Go See Do Explore

Pere Marquette 1225

On September 12, 2016

During the Howell Melonfest, the Pere Marquetee 1225, the train The Polar Express was based on, was giving rides through the scenic Livingston County countryside. Chris is excited to experience any kind of transportation, so we got our tickets. The train is operated by the Steam Railroading Institute and the operate train rides around the state. I am thinking about borrowing some kids to take with me on the “North Pole Express” which recreates the experience from The Polar Express. My only question is whether Tom Hanks will sing to me about Hot Chocolate…

The inside of the train isn’t that photogenic so the next day we made a point to be what the volunteers who work on the train call “foamers” (people who get so excited to see the train that they begin to foam at the mouth) and try to get some shots of the historic engine in action.

About this Photo:
Photographing a train requires a fast shutter speed and a small aperture to maintain sharpness. I don’t know that ever really appreciated how fast a train goes until this. I only got 3 or 4 shots before I was photographing the cars. After the train passed us at the first crossing we went to another railroad crossing and waited for it to come back to the depot. This gave me a chance to improve the shots I got the first time around.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 55-200 kit lens, handheld

Date Taken:
August 21, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. To learn more about the Steam Railroading Institute and get your tickets for the North Pole Express visit MichiganSteamTrain.com.

Chris Corner #14: In Memorium

By Chris

On September 9, 2016

In Chris' Corner

This is a departure from my normal format. I wanted to use this post to remember our cat that Ashleigh and I lost to kidney failure last Saturday.

Incidentally, I had been wanting to try out Adobe Spark to make something for our vacation photos. This was a really helpful tool in getting my feelings out and healing. I would recommend trying it out (it’s free) the next time you want to tell a story. https://spark.adobe.com/

This particular Spark features photos taken by both Ashleigh and myself. Click the picture below to see the full story.

Wordless Wednesday: Cherries

By Ashleigh

On September 7, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Pure Michigan Beach

By Ashleigh

On September 5, 2016

In Camping, Michigan, Project: State Parks

For one final summer hurrah, Chris and I took a camping trip to Van Buren State Park in South Haven. While deciding what park to visit, I knew I wanted to be on the water, but other than that I wasn’t too picky as to where we would go (we even considered going back to Straits but the lower campgrounds were already full) after checking a few times, an spot opened up at Van Buren so we jumped on it! I began looking into what to do in South Haven and discovered that our trip coincided with the Blueberry Festival. We always enjoy a good Pure Michigan festival! We explored downtown South Haven and walked out to the lighthouse (since it was a festival, it was impossible to get a shot of it without a million people in it), and got some blueberry jam at one of the festival tents.

This was my first visit to Van Buren State Park. Our site was very sandy, which made our tent very sandy due to the rain, but it seemed like other sites had more grass. The beach at Van Buren was just a short walk from the campground. Once again, the bathroom facilities did not live up to Straits, but at this point I wasn’t surprised. One of the strangest things about the park is that it wrapped around a working nuclear power plant. On the way to the beach you encounter a fence with “no trespassing, violators will be shot” signs posted every few feet. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet park and if I was looking to camp in the area again, I would definitely stay here again.

About the Photo:
After exploring the festival, we headed out to the beach to capture the sunset. I love capturing the sunset over Lake Michigan because you get an unobstructed view but oftentimes it is difficult to find a compelling subject. After taking a few kind of boring sunset shots I pointed the camera down and captured the colors in a reflection of the receding tide. To get the motion of the water, I used a long (1.6 second) shutter speed.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 kit lens, on a tripod

Date Taken:
August 13, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. To plan your visit to South Haven check out SouthHaven.org. To book your stay at Van Buren State Park visit the Michigan DNR.

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Chris Corner #13: Scott Falls

By Chris

On September 2, 2016

In Chris' Corner, Michigan, Travel

Scott Falls by Christopher Mowers on 500px.com

We nearly didn’t make it.

That morning, we set out for Munising, MI from Houghton, MI. It was one of our shorter days of travel. Because it was so short, we decided to try to see some waterfalls, and our short trip turned long and frustrating.

First up was our attempt to visit Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park. Apparently there is a right and wrong way to try to get to this park- and the two track that we tried to follow only was only an hour long exercise in proving that our Kia Soul, awesome as it is, is no match for Michigan’s more rugged terrain.

