I went outside the other night to bring in some more firewood and noticed this really cool cloud formation in the sky. Couldn't resist coming back outside with my camera to photograph it. The first thing I thought of was it looked like a giant eagle swooping down out of the sky.
Post-sunset is one of my favorite times to make photographs. Time and time again I've seen other photographers pack up and leave as soon as the sun dips below the horizon. They're missing out on some of the most magical light of the day!
My Surly Ice Cream Truck fat bike enjoying the sunshine on a beautiful winter day!
Our forests are so beautiful. Even more so when illuminated by a sublime sunset! This photo was taken in the Sugar Bush forest of Grand Portage, MN.
I went for a brisk ride this morning before making the drive down to Duluth for a work meeting tomorrow. The wind was a bit harsh, thankfully the temp wasn't any colder than it was (15 degrees). Lots of animal tracks in the snow today!
Yesterday the temperature was about 40 degrees, a bit too warm for January in northeast Minnesota. This morning the temperature was a little more appropriate. It was in the mid 20's and there was some patchy fog. The fog along with the cooler temperatures meant that some areas of the forest had a thick blanket of frost. Mt. Josephine was one of those areas. I made this photo just after passing the summit of the mountain on my way to work.
The wave action on Lake Superior was incredible earlier this week! It was a nice sunny day which really brought out the colors in the water. Many of the waves had really nice curls to them and others had incredible patterns in the face of the wave. Such an interesting day it was!
It's a pretty cool feeling to be out on the trail as day transitions to night. I love nightfall. Such a magical time!
Grand Portage, MN
Killer sunset from the trail last night!
Today was one of those winter days where the wind kicked up and sent the waves rolling in to the Grand Marais harbor at just the right angle to make for some mighty impressive explosions of water behind the lighthouse! I spent about an hour this afternoon photographing the waves. The wind was blowing so hard it was hard to keep the camera steady!
This sunset happened at the end of a 24K ski that I did yesterday on the Sugarbush Trails between Lutsen and Tofte, MN. It was quite the reward after an already beautiful afternoon of skiing some really incredible trails. The light was magical as I glided through the woods for the last hour of daylight.
It snowed HARD and a LOT yesterday! About 12 to 15 inches fell at Grand Portage State Park, which was about twice the amount that fell at my house (just 6 miles away). It felt like lake effect snow, it kept coming in waves. We kept thinking it was done, then it would snow a few more inches! What a crazy, beautiful day :-)
I've been wanting to get this shot for a while and today it finally worked out. I had just turned north on Highway 61 from the village of Grand Portage when I noticed that the plow truck had gone north but hadn't come back south yet. I turned around and went back to this spot to wait for the truck to return. It's an old dead-end road that is not longer maintained so I was able to back my car off the highway and safely wait for my opportunity.
This location is just a few miles from the Minnesota/Ontario border so you know it won't be long before the truck comes back. Sure enough, after about 20 minutes of waiting the it came around the corner. I had my composition ready and fired off a sequence of shots as the truck moved through my frame. Then I picked the "best" one to share with you all today.
Grand Portage, MN - The dock at Grand Portage National Monument, locked in ice. Taken from the summit of the Mt. Rose hiking trail. Lake Superior is awesome this time of year!
A well-groomed cross country ski trail is a work of art. I find them to be very photogenic (not to mention fun to ski!).
I went skiing this afternoon and along the way got some cool photos. This was my favorite. It was taken about 15 minutes before I got back to my car. It was starting to get quite dark which allowed me to shoot a longer exposure. This is an abstract shot of Maple trees, 2.5 seconds while panning the camera upwards during the exposure.
Yesterday on my way to the Gunflint Trail I decided to take the scenic route and head up County Road 14 then take Trout Lake Road to the Gunflint. I'm glad I did because along the way I was able to get some nice photos of the county plow trucks in action! If you've followed me for any length of time you know I kind of have a "thing" for photographing plow trucks. I always get excited when I see one and even more excited when I can get a nice photo of one in action!
Yesterday I spent the majority of the day along the Gunflint Trail in northeast Minnesota, looking for interesting photos. I think my favorite photo of the day was this one from near Trail's End. It was snowing very hard and I zoomed my Sony RX 10 out to 380mm to make this photo. The use of the telephoto really amplified the look of the falling snow. Such a beautiful world we live in! Winter may be a stark and harsh season but its beauty is unparalleled.
Abstract patterns of ice on the Lake Superior shoreline in Grand Portage, MN. Infinitely mesmerizing.
I got super lucky this evening... I decided to take a chance and drive down the shore to Paradise Beach in Hovland, hoping there might be some interesting ice to photograph. Sure enough, there was! But it only lasted for a few minutes as the wind was blowing quite briskly and all the ice was getting pushed rather quickly up the shore. Just a few minutes after I made these photos the ice was gone.
A very calm and peaceful evening on the Lake Superior shoreline as the last light of day fades from the sky at Hollow Rock in Grand Portage, MN.
A very cold morning makes for a very beautiful scene overlooking Lake Superior from the Mt. Josephine highway wayside in Grand Portage, Minnesota.
We're off to a great start for 2018! Two days into the new year and we've gone skiing both days :-) The snow conditions are excellent on the Central Gunflint Ski Trails. We skied 11 miles today and had a blast! Usually we ski the "main" loops off of Summer Home Road but today (in addition to skiing around Flour Lake) we finally got over to the Oxcart Trail, which was super fun and the trail these photos were taken on. Here's to more outdoor fun in 2018!
Yesterday we took advantage of the warmer weather and got out for a New Year's Day ski at Pincushion Mountain in Grand Marais, MN. It was quite a switch from the nasty cold weather of New Year's Eve. The temperature was between 10 and 15 degrees ABOVE zero, and basically there wasn't any wind. It sure was a nice way to spend the afternoon!
Happy New Year! 2018 came in just like 2017 went out, clear and cold! Sounds like it might get slightly warmer later today and tomorrow then once again our highs return to right around zero degrees. With all the cold and wind we've had the spirit tree has developed quite a bit of ice on it, something I haven't seen in a long time. I'm sure part of the reason is the high lake level, which means the tree was getting splashed more than it has been in several years. As the waves splashed on the tree the cold temperatures caused the water to freeze, making some nice long icicles hanging down from the trunk.
