Michigan Is Magical

Michigan is magical. Pure and simple. In fact, if you Google that phrase, you'll find actor David Arquette confessing as much via Twitter from when he was here last year filming a movie in Ann Arbor. I made it a promise to myself earlier this year to spend more time exploring my own backyard, and that included a road trip along the Lake Michigan coast in early October with my good friend Octavian, who flew up from Orlando, Fla., to accompany me. The weather gods smiled upon us that week. Temperatures hovered in the 70s and we enjoyed sunny blue skies all six days. In these images, you'll see scenes from our stops through Ludington, Manistee, Leland, and Leelanau, hiking through Sleeping Bear Dunes (where Octavian disregarded my advice not to take all of his photo gear down the steep bluff and then spent about an hour trying to come back up), an overnight stay in Traverse City (where we enjoyed city life for a night, had drinks at Jolly Pumpkin, ate delicious coconut tofu at Poppycocks and caught a flick at the State Theatre), and a three-day backpacking adventure on North Manitou Island (all I can say is I can't wait to get back there next year). We camped in our tents every night and hiked for miles and miles on the island. I saw one of the best sunsets of my life on the west coast our first night there, and then I ran along the sandy beach shore as waves crashed on my bare feet the next morning. Soul-stirring is the only way to describe it. The trail heading to the northern tip of the island isn't maintained, so we spent nearly an hour bushwhacking our way to the shoreline later that day before we discovered that we were going to have to descend about 100 feet down a cliff to get to the beach, which we did. Another of the highlights was enjoying the fruits of a generous apple tree when my food supply was running low. I brought only a 35mm lens, so needless to say my abilities as a photographer were somewhat limited. But I'm pretty happy with a number of these photos. Hope you enjoy them. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, those photos at the end are of a pair of 1930s Ford automobiles we found abandoned on the island.)

Take Shelter

New And Used

Big Yellow Truck

415 W. Washington

A look inside the vacant 415 W. Washington building in Ann Arbor where supporters of a 24-hour warming center project want the city to donate space. Read the story.

Somebody Call 911

The Ann Arbor Police Department and Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office are officially merging police dispatch operations starting in March. Police Chief Barnett Jones, left, and Sheriff Jerry Clayton, right, appeared before Ann Arbor City Council members Monday night to talk about what the consolidation means for both parties. Read the story.

Options

A patron browses the movie section on the first floor of the downtown Ann Arbor library. Talks are picking up again about the future of the library, three years after library officials put the brakes on a redevelopment project due to a bad economy. Read the story.

On The Verge

Despite seeing increased parking demand and raising parking rates, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority is on the verge of running a deficit in its parking fund — a circumstance that would violate state law, according to an auditor. Alan Panter, a certified public accountant from Abraham & Gaffney P.C., offered an overview of the DDA's latest audit during a committee meeting today. "The parking fund is close to a zero fund balance," Panter said. Read the story.

Super Size Me

Detour routes diverting traffic from State Street and East Stadium Boulevard are now in effect in Ann Arbor, and crews are preparing to demolish the Stadium bridges. But what exactly is it going to take to dismantle two 83-year-old bridge spans made of heavy steel and concrete over the next two weeks? Part of the answer: "Super-sized jackhammers." Read the story.

On Golden Pond

Transforming Argo

Work to reconstruct the Argo Dam headrace on the Huron River in Ann Arbor is moving along quickly. Livonia-based TSP Environmental, the firm hired last year to complete the $1.17 million project, has been hard at work since August. In a few short months, its crews have transformed the headrace — a 1,500-foot channel that canoeists and kayakers use to bypass Argo Dam — into a new series of drop pools surrounded by rocky formations. Other new features coming with the project include a wider and smoother Border-to-Border trail section and a 30-foot bridge along that trail that was installed this week. Read the story.

83-Year-Old Bridge

With sledgehammers in hand, Ann Arbor officials joined U.S. Rep. John Dingell today in taking a ceremonial first whack at the Stadium bridges. The 83-year-old spans over South State Street and the nearby Ann Arbor Railroad tracks will be completely demolished starting next week as part of a $22.8 million project. Dingell said the federal funding almost didn't happen. "We had to yell twice as loud to get this one," he said during today's groundbreaking ceremony. Read the story.

All Aboard

A recent scene at the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's downtown Blake Transit Center, which will be demolished and rebuilt as part of a $5.5 million project starting in spring 2012 and finishing by spring 2013. Read the story.

Fond Farewell

The Ann Arbor City Council offered a final farewell to Stephen Rapundalo at his last meeting Nov. 10, thanking him for his six years of service on council. "It's been a privilege and an honor," Rapundalo said. Read the story.

Chief Of Fire

Meet Ann Arbor Fire Chief Chuck Hubbard. It's hard to take a picture of him that he actually likes, but he likes this one. Win.

Chief Of Police

Barnett Jones came to Ann Arbor in June 2006 with 30 years of law enforcement experience, beginning as a Wayne County sheriff’s deputy and also working for the Inkster Police Department and Oakland County Sheriff’s Department before becoming the police chief in Sterling Heights. In Ann Arbor, he oversees a department that has continued to face tough budget cuts.