A return to Pine Creek this last Thursday evening produced some nice light. I have hoped to capture a decent sunset panorama in the valley – a mix of color and clouds, but no luck yet. The weekends in March haven’t yielded such a situation. It was better than total gray like previous visits. The melt has been on and the water is high again.
Pine Creek meets the Mississippi River
2019-03-17
Panoramas from a previous trip; you can see how high the water was.
This morning was pretty dull. There was not much of sunrise at all. The color was small and brief on the horizon. So brief I almost missed it prepping the drone for flight. I was happy to be out anyway with the possibility of another foot of snow coming tomorrow.
I barely drained the a battery getting this shot so captured a bit more of the town I grew up in the first 4 years of my life; a town I spend many sunrises in annually. These bluff lands are a beautiful area. It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else…ur…um, except this time of year. I could picture myself living all kinds of places. This winter needs to end.
I’ve been waiting for the month of March to get here to create some Pine Creek Panos. The sun sets for the entire month over Frontenac State Park; it lines up perfectly with the valley that Pine Creek emanates from.
The first attempt at capturing an aerial sunset from this valley was cloudy unfortunately. Hopefully one weekend this March will yield some amazing color.
Pine Creek East ViewPine Creek West View360 Sphere
This is a really beautiful spot. A very picturesque valley. I am looking forward to capturing more seasons from here.
Another finally Friday; the work week is done. I look forward to the weekends and photography sunrise/sunset. However, the forecast for this weekend looks like total crap. Freezing rain, snow, high winds – blizzard warning oh my. A recipe for a Netflix binge no doubt. I took advantage of the nice weather Friday afternoon before the storms come. It was nice to get out and fly.
First Stop
I didn’t venture too far; just across the Mississippi River from Red Wing into Wisconsin. My first stop was Pucketville right next to the Harbor Bar. There is a nice view of Red Wing from there and the Jamaican Jerk cuisine is fantastic.
Red Wing Riverfront
Red Wing Riverfront
Red Wing Bridge Construction
Harbor Bar 360 Sphere
Red Wing Boat Houses
Second Stop
I wanted to get a shot of the Trimbelle River tail waters, but wasn’t able to get a close enough. It is a bit difficult to see, but it is out in the distance about center frame. You can see the bridge over the Trimbelle River on Hwy 35 or the right side of the frame. I will have to dress appropriately next time and go for a hike. The patches of evergreens are interesting. A few hundred feet up sure offers a different perspective.
Trimbelle River Tail Waters
Third Stop
I drove around a bit more until I found myself near the gravel pit on Cty Rd VV. This area looked pretty interesting while hovering over the bluff tops. The exposed rock from the gravel pit, the road through the valley and if you look closely, you’ll see the little town of Hager City, WI in the middle of the frame.
K Gravel Pit
K Gravel Pit 360 Sphere
I really love the bluff country where I live. I look forward to photographing it from the air in all seasons.
When I arrived at Bay City Campground this a.m. if was -23F. It’s that type of weather that is so cold it hurts. The parking lots was plowed nicely. The snow on the beach was quite deep and over the height of my boots.
I tried to leave the camera outside on the tripod, but the batteries went dead in minutes in the extreme cold. I sat in the car with the heated seat on high and dashed out periodically to take some shots. It took more time to scarf and glove-up than it did to quickly dash out, snap a few frames and head back to the car before the sting of the cold became unbearable.
The clouds and steam turned out in abundance this a.m. It was another beautiful Bay City sunrise scene.
This beautiful lake in twenty-two miles long, varies in width from one to two and a half miles, and overs about thirty-eight square miles. It was caused by the delta of the Chippewa spreading across the gorge of the Mississippi at the southeastern end of the Lake. Because of its steeper grad, the smaller Chippewa was able to bring in more glacial debris than the Mississippi could carry away. This delta provided a natural dam and as the water was backed up, Lake Pepin was formed. State Highway 35 hugs Lake Pepin along most of its Wisconsin shore and has been called on of the most scenic drives in America.
Delta creating a natural dam
One of Lake Pepin’s admirers was William Cullen Bryant. He praised its natural scenery and declared the area “ought to be visited in the summer by every poet and painter in the land.” ~Geographical Marker, Hwy 35, Warrentown, WI.
I would add photographers to Bryant’s list as well. I would also argue all seasons; not just summer. Having grown up in the area, I’ve always known the lake as well as the rivers, streams, bluffs, beaches and views from many areas surrounding Lake Pepin. The more I photograph the area, the more I appreciate its beauty.
Change of plans
I was not able to [easily] reach my normal sunrise spot in Bay City this a.m. due to back to back 10″ snowfall days. I was actually stuck at one point and thankfully managed to maneuver my way out. It was plenty cold out too. I wasn’t really interesting in wading through huge snow banks to get to my normal spot.
I called an audible and headed further down the road to another spot with an excellent vantage point. There is a geographical marker along Hwy 35 not far past a wayside rest just before Warrentown. The view from there is expansive. I have hesitated in the past to photograph from here as the trees have grown up and block some of the view. This has limited the locations from which you can photograph from. This is no longer an issue now with drone capabilities.
A few overhead photos. I am growing more fond of this perspective.
Given the lack of clouds this a.m., I think this is my favorite shot of the morning. The color washing over the ripples in the snow drifts on the lake was pretty amazing.
LAKE PEPIN LEGACY ALLIANCE
There is a very important initiative in regards to Lake Pepin right now; please check out Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance to learn more. Please consider supporting this effort in whatever form you are able.
The huge temperature swing was refreshing this morning. No crazy sub-zero temps or windchill’s to contend with. Instead, we were in for a hazy February sunrise.
The crescent moon just above the horizon upon arrival was an unanticipated bonus.
Jupiter and Venus where still shining bright as were quite a few stars. It was a spectacular site.
The sunrise sequence was filled with a lot of color and wonderful clouds.
On the way home from capturing sunrise in Bay City this a.m. I made a quick stop at the back channel of the Mississippi River. The steam was rising wide and high this morning. It was a pretty magnificent sight.
