For two years, South US-31 has been closed for reconstruction. With the Interlochen roundabout and new lanes heading west finally reopened, I headed to the lakeshore Saturday afternoon. I breezed through the beach area at Frankfort, but knew the best views would be from the Elberta Bluffs Overlook. Arcadia Dunes to the south. The Frankfort and Elberta lighthouses below. And a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset. Even as I left for home, an afterglow brightened the skies above the harbor.
Everywhere I’ve gone for picture-taking this fall, I’ve seen sandhill cranes gathering in large groups near spent cornfields. They’re flying in and flying out to bulk up on corn dregs as they prepare for their long migration southeast. I’m delighted that my two crane families are still here. They’re easy to spot because they live on opposite corners of the same road. One day soon, though, I’ll drive by, and they’ll be gone. Many people wait for the snowdrops and crocuses to bloom in the spring. I wait for the cranes to return.
I live close to Interlochen, and it’s become one of my favorite haunts for picture-taking. Recently, I caught this sunset over Green Lake on a beautiful fall evening. I think I’m trying to catch all the sunrises and sunsets I can before the cloudy months arrive.
On Friday morning, a friend and I explored the fall colors from the backroads of Sleeping Bear. Some were vibrant, others muted. Regardless, the beauty of the National Lakeshore awed us the whole time.
