Sunset in Michigan

I am having trouble uploading photos using Hello from Picasa. Using the blogger image uploading tool, I can only get the three sets of image size: small, medium (320px thumbnail, 800px "original"), or large (400px thumbnail, 1024px "original"), see below. Right now I don't like any of these combinations. Also, once the images are uploaded, there is no way to remove them from the server. I will wait a few days and see if the BloggerBot from Picasa's Hello comes back online.


"Medium" Image: Sunset at Ann Arbor, Michigan.


"Large" Image: Sunset at Saugatuck, Michigan.

密歇根湖边小镇 Saugatuck, Michigan

周末麦克来密歇根找我。我们在安娜堡呆了一天，觉得应该出去逛逛。摊开地图来找地方去。密歇根北边风景好，距离却有些远了。南边是俄亥俄州，又平又闷的什么 也没有，被我的同学称为巨大的停车场。东北的加拿大一天来回也嫌短了些。我说，密州西岸很美，密歇根湖的湖滩跟海滩一样。麦克说，好，咱们去萨加塔 （Saugatuck）。这是什么地方？我在密歇根三年半从没听说过。麦克说他小时候经常跟父亲从湖西的芝加哥乘帆船到湖东，就在萨加塔外抛锚住下。他想 带我看看。

决定去时，已经下午了。开车，上高速，向西。地图上看萨加塔就在荷兰的南边。荷兰是密歇根著名的旅游城市，建筑文化都是荷兰国 的风格，有风车，有运河，出产荷兰的瓷器和木鞋，春天还有郁金香展。我经常笑美国中西部的地名，什么巴黎啦，伦敦啦，罗马啦，米兰啦，威尼斯啦，雅典啦，爱丁堡啦，全欧洲大城市的名字都用上了， 却也消除不了农村的味道。 萨加塔倒是个很好听的名字。

萨加塔人口一千左右，在沿湖的公路边。一进城，就感到耳目一新，好象是盛夏中吹来的一阵凉风。小镇沿河而建，窄小的街道上，一座座白色的小木房，花花绿绿 的 小商店，隐藏在高大的绿荫下。街上的小店都是买手工品、艺术品的，很多画廊和精品店，每家门口还都挂着彩色的旗帜。路边、码头上，停着很多高级车，跑车、 赛车、豪华轿车、老爷车，都是崭新锃亮的，一辆辆看过去，好象在看车展。我断定来这里的人一定都很有钱。 码头上泊着各式的游艇，一些人在游艇上烛光晚餐。他们的天上是绚丽的彩霞，身下是随浪轻摇的船。看着夕阳下的人与城，我心里充满了浪漫的愉快。

找到一间很别致的Ｂ＆Ｂ式旅馆（Maplewood Hotel），有上百年的历史，古香古色的维多利亚的房间，布置得又舒适又华丽。原价１７５块钱的房间，主人给我们半价。来到这样烂漫的小城，看到这样浪漫的夕阳，租到这样浪漫的住处，我决定今天一定要浪漫下去。

却想不到城里的几间餐馆都早早关门了，十点还不到。真扫兴！归根结底还是农村啊！最后找到一间美国餐馆。我们是最后的客人，没好意思长坐，匆匆吃了就走。小镇都安静的在浪声与星光间睡去了。

萨加塔一带的名胜包括一艘退役的军舰，一只拉链式渡船，湖边的沙滩和沙丘。我们第二天都去了。密歇根湖象海一般宽大，长长的沙滩，软软的细沙，轻轻的波浪，几乎没有什么人，天堂一般安静。

这样精巧的小镇，却是呆不久的。出了城，我又回到了密歇根。

界限水域划船记 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)
界限水域在明尼苏达州北部，与加拿大交界，是一片湖中岛，岛中湖的森林。
Ogishkemuncie Lake sunset (Day 2).


第一天下午，开车去出发地－－海鸥湖。
Day 1 PM: Gunflint Trail, from Grand Marias to Sea Gull Lake Entry Point (54). This area experienced the 1999 Blowdown when a windstorm of historic proportions tore through the BWCA, and winds of 150 miles per hour blew down millions of trees over a 350,000 acre area. Lightning strikes will be more successful at igniting wildfires in the blowdown (as we will see in just a few minutes), and fires wil be larger and spread more quickly.


人算不如天算，森林大火正好从出发地开始剧烈燃烧。
Day 1 PM: Sea Gull Lake, and wildfire. This is the largest fire in a decade in the area. Much of the burned area contained dead timber blown down in a 1999 windstorm that toppled millions of trees in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). This is the day and the lake the fire was discovered, and we started our 5-day-4-night journey here.


