I wanted to capture the view from the chasm in the rocks but, to do so would require me to go in the frigid waters of Lake Superior. My solution: use my drone to get down and shoot from about three feet above the water. The water makes for a nice leading line to the colorful sky.
Another example of the effects of wind driven waves leaving ice high up on the rocks along Lake Superior. The ice reaches nearly 100 feet above the waterline. This is from Split Rock State Park along the Minnesota’s north shore.
2020…it sounds very futuristic. In many ways, compared to what I’ve grown up with, it is the future, just not quite the one I was expecting. I raised myself on a steady diet of science fiction books and films, so I thought I would have a flying car by now. Sure, we have computers for home use that are amazing, smart phones, smart watches and even Artificial Intelligence, but where is my flying car? We can video chat with anyone around the world, we can travel long distances in short amounts of time, (if you don’t count going through security) but no flying car!
Oh well, here’s to the future as it is and a toast to what the future will look like for us photographers. And leading off the new year, here’s an image that caught my attention while hiking along the rocky beach in Split Rock State Park in northern Minnesota.
I’m guessing that the log was flipped by wave action which reoriented the icicles.
Tettegouche State Park is home to some wonderful hiking trails and a favorite of mine is the trail to Shovel Point. It does require climbing some stairs, but the hiker will be rewarded with wide open vistas of Lake Superior and the north shore.
For the fourth year in a row, I had made a plan to take part in the “Opt Outside” movement started by REI. It has grown over the years to include many other businesses. In Minnesota, all the state parks are open to the public for free on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
However, as the day drew nearer, I became concerned about the weather due to the extended forecast calling for freezing rain on Friday and I had hoped to travel up the north shore of Lake Superior to visit Cascade River State Park. In the event travel wasn’t possible on Friday, I chose to take my trip on the day before Thanksgiving and opted to only go as far as Temperance River State Park. I also made stops at Gooseberry Falls State Park and Tettegouche State Park.
As it turned out, not only did it not rain till much later in the day Friday, the temps were in the low forties. Over the three days around Thanksgiving I managed to get in three very nice hikes. The day up the shore, through the woods and on the shore of Park Point and on the Superior Hiking Trail above Duluth. Not once did I think about wanting to go shopping! (Except for some thoughts of getting some new hiking boots.)
Here are a few memories from the last three days. If you stare at the black & white image for awhile, it morphs in to all kinds of strange things.
Another sunrise with a lot less sun, but plenty of ice.
A sky blanketed in clouds, a hazy glow from the sun. Ice everywhere, rocks holding fast to their formation, silence dominates the scene. Even now, viewing the image, I remember that silence, being immersed in the moment. Quiet, quiet, more quiet.
Shovel Point at Tettegouche State Park as seen from Palisade Head.
Although I’m currently traveling, my mind is never far from the inland sea named Lake Superior. While having a bit of quiet time before having to go check in on a family member, I searched through my image collection on my iPad and decided to work on the image below using the mobile versions of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. They may not be as robust as the desktop verions, but I was able to arrive at a satisfactory result with a bit of work and even add a watermark (in Photoshop). It would be nice if I could access the watermarks I’ve created on the desktop version.
Nice view of Lake Superior, large yard, needs some updating. Perfect for the do it yourself type.
Northern Visions Media 