now for sale. The rail line is today part of the Coalwood Trail.

Heading further east along Michigan State Route 94, I stopped for a photograph of the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I, MR’s successor) crossing that was built in 1930. The bridge was built over Au Train River, and the pipe that runs through the center is overflow for the Cleveland Cliffs Basin lake.

After following the LS&I long enough, I ventured to Miners Falls at Pictured Rocks. After parking at the trailhead, I ventured on a well groomed path that was .6 miles long and included 77 steps to the viewing platforms. Unfortunately, access further down and to a lower waterfall along Miners River is inaccessible.

It was only a short drive to Miners Castle, which is one of the most photographed rock formations at Pictured Rocks. But the viewing platforms were expectedly overcrowded and the lighting was poor, so I headed eastward along the Lakeshore North Country Trail, which generally hugs the Lake Superior Coast through the National Lakeshore. The paved path through a thick canopy of pines soon gave way to a single track dirt trail that sharply descended to the Miners River valley before coming to the backwaters of Lake Superior. I was able to capture two anglers who were trying their luck in capturing some steelhead trout for dinner.

On the other side of the sand dune was Miners Beach, which is a mile long and completely devoid of people .

The Lakeshore North Country Trail ascends a small bluff overlooking the beach, passing through acres of crimson red blueberry bushes.

With the sun waning, I packed my gear and headed further east to the overlooks above Lake Superior for a sunset. The light began to fade fast so I hiked at a brisk pace on a gradual upward course to the bluffs.

I wasn’t wholly satisfied with the first overlook that I came to, so I ventured a bit further east to the top of Bridalveil Falls. It was a natural clearing and was prime for a sunset. As the light faded, the storied sandstone warmed up with hues of amber.

It was at Bridalveil Falls that I met storied photographer Craig Blacklock, best known for his book The Lake Superior Images and other visuals from the Great Lakes region. Craig has been photographing the region for decades, and is also a passionate conservationist who co-founded the Blacklock Nature Sanctuary and was influential in the formation of the Lake Superior Water Trail of Minnesota. Also, thanks for the book, Slot Canyon. Your gift was warmly received!

Fantastic inspiration for a trip that has so far been marked with photographs of nature at its best when it is isolated and free in an area that is depopulated and isolated.

Further Reading

• Deerton, Michigan
• Rock River Wilderness
• Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
• Munising Railway Company
• Miners Falls
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Set between two contrasting peninsulas of Michigan, Mackinaw Island represented an opportunity to visit a part of the state that I had not yet experienced. I made the drive up during the summer to witness one of the state’s most splendid tourist attractions: the island itself. Closed to automobiles, Mackinaw Island recalled back to a time when life was simpler, when traveling involved a meander on manicured pavements, passing by brightly colored buildings, overflowing floral gardens and charming window displays.

But for the fall, I wanted to take in the wilds of upper Michigan and explore Pictured Rocks and some of the waterfalls in that region. I had pictured the upper peninsula as being a barren location, isolated and hilly.

Well, part of that was true.

I started my journey from the Queen City and headed north along Interstate 75, passing by the Gem City, Flag City, Glass City, Tree City and ending that night at Bay City, Michigan. Finding no use in being completely wiped for the day, I located a cheap motel in the quiet town along Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron, and awaited the next morning with anticipation. At dawn, I found myself near the Bay City State Recreation Area, located north of Bay City, and basked in the morning light. Walking over to the Tobico Lagoon, I was able to capture the light as it filtered over the freshwater, coastal wetland. The cattails and grasses wallowed in the amber rays and the clear waters shimmered back reflections of the picture-perfect sky.

I decided to explore more of Tobico Marsh, designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976 due to its expanse size, its unspoiled essence and its assortment of plant life. The marsh encompasses nearly 2,000 acres of wetland woods, meadows, cattail marshlands and oak savannah prairies, and is one of the largest freshwater, coastal wetlands on the Great Lakes.

