FLOODED FOLIAGE, FALL COLOR – Fort Snelling State Park #exploremn

FLOODED FOLIAGE, FALL COLOR

The Minnesota and Mississippi rivers are running high this time of year.  Lot of lowland areas around Fort Snelling State Park are filled with flooded foliage.  The two access points to Picnic and Pike island are also flooded.

Flooded Foliage

The seasonal color has almost faded completely out.  If you look hard enough though you can still spy some #notreadyforwinteryet.

Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage

LAKE BAILEY, EAGLE HARBOR, MI – Autumn Color #puremichigan

LAKE BAILEY, EAGLE HARBOR, MI

Lake Bailey, in Keweenaw County, is a 204 acre lake with an average depth of 3 to 6 feet known for big, fat perch and northern pike.

Along M-26 east of Eagle Harbor, there is a boat launch that gives you a nice vantage point of the lake.

Lake Bailey

Lake Map

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.

 

 

 

 

CARON FALLS – Caron Park #exploremn

CARON FALLS

This 60 acre park is located north of County Road Number 88 (170th Street) and three miles from Nerstrand Woods State Park in the eastern part of the County. Caron Park became reality in 1990 and development continued through 1997.  A cor-ten steel footbridge and 1.5 miles of trail have been established at Caron Park. The park is a remnant of the Big Woods Forest Community and serves as an excellent environmental study area.  Caron Park features are as follows:  Picnic area complete with a shelter, Biking trail, Hiking trail and Nature study. ~Rice County

A nice little park in Rice County; only a few miles from Nerstrand Big Woods State Park and Hidden Falls.  To my surprise, there were actually two falls there.  Caron is the larger of the two.  I see on Google Maps that the other falls is identified as Wellstone Falls.  I don’t know if that is accurate or not, but having visited it on the anniversary of the death of Paul Wellstone, I’ll go with that.

Caron Falls

The path to the falls is along a slight grade; it’s most steep at the top – you won’t notice it until the return trip.  The uneven ground, due to a bit of erosion, meanders its way to a valley where the river flows.  The beautiful mature woods opens up to where both falls are located.  There is a large metal bridge that will get you to the other side without getting your feet wet.

iPhone photos

DSLR Shots of Caron Falls with 10 stop ND filter

Top of Caron Falls

I did not get any usable photos of Wellstone Falls, the sun was not in an optimal position and the light was a bit too bright.

NERSTRAND BIG WOODS – State Park #exploremn

NERSTRAND BIG WOODS

Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, northeast of Faribault near the small town of Nerstrand. The park derives its name from the Big Woods, a large, contiguous forested area covering much of central Minnesota prior to the arrival of European settlers. The park and its forest were an outlying ‘woods’ typical and similar to the Big Woods proper, which were historically found on the more recent glacier deposits located west of the Cannon River 10 miles to the west. Aside from a small waterfall, the outstanding natural feature of the park is the forest itself. ~ wikipedia

It was a beautiful Autumn morning to take a walk out to Hidden Falls in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.  Out and about with two other photog-friends, Jeff & Robert chasing waterfalls and capturing the Autumn palette.

Dan, Jeff & Robert

Albeit past prime with many leaves on the ground, there was still a fair amount of color.    The trail out to Hidden Falls is .5 miles on dirt/gravel and wooden boardwalk trails with some stairs.

There was a nice flow when we arrived at the falls.  We even had the whole place to ourselves for a little bit.  A nice day brought out several people that we passed on our way out.  Since you are in the area, be sure to stop at Nerstrand Meats & Catering for a snack or picnic supplies.  Their smoked meat products are phenomenal.  Cheddar Stix and Cajun Jerky are two of my must have favorites whenever I pass through the area.

iPhone shots of the Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

DSLR shots with 10 stop ND filter

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

 

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

 

WOLVERINE MINE, MI – Autumn Color #puremichigan

WOLVERINE MINE, MI

The Wolverine Mine was a small copper mining operation in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, that was in operation from January 1882 until November 1884. In August 1890, possession of the company was obtained and reorganized as the Wolverine Copper Mining Company.  It mined the Kearsarge lode until 1922 when it closed. ~wikipedia

Area map These photos were shot from the faint yellow circle area between Centennial and Wolverine.

