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In winter the winds along Minnesota’s north shore of Lake Superior are predominantly out of the west which blows off shore. Occasionally we will get onshore winds and any ice on the lake will pile up. This week we had two days of onshore winds.

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Some of the best spots to see the shards this week are Stony Point south of Two Harbors, Cascade River State Park and outside the harbor in Grand Marais.

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On Thursday we had a great sunset. The red clouds were a great addition to the blue ice along the shore. As the red started to disappear I noticed that one section of clouds was forming a curved shape. I moved down the shore and found a pile of ice that matched the clouds. I was thankful to be able to capture the moment.

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As the evening got darker the lights of Duluth showed on the horizon. The brightest ones are the lights at Spirit Mountain Ski Area.

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I spent two evenings photographing the ice shards at Stony Point. The piles ranged from five to twenty feet high. If you have never watched lake ice pile up I would highly recommend it. It is an experience that everyone needs to have at least once in a lifetime. The sounds are incredible. As the huge floating rafts of ice collide, it forces ice to pile on top of each other. During the process, all sizes of shards are produced

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