Nature Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Secret Manistee Waterfall in the Lower Peninsula

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature, Waterfalls .

Hidden deep within the Manistee National Forest is a small un-named waterfall. It is not a large waterfall, only about two feet tall, but it is a peaceful and serene little waterfall. It is on a little creek that flows into the Manistee River a couple of miles south of the Hodenpyl Dam. The creek and waterfall do not have a name and even the sign next to them just reads “waterfall”. I have decided to call it the Manistee Falls for the forest it is in, and the Manistee river is only a few yards away.

I am guessing the creek dries up by mid-summer and the waterfalls are not flowing, so if you want to see it, spring would be the best time to do it. I don’t normally post exact locations and directions to places in my posts. I prefer to leave that for my books, but I figure since this place has limited information on the internet, I would share that info here.

Here are the coordinates for the parking area 44°20’51.4″N 85°49’42.9″W ( which someone has marked Sara’s Falls Parking)

The best way to reach the parking area is to take W 26 Rd. from M-37. Head west into the woods and it will curve to the right, but you will want to take W 26 Rd. that continues heading west. It will end at No. 1 Rd. Turn right (north) travel about a half-mile, until you see a two-track heading west. turn left and then about a half-mile at the end of the two-track is a gate and parking ara. Take the trail behind the gate about a quarter-mile to the falls. It is not too bad of a hike but it does go downhill for the last 100 yards.

if you enjoy exploring the Upper Peninsula for waterfalls, I am sure you will enjoy visiting these little waterfalls. They may not be large and impressive, but it is a fun journey and somewhere you can check off your list of places you have visited.

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Old Facefull

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

The crystal clear spring water of Old Facefull flows all year long. The artesian spring is in Pierport about a hundred yards from the Lake Michigan shoreline. It is on the corner of 13 Mile and Lakeview Road in a public parking lot with access to the lake. It is nothing fancy, it is basically a pipe sticking out of the ground with water coming out and into a nearby drain. I did not have a jug or water bottle with me but I did take a drink of the water like a kid taking a dring from a garden hose. It was really good water and it tasted like, you guessed it, water. I was there in late winter just before the pandemic lockdown so my pic is not the greatest. If you are ever near Manistee, the spring is not too far off M-22 for you to stop and check it out.

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The Park In Michigan’s Hart

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

The Small town of Hart is a few miles southeast of Pentwater on the west coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Just north of town is the archway for John Gurney Park welcoming visitors. The park was one of the first auto tourist camps developed along the West Michigan Pike during the 1920s. As the affordability and popularity of the automobile grew Michiganders began to take day trips and the tourist parks gave the motorists a place to stop and rest and even camp overnight. Former state senator Theron Gurney and his wife, Helen, donated land to the village of Hart in 1912 for a park to honor their son. Lieutenant John Gurney died at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish American War.

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The Last Post …. Of The Decade

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Nature .

Here it is, December 31st, 2019. It is my last post for the decade and I was not sure what to post. I went through some of my photos. I think this one on a back road in Autumn somewhere near Hell Michigan is one of my favorites. Thank you so much for going on this journey around the Mitten State with me. I have created almost one thousand posts since I started this website back in 2013 and hope to surpass the 1k mark soon. I do my best to keep my posts random and from all parts of the peninsulas.

I am not sure where the road will lead next but I have a lot of places I want to visit in the next decade. I hope you will follow me as I explore new places and as always thank you for taking the time to read my posts.

Have a happy New Year and a prosperous decade. See ya on the flip side

Mike Sonnenberg.

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The Summit of Isabella

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Benchmarks, Nature .

One of my readers told me about Bundy Hill in Isabella county. It is the highest point in the county at 1270 feet and has been recently been turned into a nature preserve. Since I was in the area recently I stopped by to check it out. From the parking lot on West River Road near Lake Isabella are a few trails. One of the trails is a history trail with signs along the path describing the town that once stood in the area. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the town today.

At the end of the half-mile long history trail was a sign with an arrow and the word “summit.” I figured I was here I might as well go to the summit. It sounded nice but if you are unfamiliar with the word it means the top of a hill or mountain. It was a nice walk but uphill all the way. My middle-aged body is not accustomed to walking uphill for long distances. It was not too strenuous but more than I planned on doing for a quick trip. I got about half way and was thinking about heading back to the jeep but then I figured I went this far.

