Tag Archives: Lake Michigan

Our quest for the “Metropolis” under East Bay waters

  Since moving to Michigan 27 years ago, I have been intrigued by the history and lore of the Great Lakes. This includes the lighthouses, sand dunes, ore docks, freighters, bridges, geology, and many other facets of this vast waterborne … Continue reading

Posted in archaeology, culture, fun, geography, Great Lakes, historic preservation, history, Maps, nature, North America, pictures, recreation, shipping, shipwrecks, technology, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, water trails | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Winged insects found on driftwood

We spent the afternoon at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan. While wandering the beach at North Bar Lake, I was surprised by the interesting variety of winged insects found on recently beached piece … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, environment, fun, insects, nature, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Shipwreck sightings in and near Michigan’s Manitou Passage

Living on the Great Lakes, particularly in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan provides some unique opportunities to see shipwrecks. Literally hundreds of them rest upon the lake floor in this region, particularly in places like Manitou Passage which separates … Continue reading

Posted in archaeology, climate change, culture, environment, geography, Great Lakes, historic preservation, history, Maps, nature, pictures, place names, planning, shipwrecks, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blue Waters: An ode to Lake Michigan

BLUE WATERS (An ode to Lake Michigan) by Rick Brown ____________ Sacred blue waters Beckon to me Wherever you are Come to the sea * Crystal blue waters Welcoming me Marvelous vistas For reflective retreat * Blessed blue waters Smile … Continue reading

Posted in environment, fun, geography, health, humanity, Love, nature, peace, pictures, Poem, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nothing but blue waters…smiling at me

I don’t know about the rest of you, but whenever I am traveling to Lake Michigan, my anticipation continually grows until I get my first chance to glimpse those lovely blue waters. Through cities, towns, farmland, and wooded forests we may … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, civics, civility, Communications, culture, environment, fun, geography, health, history, humanity, land use, Love, nature, North America, peace, pictures, placemaking, pollution, rivers/watersheds, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No place better on Earth than “Up North” in the summertime

We spent the past week in Mother Earth’s idyllic playground – also known as the Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan, centered around Traverse City. I have yet to find a photograph or painting that adequately depicts the visual beauty and … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, Canada, cities, culture, entertainment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, holiday, land use, nature, pictures, placemaking, recreation, spatial design, sports, States, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, Travel, UK, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Sail on, sail on, sailor”

Here are a few photos from our four-hour sailing trip on the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan this past Tuesday afternoon. Sailing is easily one the most beautiful recreational/sporting activities on Earth and our trip aboard the 31′ Starlight … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, art, civility, culture, environment, fun, geography, nature, North America, peace, pictures, recreation, sailing, sports, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A dreaming planner’s “tunnel vision”

Recently I wrote  a post about the idea of developing an intermodal freight bypass of the Chicago railway bottleneck by developing container ports on both the Michigan and Wisconsin sides of Lake Michigan. That post received a lot of commentary, … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, architecture, Asia, China, civics, commerce, Communications, economic development, entrepreneurship, Europe, geography, government, history, infrastructure, land use, logistics, North America, planning, product design, Statistics, technology, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Are we missing a golden opportunity?

I’ve been thinking about the topic of logistics since reading the book Aerotropolis several months ago. One logistical issue that comes up on a regular basis is the congestion and delays that take place in and around Chicago. Being a … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, books, Canada, cities, commerce, Communications, economic development, economic gardening, economics, entrepreneurship, geography, globalization, history, infrastructure, land use, logistics, marketing, North America, placemaking, planning, Small business, technology, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments