SPRING,
SUMMER, & FALL 2011
November
9-12, 2011
I came up for the annual November 10 beacon lighting at the Split Rock
Lighthouse. This year there was supposed to be a full moon on the same evening
as the beacon lighting. There were clouds most of the day leading up to the
lighting, but I was optimistic I would see the full moon. Around 4:30 the
beacon was lit, but continued overcast skies prevented me from seeing the
full moon. To understand the significance of this event, I have never witnessed
a full moon on November 10 in all my years of photographing the lighthouse.
The next time there is another full moon near this date is in the year 2030.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I got up the next morning
and went down to the Split Rock Lighthouse and was treated to a nice sunrise.
Friday night was supposed to be the second night of the full moon, so I decided
to stick it out one more evening. The skies cleared and I was again hopeful
that I would see the full moon. The previous night there were over seventy
photographers waiting for the full moon, but tonight there was only a handful.
The full moon came up the second night, but it was briefly obscured for a
few minutes until it climbed above the clouds. And no, the beacon was not
lit on November 11. The following morning I decided to photograph the lighthouse
one more time, but the skies were clear and lacked any good color so I left
my camera in the bag and decided to head home.
October
11-13, 2011
I came during the week to photograph October’s full moon, also called the
Hunter’s Moon. Tuesday afternoon there were clear skies, but towards evening
some clouds and haze filled in over the horizon. My first image of the full
moon was taken from an overlook on the Superior Hiking Trail, two miles away
from the lighthouse. By the time the moon rose above the hazy horizon, it
was too high in the sky for my liking. In the morning I was back down by the
lighthouse. The clouds rolled in, like typical Lake Superior fashion, but
I managed to get a few images before the rain started. After breakfast I drove
north and photographed an old truck I had seen a few weeks earlier. There
were still pockets of late fall color here and there, mostly yellow aspen.
I hiked up Caribou River and shot some of the waterfalls. Orange cedar needles
covered the dark rocks around the river. The fog started to build along the
shoreline, so I headed up to Palisade Head and got some shots of the cliffs
in the fog. Then I was back at the Split Rock Lighthouse with hopes of capturing
the second night of the full moon, but thick overcast skies prevented moon’s
appearance. It rained during most of the night and more fog greeted me in
the morning. On my way home I stopped by an old red barn for one more photo.
September
27- October 6, 2011
Every year I take some time off to backpack and photograph the fall colors
along the North Shore. I was excited after hearing reports that this year’s
fall colors were the best in twenty years. I had a big list of places I
wanted to photograph. Much of the shoreline lacked the vibrant colors in
years past, so I focused my attention inland along the ridges and vistas.
My first destination was Marshall Mt. nestled between Raven and Wolf Lakes.
The next morning I headed up to Grand Portage, Hallowed Rock, and then High
Falls on the Pigeon River. Lake Superior was exceptionally calm, so I got
out my kayak and paddled out to the Little Cedar Spirit Tree (Witch Tree).
That evening I hiked up Oberg Mt. and captured all the maples at sunset.
The following day was overcast and sprinkling so I decided to drive the
back roads looking for maples. I found some great maple canopies along Maple
Leaf Drive and Honeymoon Trail. There were some places where the maples
were so thick I couldn’t see the sky. I set up camp on the Onion River and
during the night a strong wind started to blow. The wind didn’t stop for
two long hard days. After the wind storm, many of maples lost their leaves.
My wife Drove up for the weekend and we backpacked into Lake Agnes. The fall
colors around Lake Agnes were spectacular. I hiked and photographed the Poplar
River valley at both sunset and sunrise. My wife returned home and I was
on my own again. I felt ambitious so I hiked and camped on Mt. Trudee and
photographed the sunset and sunrise. No trip to the North Shore would be
complete without a stop at the Split Rock Lighthouse. I knew there was a
chance for northern lights, so I stayed up all night I captured the northern
lights towards morning. After a good sunrise it was time to head back home.
The fall colors met my expectations and I can’t wait for my fall trip next
year.
September
2-4, 2011
My wife, my mom, and I went up to the
Grand Marais area over Labor Day weekend. On our way up the North Shore we
stopped in Duluth and watched the steam train heading up to Two Harbors.
We stayed in a cabin near Cascade State Park. The following morning
I drove north or Grand Marais and photographed the sunrise near Judge Magney
State Park. Then I hiked up the Kadunce River and photographed the gorge
and the waterfalls. The next morning I was treated to a rainbow over the Grand
Marais harbor. This was a relaxing trip with family with a lot of good photo
opportunities.
