I just wrapped up an awesome afternoon and evening spent snowshoeing. I broke trail all the way to the summit of Mt. Josephine in Grand Portage, Minnesota and sat at the top waiting for the sun to set. There wasn't anything for clouds but the moon sure was beautiful as it rose over Pigeon Point (the northeastern-most point of Minnesota) and the Susie Islands. Once the sun went down I really enjoyed snowshoeing back in the moonlight. The moon is so big and bright tonight, I could see my shadow in the snow from the moonlight even before the last of the daylight had faded from the sky.
So I got lucky today and was able to capture a couple more interesting plow pictures. I was driving to Grand Marais late morning and along the way saw a MNDOT grader and plow truck working to wing the snowbanks back along the shoulder of the highway. The grader was using its wing to push the bank back and the truck that was following was cleaning up the shoulder behind the grader.
My favorite image from last night. The ring around the moon was incredible and HUGE. Here I've framed the moon behind the top of this large spruce tree in my yard, creating a sort of "halo" effect around the top of the tree. So much beauty in this world!
Super awesome ring around the moon last night!
After receiving roughly 30 inches of snow in the past week and daytime highs above freezing this week, the trails are going to be too soft to ride for awhile. So, I'm looking back at past rides this winter and dreaming of hitting the trails again when the weather turns colder and things firm up. This photo was at the tail end of a 30 mile ride, as I was passing through the Highway 61/Mt. Josephine rock cut just a couple of miles before arriving back home.
We sure have gotten a lot of snow in the past week. Close to two feet I think. And it sounds like we're in for more of it this weekend, with another foot possible by Sunday. It's about time... this is what winter is supposed to be like! Here's a photo of a Minnesota Department of Transportation plow clearing Highway 61 near the U.S./Canada border in Grand Portage, MN.
Sunset last night as I drove along Old Highway 61 in Grand Portage, MN.
See Lake Superior's ridge-top views in a unique way, via tracked Sno-Cat with Lego Sno-Cat Adventures!
Norpine Ski Trails - Cook County, MN
Today I got out and enjoyed a beautiful 15 mile ski on the Norpine Trails near Deer Yard Lake just west of Grand Marais, MN. The Deer Yard Trails always make for nice photos and today was no different. We're under a Winter Storm Warning for tomorrow with 6 to 10 inches of new snow possible. I sure hope we get it... we haven't gotten any significant new snow for several weeks now. Some new snow sure would be nice!
The culmination of a long day spent out in the woods, exploring some dramatic terrain via fat bike. The day ended with high visual impact as some very cool clouds moved in just in time for sunset. The last two hours of the day had magical light and great photo opportunities.
Amazing winter sunset over Grand Portage Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior.
Nothing overly creative or outstanding here, just a nice sunset that really caught my eye as I was passing through town yesterday. I shot this from the car, through my open driver's window as I was pulled over in the parking area for the Cook County Visitor's Bureau visitor center.
I love winter so it's not often that I long for the warm days of summer. Every once in a while, though, I do. Last night I was looking through some photos from 2009 and came across this one that I had never done anything with. This small island is in Pigeon Bay on Lake Superior near Grand Portage, MN. It's one of my favorite places but not one that I photograph often because it's difficult to get to. It's always a joy to see it though and last night when I came across this photo it brought a smile to my face.
A sheer wall of ice coats the side of Hollow Rock on Lake Superior in Grand Portage, MN. Taken just before sunset.
Earlier this week while out on a bike ride I saw this beautiful woodpecker. To the best of my knowledge, I think it's a Black-backed Woodpecker. From what I could find the Three-toed Woodpecker looks very similar but has white specks/spots on its back. This guy didn't have those, his back was very black. It sure was a cool sighting on a cold winter day!
Sugarbush Trails - Cook County, MN
Nearing the end of an almost 27 kilometer ski today and this happened. Came around a corner in the trail and the sun was just blazing through the trees. The perfect ending to a great day in the woods!
A beautiful sunny day shines down on a pile of ice that got pushed up onto the shores of Brighton Beach in Duluth, Minnesota.
This evening's sunset over the icy Lake Superior shoreline in Grand Portage, MN.
I've been on the road much of the past week and a half for meetings and trainings and haven't been able to spend as much time out in the woods as I'd like. During these stretches I'm lucky to have lots of memories of great outings on the skis or the bike and photos to accompany those memories. This photo conveys what my daydreams consisted of over the past week or so...
It was a beautiful day for a ski yesterday in the Superior National Forest near Tofte, MN. The temperature was right around 5 degrees and a light snow was falling all day. We saw a lot of animal tracks throughout the day in the fresh snow, but the highlight was seeing this otter trail going right down the middle of Sixmile Creek.
