Split Rock Lighthouse Sunrise 001

This is the time of year that the sun rises behind Split Rock Lighthouse when viewed from the Hwy 61 wayside. I checked the weather map and saw that a line of clouds was coming in on Monday morning. I got up early and took the chance that the sunrise would just beat the incoming cloudbank creating a nice colorful sunrise.

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Split Rock Lighthouse Sunrise 002

I was not disappointed.

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It was one of the best sunrises I have seen from the Split Rock overlook.

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After the sun appeared below the clouds it made a mystical image.

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Trumpeter Swans 001

I decided to drive home via the backcountry roads of the Superior National Forest. My first wildlife encounter was this pair of Trumpeter Swans on the Baptism River.

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As the one stretched its wings I thought if a moose walked out of the woods now, I would really have a winner.

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Fighting Bull Moose 001

A few miles farther and I encountered two Bull Moose fighting in the middle of the road. When I got closer they were still sparring.

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Upon seeing me they decided to move the fight into the woods.

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Moose Calling 001

I decided to go out with a friend the next morning in the fog and try to call one in since the bulls are now in rut.

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Moose Calling 002

After an hour of calling we heard one coming from behind. Soon it peered over the brush to see if the sound it was hearing was really from a cow moose. I called a couple more times and as it was getting reading to step out of the brush we heard a car coming down the road.

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Frightened by the car the moose made a beeline away from us.

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He was a really dark animal and very wet. He must have swam across the narrow lake that was behind us and drawn in by my call. It wasn’t either of the two that I saw earlier as this one was larger.

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The driver of the car hit its brakes and slid on the gravel. They must not have noticed the moose as they were driving into the sunlight. It was the only car we saw during the hour that I was calling and it came at the worst possible time. The moose was chased down the road by the car and then veered into the cedar swamp. When running you can see how muscular moose are.

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The moose watched us from the swamp for a while but no matter how mournful I made my cow calls I couldn’t fool him a second time. He slowly disappeared. Even though I didn’t get the photo I wanted, it was quite an outdoor adventure.

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