Tag Archives: MN North: Mouth of the Lester River

Fire and Ice … Dawn and Dark!

Year 5, ,

What a way to bookend a day … Ice Ducks at dawn, and the Aurora Borealis at midnight!

ICE!
Before dawn I went down to the big lake and positioned myself out on an ice flow in an attempt to take “ice flight” shots in the early morning light. There is a small stream that is underground for a few hundred yards just before emptying into Lake Superior near Lester River. The warm water attracts ducks during the winter.

FIRE!
Thought I would be going to bed after watching a movie with Molly, but Lady Aurora thought differently. My Aurora Borealis app sounded an alarm at 8 pm, and shortly before 9 pm I drove 35 minutes to Boulder Lake. Had to slog through knee deep snow for about 1/2 mile to reach my vantage point out on the ice. The temperature dropped from 13 to 7F by the time I left shortly before midnight. This image was taken a bit before 11 pm.

I will admit to being tired this afternoon. I was out of the house by 6 am to beat the sunrise, and did not call it quits till fifteen minutes after midnight. No complaints, just tired!

Forest Fire Smoke Sunrise

Year 4
Good Morning, Duluth!
This was the scene at 6:40 am this morning as I headed out for an early morning bicycle ride … a glowing red orb with the Lester River Bridge in the foreground!
 
I always have my camera in my bike’s kit bag, and when I turned to go up the shore of Lake Superior at 60th Ave East, this is the scene that greeted me! Thus, I quickly jumped off my bike, waited till traffic had passed and then stood in the middle of London Road to take this photograph! No special filters were used for this photograph. I suspect the “red globe” look is from lingering Canadian forest fire smoke.