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Welcome to my page! Thats me to the left doing what I love to do...being outdoors that is. I've been fortunate enough to live in New England, North Carolina, and the North Woods of Michigan. I presently live near Petoskey, Michigan with my wife Angie and my two little boys Alex and Chris.

Hiking is what I live for but I also enjoy touring historical sites or just travelling for no better reason than to see something new. Lighthouses and waterfalls are some of my favorite things to explore...likely because they are so darn photogenic! Most of my recent trips (2007-Present)center around the Upper Great Lakes while earlier years (2005-2006) I spent wandering the mountains of western North Carolina. I like to get out and about as much as I can though, so its hard telling where I'll end up next!

Hope you enjoy looking around!

Featured Galleries

Marblehead, Drummond Island, MI (10-13-09) : Marblehead is located at the easternmost point of the Upper Peninsula on Drummond Island. It rises only 100' above the waves but commands sweeping views of northern Lake Huron.

My guidebook had the hike starting some 4-miles from the overlook but stated that with a tough, four wheel drive vehicle one could all but drive to the top. Apparently some do but I stopped a couple miles short as the terrain was just to rough to justify going on. Besides, why drive to a place like this when you can walk!!

Marblehead, Drummond Island, MI (10-13-09)

Marblehead is located at the easternmost point of the Upper Peninsula ...

Updated: Oct 13, 2009 8:42pm PST

Wildflowers 2009 : The 2009 version of my annual wildflower collections. As the year progresses, the album will grow...

Wildflowers 2009

The 2009 version of my annual wildflower collections. As the year pro ...

Updated: Sep 22, 2009 3:06pm PST

Antietam National Battlefield, MD (6-27-09) : The Battle of Antietam marked the single bloodiest day in American history. Some 23,110 men were killed or wounded in action here on September 17, 1862. The fighting here was a result of Robert E. Lee's first attempt at taking the war north and the Union's attempt, under George McLellan, to stop him. The battlefield preserves such famous landmarks as the Dunker Church, the infamous Cornfield, the Sunken (or Bloody) Lane, and Burnside's (Lower) Bridge.

This album follows the course of the battle as told along the self-guided auto tour that circles the park. Where I have been able to find pictures from the time of the battle I have included links to accompany my shots and descriptions...

Antietam National Battlefield, MD (6-27-09)

The Battle of Antietam marked the single bloodiest day in American his ...

Updated: Jul 28, 2009 8:08pm PST

Michigan Lighthouses : An ever-growing collection of lighthouses from across the state of Michigan, with info on each.

Michigan Lighthouses

An ever-growing collection of lighthouses from across the state of Mic ...

Updated: Oct 19, 2009 1:41pm PST

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96 galleries with 4455 photos

Updated: Sep 29, 2009 8:47pm CST

4 galleries with 129 photos

Updated: Mar 16, 2008 12:32pm CST

4 galleries with 173 photos

Updated: Oct 19, 2009 3:41pm CST

3 galleries with 288 photos

Updated: Oct 01, 2008 9:05pm CST

24 galleries with 833 photos

Updated: Aug 24, 2009 5:24pm CST

3 galleries with 220 photos

Updated: Nov 20, 2008 4:52pm CST

2 galleries with 251 photos

Updated: Apr 02, 2008 12:35am CST

1 gallery with 41 photos

Updated: Oct 05, 2008 7:22pm CST

Most Popular Photos

Copper Harbor - The Copper Harbor light was activated in 1849 and was one of two original lighthouses on Lake Superior (the other being Whitefish Point). The light originally housed both a Sixth and then a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. In 1927 the Coast Guard began leasing the building to summer guests and in 1933 abandoned the building altogether in favor of a 62-foot steel tower adjacent. The property was sold to the State of Michigan in the late 50's and has since been restored.

Lamentations 3:26

Old Mackinac Point - Built in 1892, the Old Mackinac Point light originally housed a 4th order Fresnel lens. Restoration began on the light in 2001 and the lighthouse re-opened to visitors in 2004. During the summer you can climb the tower for a beautiful view of the straits.

6593' - High Top, the true summit of LeConte, is somewhat anticlimactic. After visiting Cliff Top and its amazing views, you might expect more after an additional 100 feet of climbing but the summit is completely overgrown. It is considered good luck to place a stone on the pile at the summit. That and we can get it about 80 feet higher LeConte would become the highest point in the Smokies!

Seul Choix Point - One of the Great Lakes signature lighthouses, Seul Choix (pronounced Ses-shwah) was completed in 1895 after five years of construction. Its Third Order Fresnel lens, 74' above the lake, could be seen from a distance of 17 miles. The station was manned until 1972, when it was automated and abandoned. The station deteriorated rapidly until a local group, the Gulliver Historical Society, took it upon themselves to preserve the light. The restored station is open to the public.

Petoskey Pierhead Light @ Sunset

Crisp Point - Crisp Point, in recent years, has become famous among lighthouse buffs as one of America's most endagered lights. Operational in 1904, by 1996 the tower was in danger of toppling into the lake when it came under the protection of the Crisp Point Lighthouse Preservation Society. Since 1996 efforts have been made to stem lakeshore erosion, the tower has been painted and is now open to climb (summer), and the attached service room is being rebuilt.

Power House Falls, Baraga Co.

A closer look at Batchawana Mountain. The open face of Batchawana faces away from Griffin Lake Peak, which is a big part of why I didn't know about Griffin Lake Peak until recently...

The best place to be on this road...behind a logging truck...they're a good shield against any loaded trucks coming the other direction...

I didn't find another trail down by Crystal River but this little spot was still nice for a short break...

As I was nearing the end of the loop one of the heaviest squalls yet blew through...

The wet snow was sticking to even the smallest branches...

Isaiah 49:11

Matthew 6:28,30

Job 37:10

I can't for the life of me explain what would do this to a tree...

The trail tended to stay just inland from the lake amongst the pines...

Looking 4000' down over Pisgah National Forest. The strip of white to the right is the snow covered, and I assume closed, Blue Ridge Parkway.

Calloway Gap - 5642'

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Friends: hikerbob • KathyWing • Kraig • magicmomma

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