Coinciding with the 2020 pandemic, I moved to a new apartment. It was full of stress, and change, and pivotal time in life, all outside of the pandemic. I found myself in a new apartment that is just 640 feet from door step to toes in water.

Since that move, the daily routine of sunrise has changed quite a lot. In 2019, I estimate that I drove to my sunrise location no fewer than 355 times. While driving gave me the ability to get to a greater variety of locations each morning, I found it to be an added stress to drive each morning. There is a lightness is being able to walk out the door and be on the beach in just a couple minutes.

The proximity to sunrise that I now have, has its cons. Though I love that lightness, it’s also difficult to feel a new experience and capture a new composition in the place where you’ve watched countless sunrises.

And it’s pros. I now have such an intimate knowledge of this place. I know exactly where the tree root is that I used to trip over, and feel I could step over it while blindfolded now (ok, let’s not test that). I know who I’ll see at sunrise, I know exactly where the sun will rise, I know how quickly the leaves will fall, and where the geese and seagulls will congregate.

Am I left with only one question. Where does Shiras Park end and McCarty’s Cove begin? For my purposes, I believe it’s where the culvert comes out at the end of Crescent Street.

After being gone for more than a couple days, more than any other sunrise location, returning the beach at Shiras Park feels like coming home.

Of 1,283 published sunrises, 292 have been from Shiras Park, representing 22.8% of the project.

Sunrising at Shiras Park? Here are a few pointers.

  • Be on the lookout for freighters
  • Be prepared to put your feet in the water
  • Bring a towel for the summer months, it’s the best time of day to have the beach to yourself
  • In the winter months, walk out onto the ice, but please error on the side of caution
  • Walk the length of the beach from Picnic Rocks to the Marquette Lighthouse (about 0.7 miles)
  • Be on the lookout for a bench
  • There is a small trail in the woods which is a lovely way to see the sun shine through the trees
  • You can also sneak into the trees on the days you need to get out of the rain or wind

πŸ“ 46Β° 33' 10" N, -87Β° 22' 56" W

Today's sunrise

Today's sunset

Earliest sunrise
5:55 a.m. on June 15

Earliest sunset
5:02 p.m. on December 10

Latest sunrise
8:33 a.m. on November 2

Latest sunset
9:46 p.m. on June 27

Shortest day
Tuesday, December 10
8 hrs 39 mins and 4 secs

Longest day
Wednesday, June 26
15 hrs 48 mins and 39 secs