Category Archives: River-scapes

BAY CITY BAY- BAY CITY, WI

BAY CITY BAY

I had not been to Bay City Bay since January to photograph.  Given the low water on the Mississippi River, I decided to go over and take a look.  The weather this Spring was oddly warm;  now the dog days of Summer have come and gone.  The weather appears to be taken a turn for cooler.  No complaints here.

We often hear about the “dog days” of summer but few know what the expression means. Some say that it signifies hot sultry days “not fit for a dog,” others suggest it’s the weather in which dogs go mad. The Dog Days of Summer describes the most oppressive period of summer, between July 3rd and August 11th each year. But where did the term come from? And what does it have to do with dogs?

The phrase is actually a reference to the fact that, during this time, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. This is why Sirius is sometimes called the Dog Star.

In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23rd, specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth, accounting for the long stretch of sultry weather.

Thus, the term Dog Days of Summer came to mean the 20 days before and 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun—July 3 to August 11 each year. – Farmers Almanac

These photos where taken August 30th 2021.  You can really see how low the water is given the drought throughout most of the Summer.  The Algae is rather prolific as well.

Views: 1109

MUD LAKE – HWY 63 PUCKETVILLE

MUD LAKE

The recent rains have not made an impact on the water level on the Mississippi River.  The satellite image gives you a sense of where the water line typically is.  I haven’t seen the water this low ever.

Mud Lake

These image where captured August 23rd, 2021.

Views: 349

SUNRISE – BAY CITY, WI

SUNRISE – BAY CITY, WI

After consulting The Photographer’s Ephemeris and Skyfire app it appeared as though there would be a great chance for some color at sunrise this morning at one of my favorite locations – Bay City.

While driving from Red Wing to Bay City, my optimism for color was not increasing.  When I arrived at the Bay City campground, there was a bit of color on the horizon out over the bay.

iPhone photo

As you can see from the above photo, the cloud cover was dominating the scene.  Even though it was in the single digits and quite cold, I stuck around.  Clouds can shift and conditions can change rapidly.  I capture three different [mostly gray] panorama via my drone.Bay City Sunrise

Bay City Sunrise

Bay City Sunrise

I am always fascinated by the patterns in the snow and ice.
Bay City Sunrise

It didn’t look like the sunrise was going to amount to much.  I put my drone away, but hung around a little longer.  The sun tried a bit more to break through, but didn’t really completely.  I took a couple photos with my iPhone and then there was nothing but gray.

Bay City Sunrise
iPhone photo
Bay City Sunrise
iPhone photo

How Skyfire app works

skyfireSkyfire forecasts are displayed as a map overlay with varying colors to indicate the type of conditions and forecast probability of a colorful sunrise or sunset. Colorful conditions arise when there are clouds in the sky that are underlit by the sun when it is near the horizon.

Although it is possible to see colorful clear skies, these colors are typically associated with twilight conditions (such as the ‘Belt of Venus’ or the deep blue/orange colors of nautical twilight). Skyfire forecasts do not cover these phenomena.

Clear skies, that is, where there are expected to be no clouds to underlight, are not assigned a color. Cloudy, overcast conditions, where the extent of the clouds precludes the chance for underlighting, are shown as white.

When cloud cover is broken, or lies at the edge of a weather front, there is a chance of colorful underlighting. The probability of a colorful sunrise or sunset developing is indicated on a color spectrum ranging from blue/green to red, where the redder the color, the higher the probability, as shown in the table below:

Clear Clear skies forecast
Cloudy Overcast, with little chance of underlighting
50% (blue) Clouds with some chance of underlighting
70% (yellow) Clouds with a good chance of underlighting
90% (red) Clouds with a high chance of underlighting

Views: 267

WIND RIVER – Diamond Bluff, WI #greatriverroad

WIND RIVER

The Wind River is a minor tributary of the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin in the United States. It flows for its entire 9.0-mile (14.5 km) length in western Pierce County. It rises in the town of Trimbelle and flows southward through the towns of Oak Grove and Diamond Bluff. Wind River joins the Mississippi near the unincorporated community of Diamond Bluff, which is within the larger jurisdiction (the town).   ~wikipedia

Wind River Map

I’ve driven past Wind River on Highway 35 thousands of times and never really gave it much thought.  It’s rather small and not particularly picturesque from the the highway.  You can bet a better look at in along 1005th Street.  The view from the air provides an entirely different perspective.  There are so many of these little pristine spring-fed streams and rivers feeding into the mighty Mississippi.

Wind River
Horizon to Horizon Panorama
Wind River
Wind River Delta @ Mississippi River
Wind River
Vertical Panorama
Wing River
The view from Wind River Valley facing South; beyond the main channel of the Mississippi River toward Sturgeon Lake and Treasure Island

Some additional view of sandbars in the backwaters of the area

Views: 265

DIAMOND BLUFF – WI, Sunset #greatriverroad

A French settler, Monte Diamond, named the community after the area’s limestone bluffs.  The unincorporated community of Diamond Bluff is located along highway 35, the Great River Road, on the mighty Mississippi River.

