Ideas for places to visit in the Midwest
Tucked away on the northern end of Lake MIchigan, Harbor Springs offers the perfect area for all types of boating. These sailboats are fun to sail in the harbor or Little Traverse Bay. Larger sailboats allow you to explore various towns along the the lake or places like Beaver Island.
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Tornado spawning storms from earlier in the day have now passed and things at Holy Family Church are now getting back to normal. Storms moved in and out of this area for several days while I was there making very surreal scenes. Watch here for some more very interesting photos.
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Mid morning a pair of tornadoes ripped through Wisconsin, crossed Lake Michigan and passed just south of Harbor Springs Michigan. About an hour after the tornado passed, Yacht Blue Moon found refuge in Little Traverse Bay and security at Harbor Springs’ municipal dock. Storms on the Great Lakes tend to be more dangerous and I am sure the passengers on this trip were glad to find refuge.
These storms continued through the next few days giving and erie effect around the town.
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Sailing School in front of Harbor Point. This harbor is surrounded by the point on one side and the town of Harbor Springs on the other side. The area is known for beautiful vacation cottages and a scenic commercial area adjacent to Lake Michigan.
This is a photo converted to the style of a painting.
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Approaching this bridge you tend to get second thoughts about crossing it.
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the 26,372-foot-long bridge is the world’s 24th-longest main span and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.
Longest suspension bridge spans in the US:
Have been on all three!
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Forest Park in St. Louis is a great place to find abundant wildlife. This egret hangs out around Post-Dispatch Lake. You will usually find him fishing and watching the other birds.
Early morning on the lake brings a burst of color. The Loons are busy and fishermen head out in their boats to try their luck. Most of the tourists will be asleep for a while longer so everything is quiet.
Sounds: Echoes of the Loon by John Grout
One of the great places on Lake Minoqua is the Thirsty Whale. Have lunch on the deck and drinks in the bar. It easily accessible from Minoqua’s main street or by car or boat. I only remember this as an old boat livery on the lake where you could store your boat, get repairs and gas. The building is originally built around the turn of the 20th century.
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Across Lake Minocqua from the Thirsty Whale lies the Beacons, a resort and timeshare property that was once the summer home of Fred. B. Snite, Jr. The Beacons’ distinctive lighthouse-style boathouse was built in 1908 and, according to local legend, was used by Snite to watch boat races, using mirrors and a periscope. Snite, son of a Chicago financier, contracted polio in 1936 at the age of 25, and spent the next 18 years lying on his back in a 700-pound respirator, which enabled him to breathe. famous as “the man in the iron lung” and “the Boiler kid,” Snite lived a surprisingly normal life and was known for his quick wit and ready smile. Using a chest respirator, he was occasionally able to leave the iron lung, but only for a couple of hours at a time. He married in 1939, and before he died of natural causes at age 44, he and his wife and three daughters enjoyed summers on Lake Minocqua.
The Laona and Northern Railway is a heritage railroad in Laona, Wisconsin. A former freight railroad, it was incorporated in 1902 for the R. Connor Company of Marshfield, Wisconsin, to haul lumber to its mill in Laona and then transport it to the Soo Line interchange 8 miles north in Laona Junction.
This train is pulled by a “4-spot” Steam Locomotive built in 1916 by the Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. It was purchased September 22, 1926, and was brought to Laona for use in the logging industry. The steam engine pulls two all-steel passenger coach cars, an open-air observation car and three cabooses.
Great Rivers Imaging 