180 View
180 Panorama
180 View
180 Panorama – Slaughterhouse Creek

This structure looks like it was built well after 1922.  I wasn’t able to find solid information to confirm what exactly is going on here, but it appears to be mining.  The wind had been quite strong during our trip and it just happened to let up while in the area so I went to the air to capture some scenery and Fall color.

360 View
360 Panorama
360 Sphere
360 Sphere

I managed to find some old photos of Wolverine Mine
~ www.mindat.org

 

LAC LA BELLE, MI – Autumn Color #puremichigan

LAC LA BELLE, MI

Lac La Belle (French: “Lake The Beautiful”) is a small unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The town was originally the site of a stamping plant for the copper mines of the Keweenaw, specifically the Mendota Mine and the Delaware Mine. Copper-bearing rock was transported from the mines to the stamping plant, where it was processed and loaded onto freighters.

The nearby lake of the same name averages approximately 30 feet in depth and empties into Lake Superior at Bete Gris.  The Little Gratiot River and several creeks empty into Lac La Belle. A small roadside park within the town contains Haven Falls on Haven Creek, which also empties into the lake. ~wikidpedia

The weather wasn’t great for our trip, but it wasn’t all that bad either.  We endured intermittent rain and the occasional snow flurry with party cloudy skies the majority of the time.  The wind was actually calm enough to fly a few times.  These shot were taking right from our cabin.  The first shot is oriented East shortly after sunrise.  The second is oriented West, you can see Lake Superior beyond Mount Bohemia and Lac La Belle.  Such a pretty area in the Autumn.

LAC LA BELLE
LAC LA BELLE
Mount Bohemia
MOUNT BOHEMIA

Our cabin was right on the Lake.  We were 4 short miles from Bete Grise/Lake Superior and 15 short miles from Copper Harbor – Hwy 41 was absolutely on fire with color; the canopy over the road was spectacular – more on that in another post.  Here are some images of the cabin and surrounding area.  A wonderful place to call home for a few days.

Lac La Belle
Marina Cabin

PORCUPINE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS SP, MI – Autumn Color #puremichigan

PORCUPINE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

The Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties, near the shore of Lake Superior. The Porcupine Mountains were named by the native Ojibwa people, supposedly because their silhouette had the shape of a crouching porcupine.They are home to the most extensive stand of old growth northern hardwood forest in North America west of the Adirondack Mountains, spanning at least 31,000 acres. In these virgin forests, sugar maple, American basswood, eastern hemlock, and yellow birch are the most abundant tree species.  The area is part of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. ~wikipedia

Porcupine Mountain Wilderness

The drive through the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness are was popping with color.  We entered on the West side – Presque Isle River area.  I was a lovely six hour drive from Red Wing, MN.

WEST SIDE

The Presque Isle River water falls are short hikes from the main road with ample parking places.  There are quite a few stairs on one of the hikes.  Another occasion to get the puppy-kids out of car for a walk.  This Michigan state park was a bit more pet-friendly compared to WI and MN, where you are limited to an area or certain trails.

Geography

The most striking geological feature of the Porcupine Mountains is the long basalt and conglomerate escarpment parallel to the Lake Superior shore and overlooking Lake of the Clouds, a continuation of the same copper-bearing bedrock found farther northeast on the Keweenaw Peninsula. A second ridge farther inland, on the other side of Lake of the Clouds, includes Summit Peak, the highest point in the mountains at 1,958 feet.  Rivers, waterfalls, swamps, and lakes lie between the rocky outcroppings. There are a number of waterfalls on the Presque Isle River in the extreme western side of the park. ~wikipedia

EAST SIDE

Lake of the Clouds Overlook is accessible from the East t side of the park.  It is hard to beat the view from here.   This area is wheelchair accessible via a long ramp.

It was mid 39 degrees with a 30+ MPH wind when we visited – Brrrrrr, it was cold.  I must say that an iPhone does a tremendous job with a panorama.  My phone was all over the place in that wind.  You can see by the weather map below; although Lake Superior is a cold lake, this time of year it’s relatively warm and turn that snow right into rain.

PORCUPINE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

Don’t miss that photo op @ Porcupine Mountains Outpost.

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.

DAN TRAUN – Photographer