Tag Archives: Minnesota

Wildwood Ridge – An Introduction

Image April 16, 2023 Dan Traun

It has been nearly a year ago now when Cyndie and I moved across town; technically from town [Red Wing] to the adjacent township of Hay Creek. This has been a long-time coming. We were looking at bigger homes given that we had both been working from home since the onset of the Covid pandemic. We were not in any sort of a rush really – just seeing what was out there on the market.

Our realtor, RedWingHomesForSale.com really took the time to understand what we had been looking for. It was one that ticked almost all the boxes of what we were looking for. The only thing missing was a fenced in yard for the four-leggers. The fence was something we could remedy in short order. The house was in an area we had driven through often, but never imagined that the development was within our reach.

As it were, the couple that currently owned the house needed to move to Arizona in the Spring of 2023 for work. They just had a baby and were not wild about all the potential showings. This set the stage for a perfect opportunity. The asking price was fair and that is exactly what we offered; they accepted.

Fast-forward to April 2023

There was much work leading up to moving day. Prepping our old house for sale seemed never-ending. The some repairs, lots of painting, and moving our things out and staging them elsewhere for showing. It was a tremendous amount of work, but well worth it.

We were not really sure how quickly our old house would sell. To say we were astonished by the number of showings once it was listed is an understatement. We had 20+ showings in only two days which resulted in 10+ offers. All well over asking; we could not have imagined a better outcome. We were able to close on both homes on the same day which made this whole process that much better.

New house in South Oaks

Closing Day

The much anticipated closing day came and went. We were fortunate enough to close on both the old and new house the same day. That said, closing day was on a Friday and the movers were not coming until the following Monday. This gave us some time to get things cleaned, staged and ready. It was a flurry of activity. Everything went fairly smooth other than the late season snow and the hole in the wall at our old house the movers created while extracting the treadmill from the basement.

We had our first dinner on folding chairs with moving boxes for a table. A delicious chicken dinner from a local establishment called Randy’s.

Drone, Panorama, Photography

SUNSET, BEHIND THE FRONT – Red Wing, MN #exploremn

Image August 10, 2020 Dan Traun 2 Comments

SUNSET, BEHIND THE FRONT

Off in the distance, a front was drifting by Red Wing Sunday evening as the sun was setting. The sun was still shinning brightly behind the clouds; shooting rays into the sky. [click on images to enlarge]

A bit later I shot two more panoramas to capture the full length of the cloud bank (21 frames each).

SUNSET, BEHIND THE FRONT — 21 Frames (left)

I then combined them both together into a 42 frame panorama

Destination, iPhoneography, Nature, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes, Travel

MINNEOPA FALLS – Minneopa State Park #exploremn

Image October 26, 2019 Dan Traun

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

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.

2019-10-25 D700 Waterfalls - Nerstrand, Caron, Mankato-4812

Views of the Minneopa Creek and Falls from below.

2019-10-25 D700 Waterfalls - Nerstrand, Caron, Mankato-4808

2019-10-25 D700 Waterfalls - Nerstrand, Caron, Mankato-4809

2019-10-25 D700 Waterfalls - Nerstrand, Caron, Mankato-4826

10 Stop ND Filter

iPhone Panorama

Destination, iPhoneography, Panorama, Photography, Steam-scapes, Travel

NERSTRAND BIG WOODS – State Park #exploremn

Image October 26, 2019 Dan Traun

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.

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

DSLR shots with 10 stop ND filter

Drone, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes

RED WING, MN – Autumn Sunrise #aerialphotography

Image October 10, 2019 Dan Traun

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.

Destination, Drone, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes

LAKE CITY, MN – Panoramic Lake Views #aerialphotography

Image September 26, 2019 Dan Traun

LAKE CITY, MN – Panoramic Lake Views

The city of Lake City is located 65 miles southeast of the Twin Cities at the intersection of U.S. Highways 61 and 63 on the Mississippi River at Lake Pepin. Lac de Pleurs (Lake of Tears) was the name given to Lake Pepin by Father Louis Hennepin, who camped on the shore of the lake in 1680. He christened the large body of water Lac de Pleurs after observing his Sioux captors weeping near the lake over the death of a chief’s son. The war party of Isanti Sioux had captured Hennepin and his two companions several miles south along the Mississippi and were camping near the lake on their return north to their Sioux villages near present-day Mille Lacs. ~wikipedia

On September 24th Lake City was hit with an EF0 tornado. Here are a few aerial images of an area that experienced some damage.

