Exploring Michigan, Manistee, Riverwalk to Lake Michigan

The Riverwalk is a 1.5 mile trail in the heart of downtown Manistee. The trail is a mixture of wooden ramps and concrete paths that stroll right along the Manistee river mouth.

This was my first adventure in Manistee. I knew when I got here that I needed to make my way toward Lake Michigan, but I needed to make sure that local feeling you get on a river town was captured. My path began in downtown and followed the Manistee river to it's destination; Lake Michigan.

The sights and sounds of the boats harbored along the river and those that found their way to open waters was a refreshing feeling. This time I managed to record more people than I have previously. Almost to a point where I was feeling a bit uncomfortable doing so. Luckily, I only had one person shout to me, but it seemed like it was a drunken jest. Harmless, but still not something I was hoping to capture on film.

I loved how this path stayed on the river the whole time. The hollow sound of the boards beneath my feet and views of the shallow rocks, yellow with algae under the waters. I was surprised to find that the walk stopped after 1 mile. Blocked off, I was forced to take to the streets, but still, it was an enjoyable half mile in the suburb. Too many vehicles for my taste, but when I got to the end of the sidewalk I was greeted with the cause of the blocked off area. The last third of the walk way was devastated.

As I viewed the sheared land mass and threatening to crumble parking lot I was reminded of my reasoning for starting this channel and recording these paths. Lake Michigan's water levels have been on the rise. This year the Lake's water levels exceeded normal heights and much of the high banked sand dunes have taken a beating. Homes are being threatened and it's predicted to continue. I have no doubt in my mind that Lake Michigan will take more than a wooden boardwalk in the coming years. I only hope I can record all that I can before the landscape is unrecognizable.

I tried some new video techniques this time. Necessity came about when I made it to the beach and didn't wish to cause stress with a camera out. So, I made my first cut so that I could respect privacy. Perhaps in the future I'll put cuts to good use to better showcase locations, but we shall see.

0:00 Boardwalk Along River
22:22 - Eroded Banks, Destroyed Walkway.
31:40 - Begin Breakwall Walk.

https://manisteeriverwalk.com/

These videos are dedicated to the beautiful state of Michigan and are my way of preserving its beauty.

Exploring Pure Michigan
Location - Manistee
Time - 2:00 PM
Coordinates - (44.250255, -86.318645)