Yes, Lake Superior and its North Shore are often referred to as the Arctic Riviera. This morning I walked out to the end of the Two Harbors breakwater and was blasted by the north wind. Open water is disappearing fast, and soon our end of the lake will be locked in from Minnesota across to Wisconsin. When you see the ice flows and small bergs you’ll understand our nickname, and why Arctic birds like the Long-Tailed Duck consider our environs a good place to hang out for the winter. They feel at home!
Two Harbors Light … I stood there to take photographs. The ducks were restricted to the open water leads. The breakwater is coated with thick ice. If the wind had been stronger, I would not have felt safe being out at the light.
Long-Tailed Ducks
Long Tails
Beautiful shots of beautiful birds. I wonder if ice cleats over boots would help much on this walkway?
One more note … read into my ice comments, I think it is highly likely that the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will open up the ice caves. Up here in the Northland, we are supposed to have bitterly cold weather again starting Friday. While this cold snap may not be quite as bad as the “polar vortex”, it will help make lots more ice. Right now there is not much open water on the Dulut end of the lake. Assumimg I am correct an the ice caves open, they are worth a visit. The sight is spectacular. 4 years the caves were only open for about 10 days before Lake Superior regained the upper edge.
Use this link to check the ice status:
https://www.nps.gov/apis/mainland-caves-winter.htm
If you visit, arrive by 8:30 or 9:00 am at the latest. You will be able to park near the lake and visit when much fewer people are around. It is about a one mile walk across the lake. Dress warmly. The wind can be bitterly cold.
I definitely second Rich on this – the caves are truly amazing. I might say the same for the cold if the breeze is up, so dress for it!
Beautiful! Especially where they “flash” their tails!
Sue: I take plenty of horrible photographs, but my desire when I approach a scene is to hopefully show off the environment … not just the bird or animal by itself. When I arrived in Two Harbors this morning, the ice flows were equally as interesting as the ducks. I knew combining the two would make a nice image. I will say it was DARN cold way out at the end of the breakwater. The wind was fierce, and the ice flows were moving fast!
Do you ever take a BAD photograph? That camera of yours must have been designed and made in Heaven!