Breaking Waves

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Breaking Waves

An amber sunset on a cool, choppy evening in St. Joseph, Michigan. Temperatures dropped quickly from around 50 to the high 30's in about an hours as the sun dropped below the horizon.

Sun-Lit Lanterns

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Sun-Lit Lanterns

During last Saturday's sunset, the sunlight was reflected in the lantern rooms of the inner and outer range lights in St. Joseph, Michigan. This gave the illusion of the lights being lit, even when they were not.

This illusion lasted for a minute or two, then disappeared - until the actual lights came on a bit after sunset.

Painted Sky

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April Evening on Lake Michigan

On my way to St. Joseph, MI, I had to pull over in Shoreham when I saw the sky over Lake Michigan. As a backdrop to the leafless trees, this colorful sky was quite a sight. If you look, you'll see a fishing boat on the water toward the right side of the image. That will give you an idea of just how large a display this was.

Another interesting thing is how the clouds make the horizon appear crooked........

Returning to Harbor

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Returning to Harbor

Warmer by about 10 degrees, evening at St. Joseph, Michigan was much more comfortable than mid afternoon in Michigan City, Indiana. That is, until the sun set! Temperatures dropped fast as the winds increased ahead of a cold front that included snow.

Here a boat is returning to a slip along the St. Joseph River.

Sun Beams at St. Joseph

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Sun Beams at St. Joseph

The close of the day Saturday was marked by an interesting sunset in St. Joseph, Michigan. At first it appeared the sunset would be obscured by the low clouds; that was true- but what appeared later was even better.

The winds picked up and the temperatures dropped right around the time we got off the pier and walked to the beach, so we stood on top of a sand dune freezing for about 20 minutes, waiting to see what would happen next. I think it was worth the wait in the cold.

Sunset and the Old Silo

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Sunset and the Silo

Just on the edge of a modern strip mall stands an old, uninhabited farm. A weathered crib barn and rusty silo are all that remain on the edge of a small pond.

Colors become saturated just after sunset; so when most people are packing their cameras up, I'm just getting started. Beginning about 10 minutes after the sun sets (or 30 minutes before it rises), the sky begins to turn deep blue above, and yellow, orange or red along the western horizon. Varying the shutter speed allowed me to create a silhouette of the silo and trees, while still getting enough light to capture the reflection.

The sky here looks artificially enhanced, but it's not. The light from the sun was still strong enough to illuminate part of the sky.

Winter Aconite Up Close

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Winter Aconite Close Up

This early spring flower is called Winter Aconite. It seems to be the first flower to bloom around the Chicago suburbs - even earlier than a crocus. The blooms last a few days, then fade, but bees that survived the winter find these irresistible, as they are the only flowering plant in the woods at this time.

This bloom is about the size of a nickle.

First Bee of Spring

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Bee on Leaf

Well, at least it's the first one I found! It seems they are quite tolerant of people this early in the year -perhaps they are so intent on gathering nectar that they can put up with a human.

It's a sharp contrast to what is to come in August, when bees and wasps are easily disturbed.

Just After Sunset

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Just After Sunset

The colors in the sky are always their best 15 minutes before sunrise or after sunset. Yesterday was no exception at this old farm in Orland Park.

This weathered corn crib has been around for quite a long time, and I'm sure it's had thousands of similar sunset backdrops.

Joliet Lift Bridge

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Joliet Lift Bridge

This vertical lift bridge was built in 1902 to span the Des Plaines River in Joliet. The movable span is 361 feet, and has been in the raised position since 1980 when it was abandoned by CSX.

View from the Top

Of course, I had to climb up the tender's stairway to see what was up there. I managed to get to the first landing (about as high as the raised span) and came across some rusted through handrails, so I figured it may be worse toward the top so I turned back. I'm disappointed now, so I'll have to venture back soon to make it to the top.

Looking Down

The working parts of this bridge are incredible. The eight sets of balance chains seen here, balanced out the weight of the lifting cables that hauled the span up and down.

Joe, Denise and Chris by the balance chains


Balance Chains Running Toward the Top

Even today, this lift bridge is an incredible feat of engineering, and a great site to explore.

Abandoned Jolilet

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Abandoned Jolilet

From this angle, one might think that most of Joliet, IL lay in ruin. I guess that's not the case, but even one of the casinos burned down!

The historic Joliet prison was completed in 1858 for a total sum of $75,000 (and convict labor). Designed by William Boyington, the same architect who designed the Chicago Water Tower (you'll note the similarity), the prison is built of limestone quarried directly from the site.

The nearby Joliet Ironworks, in the foreground, was abandoned in the 1930's. Overgrown and forgotten until recent years when it was turned into a park along side of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.

There are lots of fun ruins to explore at the ironworks, and some you need to stay away from due to loose bricks. The underground tunnels are interesting, leading from one blast furnace to another.

Lock 3 of the Illinois and Michigan Canal

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Joe by Lock 3

Locks 3 and 4 of the Illinois and Michigan Canal are located in Joliet, Illinois, and are only a few hundred feet from each other. The drop in the terrain here was over 10, so it required two locks to safely negotiate the elevation change.

This extreme drop creates a waterfall at lock 3, where the lock gates used to be.

First Flowers of 2009

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Bee on Winter Aconite

Well, at least in the nearby woods!

This little pollinator is busy gathering nectar from the first flowers to bloom in these Illinois woods. The flower is called Winter Aconite, and is an early spring wildflower. Each year I find these flowers in the woods around the same date - March 19 or 20.

Like Another World

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Ice Chunks

These chunks of ice - most larger than basketballs - were tossed ashore by the high waves of Lake Michigan. The shelf ice seen between the sand and the water, was around 100 feet wide, so imagine the wave action that moved these pieces of ice all the way onto the sand.

Inside the Ice Cave

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More From Inside the Ice Cave

With the weather the way it has been, you'd think all of the ice would have melted by March 15th. Not so along the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan. The cool air temperatures, cold water and abundant shade provided the perfect place for some remaining shelf ice. Exploring what was left, I came upon a two foot opening in the ice and peered inside.

I found an ice cave about 10 feet long with thousands of sharp icicles hanging from the inside. The cave was illuminated by a small window at the top, through which the nearby woods could be seen.

From this cave, it's easy to see why shelf ice is so dangerous. What appeared to be a solid, 10 foot tall, by several hundred foot long block of ice, was actually hollow inside. Walking on such a thing, even in extremely cold temperatures could prove fatal. The ceiling of this ice cave was only an inch thick in places; the weight of a person would easily have broken it. Falling in at this time of year would have caused injury to the person who fell through, but if it was out over the frigid lake, the fall would be directly into the ice cold water. Even if you survived the shock of immersion in the freezing water, the unforgiving, icy walls would make the climb out impossible.

Colorful Illinois Canyon in Winter

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Colorful Illinois Canyon in Winter

After a long, muddy walk through the woods and across three streams, I arrived at this point in Illinois Canyon. I was disappointed that I couldn't get any further (without getting very wet and cold), because I wanted to see what was inside that part of the canyon. I could hear falling water, so I expect there was another waterfall.

I'll have to wait for spring to explore this more.

Dellwood Park West

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Dellwood Park West Mesa

In the midst of junkyards, railroad tracks and old dumping grounds, just west of the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal lies a newly created park - Dellwood Park West. This 175 acre park was formed by the Lockport Park District a little while ago, and it is helping the area return to a natural state. Formerly a dumping area for an old steel mill, this area has some bike/ walking trails, a few ponds for fishing, old building skeletons, and some limestone mesas.

The woodlands and limestone savanna are slowly making a come back from the decades of misuse. Situated right next to the Illinois and Michigan Canal towpath, this park can be visited on foot after a half mile or so walk from Dellwood Park in Lockport.

Rough Water at Lock 2

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Rough Water at Lock 2

Been under the weather for a while now, but I managed to snag a shot of Lock 2 between rains storms yesterday after work. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was carrying a lot more water due to the recent rains, causing some whitewater near the historic locks in Lockport, IL where the canal narrows.

Ottawa Canyon Falls

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Ottawa Canyon Falls

Ottawa Canyon is one of the many canyons in Illinois' Starved Rock State Park. Last weekend, while it was still cold around here, I ventured out to a few of the canyons on the east side of the park to capture the frozen waterfalls. This time of year, crowds aren't a problem. On my entire four hour hike, I came across one other person - 6 canyons and one person!

This waterfall is approximately 30 feet tall, and if you look closely, you'll see blurred water falling from the ice on the left.

The ice is probably gone by now, as the temperatures have risen considerably over the last week.

Extinguishing the Fire

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Extinguishing the Fire

A car fire is extinguished by Michigan City, Indiana firefighters. Nobody was injured, and no other property was damaged in the Super Walmart parking lot. See, I told you I took my camera everywhere..........gives me something to do while everyone else is shopping.