第一天的营地。这是我们的煮食用具。
Day 1 PM: Campsite on Sea Gull Lake. Because of the strong wind in the late afternoon and the large size of Sea Gull Lake, we had to paddle very hard against winds and waves. The fire situation was unknown as well, so we decided to find a campsite and pitch tent. This is all the cooking stuff we got from the outfitter. I think they gave us way too much stuff, but the first day we did not know how we would suffer from the weight yet.


第一天的营地，在大石头后面。
Day 2 AM: Leaving campsite 1 on Sea Gull Lake. All the campsites are not visibly marked but quite obvious to recognize. Each site is identified by a cast-iron fire grate and a pit latrine, and canoeists may only camp at designated sites. We thought our first campsite was very clean and private, but little did we know that this was only the beginning.


烟火迷蒙的海鸥湖。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake in the mist of forest fire.


救火的飞机。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. One of the two fire fighting planes (CL 215) scooping water from the lake.


湖上见到的唯一机动船，荡起波纹。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. This is the only lake in the area that allows slow motor boat. One fishing boat passed us and left a ray of ripple in the otherwise quiet lake.


救火的飞机。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. Fire fighting plane overhead. Not everyone's wilderness experience includes airplanes. :)


救火的飞机从头上飞过。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. Fire fighting plane. reflection, and our canoe.


水陆联运的入口，要把船和全部装备从一个湖搬到另一个湖。全程我们搬了19次。
Day 2 AM: Portage #1 (25 r) between Sea Gull Lake and Rog Lake. This is the beginning of the portage. We learn that portages are just trails that allows canoeists carry canoes and equipment between lakes, and portaging is what makes Boundary Waters experience special from most other canoe areas. We were happy to find this portage, because we did not know how portages would look like and were very afraid of missing them. I wanted to carry the 45 lbs. canoe, so Mike decided to carry all THREE packs. But this arrangement only lasted a couple of portages, because quickly Mike had to learn that getting from one lake to another quickly was not the goal, but rather, taking all our belongings through the forests was the real enjoyment.


水陆联运的入口。
Day 2 AM: Portage #1 (25 r) between Sea Gull Lake and Rog Lake. This is the view of the portage entrance to the Sea Gull Lake. We later found out that most portages were easily identified because of the easy access for approaching canoes. We were eager to leave the burning lake and the water scooping planes, to enter the real wilderness.


第三个湖。
Day 2 PM: Alpine Lake, after a long portage #2 (68 r) from Rog Lake. Alpine Lake was the one on fire, and we were at the south end of it. We had lunch snacks, and had a good swim in the lake.


惊鸟。
Day 2 PM: Jasper Lake. After portage #3 (43 r) from Apline Lake, we arrived at Jasper Lake. This big bird suddenly took flight when our canoe approached.


第二天的营地。
Day 2 PM: Campsite 2 on Ogishkemuncie Lake. I pushed on after Jasper Lake even though Mike was tired--anyone would if had to carry three packs every portage. We decided to do two trips for each portage. First trip we each would carry one pack, and to familiarize ourselves with the trail condition; then we came back and take the canoe and the other pack. I liked the idea of carrying the canoe although it was difficult to balance and greatly hurt my neck and my shoulders if I didn't maintain a good posture. From Jasper Lake to Kingfisher Lake was a 24 r portage, and then another 41 r portage to Ogishkemuncie Lake. At Kingfisher Lake we met a group of canoeists (4 canoes) and they told us that the campsites on Ogishkemuncie Lake were quite full. We were happy to find one unoccupied, and still feel the isolation.


每个营地都备有烧烤的铁栏杆。
Day 2 PM: Campsite 2 on Ogishkemuncie Lake. This is the iron grate for campfire. Someone had a nice set up here for cooking and for hanging out by the fire. We collected fire woods and made our dinner on the campfire.


日落。
Day 2 PM: Ogishkemuncie Lake, sunset, and a canoe.


日落。
Day 2 PM: Ogishkemuncie Lake. Sunset.


落日的余晖，弯月，星。
Day 2 PM: moon and sunset from campsite 2 on Ogishkemuncie Lake.


激流。
Day 3 AM: Ogishkemuncie Lake. A current (or a waterfall) we paddled up to, near the portage to the next lake (Mueller Lake).


水陆联运，背了个大包。
Day 3 AM: Portage #6 (80 r) between Ogishkemuncie Lake and Mueller Lake. This is the longest portage so far. This green pack contains all the camping gears--a giant heavy tent including the rain fly and the tarp from the outfitter, two sleeping bags, two therm-a-rest pads, and a pillow. We went up 52 feet in elevation for this portage.


