The fall colors so far seem to be quite a bit better than last year. Colors are getting really "punchy" and vibrant. Last year most of the maple leaves seemed to just turn brown then fall off the trees. This year there is a quite bit more color variety and the leaves seem to be hanging on a little longer than usual.
It's a veritable cornucopia of color out there right now. The maples are turning nicely but there is still quite a bit of green. I love the combination of colors. What a magical time of year!
Autumn is hands-down my favorite time of year to be out in the woods hiking. I spend most of my outdoor time in the summer on my bike. However once the weather cools and the leaves change, I often leave the bike in favor of foot travel over some of the fantastic trails we have on the north shore of Lake Superior. This trail shot is from the Superior Hiking Trail not far from the Hazel campsite between Camp 20 Road and the Arrowhead Trail.
I went for a nice 10 mile hike on the Superior Hiking Trail today. Went through some absolutely beautiful forest between Arrowhead Trail and Camp 20 Road in Hovland. The maples in Hovland Woods SNA are really showing off their colors this year!
The fall colors are getting really nice! This next week should be prime time for the maples. For a little while today the sun came out and really lit up the trees nicely. It was a nice (albeit brief) respite from all the gray, rainy weather we've been having lately.
The forest is ablaze with color! So far the leaf colors seem to be better than last year (last year was pretty dull). I found this super colorful batch of young maples while out on a bike ride today. So beautiful.
Glorious moonlight illuminates the surface of Lake Superior surrounding Hat Point in Grand Portage, MN.
A 30 second exposure makes for some moonlight magic at Middle Falls on the Pigeon River. Taken from the Ontario side of the river, I love the patterns that the trails of foam make in the long exposure. Such an intriguing place. I love this river.
From a recent rainy day hike on the Superior Hiking Trail just north of Cascade River State Park. Our topsoil is generally pretty thin in this part of the world and scenes like this are common along the trail. I find the roots intriguing, they often make for interesting photographs.
A clear night with a sky full of stars over Middle Falls of the Pigeon River in Ontario, Canada. There is no better feeling than sitting next to a waterfall while bathing in starlight.
On my way home today I caught the ore boat James R Barker heading East between Isle Royale and the mainland with pretty pink clouds and big moon overhead.
Some lovely little mushrooms that I found today while hiking through the forest.
I love that even after almost 43 years of living in an area and being very familiar with it, there are still countless things to be discovered. Such as this waterfall that I saw recently for the very first time. I explored lots of other waterfalls along the way to get here, but this one was a pleasant surprise and my favorite find of the day.
This waterfall is buried deep within a gorge at the end of a short spur off the Superior Hiking Trail near Cascade River State Park. I have a feeling the only reason it was actually flowing is because we had a recent spell of wet weather. I spent about an hour here, losing myself in the aura of this place. Then I made a couple of photographs and continued on my way.
Summer is ending, autumn is beginning. Fall colors are arriving, the Milky Way core will be leaving our northern sky and soon snow will be falling. It's a transitional time of year, and I love it :-)
Having some fun with foam, river currents and long exposures on the Cascade River in Cook County, Minnesota. The first image was a 25 second exposure, the second image was 20 seconds.
I took a short drive up in the woods after work and came across this nice scene as the sun was going down.
A 25 second exposure makes for an interesting photograph of this pool with swirling foam on the Cascade River in Cook County, MN.
