A great day for a hike

 

It sure was a beautiful weekend! On Saturday a friend and I went for a hike in Pigeon River Provincial Park, Ontario. We did the Lookout Trail and High Falls Trail. I've been to the Lookout before, but it never fails to "wow" with its incredible views of the forest, Pigeon River, and Lake Superior. We only hiked about 3.5 miles but were on the trail for 4 hours, as we like to take our time and really take in everything around us. We also met a couple of super nice guys, one from Columbia that came to Thunder Bay to study at Confederation College, and his friend from Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were the only other two people that we saw on the trail. While our main goal was to hike to the Lookout and back, of course we had to do the High Falls loop on our return. While I see High Falls all the time from U.S. side of the river, the view from the Canadian side is just as impressive. 

Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese Out for a Stroll

 

Definitely a highlight of this weekend was being out on a drive through the forest and coming across this pair of Sandhill Cranes and pair of Canada Geese, just hanging out together slowly walking down a remote logging road. Not something you see every day, that's for sure!

April New Moon over Lake Superior

 

Since I haven't been able to get out during this month's new moon phase, here is a photo that I made a month ago during April's new moon. It shows the Milky Way over Lake Superior at 3:57 AM. Even though I haven't been sharing much online these days, that doesn't mean I haven't been getting out to enjoy the sky and make some images. My priorities are different nowadays and I'm focusing more on the process of making images than the practice of sharing them online. And its been a very rewarding and fulfilling shift. 

Signs of Spring

 

Seasonal changes are finally well underway here at the northeast tip of Minnesota. This past week we've seen some warmer temperatures and a steady increase in animal sightings of all kinds. The world is waking up again after a long winter and a spring that seemed reluctant to arrive. 

Portals to the Upside Down

 

Channeling one of my favorite shows... these images of thaw patterns in the spring lake ice made me think of the portals or passageways between the Upside Down and the Right Side Up from the Stranger Things series. 

Pelican Layover

A small group of pelicans was hanging out in front of the house this morning. We often see them for very brief periods this time of year as they stop for a quick rest on their way further north. They're always very interesting to see. 

The Milky Way, Lake Superior, and Starlink

 

The Milky Way was awesome over Lake Superior last night. The Starlink satellites... not so much.