With the sun rising and my itch to head further north, I departed Tobico Marsh for the interstate only to stop soon after to explore the small lakes around appropriately-named Waters. I hoped onto the Au Sable Trail and some other back routes before coming onto Lynn Lake. Unfortunately, most of the great vistas were not accessible due to private land ownership, but I reached, in a roundabout manner, Otsego Lake State Park. Established in 1920, Otsego features a half-mile of white, sandy beach, 62 acres of a natural playground shaded with large oak, maple and pine trees. As an added bonus, there are some original Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) buildings on site dating to 1935!

The air was crisp, the skies were a nice blue tinge and the sand was cozy – although the temperatures were still frosty that morning. I pictured myself taking a still catnap along the shoreline as the gentle motions of the lake softly lashed against the gentle sand piles.

But alas, it was time to head on north. My next stop: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

Further Reading

• Tobico Marsh: Tobico Marsh is one of the largest open water marshes remaining on the Saginaw Bay along Lake Huron in Michigan, and is located at Bay City State Recreation Area and the Tobico Marsh State Game Area. Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976 due to its expanse size, its relative pristine condition and its variety of plant life, Tobico Marsh encompasses nearly 2,000 acres of wetland woods meadows, cattail marshlands and oak savannah prairies.
• Otsego Lake State Park: Otsego Lake State Park is located south of Gaylord, Michigan and offers 62 acres of a natural playground along Otsego Lake. The park includes a half-mile long white, sandy beach, with the remainder of the park shaded by large oak, maple and pine trees.

The Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is located in Cincinnati, Ohio within the Mill Creek valley, and was chartered by a special Act of the Ohio General Assembly in 1845. Spring Grove is one of the largest not-for-profit cemeteries in the United States, and it’s manicured 733 acres are host to thousands of visitors every year.

This was my first trip to Spring Grove in my two years of living in Cincinnati, so I spent much of my day here. There are 48 photographs in this gallery, along with a brief history and description.

A curious fish stopped to look at me for a few, brief minutes.

Flowering dogwoods reflect in a lake.

Wild Blue Phlox

Round Leaved Ragwort

Mahketewah Lake

Cornus florida dogwood frame Willow Water.

Soldiers Monument was crafted by Randolph Rogers in Rome, Italy in 1864. Section 23

I’ve also added a few photographs to the Alms Park gallery. Located in the historic Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood on the east end of Cincinnati, the 94-acre Frederick H. Alms Memorial Park on Mt. Tusculum offers a breathtaking view of the Ohio River and Lunken Airport. The point was originally nicknamed ‘Bald Hill’ for the clearing created by Native Americans, who cleared trees to have an sightless view of the early settlers of ‘Columbia.’ Later, the land was owned by Nicholas Longworth who used the property to produce Catawba wine prior to the Civil War. It was later sold to Federick H. Alms, who donated it to the Cincinnati Park Board in 1916.

A statue of Steven Foster, who was known as the 'Father of American music.' While living in Cincinnati, he wrote his first successful songs, 'Oh! Susanna' and 'Nelly Was a Lady.' He lived in Cincinnati from 1846 to 1849.

Be sure to click through to Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum and the Alms Park galleries for more photographs! Enjoy this springalicious update!

Snowmageddon has made its appearance in Cincinnati, Ohio as we marked our record snowfall for the month at 23.1 inches, besting the previous record of 21.4 inches that was set in 1914. On February 16, the city received up to 8.3 inches of new accumulation, adding to the storm on February 9 and 10 that piled on 6.6 inches, and the storm on February 5 and 6 that dumped 8.1 inches of snow.

That brings the total accumulation this winter to 35.4 inches, or 20.5 inches more than last year at this point. For an even more dramatic comparison, for all of last winter, the city received 21.5 inches of snow.

Selected below are photographs of Cincinnati and Hamilton County during the last three snowfalls.

Alms Park in Cincinnati draped in snow.

An overlook from Eden Park provides a panoramic view of Kentucky.

Mirror Lake at Eden Park.

Sharon Creek at Sharon Woods.

Enjoy the Snowmageddon that has paralyzed Cincinnati! You know that I’m enjoying this winter weather very much.