Friday, August 26, 2016

Empire Bluffs Unique


I hadn't been to the National Lakeshore in a while, so I headed down M-22 thinking I might find some interesting birds in the early evening at Otter Creek, but I found the road across the bridge too waterlogged and rutted to travel.  I ended up instead at Empire Bluffs. 



These bluffs are unique in their mix of vegetation and sand.  I'd not hiked these bluffs and wondered whether there were trails leading to the steep point.



One particular aspect of Empire Bluffs that I enjoy is the abundance of various kinds of dune grass.  On this day, the winds were whipping the grasses in all directions.



The Lake was churned up and big waves confirmed the need for the rip tide warning that was in effect.  Still, there were a few people in the water.



I loved the froth that inched forward on the shoreline and I quickly learned that my crocs weren't adequate protection from the surge.



On a quick drive through Pierce-Stocking on the return trip home, I realized that I was seeing Empire Bluffs, and North Bar Lake, from a different vantage point.  A striking set of dunes!

4 comments:

  1. Great captures of these beautiful scenes, Karen! Thank you for taking us with you on this lovely trip to Empire Bluffs and the Pierce-Stocking Scenic Drive.

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  2. Thanks, Jan. Glad you enjoyed the trip. :-)

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  3. Love the textures in the first two and overall softness of color. #3 is very dramatic and almost black and white in color, while the next one looks "sepia-like". Thanks for the nice variety of interesting shots!

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  4. Thanks, Jackie. I like your assessment of the color variety in these images.

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