Beneath The Bridge

Beneath the Shiawassee Street Bridge - Lansing, Michigan

High Water

Grand Ledge Trestle

More Grand River Ice

Grand River Ice

Water Over The Dam

Someone Left The Faucet Running

Interesting Ice

Snowy Contrasts

Brenke Fish Ladder & Dam

River Trail Art

A Feathered Fall Fishing Expedition

Great Blue Heron on the Grand River - Lansing, Michigan

Making Quite A Splash

Whilst kayaking on Sunday, I happened upon a flock of Canada geese splashing up a storm along the bank of the Grand River.  The ones that could stand up in the shallow water simply flung the water around.  The ones floating in the river sort of pushed themselves along like they were trying to fly, but not very well. 

Tiny Butterfly

One of the tiniest butterflies you can see in Michigan is the Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta).  Butterfly experts still debate whether the Summer Azure and the Spring Azure are separate species or two different subspecies.  The Spring Azure is often one of the very first butterflies you will encounter in the early spring.  The two species do have slightly different coloring on the upper side of their wings, but most people never get the chance to see them as they keep their wings firmly closed when they perch.  I have tried for several years to find an Azure with its wings open to photograph the bright blue on its upper wings.  These butterflies have a wingspan of no more than one inch but most do not exceed three-quarters-of-an-inch.  Being so small, most go unnoticed by people that are not intentionally looking for them.

Old Ottawa Power Plant

Last Friday night I took some long exposure photographs of the former Lansing Board of Water &Light Ottawa Street Power Station, now the headquarters for the Accident Fund insurance company.  Construction on the building began in 1937 and culminated two years later.  At one time a smoke stack and big neon "Board of Water & Light" letters topped the building.  They were removed in 2007.  You can see a series of photos showing the stack removal below.

Water, Water Everywhere

So far this April, the Lansing area has received over seven inches of rain.  The average tops out just over three inches, so we are having what one could call a wet spring.  The rain the past few days has warranted the lowering of all the barriers of the dam in Old Town to make sure that the river upstream does not overflow its bank.  Even with the barriers down to facilitate faster flow, the water level on the downstream side of the dam is only a few feet below the upstream side where usually there is a much deeper drop.  I wish I could get out in my kayak on the downstream portion and kayak to Grand Ledge, but I do not foresee an opportunity to do that in the immediate future.  I hope we continue to have enough rain this summer to keep the rivers higher than last year.

Reeds Along The River

Along the Grand River, west of Lansing, Michigan

Finishing My Trip

Last year, I attempted to kayak from a park just north of Eaton Rapids all the way back to Lansing, a 20-mile route.  Nine miles into the trip, I snapped one of the blades of my paddle and my trip ended.  Fortunately, this took place right next to the Waverly Road.  The water was so low that I could walk the kayak back to the bank where I waited for Valerie to fetch me.

Sunday, Valerie dropped me off at Waverly Road and I completed my route.  Had the weather cooperated earlier in the day, I would have tried the complete route again, but the snow and rain delayed my trip by several hours.  

The photo above is the paddle that busted with a new blade.  This paddle is a very light and a comfortable paddle.  But just in case, I now always carry my old heavier paddle with me so that I can avoid this situation again.