Some Train Pictures

After spending 6 days on trains and enjoying the trip so much, I have a much greater appreciation for trains. I don't think they are going to replace my love of aviation at any point in the future but they can come pretty close. As we were heading up to Tahquamenom Falls, there is a place where I usually see some trains stopped. This time was no different.

This is a diesel engine from the Illinois Central.

Looking at it straight on.

Looking at it from the side.

As I looked around the area, I noticed this train waiting off to the side. I thought this made for a very picturesque shot.

A closeup of the front of one of the engines. This belongs to the Canadian National Railroad.

A closeup of the Illinois Central engine.

The Old Mackinac Light

Since I'm there and I like the light so much, I decided to take some pictures of that as well.

A shot from the front.

Probably my favorite angle of the light.

I tried to get it when the flag was fully furled, this was about as close as I could get. I thought it made for a nice shot at any rate.

Mackinac Bridge in June

As part of my continuing series, 12 Months of the Mackinac Bridge. Wow, I can't believe it's June already. Seems like just yesterday I was freezing as I was trying to take these pictures. For all the complaining about Michigan's weather, one nice thing is the variation in the seasons. We truly have four seasons. Anyways, pictures...

Sadly, I saw a ship passing on the other side just as I arrived at the park. If I had been about 10 minutes sooner, I could have gotten one of my favorite shots.

A shot of the bridge with some foilage to show the season.

Another shot with a tree in the foreground. Note the green.



Now that I've seen the Golden Gate Bridge, there's no comparison. This bridge is far prettier.

An Osprey

We saw a bird that looked sort of like an eagle, so I started to zoom in on him. We must have been too close because he took off but that was okay because he started to fly around.

Turns out it wasn't an eagle but an osprey.





It is a very cool looking bird. Shame he didn't go fishing though.

Heron Nests

While I was heading up to the Bridge and Tahquamenom Falls, I decided to take US 127 up instead of I-75. My mom noticed this stand of trees, she thought it might have been set up to be eagles nests. So we got off and backtracked to this spot (it's near Higgins Lake) and they weren't eagles but instead herons (or cranes).

A Raccoon

I was throwing some trash away yesterday when I happened to look in the trash can and saw this little guy. He looked pretty cute and seemed to tolerate me, so I snapped his picture.

Random Ann Arbor Pictures

So I ended up wandering around Ann Arbor for a bit. It was getting dark and I didn't have my tripod with me, so my picture taking opportunies were sparse.

A shot of the Nickel's Arcade.

Looking up at the Michigan Theater sign. This is becoming another one of my favorite shots.

Looking at the State Theater sign.

The reflection of the Michigan Theater sign in borders.

One of the shops in Nickels Arcade.

A close up of the flowers.

One of the antique shops in Nickels Arcade.

Another shot from there.