扛独木舟的风景。
Day 3 AM: Portage #7 (100 r) from Mueller Lake (1534 ft) to Agamok Lake (1580 ft). This is the longest portage so far. This is the view from underneath the canoe while carrying it. I like the shadows of the trees on the canoe.


扛独木舟在水陆联运的小径上。
Day 3 AM: Portage #7 (100 r) from Mueller Lake to Agamok Lake. This is the view from outside the canoe while carrying it. This long portage gains 36 ft in elevation and very exhuasting.


扛独木舟。
Day 3 AM: Portage #7 from Mueller Lake to Agamok Lake. The last of my happy days in Boundary Waters.


湖。
Day 3 PM: Gabimichigami Lake. Leaving Agamok Lake where I fell off a dead tree and injured myself (butt area), coming out of portage #8 (15 r), we decided to shorten our trip and get to a hospital as soon as possible. This is the view of the last big lake.


夕阳。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. Sunset.


第三天的“厨房”。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. This campsite (east most one on Peter Lake) has the best view. We enjoyed cooking in the setting sun.


夕阳下的营地。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. What a beautiful sunset! This campsite has no mosquitoes and no flies, but many ants. Look at that heavy duty 4-person tent (I can easily fit 6 people) the outfitter packed for us when we forgot to bring our own tent. I love the sunlight on the canoe.


第三天的夕阳。
Day 3 PM: Peter Lake. Sunset.


从帐篷向外看的夕阳。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. View of the sunset from inside the tent. This is the one reason to have a huge tent. At night we watched the moon set and then millions of stars too. No aurora though. We heard some little animals when it was very dark.


沼泽湖。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake. This lake comes after Peter Lake and French Lake, in a very shallow marsh area. The change in scenary is very relaxing to us. We saw water lillies, beaver dams, ducks and butterflies along the lake.


湖上的河狸坝。
Day 4 AM: Beaver dam on Seahorse Lake.


湖面的荷花。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake lily.


沼泽湖。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake. This area is very isolated. We did not see anyone almost the whole day. True solitude.


小鸭子的一家。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake. This family of ducks were swimming along us, with great stress and alarm. As soon as the duck mother saw us, she urged the 7 duckings to swim further ahead while she herself crackled and danced wildly in front of us, trying to divert our attention from the ducklings. As soon as all of us reached the end of this long lake, suddenly the duck mother and the 7 ducklings exchanged position--the ducklings dove down and then re-emerged from behind our canoe, and the mother flew forward and thus blocking us from the ducklings again. We felt very bad to have caused their stress, but we only wanted to push on to the next portage and we meant no harm. After this lake, I dropped the camera (inside a leaking ziplock back) into the lake and afterward the camera stopped working properly.


第三天我在树丛中摔伤了，到第五天才出来，到医院去看。医生说皮肉之伤，很快能恢复。
Day 5 AM: We came out of the Boundary Waters from Round Lake, got picked up by the outfitter, and went directly to a hospital emergency room in Grand Marias. The doctor says I am lucky. :)

密歇根开车北上 Michigan Road Trip North

(未完成 under construction)

Sunset at Black River Harbor, Michigan, Upper Peninsula.


Near Cadillac, the exact geographic center of Michigan and the top of the highest point in the Lower Peninsula.


Pleasant Lake, 44 degrees 22 minutes 30 seconds by 85 degrees 28 minutes 58 seconds, the "center" of Michigan's complicated shape, near Cadillac.


Bottle House in Kaleva, Michigan. In 1903, 32-year-old Makinen emigrated to Kaleva area from his native Finland. About 20 years later, he founded the Northwestern Bottling Works, a soft drink company that he and his sons operated for more than 20 years. A frugal man, Makinen constructed a new storehouse out of the damaged bottles. He made exterior walls by layering the bottles on their sides, bottoms out, in beds of mortar. Inside, he plastered over the tops. The dead air trapped inside the bottles proved to be excellent insulation. Over the ensuing winters, Northwestern soft drinks were kept in the unique building without freezing and bursting. When Makinen left the business in 1941 at the age of 70, he decided to build his retirement home in the same manner.


More than 60,000 surplus bottles were assembled into a nine-room dwelling. Most bottles came from Makinen's company. Interspersed are a few liquor, beer, and medicine bottles and even some glass insulators. Dark green and brown bottles form a base border plus triangle designs in the walls and half triangles under the windows.


And under the front porch windows, an assortment of colors and kinds of bottles spells out "Happy Home."


At the discovery of the 10th planet, I saw a poster of the planets at a gas station near Michigan's west coast. It turned out to be a lecture on the Master Designer.