Scott Falls, pictured above, was our second waterfall stop of the day. Our information said it was simply off of M-28. Great! This one should be a piece of cake to find. So we pulled into the roadside scenic turn out, walked to the shore of Lake Superior, and couldn’t help but notice that despite being at Scott Falls scenic turnout, that there was no presence of any waterfall.

Frustrated, we continued east, but luckily in a few hundred feet (if that) we saw the waterfall on the other side of M-28. We had to pull over on the side of the road and walk back, but after all that frustration it was nice to get a decent photo of Scott Falls
About the photo:
It’s a long exposure on a tripod. Exactly what you’d expect for a waterfall shot.

Camera Gear: Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

Date Taken: June 29, 2016

Thank you for reading. You can see my best work on 500px and can also find pictures of the “trying my hardest to be good at this” type on Flickr or Pixoto.
Also, be sure to like the Go See Do Facebook Page, and follow Ashleigh on Instagram and Flickr! Check out our Gear page to see inside our camera bag!

Wordless Wednesday: Miner’s Castle

By Ashleigh

On August 31, 2016

In Michigan, National Parks & Places, Road Trip, Wordless Wednesday

Epic Michigan Road Trip: Recap

By Ashleigh

On August 29, 2016

In Camping, Michigan, Project: State Parks, Road Trip

Wow! I can’t believe this summer-long blog series is coming to an end. What am I going to write about now? Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on this epic trip, I wanted to give you a little recap and share some of my favorite things from the journey.

Favorite Campground: Straits State Park lower campground, St. Ignace. You just can’t beat that view! And that was the bathroom I now measure every campground bathroom to. I would love to make a trip to Straits an annual occasion!

Favorite Tourist Attraction: Soo Locks Boat Tour – Its one thing to watch the Locks from the viewing platform its another entirely to get to ride through them!

Best Natural Wonder: The Big Spring (AKA Kitch-iti-kipi) – This was a really tough decision, but I have never seen anything like this before. The water was so calm and such a unique color! It was breathtaking!

Best Sunset Spot: McLain State Park Campground – unobstructed views over Lake Superior and benches to watch it from. Not mention you can also catch a sunrise here.

Best UP Pasties: Lehto’s, St. Ignace – This is a no-frills restaurant that serves one thing, pasties. You can get them hot or chilled or frozen to take home. They also sell canned soda and they have picnic tables outside if you decide to eat them there. They stay warm awhile so we enjoyed ours in Manistique. If you’ve never had them, you can even order them online and they’ll ship them to you!

About the Photo:
Our second night at McLain we were able to catch this fabulous sunset. This is a big deal at this park and people flock towards the water to watch it. After the sun went down, most of the people went back to their sites, but the sky was not done with its show! Lately, I have noticed that the best colors seem to come out after sunset! Don’t rush off after the sun goes down, you never know what Mother Nature has in store for you!

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 kit len, on a tripod

Date Taken:
June 28, 2016

Thanks for stopping by and for following along on my trip! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page.

Wordless Wednesday: Presque Isle Vista

By Ashleigh

On August 24, 2016

In Michigan

Epic Michigan Road Trip: Rifle River

By Ashleigh

On August 22, 2016

In Camping, Hiking, Michigan, Road Trip

Wow! We are at the end of my road trip! I am so sad to be done retelling it, but don’t worry, I have plenty more photos coming! Back to the trip!

After making our way down the Lake Huron coast, we headed inland to the Rifle River Recreation Area. We chose this as our last stop on the trip because it was literally the last campsite available in the northeastern part of the state for the Saturday before the Fourth of July. It was a rustic site, meaning no electricity and outhouses instead of bathrooms. The park was definitely the largest we visited on the trip. We drove for a while before we got to our campsite. And for the outdoor adventurer, there is a lot to do between hiking and canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. If you’re looking to camp and spend time on the water, this would be a great place for you!

About the Photo:
This shot was taken in the morning of the day we were heading home. Before we left the park I wanted to stop at the observation platform and get a photo for the blog. This shot was an 8 RAW exposure panorama stitched together with basic edits in lightroom.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 mm kit lens, handheld

Date Taken:
July 3, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. To learn more about Rifle River Recreation Area, visit the Michigan DNR.

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Wordless Wednesday: Sturgeon Point Light

By Ashleigh

On August 17, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday