Category Archives: fall

Exploring, fall, State Parks, Troy's Blog, Waterfalls

Searching For Fall Colors

October 15, 2022 Troy

With a few days off at the end of September, it was time to head to Northern Minnesota in search of fall colors. Getting on the road for our three hour road trip, my wife and I got going before sunrise to drop our dog off for the day with a family member allowing us to spend most of the day on the North Shore. While driving, the clouds above us sent out a flash of lighting with thunder quickly rumbling. We both looked around for the storm as there weren’t a lot of clouds above when rain began to land on our windshield. It must just be a small could burst that produced a crack of thunder also just above us. As daylight began to reach across the horizon, we could see areas of spotty showers interspersed with clear skies on this early fall morning. It was a fairly warm morning with sunny skies in the forecast for most of the day making for some bonus shorts weather. Soon the sky began to light up with amazing pinks, reds, and purples making it more difficult to concentrate on driving without staring off into the colorful rising sun.

Eventually the sun breached the horizon sending its warm rays across the sky. As I looked in the opposite direction, I noticed a bright rainbow arching across the sky from the small rain showers. What more could we ask for to start this beautiful fall day? A non-threatening thunderstorm followed by amazing sunrise colors only to be capped off by a gorgeous rainbow. The rain continued to move east and sun moved higher in the sky making way for a nice day to do a little hiking in hopes of finding some beautiful fall colors which are often making their way by now in the northern part of the state.

Reaching Duluth, there was the grandest of the Great Lakes – Lake Superior reaching out across the landscape. A quick stop to use the bathroom and look out at the scenery in front of us and we were back in the car continuing north. Gooseberry Falls State Park was coming up and we decided to make a brief visit since it had been awhile from our last time here. There was definitely less water crashing over the cliffs as dry weather from the summer kept the river lower than usual, but it was still a beautiful park on the shores of Lake Superior.

Now satisfied with seeing some North Shore waterfalls, we climbed back into the car and made a short drive to Split Rock State Park. We had been anticipating colorful foliage to start appearing for much of our travels north and really didn’t find much. The landscape appeared to be pretty green and vibrant as if it was in the middle of summer. A small shrub or tree here and there produced something other than the deep green leaves but that was it. We looked along the shores of this Great Lake hiking several miles and saw very little as far as colorful trees were concerned. Fortunately it was still a beautiful day with great scenery along our way.

With really no colors along the shore, we hiked up on top of some cliffs to see if there were any changing leaves further inland. Sometimes the large lake tends to moderate temperatures keeping these leaves green longer while the inland trees experience different conditions and change a bit earlier. With clear views for miles and miles inland, green prevailed everywhere we looked. A little defeated in our goal of finding some colorful scenery indicating that fall is making its way, we enjoyed our time together and the opportunity to do some hiking on quieter trails. The morning was nearing the end indicating it may be time to start making lunch plans. We had a few miles to hike to our car which would take a little time and then some additional time to drive to a place to grab some delicious food.

On our way back to the car we talked about the disappointing fall colors from this year and some of the spectacular views from the past two years around this same time. Who would have guessed the colorful portion of our journey was right away at sunrise? Still a great day to enjoy with my wife. Here’s a photo from a year ago in the same area.

fall, Lake Superior, Photos, Troy's Blog

Late Fall Colors of Lake Superior

Image December 12, 2021 Troy

Early in November there was an afternoon trip to Duluth to pick up my daughter from college for the weekend. I never like to just go there and turn around to come home. There’s too much to explore along the Great Lake which comes to a point in Duluth. I stopped at a park on the North side just to get out and breath in the air flowing off this Great Lake. Surprisingly there were some magnificent fall colors still painting the shoreline. Fortunately I had the camera with as I’ve learned to never go to this area without it. While the grand landscape of fall colors had disappeared, there were trees here and there showing off their fall displays. Most of these were Mountain Ash Trees with a few Maples mixed in.

Mountain Ash were showing off their incredible shades of orange and yellow, depending on where in the tree you looked. Topping off this display were beautiful orange clusters of berries which complemented its foliage for such a striking fall arrangement growing next to the dark granite shores of the lake. Taking pictures of the overall trees seem to lose the vibrancy of these oranges and yellows. In addition, the trees that surrounded them had all lost their leaves and now only had bare sticks to show making for a much less interesting picture. It was a cool fall day with a light breeze blowing off the lake and the sun covered by clouds. Yet it was relaxing to stroll along the shore to take in the fading show of fall, capturing a piece of the show here and there with the camera.

As I continued to photograph the Mountain Ash trees, a birch tree kept distracting me with it beautiful white bark interrupted by dark scars as the tree repaired areas damaged previously. Eventually I turned the camera towards this birch tree working to capture this interesting bark. When I used the right angle, Mountain Ash leaves and berries would contrast beautifully with this bark allowing the photograph to show the white bark beginning to peel from the trunk as birch do. Areas where branches once danced in the breeze were now covered in dark, rough bark making an interesting view next to this white bark. Having taking a few shots and now satisfied with the pictures I captured, it was off to explore more areas of this park.

Heading towards Duluth, there’s an amphitheater with the historic lift bridge residing in the distance. Here a young maple tree continued to hold on to its blazing red leaves while all of those around it had recently lost theirs. This created a bed of red and yellow on the ground as if to pay homage to this last tree holding on to it precious life giving foliage. A beautiful final fall display as winter snows will soon cover it all in white. Off to campus to reunite with our daughter and prepare for the long drive home as darkness would spread across the freeway.

fall, migration, Photos, Seasons, Troy's Blog

The Sandhill Crane Migration

November 7, 2021 Troy

It’s the time of year again when Sandhill cranes gather in large flocks to begin their migration for the winter. It’s a scene that is always magnificent with cranes filling the sky while calling out to each other as they locate their perfect spot to spend a night. Thousands of these pre-historic birds gather for several weeks during the fall to gorge on area corn fields in preparation for the journey south. It’s an event amazing to witness and one that I try to participate in every year and thankfully had an afternoon, although last minute, to check out their return from the local fields to their roosting place.

