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Looking like waves rushing ashore on an autumn evening, a ridge of sand dunes stops short

October Magic

 

The northwest wind sandblasts me and nearly blows me off the top of the high dune I have run up with the heart but not the body of a 20-year-old. The uphill sprint, the wind and the view leave me breathless. The thought occurs, I might pass out trying to make this Lake Michigan shoreline picture before the fleeting magic light disappears; thank God I don't.

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has never disappointed me. This October 2011 evening at Miners Beach was no exception. Fortunately, Lake Superior was flat and calm and the evening sun was shining on Elliot Falls. The view warmed my heart and delighted my photo eye.

 

Time marches on, and so does sand. I look at this beautiful dune and the grass and forest land adjacent to it and know it will look very different the next summer. I wonder how much wind and water will change this beautiful area between Lake Michigan and Piney Ridge in ten years, hundred years, a thousand years. Our lives are such a miniscule segment of time gone by and time to come.

I had been an avid fan of Outdoor Photographer for several decades when my favorite magazine selected one of my images of Munising Falls to grace the cover of their October 2016 issue. Several other photographs made by my son Brad and me illustrated our six-page story about discovering and photographing fall color in Michigan. We were proud to see Michigan’s autumn splendor showcased nationally.

It takes a team effort to make some of our strongest images. Our assistant manager, Rachel Gaudette, was the first one on our team to spot this vantage point to photograph Laughing Whitefish Falls. The issue was two large logs stuck at the edge of the steep falls. My dad went into the woods and found a long stick that had a fork on the end of it. I then walked to the slippery edge of the falls and hooked both of the logs with that stick and slid them to the side and out of the photograph. My kneecaps were shaking in my tall rubber boots, but it was totally worth it for this image.

Sumac growing along Pere Marquette Highway reminds me of the flower patterns on some loud Hawaiian shirts. I am attracted to the color but on closer inspection am blown away by the patterns.

In the last few years, my dad and I have been very fortunate to spend a lot of time exploring Michigan's Upper Peninsula with our cameras. Besides shooting the Lake Superior shoreline, we love exploring waterfalls we have never been to. This morning we have made the short hike to Laughing Whitefish Falls for the first time. This might be my new favorite waterfall in Michigan.

Sumac looks like it is on fire as it "dances" in the breeze on an October day. When we head out fall color touring in Michigan, we are usually anticipating the color show provided by the maple leaves turning color. Sumac puts on its own show.

Bond Falls Offshoot

It is hard to imagine expensive jewels looking more beautiful than these birch leaves I have discovered along one of Michigan's lightly traveled unpaved roads. I sometimes wish more people could discover the world of wonder awaiting them on dirt roads. Then again, sometimes there is more of a sense of discovery knowing you are among the few who get to marvel at the sight.

October 28 2012

Converging Falls

 

My aunt and uncle, Sue and Randy Marble, just purchased a large canvas of this photograph of the White Birch Forest. This incredible forest is about 16 miles west of Grand Marais on Alger County Road H-58. The first week of October is often a good time to visit the White Birch Forest to see the surrounding maple trees in peak fall color.