Fireball Sunset

I love what 600mm does for a sunset photo.  This was taken from the top of a fire tower in Grand Portage, MN.  A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

The Great American Eclipse

Yes, I photographed The Great American Eclipse too.  We almost missed it here in northeast Minnesota as our skies got really cloudy just as the eclipse was reaching its maximum for us (right about the time this photo was taken).  Clouds were moving quickly across the sun/moon combination and every now and then the eclipse was visible through an opening in the clouds. 

Late Summer Sunset

I finally got my "big" camera (Nikon D750) out for some photos last night.  It was the first time I'd used it this month, which I still have a hard time believing.  At any rate the shoreline by my house was completely socked in with fog so I took a chance and drove inland, hoping for a decent sunset.  It was a nice one, with a perfect gap in the clouds which allowed the sun to peek out for a few minutes and give me a beautiful moment to photograph. 

Horseshoe Bay Milky Way

The Milky Way Galaxy as seen over the small island at the Lake Superior Water Trail campsite in Hovland, MN. 

Summer Storm and the Spirit Tree

Not a recent picture as I haven't been doing much shooting lately.  I pulled this one from the August 2016 archive.  A beautiful set of storm clouds at sunset over Lake Superior in Grand Portage, MN.

Farm Field Cranes

I was pretty excited to come across this pair of Sandhill Cranes recently.  It's been a while since I've seen cranes and I've missed seeing them as they are one of my favorite birds.  I spotted them in a farm field near Grand Marais, Minnesota. 

Escaping Common Reality

Last night I took the new Surly ECR out for a nice 20 mile ride after work, it's first "proper" ride on a wide variety of surface types, which is kind of what it's made for.  It's basically made to cover almost any type of terrain and do so comfortably. I would say that it easily succeeds!  I already love it and can't wait to put more miles on it.  This photo was made along Old Highway 61 in Grand Portage, MN.  The sunset was pretty cool with these interesting lines of clouds.  Of course it was begging for a shot with the bike!  

Night Ride with Frogs and Toads

Last night I went for a bike ride of which the majority of the time was after dark.  Once darkness descended upon the forest I started seeing lots of frogs and toads coming out onto the gravel road.  I used my bike light to illuminate a few of them so I could take their picture.  

Nocturnal Northwoods Paradise

A little hint of Aurora Borealis meets with the Milky Way over Esther Lake in Grand Portage State Forest, Minnesota.  We are so fortunate to have such magnificent views of the night sky in the northeast corner of the state.  

Horseshoe Bay Aurora

I'm still working on photos from the night of June 22, 2015!  I just keep finding more and more images that I want to edit and upload to my website.  This one is the view looking south from the public boat ramp on Horseshoe Bay of Lake Superior in Hovland, MN.  

August at High Falls

Grand Portage State Park, MN - Minnesota's tallest waterfall never disappoints, no matter what time of year or what the water level is.  It's always an impressive sight!

Dropping in to Till-Ta-Whirl

This is gonna be fun :-)

Pincushion Mountain - Grand Marais, MN

Strawberry Thief

The little chipmunk that likes to raid our strawberry bed :-)

Biking under an August moon

Glorious ride in the moonlight last night!  

Grand Portage, MN

In awe of the storm

I was digging through my archives again last night and came across another photo from June 2015 that I wanted to share.  This aurora event was by far one of the best I've ever seen.  The lights were everywhere in the sky that night.  This photo was taken at Hollow Rock Resort in Grand Portage, MN looking East over Lake Superior. According to www.spaceweather.com there is an 80% chance of geomagnetic storming today, August 4th, due to a solar wind stream that is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field.  High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras as night arrives on August 4th!

The sight of the stars makes me dream

Grand Portage, MN

Summer views of the Milky Way are the best!  There are many reasons why I look forward to summer each year but the ability to see the galactic core of the Milky Way is right at the top of the list.  Few things inspire as much awe and wonder as a clear view of the galaxy we call home.