I arrived as the sun was nearing the horizon requiring me to hurry as it’s almost a 2 mile hike to where I was headed. The cranes were already heading back and as I got closer I could hear their unmistakable calls going back and forth. Finally coming into view of the wetland area I could begin seeing flocks of cranes already landed with more overhead coming in. I still had almost a mile to go and continued on my brisk pace stopping occasionally to enjoy these birds as they flew by. Finally I arrived at the spot I had scouted out a few years back and took out the camera. I wanted to set it on my tripod but didn’t give myself enough time to set it up without spooking a lot of cranes so my photos required hand holding into the decreasing light. Even if it didn’t turn out as desired, I had a great time and enjoyed watching as these birds gliding against the setting sun while listening to their familiar sounds.

With darkness filling the landscape I returned back to my car ready to call it a night. Arriving to the area I had parked, I was greeted by a couple of DNR officers inquiring about my activities. It was hunting season and they were looking for my license had I been out participating. I quickly showed my weapon of choice on this night – my camera, and was dismissed to head out with little more said. Another fun hunt for pictures on a nice fall day.

fall, Photos, Troy's Blog

The Vibrant Colors of Fall

October 30, 2021 Troy

Earlier this fall I went in search of beautiful fall landscapes with my family. I’m addicted ever since my camping trip to the North Shore last fall and the colors put on a spectacular show. This year is a different year, as they all are, and the colors were more challenging to find but they were there, just had to be found. There were pockets here and there as some trees had changed and quickly lost those leaves while others remained green. It may not have been as grand s sight as a year ago, but it was still enjoyable to explore the North Shore of Minnesota as it’s a beautiful area nearly all of the time.

Finding areas more protected from the wind allowing the trees to keep their vibrant leaves yielded those beautiful sights I was searching for. It was an amazing fall day with temperatures reaching the lower 70’s Fahrenheit under mostly sunny skies. Being able to see some incredible fall leaves only added to a relaxing day in the North woods. Much of the day was spent driving around gravel roads taking in the views, stopping on occasion to admire the show being put on by trees here and there.

My photos tended to be more concentrated on these pockets of vibrant colors and the changing leaves themselves as a result of what was available. Still a beautiful sight as even these pockets were uncertain after a very dry summer. It was expected that the trees may just drop their leaves once cooler nights approached with shorter days. Fortunately there were some timely rains to provide enough moisture for these leaves to change and stay on the trees for many to see.

We came across an area which I thought was available only to people participating in activities there but turned out to be open to visitors. This area had some amazing autumn displays, some of the best we came across on this afternoon. And there weren’t a lot of people using the trails and overlooks available to explore making it even more peaceful and enjoyable.

While on one of these trails, a grouse came on to the trail as if to lead us on a fall color tour for awhile. Eventually it decided to abandon the tour and continue on its way. A nice addition to this already beautiful afternoon!

Exploring, fall, Troy's Blog

Fall Colors in Northern Minnesota

December 12, 2020 Troy

While in Northern Minnesota earlier this fall, one day was set aside to drive through these northern forests to enjoy the beautiful fall displays. Starting out near the Minnesota – Canadian border, my wife and I took back roads venturing out in search of the best fall colors. We drove along rivers, lakes, inland, and along the Lake Superior coast. There were amazing colors in many places. Unfortunately is was a bit of a dreary day with mist hanging in the air and fog floating just above Lake Superior. Thankfully the forecasted rain seemed to be holding off.

Cell phone service in this area is very spotty making this a perfect place to get away from work and stresses of everyday life allowing us to focus on the landscape as we slowly meandered through it. There were beautiful scenes all around us requiring a stop frequently to get out of the car and snap a few photos while taking in such surroundings. This was an interesting experience trying to navigate these unfamiliar roads knowing there was little access to help if we were to have a problem.

Each intersection required a decision as to which way we should go, which can be liberating as there was no destination other than to get back to our hotel at some point. Preferably before dark. The day was for exploring and nothing else. We had food from camping earlier in the week along with a grill and fuel so we wouldn’t starve. At least for a few days anyway. Our general direction was to eventually connect with the Gunflint Trail for a return trip to Grand Marais and on to Grand Portage.

Our travels took us through the Grand Portage Reservation on through the Superior National Forest. Some of the roads were a bit dicey but we were able to make it through. Fortunately it had been a dry summer so there wasn’t much mud or puddles which could’ve significantly altered our adventure. Along the way we found an overlook for the Pigeon River valley with a grand view. On clear days I’m sure it’s even more spectacular looking out at the border between Minnesota and Canada. I could have spent half a day here just looking out at the details of this valley, but I also wanted to continue inland and explore more places. Who knows what may lie ahead?

Continuing down the road we neared the Boundary Waters Canoe Area taking us to a number of different lakes to get out and enjoy the scenery. One of these stops had a loon still swimming in the calm waters. Must have been one of the last to begin the trek south from these northern locations. Eventually we arrived at East Bearskin Lake where I had camped with a college friend the year before. It was a nice way to end our exploration of the backcountry of Northern Minnesota with a scenic, calm lake where the aspen displayed their bright yellows reflected in the water below. From here we would join the Gunflint Trail and return to Grand Marais bringing an end to our fall foliage adventure.

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