Karen Anderson Ham and her hubby have a place south of Escanaba, on M35 in Ford River that she fondly calls her “happy place”. It’s on Little Bay De Noc, so they’re on the water there with plenty of beach and shoreline for walking their dog and taking hikes. On the day Karen snapped these photos she said she got caught in the rain a couple times while out walking. It was sunny and warm one minute, then dark and stormy the next! Sounds about right for Great Lakes weather!

Despite the fickle weather, Karen was able to snap a few photos of some interesting things on the beach…Black-eyed Susans, interesting driftwood and purple milk thistle, which is a prickly and considered a weed. It’s pretty enough, but I prefer that patch of black-eyed susans myself.

Here again with Michigan Nature Association as they present: “The Fox and the Fen”. (A Fen is a wetland ecosystem). The Fox River is a 36.5 mile long tributary of the Manistique River, in Schoolcraft County. It’s rumored to be the river that Ernest Hemingway frequented and is well know for brook trout fishing. You can learn more about this area and how you can protect it in this video.

Love these pictures. I love when
you can see the rain off in the
distance. Very cool. I've
certainly seen a lot of the purple
milk thistle on our trail rides. I
even have some in the yard. I
almost pulled it, but as Mary
said, it's pretty enough. Like
her, I'll take the black eyed
susans.

Different Thistles are an invasive species, and
the spikes are SHARP. Good luck eliminating it. I
stepped on one with heavy boots (years ago) and
the next day, with gloves, I pulled it and put it
in a garbage bag...the roots went way down....that
was a treat. (not)...

Karen...have you been out to Nahma?? Go to the Inn
and see Charley!!

A friend and I (decades ago) went up on Brockway
to watch the sunrise...the Sun was coming up,
while the Harvest Full Moon went away. You could
see rain in one area, the sunrise in another....it
was beyond awesome. There's a gorgeous memory
brought back!!

Sweetie pix! My fav is the first one,
those UP blue skies bring tears to my eyes.
Some of my best rides on the Wing were
cruising down M-26 with vivid blue skies
and white puffy clouds above, Superior
blue waters to my left and lush green
forests on my right. No other ride compares.
And a great video! I just hope the river and
land can remain prestine. It brings to mind
the song lyric; “They call it paradise, I don’t
know why. You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye.”

I used to pay almost no attention to the Lake Michigan side of the UP. What a mistake! The Keweenaw & Lake Superior are still my heart's favorite but Manistique, Escanaba, everything in between and on both sides have a lot to offer.

I get those purple thistles around my yard. I wonder if they are they on the invasive list.

Beautiful set today. I can find no mention that purple milk thistle is invasive.

Yes, Mary, if i remember right, Hemingway thought the name Big Two Hearted River was more poetic and used it in his stories. But all clues indicate that the river was really the Fox.

Oh yes, D.A., the Lake Michigan
side of the peninsula is gorgeous.
And the sand dunes down near St.
Ignace is a wonderful place to
swim. The whole U.P. is just
gorgeous.