Tulip Time!

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Tulip Time Holland Michigan

It's early May and that means tulips, and if you're around Holland, Michigan, that means Tulip Time!

The 80th annual Tulip Time festival kicked off April 29th in the western Michigan town of Holland, and will run until May 9th. Along with six million tulips, a dutch market, musical acts, and a carnival, traditional Dutch costume and dance events run all week.

The festival takes place downtown, but tulips can be seen almost everywhere, lining streets and parks.

Head down within the next week or so -even if you miss the festival, you can still enjoy the tulips!

Ottawa Canyon Waterfalls

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Ottawa Canyon Waterfalls

A quick, but muddy walk to Ottawa Canyon at Starved Rock State Park yielded some beautiful scenery and two waterfalls. The canyons were all running with water - something that will become a bit rare as the summer approaches and things dry up.

First Light at Lake Falls

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First Light at Lake Falls

After a few days of rain, Lake Falls in Matthiessen State Park was flowing more than usual. It was a bit difficult to walk around the dells not knowing where it was shallow enough to travel.

Unwind - It's Spring!

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Fiddlehead

On a recent visit to Starved Rock, we enjoyed watching the woods come alive with spring plants. In certain rocky and shady areas, ferns were making a quick comeback to the landscape.

This fiddlehead was around the size of a pencil eraser. Getting close to it, the individual leaflets of the fern frond appear to be tiny fern fronds themselves! Get even closer, and the leaflets have veins in them that mimic a fern frond!

Giant's Bathtub Early Morning

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Giant's Bathtub Early Morning

There's nothing like an early morning walk with nature. Morning at Matthiessen State Park is no exception. The air temperature was in the high 60's as we arrived, but in the canyons, you could still see your breath. The cold water created some mist at some points, making the sunrise much more spectacular.

The recent rains raised the level of the stream, making it rather difficult to walk around the bottom of the canyons, but if you didn't mind getting your feet wet with very cold water (or had boots like me), it was great to see the waterfalls running full speed.

Lock Gate Bracket

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Lock Gate Bracket

Often called a "Goon Neck" or "Gooseneck strap" this bracket held the hinge side of the miter lock gate to the coping (top of the lock) on Lock 11 of the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Also attached to the gate at this point was a long lever used by the lock tender to open and close the gates.

Many of these have been removed along the canal, but this one is still in place for now.

Lock 11 Bypass Channel

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Lock 11 Bypass Channel

Who knew that a lock bypass channel in Illinois could look like the Amazon? This channel is only about 4 or 5 feet wide, cut through solid stone by workers over 100 years ago. This area around lock 11 in Ottawa, Illinois had natural channels cut by moving water thousands of years ago, so it was the perfect geologic place for a lock and bypass channel.

A bypass channel kept the water behind the lock from overflowing the lock gates. Once the water reached a determined level, it would spill over into the bypass channel and continue down stream.

Not easily reached, I could have explored this area for hours.

Turtle Neck

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Turtle Neck

Walking along the Illinois and Michigan Canal trail, we noticed a small painted turtle trying to warm up in the hazy sun. He obviously wasn't too comfortable with us, so he retreated inside his shell.

Evening Walk Along the Shore

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Evening Walk Along the Shore

The weather on Saturday was pleasant - especially for April. So we decided to drive up to South Haven, Michigan for a walk in town and along the shore.

The lighthouse is a popular destination for everyone walking around South Haven, and is rarely seen without people around it (unless you visit in January on a windy, 2 degree afternoon).

January at South Haven

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.