From Muskegon Lake, near the mouth of the north branch of the river. As this was August 1, this beauty’s designation as “blue” had expired several hours previously. But given the pretty morning, who cares?
Author: Nick Kroes
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Turning East
The sunrise over the Muskegon River on the morning of July 15, 2015. This is on the north branch just east of the US 31 bridge.
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Last Pass
From a run up a favorite chute on the Muskegon River. With the lower water levels, this will be the last trip up this one until next spring.
These are from Muskegon’s McGraft Park and Heritage Landing on the morning of July 3,2015.
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Photo Chute
Just before sunrise on one of the chutes that connect the north and south branches of the Muskegon River.
These chutes are a ball to explore. If you’d like to use this one as a starting point, here’s a map of that morning’s run. There is a marker at about the place that the photo was taken.
After you put in at the end of Sheridan Road just head down river to the first breakout on the right.
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Lovely Lakeshore
From some of the morning walks on Muskegon’s Lakeshore bike trail in June.
The temperature finally got slightly above stupid this morning. Enough so to head out for the first Muskegon River run of the year.
These are both from a foggy run up the north branch after putting in at Fisherman’s Landing. The fog was so thick that it didn’t burn off until way later in the morning.
What was intended to be a short run to check for leaks and other equipment issues went way longer which explains the arms that feel like overcooked spaghetti!
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May Morning
Muskegon Lake just before sunrise earlier this month.
This was taken while balancing on some very slippery rocks near the Terrace Point Landing construction.
After so many weeks with single digit temperatures, a 32° morning can seem relatively toasty. That changes after a few long exposures, when the fingers get so numb that they can no longer open the camera shutter.
This Muskegon rail yard picture from last week was taken just before that chilly reality prompted a walk back home.
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Chicago Shore
Susie’s birthday trip to Chicago in early February included an early morning walk along the big lake.
Besides the obligatory photo of downtown, here are a couple of an old beach pavilion as well as an odd structure in Lincoln Park.
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Muskegon Rail Yard
This is from the train yard just north of downtown Muskegon near Fisherman’s Landing.
The early December morning offered a good chance to mess around with an extended exposure of the cars, tracks, and the huge light that illuminates the whole area.
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Gray Cat On A Tennessee Farm
Listen to “Gray Cat on a Tennessee Farm”
My old music pal, the historian Bill Van Vugt, says that the lyrics to this tune are reminiscent of the sentiments expressed in letters sent by some earlier settlers to our country. In these, the writers would often expound on their new prosperity to friends and relatives left behind.
Bill Knowlton writes in the liner notes to “Go Long Mule” that Uncle Dave Macon, who is credited with this song, lived on his own prosperous farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee from 1900 until his death in 1952.
Knowlton explains that after his weekly Saturday night performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Macon would head home to spend the rest of the weekend with his family. Huge Sunday dinners were followed by a nap in the hammock — often with his grandchildren waving a fan over him to keep off the flies.
It isn’t too hard to imagine Uncle Dave dreaming the words to this song during one of those idyllic afternoon slumbers. That actually might help to explain some of the more surreal images in this piece which my wife, Susan, believes is some sort of “old-time Haiku”.
Recorded by Nick Kroes
Here is the “Gray Cat Tablature”
Gray Cat on a Tennessee Farm
Talk to the man who can if you will
prosper in the valley of the Tennessee hills.
Oh, the big cat spit in the little kitten’s eye
Little cat, little cat don’t you cry
I do love liquor and we’ll all take a dram,
I’m going to tell you, pretty Polly Ann
Cattle in the pasture, hogs in the pen,
Sheep on the ranch and wheat in the bin.
Wagon in the shed, porter in the yard,
Meat in the smokehouse, big can of lard.
Fruit in the cellar, cheese on the board,
Big sack of coffee and sugar in the gourd.
Horse in the stable, money in the pocket
Baby in the cradle and a pretty girl to rock it.
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Blazing Banks
These are from what will probably be the last paddle of the year.
The clear fall sky and early morning fog make these look as if there is a fire on the river bank.
From another early morning walk along Muskegon Lake. The first is of the Kirksey dock. The other is looking across the lake towards Muskegon from the kiosk on the bike trail.
Both were taken way before sunrise, so the camera shutter had to be open for several seconds before it would capture much of anything. This is why the surface of the lake looks so crazy. Most ripples and waves tend to disappear in a long exposure.
Ruddiman Creek where it ends at Muskegon Lake before sunrise on the morning of October 15, 2014.
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Dark Water
An extremely early Wednesday walk offered a chance to shoot very long exposures of a very dark Muskegon Lake. A word to the wise…don’t try this without a tripod!
The first is a sailboat off the Hartshorn boat launch. The other two are from the Kirksey dock.
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Wet Walk
This morning’s meander along Muskegon Lake was very sunny and surprisingly wet.
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Foggy Delta
The oncoming cold made for a very foggy morning on the Muskegon River last Sunday.
Muskegon was jumping this morning.
A highly inefficient route to a packed Farmer’s Market was shared with a cross country tournament, a charity run, and a bike race. Best of all was a gorgeous hawk in the trees between Ruddiman Lagoon and Addison Street.
It was very satisfying to find Bike Trail Jim, who made last year’s initial siting of the bear swimming from North Muskegon. I assumed my hawk encounter would at least slightly rebalance the wildlife spotting score.
Bad assumption.
“You only saw one?” It seems that four of these beauties have taken up long term residence around our lagoon!
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Missed Connection
The long weekend offered lots of time for Muskegon River exploration. The first two days of which went very well.
On the third, an attempt to verify an unlikely mapped connection between the branches went south both literally and figuratively. A long haul down a very narrow passage stopped abruptly at a wall of growth so thick that it felt like hitting a wall. The long paddle back to the north branch could only begin after turning around in a deep channel no wider than the boat itself.
Another relaxing holiday.