Misty Mornings Are Special

It was one of those unplanned trips down an unfamiliar road that lead to this wonderful moment.

It Was So Cold…

This past Thursday, Feb. 3, I had to take a trip to west central Minnesota. When I left Duluth, the temp was -17F. As I traveled west, the thermometer in my car started reading even colder temps, with the lowest reading at -32F. The cold, dense air created a thermal inversion which blocked warmer air from rising. This effect was best illustrated by the smoke from wood fired boilers rising about 30-40 feet above ground and stopping as though it had hit an invisible ceiling. If you were to travel further north, you could have experienced even lower temps, some lower than -40F.

Duluth

Inversion

Passing McGregor

One Tree

This one tree, standing alone, bare, receiving the morning sun on it’s bark and branches.  It catches the eye of a passing motorist who stops his journey on the October Road and captures a moment.

Merger

The Temperance River flows into Lake Superior.  The clouds on the horizon warn of an incoming snow squall that will make driving interesting as I head back to Duluth.

Misty Morning Highway

Another place along the road to where I am traveling this day.  I try, as often as possible, to leave early so that I can stop and capture these moments and still arrive on time.

To The Horizon

Much of the western part of the U.S. consists of wide open spaces and driving through these areas exposes the traveler to amazing vistas along the way.  I can’t recall how many times we would crest a pass and see nothing but miles and miles of space all the way to the horizon.  Then you would climb again and there would be another vista of the road going on for miles and miles to the horizon.  Next time I make this trip I intend to stop more often and capture some these amazing vistas.

Furniture

Night time observation as I drove through Red Wing, MN.  (iPhone 5S, tweaked in LR CC)