The Fall Equalnox, September 22, 2026 431 words

The fall equinox will arrive after a weekend of cool, rainy weather. Leaves have not started to turn except in the Upper Peninsula, The maples, birch and aspen are starting to turn shades of red and orange and will continue through October.
In past years, we would travel to the Upper Peninsula to catch the early colors at The Tahquamenon Falls, where the Cedar swamp dyes the Tahquamenon River is amber often referred as root beer because the natural foam forming at the base of each falls, The upper falls is a 48 foot drop while the five lower falls cascade around the island.
We have traveled to view the pictured rocks along the shoreline of Lake Superior. The sandstone cliffs are 50 to 200 feet above the lake. Marbled with with blue green from copper, red orange hues from iron ore and other colors include whites, black yellows and golds, occasional streaks of pink are found in the cliffs.
Another rock formation is Castle Rock. The rock has three distinct layers, gray slate on the bottom, light reddish sandstone in the middle and the top layer is a deep red-brown hue. The rock rises 196 feet above Lake Huron. The natural pillar can be climbed to the summit using 177 outdoor steps to see a view of the lake and surrounding areas including the Straights of Mackinac, the Island and downtown St. Ignace.
If we drove west on route 2 the road follows the northern shore of Lake Michigan to finally arrive at Fayetteville on the garden peninsula. It is a historic site that houses more than 20 of the original buildings of the village. There is a pig iron operation and a marina on Bay De Noc. Boater can access the Historical site by boat or car. We would then travel to the northern part of the state to visit Sault Ste. Marie to watch boats traverse the locks between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, a drop of 21 feet. They are open from late March to January.
This year, I will walk out to my small woods to sit and listen to the shower of leaves . Wherever I am in Michigan, I will take time to savor Michigan’s
fall wonders.
***. poem
Michigan
A border state, surrounded by lakes.
Golden sands, blue waters and sky.
Quiet woods where deer abide.
City scapes along the shores.
Fields of blueberries feed man and beast.
Apples, cherries and grapes add to the feast.
Different groups live and blend.
Our pride in this state never ends.
carolaspot@aol.com
Copyright 9/21/26