Detroit - Michigan Central Station, and Heidelberg Project

Last weekend, I decided to take a drive to Lower Michigan to visit friends. I had a great weekend and took many photos with my new lens!

On that Saturday morning, I drove from Midland down to Detroit to visit a friend for the day. Before visiting, I had only seen the outside of Detroit’s airport two other times.

I was really excited to get locals point of view of the city, since I only heard about its negative reputation from growing up in the Upper Peninsula. After meeting up with my friend, I learned a lot more about the positive things in the city and saw many historical places. I had an amazing day touring the city, going to a Tigers game and learning more about the history of the city! I now think about Detroit in a more positive way!

I took many photos, and will be posting/blogging about them soon. This group of photos are from the Train Station and the Heidelberg Project.  Both places were exciting to see! Enjoy!

Michigan Central Station

 

The Heidelberg Project - http://www.heidelberg.org

I loved all the bright colors! 

The Four Seasons in Photos - By NIKKI OLLI

My best friend and I decided to take photos of the four seasons. Here are the photos that Nikki Olli took! 

Fall - Last fall during peak color season, I went on a Copper Harbor cruise with Nikki, her mom, niece and nephew. As we were heading north on US41, I decided I wanted a photo on my favorite road. The colors and lighting were perfect for these photos!

Winter- Winter in the UP was very mild this year, so getting a good winter shot was kind of hard for us because I was out of town or at school during many of the good snow falls. So one day afternoon, I decided to come home from school early to hang out with Nikki and our friend Kristen. As we were sitting at the kitchen table, I noticed that it was snowing outside. So the three of us ran outside and took photos before the snow let up. The snow only lasted about 10 minutes, but it was just enough time to get a few good shots!! 

Spring - Finding a good photo idea for spring was a little hard, since it really didn't rain during the day yet. I thought, well my favorite place is the falls near my parents house and they were flowing really good because of the recent warm weather melting all the snow. So thats where we went! It was quite the experience. The temp outside was about 50, and the water was probably around 30 degrees. Despite being cold, in a skirt and soaked, I had a really good time taking these photos! I never went into the water and looked up at the falls before, so that was really exciting! I just wish I had a waterproof case for my camera so I could have taken a few photos. Maybe next year... 

Summer - These photos were taken at a beach on Lake Superior last summer. 

We had a lot of fun taking photos for this idea! We will continue to come up with more creative ideas, and share them! Thank you Nikki for your help and awesome photos!!! 

An Experience with Orangutans in Indonesia!

I recently came across my pictures that I took during a field study of orangutans in Sumatra, Indonesia in the summer of 2005. That summer I accomplished one of my life goals that I had since I was seven years old. Here is a short story of my adventure that summer.

After I purchased my ticket to Sumatra, reality started to set and I became very excited about going! The thought of flying across the world, being in a different country, trekking in a jungle, looking for orangutans and doing research made me very happy.

Landing in the capital of Medan was an adventure. I did not know what to expect, because of course I did not do much research on the city and culture of Indonesia before I left. When I came off the plane, I noticed a very poor country, I got scared. The only time I traveled to another country alone was when I spent my summer in Germany with my aunt and uncle, and Medan was nothing like Frankfort! So it was an eye opener for me. Many of the native men came up to me ask where I was going and if they could help me. Of course I was confused and wanted to just go where I needed to be. I did not understand most of their questions, so I had a very hard time communicating. They were very pushy, which I was not used to. But it all ended up good in the end, because I got to where I was staying.

Being in Sumatra was a learning experience for me. The people there did not need many material items that westerners have. I went with out a lot of things I was used to. I had the basics, and sometimes not even that. There were no showers, only a well with a pot you used to pour over your head, no toilet paper, no washing machines, a hole in the ground for a toilet, no Internet or TV. When I first arrived, learning how the native people lived was difficult for me to understand. It took a few days of being with out things for me to get adjusted to their lifestyles. After that, it felt nice to be free of the things I thought you needed to live.

While in the field, I learned what it meant to actually trek in a jungle. The terrain was not like I was used to in Michigan. It was like an obstacle course with having to go under trees, around rocks, inside caves and in valleys. The first day in the field we saw a wild female orangutan with her baby. That moment of seeing her was everything I had hoped. I had accomplished one of my life goals. The moment of knowing I had worked hard to accomplish a goal felt more amazing then I could ever imagine.

Many of the experiences that happened to me while I was there have always been with me. The people I met there, I will never forget. Seeing how people recovered from a tsunami the year before was a life lesson, that things do get better with time. The local’s passion for protecting the Orangutans in Bukit Lawang will always motivate me to protect wildlife. 

I learned a lot about the world. I also learned that dreams do come true if you work hard, follow your heart and never pass on opportunities.

Below are a few pictures from my adventure! Hope you enjoy!

         

A rock formation that leads into a bar - Bukit Lawang

A lady in the rice fields

In the Jungle

Bukit Lawang

This is one of my favorite photos. Life in Bukit Lawang

Location where we were in the jungle. 

Bukit Lawang 

Niagara Falls

This Christmas, my parents and I decided take a road trip to visit one of my best friends in New Hampshire. From my parents house to hers it is 1200+ miles.

The route we took was from Michigan to Canada to New York to Vermont to New Hampshire. Our first stop was Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada.

Niagara Falls is a collection of three falls. The Canadian Horseshoe falls, which make a horseshoe shape, the American Falls, and the small Bridal Veil Falls located next to the American Falls. I have not seen these falls since I was young. I do not remember much from that trip except being scared because we stayed in a very high hotel and we took a walking tour in a tunnel that went behind the falls. At that time, I did not appreciate what an incredible view the falls were.


When we arrived in Niagara Falls, Canada it was around 8pm. We ate dinner and took a walk to the falls. It was an amazing view. The rush of the water and lights changing color took my breath away. It is defiantly worth it to see the falls at night. 

Horseshoe Falls - Canada

American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls - New York

Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls

 A few facts about the falls:

The falls do not freeze over or never stop flowing. However, on March 29, 1848 the water going over the falls dwindled down to a trickle for a few hours due to a jam upstream. 

A photo from the mid 1800s showing people walking across the river, when the falls slowed down due to a jam upstream. http://www.fallsniagara.info/

The first daredevil to go over the Niagara falls in a barrel was a 63 year old school teacher from Michigan in 1901. So far there have been 15 attempts going over the Horseshoe Falls since she went over. 

While visiting the falls in 1994, my brothers and I had our picture taken going over the falls in a barrel. 

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A video of the three falls during the day

Clifton Hill ferris wheel and fudge shop. 

The lights that shine on the three falls. 

Giant Ferris Wheel on Clifton Hill.