I got to the summit and encased in concrete is a U.S. geological survey benchmark. It was a pleasant surprise. I have been finding a lot of them lately and different landmarks around Michigan. After looking a the benchmark I made my trip back down the hill. If you know how gravity works it was a lot easier hiking down than it was up. I don’t have any plans on climbing Everest soon but Bundy Hill was a nice hike and one more place I can say I visited in Michigan.

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Antique Alley

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Nature, Parks .

This row of old forgotten vehicles abandoned from an old sawmill town is deep within the Groen Nature Preserve. The preserve is in Otsego County near Johannesburg. The property once belonged to Louis M. Groen. He invented the Filet O Fish sandwich and owned 43 McDonalds franchise locations. After his death, he donated the property to Otsego County for use as a nature preserve.

Tomorrow Saturday, Oct 26th I will be at the Messiah Community Craft Show from 9-3 at 1550 S. Poseyvillroad in Midland. I will have books. calendars and T-Shirts. If you are in the area I hope you will stop by and say hello.

Reminder I will be at the library in Lakeview on Tuesday, Oct 29th. you can find out more about it and other presentations HERE

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The Butterfly Lighthouse

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Nature .

If you are in the Upper Peninsula in the early fall you may get to witness one of natures wonders. The Monarch Butterfly migrates 1,900-miles south to their wintering grounds in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Usually, around September thousands of Monarchs gather around the remains of the old Peninsula Lighthouse at the tip or the Stonington Peninsula.

It is one of only a very few places in North America where monarchs can be viewed migrating in great numbers while they wait for favorable weather conditions. Since tagging began in the mid-1990s, monarchs tagged at Peninsula Point have been found in El Rosario, Mexico, almost 2,000 miles from the Stonington Peninsula. Monarchs use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel long distances. Some fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter home.

Have you been able to see the butterfly migration? please post a comment, I missed it by a few days when I visited the old lighthouse. If you want to know more about the lighthouse you see my post about it HERE

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A Religious Experience

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

I usually post a photo of a church on Sunday, but this being one of the most famous Sundays I was not sure which one to post. I figured I would post my favorite place to go for a religious experience. I think a nice walk through nature is a good way to replenish your soul and remind yourself how beautiful this world is. I am fortunate to live in Michigan which has so much public land to explore. It won’t be long and it will be green again. Michigan in April tends to be a bit rainy and gray. That is why I take a lot of photos of houses and buildings in towns and cities. I have some places in the forests and parks I want to visit and photograph, but I am waiting for the trees to come alive with green leaves.

If you are wondering this pic is from Ringwood Forest, a Saginaw County park near St Charles.

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Fun On The Road

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

I went for a road trip today. I needed to get pics at some state parks for my Camp Michigan project, You can see more HERE. I went up through Tawas, Oscoda, Alpena and then over to Gaylord and then back home down 75 to Saginaw. The color around Atalanta and Gaylord was about peak but south of Grayling and Oscoda the color was just starting. I think this weekend October 20th it should be close to peak. It would be a good time to go to the Lumberman’s Monument area.

It was a fun trip with sunshine, to pouring rain, and then snowing so hard it was almost a whiteout. you gotta love Michigan, you can experience all four seasons in one day.

P.S. I wanted to post more, but I am kinda tired from my trip. On the way home down I-75, I heard something hit the floorboard then about a minute later I had a flat tire. so if you saw a guy changing a tire on the side of the highway south of Grayling it was me. I ain’t gonna get a job doing pit stops in NASCAR, but I did manage to change a tire in about 15 minutes.

P.P.S I almost forgot, the pic is of a side road off M-32 near Atlanta.

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The Hippie Trees at the Haunted Asylum

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

Hidden deep in the woods is a magical place with colorfully painted trees. I am not sure where the line between art and graffiti is but I know when I visited the Hippie Trees it sure felt like art with its spellbinding array of colors and I was expecting to see H R Pufnstuf jump out of the woods.

The Hippie Trees can be found in the woods behind the old state hospital in Traverse City that has been renovated into shops, offices, and apartments. It is now known as The Village At Grand Travers Commons. The commons own the property behind the old hospital, but there is a sign stating that its labyrinth of hiking trails is open to the public if they are respectful of the property. The Hippie Trees are near the middle of the property. There is parking behind the water tower with a map posted. Or you could hike from the historic Barns Park south of the commons near Silver Lake Road.

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