Tag Archives: Mississippi River

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.

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.

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

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

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

 

SEASONAL HUES | BROWNS & BLUES – Pine Creek, Maiden Rock, WI

SEASONAL HUES | BROWNS & BLUES

Pine Creek, view from Lake Pepin

SEASONAL HUES | BLUES & BROWNS

Ice breaking up

SEASONAL HUES | BLUES & BROWNS

Railroad Trestle from above

SEASONAL HUES | BLUES & BROWNS

Pine Creek, Valley View

SEASONAL HUES | BLUES & BROWNS

Lake Pepin view from Pine Creek valley

SEASONAL HUES | BLUES & BROWNS

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

 

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

 

BAY CITY, WI – Catherine’s Pass #aerialphotography

BAY CITY, WI – Catherine’s Pass

Bay City, WI; Catherine’s Pass (aka Katrina’s Pass) is an area of much concern, discussion, public feedback and planning over the last year of so.  You can read about the project that will impact this area at Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA).

You can easily see the sediment flowing into the area via Google Maps.  Follow the fuchsia colored lines outlining the sediment settling into Bay City Bay.  At one of the public meeting held in Bay City, a local resident recalled that the Isabelle River used to flow into the bay (red line), but that changed course over the years and now flows out of the bay (turquoise line) likely due to sediment build up.

Catherine's Pass

The Problem

Lake Pepin is also threatened by excess nutrients leading to eutrophication and downstream impacts. Phosphorous is the limiting nutrient and excess input from the surrounding landscape has led to eutrophication, characterized by algae blooms that reduce light and oxygen thereby threatening animal and plant survival. It is estimated that the accumulation of phosphorus in Lake Pepin sediment has increased 15-fold since 1830. This eutrophication process is tightly linked with sedimentation because phosphorous binds to soil particles, which are transported together down the watersheds to Lake Pepin. Nitrogen input is also affecting local water quality with cascading impacts all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, where a large hypoxic area, or “dead zone”, has formed at the Mississippi delta leading to environmental problems, such as fish kills. 
~LPLA

You can also see quite a difference between 1938 and present day.  The Islands have grown in size, and cuts (or passes) have been eliminated as the sediments has filled them in.  The sediment is only the beginning.

Catherine's Pass 1938
1938
Catherine's Pass 2019
2019

These panoramas of the area were shot shortly after sunrise on Saturday September 28th 2019.  It is such a beautiful area.  I love photographing the area and my wife and I enjoy kayaking here as well.  I am hopeful that the project to address the issues in this area moves forward and is fully funded.  If you love this area too, please familiarize your self with the issue, get involved and consider donating to the cause through Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance.

Catherine's Pass
Catherine’s Pass (Katrina’s Pass)
Catherine's Pass
Boat Landing

Catherine's Pass

BAY CITY, WI – Panoramic Sunrise Views #aerialphotography

BAY CITY, WI – Panoramic Sunrise Views

There was some beautiful light this morning in Bay City before, during and after sunrise.  It was very cloudy early this a.m., but Mother Nature cooperated nicely.

It’s been awhile since I’ve captured this location.  March 8th 2019 was the last sunrise attempt I made.

Bay City, WI

Bay City, WI

Bay City, WI

A few more photos of the wonderful light.