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Imagine a 25-mile-long narrow road lined on both sides with trees that appear to be on fire with vibrant fall colors. Now imagine the forest floor covered in leaves and growth that is also flaming with fall colors. This is what South Boundary Road looks like today, at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. F5.6 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

This is the largest white birch tree I have ever seen. My dad and I spotted it while we were driving on South Boundary Road at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. I love how the trunk makes a slow s-curve and the bright colors from the surrounding trees make the birch tree stand out even more. F9 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

A hiker weaves her way down the meandering trail through the mature white birch forest at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The reward at the end of the trail is a small rental cabin in the woods less than 100 yards from Lake Superior. I want to rent that cabin someday. F11 at 1/60, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 86mm

I swear I did not place this leaf on this birch tree at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. As a photojournalist, I would call this a "found" picture. As an outdoor photographer, I consider it a discovery worthy of waiting for the sun to add some "magic light." The sun strikes the leaf before the breeze gets strong enough to blow it away. F8 at 1/250, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

Hikers pause to savor the view from the summit escarpment at Lake of the Clouds inside the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. It seems to me there must be a million colorful trees to appreciate from this incredible vantage point. I know I am going to continue to appreciate this autumn view until darkness takes it away. F13 at 1/60, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

I felt like I was dreaming in Kodachrome as I looked down at peak fall color from the summit at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The Upper Carp River meanders through this section of the nearly 60,000-acre Michigan natural treasure

When I showed my dad this photo from the Lake of the Clouds at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, he commented that it looked like sea corral. I had not noticed that when I was shooting the photo nor when I was editing it on the computer a few days later. However, after my dad compared it to an underwater scene, I could not agree more. F2.8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Adventure Seekers

Color as far as the eye can see lies beneath and far beyond my vantage point at the summit overlooking the Lake of the Clouds. Taking in this Michigan view at this moment in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I think coming to see this Upper Peninsula treasure should be on everyone's bucket list. F22 at 20 seconds, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

It wasn't until I was in college that I learned Michigan actually has real mountains. One of my college roommates had family in the Upper Peninsula and he told stories about how beautiful the western half of the UP is. This was my first trip to the Porcupine Mountains, but it certainly won't be my last. I hope to bring Betsy and the kids here during the fall very soon. F5.6 at 1/320, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Can you believe this is Michigan? Who knew that Michigan has one of the world's very best spots to view fall color. You can experience this view for yourself around the beginning of October every year at the Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The park is located on the northwest tip of the Michigan's Upper Peninsula. F22 at 2.5 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 23mm

My dad and I stayed at the Konteka Hotel and Restaurant during our trip to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The Konteka is a great experience in itself. The staff and owners were extremely friendly and the food was great. The best part of our stay was seeing the coyotes that feed behind the restaurant. From near our dinner table I photographed this coyote that was running around outside. I had my dad stand up behind me to block the reflection of the salad bar in the window. The final photo turned out a lot cooler than I ever imagined it would. To me, it evokes a feeling of "Man Versus Wild." F2.8 at 1/13, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

A natural vignette of complementary-colored leaves makes me want to use them to frame one of my favorite Michigan waterfalls

A small section of AuTrain Falls catches my photo eye this October morning. The green grasses, leaves, and streams of water make it look to me like a waterfall garden. The scene looks far prettier to me than when I was here in the spring. F22 at 8 seconds, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 145mm

Like a wake board shooting through the waves, an autumn leaf surfs over the water in the rapids beneath Munising Falls in Munising, Michigan. F8 at 1/6, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Overnight the fall color at Miners Castle had become even more brilliant than when I scouted it out. Providing an added ingredient to the composition, a cluster of fallen leaves floated on the surface of Lake Superior. This is one of the many spectacular rocky views along some 15 miles of cliffs in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

The maple leaves are so bright that this birch trunk looks like it is on fire in the White Birch Forest along Lake Superior in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Grand Marais. F22 at 1/200, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

It is rainy and, my heart might say, dreary. My mind, however, has been trained to know that cameras do not see like our eyes and hearts. So I am shooting away on the Lake Superior shoreline at Marquette, making my first images ever of the historic Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. My heart is pleased with the outcome. F22 at 0.8, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

Michigan's Upper Peninsula residents are fond of identifying as "trolls" those of us who live under the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. I am a happy troll today appreciating all of the rock and stone at Black Rocks Beach at Presque Isle in the Upper Peninsula. This rocky cove has an all-stone beach. It is a rock lover's delight. F22 at 2.5 seconds, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

My son Brad has always loved trains so when I spotted this retired Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad train lit up by magic light I had to stop and try to make a good shot. I put my lens right against a chain link fence protecting the train to keep the fence from showing up in the picture. This locomotive transported ore to the giant ore dock hoppers used to load ships with ore pellets on Lake Superior at Marquette. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm