Wondering Where Spring Is

Spring is avoiding northern Minnesota and so I need to find other ways to keep me believing it will arrive one day. This is an image from one of my house plants.

At the Edge of Thawing

Temperatures are rising and the ice is melting, adding it’s water to the lake drop by drop.

Break Time Is Over!

For the last month I have taken a break from blogging and tended to other business. I also squeezed in a week long trip to south Texas near Corpus Christi. However, during the last month, my cameras were not gathering dust.

We’ve had a very cold winter here in northern Minnesota which has allowed Lake Superior to freeze. The western end of the lake by Duluth has ice thick enough to walk on, which is being used by skaters, ice anglers and anyone wanting to take advantage of this rare opportunity to walk on the “Big Lake.”

Because the lake is never totally still, the ice sheet is always in motion to some degree. This creates cracks and fissures in the ice. During the full moon in February I ventured to the lake to view the moon rise and capture it along with a bit of abstract art created by the cracked ice.

Nothing Lasts Forever

This gallery contains 6 photos.

Tettegouche State Park lies along the north shore of Lake Superior and is known for its hiking, camping and the arch. I visited the park in 2006 and paddled my kayak under the arch. Sadly, in 2010, the arch portion … Continue reading →

After A Cold Day

`

After a cold day on the road, it’s nice to find a warm place to rest. Spotting the motel sign advertising hot water heat sounded perfect! Sadly, the motel no longer exists and I had to move on.

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

The Light at Two Harbors

Out at the end of a long and very icy pier, surrounded by very cold water and sea smoke is the light that guides ships from Lake Superior to the ore docks in Two Harbors, Minnesota.

Just Being There

I’ve found that when taking a day to bum around with my camera, that it’s important to occasionally stop, take a break and absorb the incredible beauty I live so close to. On a day such as this, I was gifted with many photo ops, but also with awe inspiring scenes to take home as memories. I truly am lucky to live where I do and cherish every moment I get to spend visiting locations, not only along the shore of Lake Superior, but also the forests and rivers in the area.

The Chill of Winter

The temperature drops below zero, the waves wash over the shoreline and creates unusual formations.

Morning Blush

It’s currently dangerously cold to be out with a camera so, I went back in time to a more pleasant morning when I captured this image along the shore of Lake Superior.