Superior's North Shore

For my son's third birthday my wife planned a trip to the north shore.  She was also hoping that it would be a chance for me to get some landscape pictures and star trail pictures.  Initially I had mixed feelings.  I was excited to go on a mini vacation to celebrate the our son's birthday, but it was too early for any foliage (sticks just aren't that interesting in pictures).  As we drove further and further north I realized that the landscape would be interesting enough without leaves on the trees.  Our resort in Tofte, Mn was mainly surrounded by evergreens which made it even better.

The one benefit to the time of year we went was the rivers and waterfalls were in full force due to the spring melt.  It seems that no matter where you went there were waterfalls.  Even small ones that fall off mini cliffs at roadside.  I don't know that I've ever been in an area where there are as many state parks close by than Tofte.  Within just a few minutes drive we could be at several different parks.  Expanding that drive to about an hour and the number increases even more. 

During the few short days that we were up north we managed to go to Temperance State Park, Tettegouche State Park, and Split Rock Lighthouse (although that short trip was mainly due to Alex being car sick).  On any vacation I try to get a photo of where we stayed.  Most of the time it ends up being a couple interiors that go into a scrapbook.  This trip was unique in that there was a little private bay right in front of our unit. 

I decided to shoot a rather large panoramic to encompass the entire area.  To the left of the frame there is beautiful blue sky with some wispy clouds.  This transforms into this thick fog on the right side of the frame.  I've never seen fog like this.  Our entire trip there was this bank of fog that sat a few hundred yards off shore.  Periodically it would come in and blanket the shore line then it would quickly move back out.  Please check it out at my SmugMug site and look at it in a much larger size.