Thompson Hill

On a weekend in December, Pat had gotten up crazy early to go hunting with a friend. Usually I can go right back to sleep, but for some reason I couldn't this morning. I decided it was a good time to try and catch a Duluth sunrise.


By the time I made it to town, I knew that I wasn't going to make it to the lakeshore before the sun rose. So, I thought I would stop at the Thompson Hill overlook, which offers panoramic views of Superior Bay and the St. Louis River, just south of the western-most tip of Lake Superior.


After a few shots, the sun went behind the clouds. That was a cue for me to go back home and take a nap!

Christmas Tree

At the beginning of December, we set out for the perfect Christmas tree at a local tree farm.


There it is, the one on the right!


Our tree's last photo before Pat cut it down.


Pat trimming a few lower branches.

Ready for the ride home!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree....

A North Shore Fall

The middle of October is what I consider prime photo shooting time in northern Minnesota. Of course I also hear this is a different kind of prime shooting time - grouse hunting season. For some reason, Pat seemed to think the bird hunting part takes precedence over photography. While he was out chasing after birds, I took a little trip up the North Shore.


Although the mass of tourists from the Cities tends to deter me from visiting the park during this time of the year, you can definitely see why Gooseberry Falls is an autumn favorite.


One of the lower falls.

Particularly colorful plants seemed to surround this cute pedestrian bridge in the park.

Perfect pairing of a cute bridge and colorful foliage.

More color at the end of the bridge.

The main panoramic view in the park offering a look at two sets of waterfalls and a beautiful highway bridge is especially bright in autumn.

A view of the upper falls from the catwalk beneath the highway bridge.

This pool at the top of the middle falls always makes me think of those 'infinity' swimming pools. Except cooler.

A trip to the North Shore is just not complete without going to my favorite spot, Split Rock. The lower trail offers the best views of the bay, lighthouse, and island.

You really cannot help but snap photo after photo of the lighthouse from the point you can first glimpse it along the trail. Of course it helps when you are a lighthouse and photo nut, like me.

Lucky for me, the foot traffic on the lower trail was pretty light, so I had the lighthouse view pretty much to myself. Just how I like it.

The wispy clouds are my favorite.

A panoramic view of the bay with those great wispy clouds.

One last glimpse from the lower trail before heading towards the pump house.

Bright colors along the trail.

The park has no lack of birch trees, which conveniently contrast well with autumn colors.

More birch trees.

This view of the lighthouse from below the pump house produced my favorite photo of the day.

I don't know what these bushes are, but they sure were colorful.

One last view of the lighthouse from this basalt bedrock outcrop along the trail prior to driving back before it got too dark.

Lester River

The Lester River park is one of the favorite spots for Duluthians to enjoy the fall colors. I headed out with the camera in tow for a few photos in mid-October.

The Lester River flowing over some nice basalt rock.

A road called 'Seven Bridges Road' cuts through the park. Since the road is somewhat of a historic parkway, each of the recently replaced bridges was given a facade that looks like stone.

The park houses a cute gazebo that I always picture as being a good spot for a wedding photo.

I took a shot looking down the falls at what is called 'the deeps' just prior to heading out. A lot of locals like to cliff jump here. Although I am a fan of cliff jumping, this would not be my top pick due to the distance required to miss the rock canyon walls.

Applefest

At the beginning of October each year, everyone flocks to Applefest in Bayfield, Wisconsin. We had not been to Applefest in the past, but thought we would check it out with our friends Pete and Mehgan.


We first went into town to check out the booths. I snapped a shot of this flower along the way.


It was a good day to see the sailboats since they were all in the harbor due to the rain.


The fire department was on hand to display their shiny red truck, perfect for a photo.

Our friends brought their daughter along. She looked cute donning her pink raincoat!

This carmel apple pie is supposedly THE food item to get at Applefest. Pat and I could barely finish a piece together. Very tasty!

Neat truck from one of the nearby orchards.

Yum!

One storefront had a series of three apple signs that were cute.

I have never seen fudge covered apples before, but they must be good since they involve chocolate!

By this point, I had enough of the crowd and was ready to go to the orchard.

On the way back to the car we passed one of the several historic bed and breakfasts that Bayfield is known for. The architecture of several of the buildings in town makes me think of Mackinac Island.....without the island part, of course.

When we finally reached the apple orchard, photo opportunities of apples abounded. This was one time I was actually happy there was a little rain since it made the apples look extra juicy and tasty!

There are several orchard farms in the area. This particular one had a neat old barn.

The orchard offered pony rides, which our friends' daughter couldn't pass up.

A view from the hay loft of the barn.

One last view of an apple before heading home to dry out.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

For those of you wondering what the tourist area of Duluth looks like after nightfall, this post will give you the perspective of a couple engineers.


The unofficial symbol of Duluth: the lift bridge.


A closer view of the bridge.

While previously wandering around in the tourist area of Duluth, called Canal Park, we had noticed several neon signs. We thought it would be fun to photograph these as something different from our usual landscape shots. This sign is for the South Pier Hotel at the east end of the lift bridge.

This is probably the fanciest Subway sign we have seen. Obviously touristy.

We had never heard of Famous Dave's before moving to Minnesota. It apparently a popular BBQ restaurant across the state.

Another Famous Dave's sign.

Thrillz is the local indoor amusement park. Not sure what exactly happened here, but we got an interesting 'glare' from the sign.

Green Mill bar & grill.

Not sure if there are any of these pizza restaurants in Chicago, but they seem to be popular in Minnesota.

Pretty self explanatory! No relation to the TV show.

Like Subway, I think everyone has been to Red Lobster, but this is the neatest sign I have seen.

Looking for a steak?

We saw this Green Mill sign on the back of the restaurant and had to take a photo.