August
25-28, 2011
This weekend I had my first photography
workshop. I went up Thursday night and got up the following morning to
one of the best sunrises at the Split Rock Lighthouse I have seen in quite
some time. Friday evening we spent some classroom time learning about
taking pictures. The following morning we went down to the Split Rock Lighthouse
for sunrise pictures. After sunrise we drove down to Gooseberry River and
spent three hours photographing waterfalls. Later in the day we met again
to look over our images. We had a fun time with the workshop, and everyone
produced some stunning images. I want to do another workshop possibly this
winter and for sure again next summer. After a good night’s sleep it was
time to head home, but without first taking a few images of the steam train
on its way up to Two Harbors from Duluth.
July
25- August 8, 2011
This summer we spent two weeks on vacation
in Alaska. We flew into Anchorage and drove down into the Kenai Peninsula.
I bought a new lens just for shooting wildlife. The Alaskan landscape is
very dramatic; rugged mountains surrounded by water. Everywhere we
hiked we saw bear warnings. He hiked into the Russian River and saw a mother
grizzly with two cubs fishing in the Russian River. We then drove up to Denali
and rode on one of the bus tours into the interior of park. There we saw more
grizzlies, some caribou, and moose. Then we went back to Anchorage and flew
down to Juneau. We went on a whale cruise and saw a family of humpback whales
feeding. We also saw black bears feeding on the salmon. Next we rode a ferry
up to Haines for a few days. It was near Haines where we saw the most grizzlies
and eagles. Haines was the highlight of the trip.
July
9-11, 2011
My wife and I spent a few days up in
Grand Marais and participated in their art show. The first morning I had
a good sunrise, but the following morning was foggy. Grand Marais is a
great little town. We ate at Sven and Ole's pizza, the Angry Trout, the
Blue Water Cafe, and the World's Best Doughnuts.
June
5, 2011
My wife and I celebrated our 15th wedding
anniversary this weekend. We met while attending Northwestern Bible College
in St. Paul, and got married at Northwestern a few years later. The Northwestern
College campus is very scenic. For our anniversary I rented a tuxedo
and my wife purchased a wedding dress. We got up early for the sunrise
and re-visited many of the same locations as we did only 15 years ago.
We took a picture of ourselves in the chapel we got married in, and when
we got back to the motel, someone pulled up with their ’55 Olds so we
took just one more picture.
May
29, 2011
Six years ago I woke up early one morning
before sunrise to photograph the sunrise and to my surprise and delight,
I ended up photographing the Northern Lights. Since then I have been trying
to photograph the Northern Lights, but haven’t had the best conditions.
Recently I signed up for a service that calls me when there are Northern
Lights. Finally, last night at 1:30 AM I got my call. I went outside and
spotted stars and figured this was my best chance. I drove to a nearby
lake, set up my tri-pod and composed the image below. There were a thin
layer of clouds on the horizon, which obscured some of the Northern Lights,
but under the circumstances, I was thrilled to just see the Northern Lights
again after six years of waiting.
April
14-17, 2011
I went up to get more images for my
latest book project on the Superior Hiking Trail. There was a low pressure
system moving in which generated wind speeds over 40mph. I intended to photograph
various sections of the Superior Hiking Trail, but with 10-15 foot waves
pounding the Superior shoreline, I decided to spend the entire day photographing
the lake. There was a fair sunrise at the Split Rock Lighthouse with
rolling waves washing into shore. Next I headed up to Shovel Point and
the winds picked up intensity. I hiked to the backside of Shovel Point
and shot the shoreline looking north, then hiked over to Crystal Cove.
The cliffs along this section are perfect for North East winds. The clouds
were starting to move in, so I drove down to Stoney Point in search for
surfers. I ended my day back at the Split Rock Lighthouse. I camped that
night on the Beaver River and woke up the following morning to three inches
of heavy wet snow. Even though the calendar said it was spring, it was
clear that winter was trying to make its last mark on the northland. With
the rivers running full strength and caked in new snow, I decided to spend
the day photographing waterfalls. Without hesitating I headed for Gooseberry
River. The fresh snow draped everything like a blanket. The snowcapped rocks
really stood out in the river. Next I drove up to Beaver River and hiked
down to the waterfall. Then I was off to the Temperance River. After that,
I headed up to Cascade River. Then I drove up to the Devil’s Track River
and intended to hike up to Barrier Falls, but the water level was too high
so I opted for the much safer Woods Creek instead. It was getting close
to nightfall so I drove back into Grand Marais for supper. In the morning
I drove back down to the Split Rock Lighthouse, but it was still cloudy.
After breakfast the skies cleared and the sun made its return. I debated
where to photograph the full moon that evening. I decided to hike up Ely’s
Peak and photograph the sunset and the full moon rising. The full moon appears
much bigger because I used a 300mm lens with a 1.7x tele-converter, this
combination helped magnify the moon for my image.
