Eben Ice Caves in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

[Big Frank]

A few days ago the Bing Wallpaper of the day was Eben Ice Caves in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I only had to cut it down to 94% of the original size to post it. I found a bunch more pictures online. These aren't the only ice caves in Michigan, just what was on Bing Wallpaper. There are also several waterfalls that people like to climb when they freeze solid.

[Big Frank]

They warn people to dress warm and wear crampons when walking around the ice. That's a good idea. and some people need to be told.

[Big Frank]

That's all. I'm not posting pics of the other ice caves or frozen waterfalls but a lot of those pictures look better than most of these. I can tell you where to look if you want to find them.

[Big Frank]

I already had some pics of a few of the smaller waterfalls on my computer so I'm posting them before I delete the pics. The last one is at Paulding, MI where one of my brothers likes to ride in the mud. There have been a lot of UFO sightings around that area.

[alfsauve]

Very pretty and awe inspiring.










Also another reason not to live above the 34th parallel.

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

A lot of Michigan looks awesome once you get past the major population centers. And since we have all 4 seasons in a year, it's only cold for 3 months. But cold is relative, since it's not a frozen tundra here. I mowed my grass last month, mainly to mulch dead leaves, but also because the grass was getting too long. We're supposed to be hit with the 3rd(?) snowstorm of the winter Wednesday. Come summer when it's hot, it won't be "down south" hot. I prefer wearing a coat when I go out in winter, to having heat related illnesses all summer.

Here are some people climbing the sand dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The dunes are so big the people look half the size of piss-ants. In 2011, the area won the title of "The Most Beautiful Place in America" from Good Morning America. Near the south end of the National Park, Silver Lake State Park is home to a 500-acre ORV scramble area, the only sand dune riding opportunity east of the Mississippi River. Also, The Grand Sable Dunes west of Grand Marais in the U.P. are among the best examples of perched dune systems in the world. Those are examples of just one of many diverse types of geological features in the state.

[Big Frank]

Very pretty and awe inspiring.










Also another reason not to live above the 34th parallel.

If you drive north on I-75 long enough you'll cross the 45th parallel coming into Gaylord. There's an information sign that says 45TH PARALLEL HALFWAY BETWEEN EQUATOR AND NORTH POLE. This is one of six places in Michigan where signs like that exist. Everyone has to draw the line somewhere. For me that's it. The 45th parallel. It's beautiful up there in God's country, and it would be nice to not have any neighbors for miles in any direction, but in the winter it's like a different country. Literally. Winters up north are more like Canadian winters than they are winters down here in southern Michigan.

Wikipedia says Gaylord experiences heavy lake effect snow during the winter and is in the middle of the Northern Michigan snowbelt. The U.P. is even worse. But, on the plus side Hartwick Pines State Park is just 28 miles to the south, and is one of the last remaining stands of old growth virgin Eastern white pine forest. But that doesn't compare to the 500 to 600-plus year old Northern White Cedar trees on South Manitou Island.