Christmas Morning 2020 sure brought a beautiful view. The temp was about 10 below zero but I'm glad we decided to head out for sunrise. While we never did see the sun directly because of the cloud cover, those same clouds lit up nicely as the sun was lurking just below the horizon.
Yesterday was very stormy and incredibly windy (I heard reports of winds up to 70 MPH), so today it was nice to get out for a drive and take some pictures. The sky was crazy beautiful this afternoon. I made this photo overlooking Lake Superior from Highway 61 in Grand Portage, MN. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve!
Boy, the sky conditions sure have been unfavorable for night photography for quite a while now. Day after day it seems we have nothing but heavy cloud cover. There has been a night here and there that's been good but we sure haven't been seeing much of the sun or stars lately. This photo was taken back in October not long after the last of the maple leaves fell. I love the maple forest after the leaves fall. The trees make a nice foreground against the night sky!
While out for a hike last weekend we caught the sun going down behind this awesome birch tree. It was a bitterly cold day but so beautiful. It's actually pretty amazing that it's still alive. The tree has a major lean and most of its roots have pulled up from the ground but they are still connected to the soil.
A ruffed grouse has been using the trunk as a drumming log near the base of the tree... he left a pretty good pile of waste there. I'll have to come back here in the spring to see if he's drumming on it again.
From last month's waning full moon. Taken at sunset on November 27th. I really liked the clouds surrounding the moon and the subtle colors in the eastern sky.
On our way to Grand Marais yesterday we got lucky and happened to spot the tip of the bow of the ore carrier Presque Isle out beyond Red Rock Point. Knowing we would only have a few minutes before the ship completely passed the point, I quickly turned around so we could grab some photos. The ship seemed a lot closer to shore than they usually travel. The lake wasn't that rough yesterday so I don't know why it was so close. No matter how many times you spot one of these out in the lake its always exciting to see them again the next time!
The beach in front of the house has been changing lately. The sand has been building back up a little bit and some new pebbles have been washing up on the sand. I like looking at all the variations in colors and patterns within each stone. These are all pretty small. Each one is roughly the size of a quarter or smaller.
It was a cold and windy sunset the other night on the Lake Superior shoreline but amazingly beautiful! The waves were putting on a nice show illuminated by the setting sun as they broke upon the rocks.
Beautiful sunset over Lake Superior this evening. The colors and wisps of clouds were really interesting.
A cold November day on Swamp River in Grand Portage State Forest. Located in northeast Minnesota, Grand Portage State Forest is one of my favorite places to explore. It offers rugged terrain and amazing scenery and lots of opportunities for spotting a variety of wildlife. It's a beautiful place any time of the year.
Caught this cute little fellow while out for a drive in the woods on Veteran's Day. There were several more in the area but this is the only one that was willing to sit still long enough for a picture.
On a snowy afternoon in late autumn, this beaver was enjoying what could be the last bit of open water that it sees for quite a while.
There were quite a few bears hanging around this fall, many of them yearlings. This is the most recent one that we saw and he was hanging out in our crab apple trees off and on for several days. Thanks to my 600mm lens I was able to get some nice up-close shots of him from a safe distance away.
The last blast of fall color shines brightly on a sunny October afternoon in Northeast Minnesota.
It sure was a fantastic year for fall colors but we are well past peak color now (this photo was taken about a week ago). I'm looking forward to some quieter days which will (hopefully) be coming soon.
Last week I took the backroads home after running in to Grand Marais for a few errands. The leaf colors in Grand Portage State Forest were at their prime. This view along Otter Lake Road is one of my favorites and it was sure looking good that day!
It sure was a fantastic year for the maples along the north shore of Lake Superior in northeast Minnesota. It was also an early year for the maples. On October 2nd almost all of the leaves shown in this photo (which was taken on September 17th) were on the ground already. Now it's time for the birch and aspen steal the show as they approach their peak color.
Most of the maple leaves are on the ground now but they sure were spectacular this year! This example of a Mountain Maple handily demonstrates how vibrant the colors were.
So much beauty in the forest this past week. I wish this season lasted longer than it does. Fall is always so fleeting.
What a fantastic (and early) season its been for our maple colors this year in northeast Minnesota. This photo was taken just over a week ago on a day where smoke haze was drifting in from western wildfires. The haze made for some nice added depth to the ridges in the distance. So thankful to live where I do. The beauty in this part of the world never ceases to amaze me.
Got out for a little ride on the bike yesterday. What a beautiful time in the north woods.
Sooooo much color this year. The forest is so incredibly vivid.
The colors are really good this year and they came on really fast! Well... the maples at least. Everything else is still pretty green, but starting to turn a little bit. Fall is probably my favorite season. There is so much to like about it... the leaf colors are just one reason. I also like the cooler temps and general lack of bugs!
The leaf colors are changing quickly this year. I was shocked to take a drive up into the woods yesterday and find the maples fully ablaze in hues of red, orange and yellow. Such a dramatic change from just a few days ago!
One of my favorite places in the whole world to watch the transition from day to night. Never fails to leave a lasting impression.
Last evening I was down along the Lake Superior shoreline and was hoping to catch a nice sunset. While the sunset was indeed beautiful, the real treat of the evening was seeing this rainbow dropping down from some receding storm clouds.
