There's been a buzz about this among a lot of the photography groups I browse, but it goes beyond being interesting to just those viewing through a lens.
I heard a lot about it, and decided I needed to check it out myself. My dad went along with me, and we set out to Belle Isle. Before you even get off the bridge, you can see it off in the distance to your left. We opted to drive all the way around to check if there was anything else we haven't discovered, but were drawn right over to this gigantic pile of ice, which apparently has been around the last several winters.
Older pictures show that there might possibly be a pine tree in there somewhere, with a pipe spitting out a constant spray which is freezing in thicker and thicker layers. The true size can't be appreciated until you're actually standing next to it. Check out the picture.
Whether this is intentional and just a poorly known attraction, or if it's a cracked pipe that the city has yet to patch up, it's still worth checking out. So if any of you are headed downtown, or if you've got a day with some time to kill, this definitely would be worth your time to check out.
And for the record, it was extremely cold. We took turns warming up in the car, trying to keep out fingers and toes from going numb. All in all, it was definitely worth putting up with the weather.
One thing's for sure, if you can't handle the cold, the odds are good that it will still be there for your viewing pleasure well into the warmer months.
UPDATE:
I've done some digging, and it appears that this has been an annual attraction since at least the 60's. I would guess that this unusually cold winter has allowed for a much more impressive ice buildup than the relatively warmer winters we've had the last few years. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Here is a link to a news article that has a picture of the ice sculpture back in the 70's (which then apparently there were three trees): http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=113
And here is a request from the city (STRAIGHT FROM THE CITY OF DETROIT) for donated evergreen trees. Apparently the oversized trees were used to form the core of the annual 'ice tree' at Belle Isle. Who could have guessed there's really a tree underneath all that ice? http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/Departments/CommunicationsandCreativeServices/NewsReleases/tabid/576/ctl/Details/mid/1362/Default.aspx?NewsArticleId=469
WOW! My sister and dad live downtown, so I'm definitely going to have to take a ride over the bridge one day after I visit them. I need to take them with me! Thanks for the great pics! I'm inspired to take some of my own!
Michelle
rumor has it, superman lives and talks to his father inside of this.
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