I am forever in awe of the beauty that surrounds me here in northeast Minnesota. I haven't been posting much for night images lately because I got a new camera a couple of months ago and haven't been able to get a good night lens for it yet. The other night, though, I just had to try and make some images of the moon as it was rising over Lake Superior. It was just too beautiful to pass up. Thankfully the kit lens does alright with moonlit scenes!
"This instant is the only time there is."
-Fortune cookie from a recent visit to Taste of Saigon in Duluth, MN
Moonrise over Lake Superior and the Susie Islands in Grand Portage, MN.
I like finding beauty in the most unexpected of places. You might not think that a mud puddle in the middle of a gravel forest road would yield something so mesmerizing, and yet it most definitely can. Recently while driving down one such dirt road as our deep snow cover was rapidly melting, I stopped to get out and take some photos of the forest. I never thought I would spend the next 10 minutes or so staring straight down at the road into a mud puddle. I had just driven through this puddle so the sediment was agitated. The puddle must have had a slight elevation change throughout, as the sediment was following the slightest of currents. Its movement made for some really intriguing patterns and a set of photos that I was surprised to like as much as I do.
The clouds were pretty cool over Lake Superior as I drove to Grand Marais this afternoon. When I left Grand Portage there wasn't a cloud in the sky but by the time I got to Hovland the blue sky was getting pushed out by storm clouds. I couldn't resist stopping and making some photographs. These were rather short-lived, as by the time I got to Grand Marais it was nothing but blue sky again!
Today was an unprecedented day for many streams along the north shore of Lake Superior. Heavy rains over the previous two nights combined with high amounts of snow which is still in the process of melting created some amazing views and a lot of damage in some areas. For the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park, the volume of water reached a new peak (since records have been kept) of 96,000 gallons per second. The USGS has a stream gauge on the river and the data goes back to 1924. The previous record high was May 5, 1934 when the volume reached 82,500 gallons per second. What a crazy day...
It has taken a while to arrive this year, but the waterfalls are now in all their full glory from spring runoff! These photos were taken at High Falls in Grand Portage State Park, MN. This is my absolute favorite waterfall to photograph. It shows so many moods throughout the year. I never tire of photographing it!
The beavers are out! Another sign of spring is when the ice finally recedes enough that the beavers can emerge from their lodges. This lodge is pretty close to Lake Superior so its one of the first ones each year to open up. The afternoon and evening sun bathes the side of the lodge in warm light and the beavers like to hang out there on sunny evenings. I can't imagine how incredibly good it must feel to have warm sunlight hit your fur after 6 months of being stuck under the ice!
