Ideas for places to visit in the Midwest
While visiting Northern Michigan, I had to check out some of the lighthouses along the shore. This is the McGilpin Point Lighthouse just west of the Mackinac Bridge. It is now a museum where you are able to check out the living quarters and climb up to the light.
Last week I visited some old friends in the resort town of Harbor Springs in Michigan. Every day you would find the kids learning to sail. Here are a few boats waiting for the students.
The Mackinac Bridge is a 26,000 foot suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Northern Michigan offers some of the most stunning scenery in North America,
In the 60’s, Wisconsin placed restrictions on boathouses in that state so they could not be rebuilt. The idea was to clear all of the lakes of boathouses over time as they deteriorated. Several weeks ago the governor of Wisconsin signed a law ending the draconian restrictions.
The Minocqua train trestle is one of my favorite landmarks in the area. In the 50’s and 60’s you could hear the trains coming from miles away and watch the locomotives break through the trees to cross the bridge. Today it the trail head for the Bearskin Trail.
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Northwoods/i-jHMpWBL/A
Lanterns light the way at Missouri Botanical Gardens
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-PJ46wxP/A
Missouri Botanical Garden’s Lantern Festival is hosting acres of illuminated displays. Here is one from a special evening only for photographers. This is the Porcelain Stupas Pagoda, constructed from more than 300,000 plates, bowls, spoons, teacups, ladles and wine cups.
https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-cWG7Nv6/A
Another photo of Forest Park’s Great Basin in St. Louis.
Missouri’s Botanical Garden every year hosts their Lantern Festival. This is a massive exhibit of Chinese art. Here is a photo from the 2012 exhibit. Watch over the next few weeks for photos from the 2015 exhibit.
http://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-86xqfLc/A
Nestled in a small bay on northern Lake Michigan is the scenic little town of Harbor Springs. This is a photo taken of Harbor Springs by my father 80 years ago. Dad was an avid photographer who always had a camera at hand. He shared his love of photography with me by making sure I had my own cameras and by taking my exposed rolls of film in for development. On vacations he and I would always go together to the little camera shop in Minocqua, Wisconsin to by supplies. Sadly Dad missed out on the digital camera revolution which he would have loved.
I will be headed to Harbor Springs later this summer, watch for some great photos from Up North!
Great Rivers Imaging 