Looking West from Diamond Bluff.  Treasure Island Casino and the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant is off in the the distance.

diamond-bluff

Looking East at Diamond Bluff

diamond-bluff

Mid-river views

Vertical panorama, up river with post sunset colors on the horizon

diamond-bluff

 

 

Views: 220

SUNSET, COVILL PARK – Red Wing, MN #exploremn #prettyredwing

SUNSET, COVILL PARK

Red Wing Photography Club September meeting was at Covill Park in Red Wing, MN this evening.  Perfect weather – mid 70s.  Hazy skies no doubt from the massive amounts of forest fires out West.

I shot several series of frames from the Mavic Mini drone for panorama and HDR compositions as well as a few single frame images.

Single Frame Images

Towboat with barge downriver
Dog Poo Bag, an aerial perspective

HDR Images

The dynamic range on the Mavic Mini is not great; bracketing does the trick to make up for its shortcomings.

Covill Bay
Covill Bay | River Valley Marina

Panorama Images

Covill Bay | River Valley Marina
Looking out over barges towards Wisconsin

Towboat with barge downriver

Covill Park, River Valley Marina and Covill Bay Sunset

 

Views: 276

MINNEOPA FALLS – Minneopa State Park #exploremn

MINNEOPA FALLS

Minneopa State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, a large waterfall for southern Minnesota, and was expanded in the 1960s to include the lower reaches of Minneopa Creek and a large tract of prairie.  Minneopa is Minnesota’s third oldest state park, after Itasca and Interstate. Two park resources are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the 1862 Seppman Mill and a district of seven Rustic Style structures built by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s. The park is located almost entirely on the south side of the Minnesota River, 3 miles  west of Mankato. In 2015 the state reintroduced American bison to the park in a 330-acre (130 ha) fenced enclosure, through which visitors can drive in their vehicles. ~wikipedia

Minneopa State Park

It has taken quite a while to get out this way to visit Minneopa State Park.  It certainly did not disappoint.  Views of the falls are easily accessible by concrete sidewalks in very close proximity of the parking lot.

If you are feeling a wee bit more adventurous, you can descend the stone staircase to river level and make your way around to the base of the falls.  The trail is sketchy for a ways after to cross the foot bridge, but levels out nicely closer to the falls.  The views are worth the extra effort.

Views of the Minneopa Creek and Falls from below.

 

 

 

 

Views: 236

BAY CITY, WI – Sunrise #aerialphotography

BAY CITY, WI – Sunrise 2019-10-20

Witnessed and capture a beautiful Bay City, WI sunrise.

Bay City Sunrise
At Dawn Glow

Bay City Sunrise

Bay City Sunrise
Sunrise
Bay City Sunrise
Sunrise – Opposing Horizon

 

Views: 222

COPPER FALLS STATE PARK, WI – Autumn Color #travelwisconsin

COPPER FALLS STATE PARK, WI

Copper Falls State ParkCopper Falls State Park is a 3,068-acre state park in Wisconsin. The park contains a section of the Bad River and its tributary the Tylers Forks, which flow through a gorge and drop over several waterfalls. Old Copper Culture Indians and later European settlers mined copper in the area. The state park was created in 1929 and amenities were developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. In 2005 the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a site with 10 contributing properties. ~wikipedia

We stopped by Copper Falls State Park on our way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  A welcomed pit stop to get out and stretch our legs.   The puppy-kid welcomed the pit stop as well – they had been sleeping since we left home for the most part.

Puppy-Kids
Clover, Harley & Lucy

The Fall color was peaking in North Wisconsin along Rustic Road 95 on our way North and East toward the UP.
Explore WI Rustic Roads

Rustic Road 95
Rustic Road 95

Copper Falls State Park was teaming with color.  We didn’t take the time to hike out to the water falls here, but rather a quit walk about and a few iPhone photos.  We had many more miles to travel to get to Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park.

Views: 299

RED WING, MN – Autumn Sunrise #aerialphotography

RED WING, MN – Autumn Sunrise

This past Wednesday morning I captured a few 180 degree panoramas of the Autumn sunrise in Red Wing, MN along the Mississippi River.  With all the rain, the river is on the rise once again.  The Mississippi has been high most since the Spring run-off; through the Summer and now into Autumn.

Autumn Sunrise
Bay Point Park Fishing Pier
Autumn Sunrise
The Big Turn
Autumn Sunrise
Red Wing Boathouses
Autumn Sunrise
Riverfront
Autumn Sunrise
Red Wing Bridge Construction

 

Views: 188