Photography by eric cox
Thanks for visiting Life at the 45, the Latitude 45 Bicycles and Fitness blog! My name is Eric Cox, shop sales associate and cycling enthusiast. My wife and I moved to Petoskey from Central Indiana at the end of 2018. I joined the bike shop staff in early spring and have been logging miles along the Little Traverse Wheelway and elsewhere since weather conditions improved enough to do so.
Some of you may have noticed my photos popping up in this blog and on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you enjoy them because you’ll be seeing more. I have a photojournalism background, and a favorite hobby is snapping photos wherever I go – and almost every time I ride a bicycle.
I call this photo blog “Fresh Eyez” because I try to bring a fresh perspective with my photography. Plus, I think as an outsider I look on Northern Michigan’s rich, natural beauty with perhaps more appreciative eyes. It is easy, after all, to take for granted the scenery and little wonders of the places where we grew up. Whether you realize it or not, Little Traverse Bay-area residents are lucky to have so many talented photographers around to capture this region’s enormous beauty. I’m inspired by the work of guys like Charlie MacInnis and Philip Hutchinson.
In Indiana, one of my favorite photographic endeavors, aside from telling visually-interesting stories about people and events, was capturing the beauty of an otherwise ordinary rural environment – vast expanses of farm land in a mostly flat and plain Corn Belt state. For me, the challenge was culling gorgeous images from a relatively boring landscape. I’ll show you some of what I was able to photograph there another time, and you can be the judge of whether or not I met that challenge.
For now, however, I just wanted to introduce myself and share with you some of my favorite images of this beautiful, magical place at the Tip of the Mitt. Here are my favorite Spring 2019 images, most of which I collected while cycling around Petoskey, including the Bear River Recreation Area, Little Traverse Wheelway, North Western State Trail and more.
Also, stay tuned for posts that include my photo galleries of summer and autumn images. I did my best to capture the astonishing beauty of this incredible area.
I appreciate all feedback, so feel free to comment. Stop by the shop and say hello. Let’s talk cycling and photography!
Bear River Recreation Area 
Bear River Recreation Area 
Bear River Recreation Area 
A good excuse to stop and rest, this photo was taken during the shop’s April Fools ride. 
Little Traverse Bay spring evening 
Budding trees were a welcome sign. 
Rain over the bay 
Spring thaw with geese 
Downed tree at West Park 
Ice disappears little by little, daily. 
East Park overlook prior to green-up 
Bay Shore pine tunnel 
Shady areas of the Wheelway are always the last to shed their snow. 
That water, though … 
Cool, sunny spring morning with light mist 
Gray day at the tunnel 
Out on the breakwall at dusk 
Early spring breakwall scene 
Early spring breakwall scene 
Early spring breakwall scene 
Wedding photos on the breakwall 
Rain clouds over the bay 
Rain clouds over the bay 
A shelf cloud approaches Petoskey State Park. 
Early spring at West Park 
Early spring at West Park 
Early spring at West Park
ALL PHOTOS BY ERIC M. COX. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Life at the 45 