Winter Wonderland

Last week we were wondering if winter was going to come. This week it did. Some places along the North Shore got up to 8 inches of wet heavy snow that turned the area into a winter wonderland. It is beautiful!

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Crystal Bay 001

Before the snow started to fall a Northeast wind stirred up Lake Superior’s wild side.

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Crystal Bay 002

We drove down to Tettegouche State Park to watch the show. Huge waves collided with the 40-foot cliffs at Crystal Bay.

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It was some pretty impressive wave watching.

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Tettegouche State Park Cart-in-Campround 001

We hiked down the trail in front of the new visitor center at Tettegouche and watched the waves collide with the point in front of the cart-in-campground.

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If anyone was in the campsites they were getting wet.

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Northeaster

Just up Hwy 61 from Tettegouche is a point that was getting direct hits from the waves. This cliff is probably 60 feet tall and when the biggest waves collided with the rock face massive amounts of spray exploded into the air. The largest waves would come in a series of three with the third one always the biggest. Commercial fishermen that work Lake Superior call these the “Three Sisters”.

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Stone Beard Point 001

A little further north is a smaller rock outcropping called Stone Beard Point. You can see why when you look at the face. The family that lives at the top of this cliff calls him the “Ancient Mariner”.

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The sounds of the waves were incredible. Notice the rocks in the lower right of this photo. The larger waves would lift this entire beach and when the waves receded the rocks would drop again with a sound that I don’t think I can describe in words.

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Moonrise Split Rock Lighthouse 2014

On January 23, 2016, the night of the full moon, I will be doing a program in the Visitor Center at the Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site. I will be showing images that I have taken of Lake Superior storms , moonrises and a few wildlife thrown in. After the program we will head down to the shoreline to photograph the full moon as it comes up behind the lighthouse.

If you are interested here is the link to more information and how to sign up for the program or the three day workshop being put on by John Gregor of ColdSnap Photography.

http://www.mnhs.org/event/626

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