Drone, Photography, River-scapes

RED WING, MN – Foggy Morning Sunrise #arielphotography

Image September 17, 2019 Dan Traun

RED WING, MN – Foggy Morning Sunrise

I was a bit late for sunrise, but the fog was heavy and flowing nicely through the valley. Solders Memorial Park on top of Sorin’s Bluff in Red Wing is a perfect location to appreciate the vastness of the fog as it flows along and lifts away.

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2019-09-15 DF066 Memorial Park Views-0001-3-Edit

2019-09-15 DF066 Memorial Park Views-0001-4-Edit

2019-09-15 DF066 Memorial Park Views-0001-6-Edit

2019-09-15 DF066 Memorial Park Views-0001-7-Edit

2019-09-15 DF066 Memorial Park Views-0989-Edit

Destination, Drone, Nature, Photography, River-scapes

RED WING, MN – Mississippi Riverfront #aerialphotography

Image September 2, 2019 Dan Traun

RED WING, MN – Mississippi Riverfront

This city was named after the early 19th-century Dakota Sioux chief, Red Wing (Shakea), or Hupahuduta (“Wing of the Wild Swan Dyed Red”). He was one of a succession of Mdewakanton Dakota chiefs whose name “Red Wing” came from their use of a dyed swan’s wing as their symbol of rank. He was an ally of British soldiers during the War of 1812. After a vision in which he saw the Americans driving out the British, he declared neutrality. French Canadians referred to him as L’Aile Rouge. Later he took the name Shakea, or “The Man Who Paints Himself Red,” after passing the name Red Wing on to a successor chief. ~wikipedia

Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. Having lived near the river most of my life, it’s sometime easy to forgot the unique and picturesque features that draw others to the region.

The arrival of riverboats in late Summer

Red Wing Yacht Club Boathouses

Bay Point Park

The Big Turn on the Mississippi River

The Big Turn as seen from Bay Point Park

Barn Bluff (He Mni Can) [L] & Sorins Bluff (Memorial Park) [R]

Mud Lake

Trenton Island Yacht Club

Having a drone has re-peaked my interest to photograph the beautiful area where I live.

Red Wing is connected to Wisconsin by the Eisenhower Bridge); it carries U.S. Route 63 over the Mississippi River and its backwaters. ~wikipedia

Construction on the bridge that will replace the Eisenhower Bridge is slated to be complete August 2020. Based on a Minnesota state statute, the name must remain the Eisenhower Memorial Bridge.

Drone, Photography

QUEEN OF THE MISSISSIPPI – Red Wing, MN #aerialphotography

Image September 1, 2019 Dan Traun 2 Comments

QUEEN OF THE MISSISSIPPI – Red Wing, MN

At Levee Park over the Labor Day weekend. Levee Park has looked better. It has been under construction for some time now; delayed due to flooding most of the Spring/Summer.

Drone, Panorama, Photography, River-scapes

MISSISSIPPI RIVER – Pool #4, Everts Resort #aerialphotography”

August 24, 2019 Dan Traun 2 Comments

MISSISSIPPI RIVER – Pool #4, Everts Resort

Pool 4 extends from Lock & Dam 4 located near Alma, Wisconsin upstream to Lock & Dam 3 located near Hager City, Wisconsin.

Unlike the Lower Mississippi, much of the upper river is a series of pools created by a system of 29 locks and dams. The structures were authorized by Congress in the 1930s, and most were completed by 1940. A primary reason for damming the river is to facilitate barge transportation. The dams regulate water levels for the Upper River and play a major part in regulating levels on the Lower Mississippi.

Navigation locks allow towboats, barges, and other vessels to transit the dams. Approximately 1350 kilometers (850 mi), from the head of navigation in Mile 858, Minneapolis, Minnesota down to Cairo, has been made suitable for commercial navigation with a depth of 2.75 meters (9 ft) The agriculture and barge transportation industries have lobbied in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for a multi-billion-dollar project to upgrade the aging lock and dam system. Some environmental groups and advocates of budgetary restraint argue that the project lacks economic justification.

Each lock and dam complex creates a pool upstream of it. There are 29 locks on the Upper Mississippi maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—from Upper St. Anthony Falls upstream to Chain of Rocks downstream. The locks provide a collective 123 meters (404 ft) of lift. ~wikipedia

These photos were taken just downriver from Lock & Dam 3 at Everts Resort. The sunset and clouds were fantastic this last Friday.

Looking downstream towards Everts Resort

Everts Resort

Looking upstream at Lock & Dam 3 off in the distance. You can see the steam rising from the cooling towers at Prairie Island Nuclear Plant right below the sun.

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