Category Archives: Drone

Drone, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes

RED WING BOAT HOUSES – Red Wing, MN #aerialphotography

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RED WING BOAT HOUSES

I Googled the interweb and did not find much information regarding the history of the Red Wing Boat Houses.  The only thing I found was an article from the Winona Daily News from July 4th, 2009 – Book traces history of boathouses on the Mississippi. The book referenced in the article,  The Floating Boathouses on the Upper Mississippi River: Their History, Their Stories is available on Amazon for $99.96.  I probably will not be ordering that any time soon.

I did find some information regarding the Red Wing Yacht Club in an article from Post Bulletin March 13, 2015 regarding the lease to operate in Red Wing Bay.  In the article it said:

Kevin Avery, commodore of the yacht club, explained that the club has been in the harbor for 112 years and has 275 members, about 80 percent of them from Red Wing. Nearly all the boats in the harbor are fishing boats or recreational runabouts housed in modest floating boathouses.

Now 116 years – that is some longevity.  I’ll have to keep digging for more information on the yacht cloud and boat houses.

I did find a copy of Friends and Neighbors All: Brief History of the Red Wing Yacht Club Special Edition for $250 if anyone is interested in that.  Yikes.

If anyone has any information about  the Red Wing boat houses or any others on the Mississippi feel free to leave a link in the comments.

Vertical Panorama

Horizontal Panoramas

More single shots

 

 

Drone, Panorama, Photography, Steam-scapes

WHITE WATER RIVER VALLEY – Weaver, MN #aerialphotography

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WHITE WATER RIVER VALLEY

This last Friday morning I made my way south from Red Wing to Weaver to shoot the sun rising over the White Water River Valley.  The color was beautiful despite there not being  even a hint of clouds.

I flew from a small pull-off on 26 just to the west of Weaver.

WHITE WATER RIVER VALLEY

Pre-sunrise color

 

Sunrise lighting up the valley

 

 

 

 

 

Drone, Panorama, Photography, Steam-scapes

RETURN TO PINE CREEK – Maiden Rock, WI #aerialphotography

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RETURN TO PINE CREEK

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.

2019-03-02

PINE CREEK PANOS – Maiden Rock, WI #aerialphotography | 

Drone, Panorama, Photography

HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE, Red Wing, MN #construction

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HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE

The high bridge and levee are both under construction at the moment.  This will be interesting given the rising water from the Spring snow melt.

Levee Construction

HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE
Levee Construction
Levee Construction

Bridge Constructions

HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE
Closing the Gap – Bridge Construction
HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE
Bridge Construction
HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE
Bridge Construction
HIGH BRIDGE AND LEVEE
Bridge Construction
Drone, Panorama, Photography

HIGHWAY 61, Red Wing, MN #sunrise

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HIGHWAY 61 – Red Wing, MN

I witnessed a nice sunrise along Highway 61 in Red Wing adjacent to Barn Bluff.

Highway 16

The launch Pad

Pre-sunrise over Red Wing looking upstream
Highway 61
Pre-sunrise looking downstream
Highway 61
Pre-sunrise vertical pano view of Hwy 61 south out of Red Wing
Highway 61
Sunrise

 

Drone, Panorama, Photography

NOT MUCH OF A SUNRISE – Bay City, WI #sunrise

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NOT MUCH OF A SUNRISE

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.

NOT MUCH OF A SUNRISE

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.

NOT MUCH OF A SUNRISE
360 Sphere
Drone, Panorama, Photography, Steam-scapes

PINE CREEK PANOS – Maiden Rock, WI #aerialphotography

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PINE CREEK PANOS

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.

PINE CREEK PANOS

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 PANOS
Pine Creek East View
PINE CREEK PANOS
Pine Creek West View
PINE CREEK PANOS
360 Sphere

This is a really beautiful spot.  A very picturesque valley.  I am looking forward to capturing more seasons from here.

PINE CREEK PANOS

Drone, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes

BEFORE THE STORMS COME – Hager City, WI #lovelyafternoon

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BEFORE THE STORMS COME

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.

BEFORE THE STORMS COME
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.

Drone, Nature, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes

LAKE PEPIN SUNRISE – Warrentown, WI #sunrise

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LAKE PEPIN SUNRISE

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.

LAKE PEPIN SUNRISE
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 SUNRISE

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.

Drone, Nature, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes, Time-lapse

HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE – Bay City, WI #sunrise

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HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE

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.

HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE

Jupiter and Venus where still shining bright as were quite a few stars.  It was a spectacular site.

HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE

The sunrise sequence was filled with a lot of color and wonderful clouds.

Begin Rise
Rising more
Rissen

Pre-sunrise time lapse

Sunrise time lapse

Drone Photos

Vertical Panoramas

Horizontal Panoramas

HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE

HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE

HAZY FEBRUARY SUNRISE

Drone Video