Between floor and ceiling

Lake Michigan’s shore in Benzie County is all sand, both on the beach and under the water.

The view from Graham Greene Township Park

Graham Greene Township Park fronts West Grand Traverse Bay just north of Peshawbestown in Leelanau County. The tiny picnic area just off highway M-22 features a grassy lawn under towering trees, just steps away from a rocky shoreline.

Beached sailboat

A violent storm ripped through northwest Lower Michigan a few years back. The winds and waves pulled up anchors of several boats in West Grand Traverse Bay. This is one of two sailboats that washed up on Clinch Park Beach during the night. 

The Big View

The view from the overlook on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore makes every visitor slow down and stop. There’s something about the endless and gentle pattern of waves on Lake Michigan seen from far above that makes everyone step out their shoes and step inside themselves while they gaze in wonder at nature’s majesty.

Wreck off South Manitou Island

The Francisco Morazan ran aground near South Manitou Island on November 28,1960. It had left Chicago the day before, loaded with 940 tons of general cargo. The ship’s captain was 24 years old. His wife, 29 and pregnant, was aboard the ship, as were 13 crew members. The captain’s wife was lifted from the ship on Dec. 2. The crew abandoned ship on Dec. 4 and were taken to Traverse City aboard the icebreaker Mackinaw. The ship’s owners could not be located and the rusted remains of the ship still rest where it ran aground a few hundred feet from the island’s shore.

Francisco Morazán served as president of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1830 to 1839. The nation, which ceased to exist in 1841, covered land today occupied by Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The nearby beach, where this photograph was taken, is a beautiful spot for swimming and a picnic. The island is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

All images on this website are copyright Daniel C. Nielsen, tclocal@gmail.com.

Fragile beauty on winter sand

An oak leaf decorates a cold beach in Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore a few miles west of Traverse City.

All images on this website are copyright Daniel C. Nielsen, tclocal@gmail.com.

Ripples on Otter Creek

Wind and waves interact to create ripple on the mouth of Otter Creek in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Footprints soon erased

I tried to leave only footprints, but the waves washed even them away. Within minutes, all trace of my travels had been erased. Perhaps I was only a dream.

Circle in the sand

Wind constantly paints new images on the ever-changing canvas of sand. This delicate collection of strokes existed for a few hours in late September 2012 before being erased and replaced by something else.

Geese on the beach

A group of Canada geese gathers on the shore of Lake Michigan north of Frankfort in September 2012.

Castle in the sand

Late September sand castle near Otter Creek, on the shore of Lake Michigan just west of Traverse City. Temperatures are dropping here, and this well could be the last sandcastle of the season. Once daily high temperatures dip into the mid-60s, most of us lose interest in spending long days at the beach. And lounging in the sand lacks the charm of a hot summer day when skies are overcast and wind-driven sand grains pelt your skin. But the Lake Michigan beach still offers a great taste of nature – you just have to bundle up a bit.

Tall ship downtown

Just half a block from downtown, Clinch Park beach attracts a family crowd. Tall ships wander by regularly all summer long. And shopping is great just a few steps away.