Summer Jeep Adventure

 

I know I haven't been posting much this summer, but that doesn't mean I haven't been out having adventures here and there. Most recently I've been exploring some forest roads in Ontario, Canada with my Jeep. There is some pretty amazing scenery just a stone's throw from my home, on both sides of the border. But there's something about the Ontario scenery that just hits a little bit different. Everything seems... more dramatic somehow. At any rate, here are a few photos of some of that dramatic scenery. Oh... and a curious young black bear that paused to take a look at me at as I was heading down the road towards him/her! 

The Lazy Days of Summer

 

It's been pretty warm and humid lately and apparently this snapping turtle thought it was perfect weather for napping on this semi-submerged log (also, note the dragonfly resting on the turtle's back!).

A perfect day for a paddle!

 

Had a great time out in the canoe today. The weather was absolutely perfect for paddling about 8 miles on the Brule River and Northern Light Lake. I am always hopeful that I will see a moose, but today was not lucky enough to see one. I did see a lot of ducks and one very determined little muskrat that swam straight across the river, bank to bank, right in front of the canoe. Another highlight was coming across several very impressive beaver lodges. I'm always excited when I see one. They are such impressive feats of animal engineering. 

Evening Drive

 

A nice post-work drive the other evening with some amazing scenery and a beautiful sunset. I don't think that I will ever feel like I've seen everything there is to see in the area that I live. There is so much to experience, and it's always changing!

Aurora Borealis - June 13, 2025

Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights

June 13, 2025

Grand Portage, MN

Weekend Wildlife

 

My dad and I spent all day in the woods this past Sunday, exploring some trails and bushwhacking our way though dense forest to enjoy the tranquility of some remote beaver ponds. Along the way we were lucky enough to share the company of a pair of swans, a little frog hiding out in the leaves on the forest floor from last fall, and one of the most nonchalant beavers I've ever seen.

A minor but extremely beautiful aurora storm

 

My parents had seen some of my recent Milky Way images and really liked them, so they asked me to come by their place in order to make some photographs of it from their property. I did not know until I was getting into my car that an aurora storm was brewing! As I drove to their place, I could see a glow on the northern horizon then I could see pillars stretching upward into the sky. When I got set up with my camera and tripod on the Lake Superior shoreline in front of their house, the pillars were quite strong. I stood out on their point for about an hour, making photographs the entire time. Out of a fairly significant number of images, the two shown here emerged as my favorites.