Wind and Waves

Wind and waves take their toll on St. Joseph's outer light. 45 mile per hour winds, 15 foot waves, and splashes up to 70 feet in the air, contribute to the ice build up on the lighthouse.

Sunk

Only a small portion of this rusted barge is visible after it was left to sink and rust in the steamboat basin of the Illinois and Michigan Canal just off of the Illinois River in LaSalle, Illinois.

Just a short walk along the muddy bank of the steamboat basin, past the official end of the I and M Canal trail.

Slope Revealed

Winter reveals the true contour of the dunes along Lake Michigan's Indiana shore. There is quite a difference between the contour of the ground and the treetops. Water and nutrients collect in the small valleys between the dunes, and the trees benefit from this extra moisture, growing taller and stronger. Trees near the top of the dunes appear to be a bit more stressed, from the lack of moisture, nutrients and the elements.

Franklin Street Bridge

Built in 1932, the Franklin Street Bridge crosses Michigan City's Trail Creek, allowing easy access to Washington Park. The bridge has a 213 foot span and has its original railings - unusual for bridges of this age. Unlike the many Chicago bascule bridges which utilize truss construction, this bridge used plate girders, making this a significant Indiana bridge.

Artist's Easel

A quick project for my nephew Tom, who's becoming quite interested in fine art. He needed an easel for drawing and painting. This one is made from poplar, stands 7 feet tall, with two adjustable clamps that will hold canvas or boards as large as four feet tall.


It's built using pocket screws - screws drilled in on an extreme angle to join two flat boards of wood.

Constant Bombardment

High winds and waves batter the 108 year old South Haven, Michigan lighthouse. It's been a warm winter so far, and any ice that builds up from splashes like these soon melts.

Most years, ice builds up from windy days in December, and remains until February or March.

Shrouded

Waves crash into the pier of the St. Joseph, Michigan lighthouse, shrouding the outer light in a cape of water spray.

The lighthouse is 35 feet tall, at the end of a 1000 foot pier.

A fellow photographer braves the elements to get his perfect shot.

70 Foot Splash

A windy afternoon created some big waves on Lake Michigan, and some huge splashes on the St. Joseph, Michigan lighthouse. The outer light tower is 35 feet tall, and this splash is at least twice that height.

While the temperature was in the mid 30s, the wind made the hike to the beach difficult, and standing out on the exposed dune was almost impossible- freezing bare skin in minutes. Next time, I'll bring gloves.

West Beach Snow

A fresh blanket of snow covers the Marram Grass growing on the slopes of the sand dunes of West Beach.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Ghost Barge

At the confluence of the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Illinois River, in LaSalle, Illinois, a rusted out barge sits in the middle of the steamboat basin, blocking the waterway. Apparently, this is no longer navigable, and it was easier to simply let the barge sit and rust where it was last used. There's another barge a few yards away that is almost unrecognizable, and barely visible in the water.

A rather insignificant end to the canal that ran over 90 miles from Chicago to LaSalle.

Giant Snowball

Tired of getting hit by snowballs, Dan gets revenge on his older brother with the biggest snowball of the day. He managed to sneak up on him and get a bulls eye.

Back to the Top

Boys climb back up to the top of a sand dune to get ready to sled down the snowy face of the dune. Sledding is not allowed at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, I guess they didn't see any Park Rangers around.

At least these kids weren't sledding toward Lake Michigan.

Crossing the Creek

A hiker uses a make-shift bridge to cross the creek running through Illinois Canyon at Starved Rock State Park. One of the last unseasonably warm days in January, just a few days later several inches of snow would cover this area.

To get to the end of this box canyon (canyon that ends in a dead end) you'll need to cross this creek four times as it meanders back and forth.

Lift Bridge Reflections

The Old Burlington Northern Railroad lift bridge over the Illinois River in Ottawa, Illinois on a sunny, unseasonably warm January day. The approach to the steel span is supported by wooden pilings.

Don't Touch

Thorns of a locust tree - beware. A defense left over from the days of the Wooly Mammoth. They're several inches in length and can cover much of the trunk and lower limbs. They will even grow from the roots, preventing animals from getting too close.

Dune Succession

A few hundred yards from Lake Michigan, many different environments can be seen from the top of this dune. Beach, grass, conifer forest, interdunal ponds, wetlands, all within a short distance. This is one of the few places this progression can be seen so close and so clearly.

West Beach, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Windy Dune

The season's first significant snowfall blankets the dunes along the Lake Michigan shore. While it wasn't too windy at the time this photo was taken, it was when the snow fell, bending the Marram grass in the direction of the drifts.

Tiscornia Park. St. Joseph, Michigan

Reflected Color

The colorful, sunbathed canyon walls reflect in the shaded stream running through Illinois Canyon at Starved Rock State Park.

Walking through this canyon is interesting. You need to cross this winding stream at least three times, and the sunlight only hits tiny portions of the ground at a time.

View Through the Ice

A peek at the St. Joseph, Michigan inner lighthouse through the icicles formed on the pier railings. These rails often become completely covered in ice and can be surrounded in ice over 4 feet thick.

Interesting color in the water. The water turned green about 1/2 mile from shore; probably sand kicked up by the waves.

Illinois Canyon In Winter

Yes, winter! Sunday the weather was unseasonably warm in Northern Illinois - in the 40's. No leaves in the trees or flowers on the ground, but Illinois Canyon remains colorful throughout the year. The layers of color in the stone walls bring life to the winter months.

Less than a week later, this canyon is covered in snow. Winter has finally reached Illinois.