Watch this incredible photo slideshow of the Escanaba area

Bud Lemire of Escanaba put together this great photo montage of the Escanaba area set to music. There are incredible photos of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, huge Great Lakes freighters in Little Bay de Noc, fog rolling in off of Lake Michigan, and much more. It is hard to capture the beauty of the Upper Peninsula in pictures, but I think that Bud did a great job. He has pictures of the Escanaba area in all four seasons (yes there are more than just Winter and construction seasons in Michigan).

If the player does not work, you can view the video here.

Traveling in Michigan? Find out about road construction first

MDOT has a great resource to help you avoid sitting in traffic due to the usual summer road construction. There is a plain text version as well as an interactive Flash version of a map showing major road and bridge construction (or is it destruction?) projects on state roads as well as the interstates that crisscross Michigan. The map gives the tentative dates for the construction as well as what to expect as far as lane closures and detours. I find that it is well worth the time to try and avoid wasting the ever more expensive gasoline in our tanks by sitting in traffic. This allows you to seek alternate routes that just might (gasp!) make you slow down and enjoy the beautiful state of Michigan that you are traveling through.

You can find the map at the MDOT page at Michigan.gov. Also, there is a regularly updated listing of lane closures (which will most likely be more current than the MDOT map) that you can view here. The lane closure map allows you to search by region, county, routes, and filter it by date.

Enjoy some history during Michigan Week

Michigan week runs from May 19 through the 25th and May 23 has been designated (by State Senator Cameron Brown) as "Michigan Historical Marker Awareness Day." We have over 1,500 historical markers all over the state. I pass by about three or four every day just driving around White Pigeon. Anyway, you are encouraged to find out more about our state's deeply historic places and plan a visit to some of our historical markers. You most likely will not have to travel far to find a historical marker. Just like me, you probably live within a short trip of at least one marker.

Where to find a Michigan Historical Marker I enjoy Jim Brennan's website - The Michigan Historical Marker Web Site. He has photographed an estimated 1,575 of Michigan's historical markers. You can view the markers by county, topic, or via a search box. He includes the text from the marker as well as a photo of the site (if the marker is gone) or the site with the marker present.

You would be amazed at how many of Michigan's historical markers are stolen. A quick search for me turned up 5 historical markers within a five mile radius. He has the search function integrated with Google Maps so you don't even have to worry about asking for directions - just print out the map. It is truly a great site for any Michigan history buff or just someone wanting to learn more about where they live.

Also, you can purchase the book by Laura Rose Ashlee, "Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers" which is an excellent resource and companion to Jim's website. In fact, Jim credits Laura Rose Ashlee for providing information and photos of markers that were missing before he was able to photograph them.

So do yourself a favor and learn a little bit more about where you live. It will only take a little trip and hey, there might even be an ice cream stand along the way. Not a bad deal in my book :).

Pure Michigan campaign touts state around the midwest

Michigan's $11.3 million ad campaign, Pure Michigan, began in earnest this week to tout the benefits of visiting Michigan to the midwest. The ads will target Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Minneapolis and Ontario through July. Tim Allen narrates the ads which backers hope will increase the number of visitors to Michigan and the dollars they contribute to our economy. Read about the ad campaign at the Detroit News.

Watch the videos for the Pure Michigan ad campaign -

Subscribe to Michigan History magazine for special Mackinac Bridge issue

If you subscribe to the Michigan History magazine by July 2007 you will receive the special 96 page issue chock full of stories about the historic bridge known as Mighty Mac. A one-year subscription is $19.95 for six issues. You can request a free trial issue and you can then either pay the $19.95 subscription to receive the five other issues or "cancel" after the trial issue is received if you are not interested in the magazine. Here are some of the topics that will be included in the special issue (via MichiganHistoryMagazine.com):

• Before the Bridge: Waiting for carferries
• Building the Bridge: From cofferdams to paint
• Courage on the Bridge: The ironworkers' stories
• Under the Bridge: A pilot's aerial stunt
• Cities at the Bridge: The history of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace
• Walking the Bridge: Recollections from Michigan History readers
• and more...

Get your free trial issue today at MichiganHistoryMagazine.com.