Wednesday Waterfall: Miners Falls, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Miners Falls, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Miners Falls is on the Miners River in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising, Michigan in the Central Upper Peninsula.

The 40-foot falls spills over the sandstone lip of a canyon that was once the shoreline of Lake Superior, but today is a few miles inland.

To access the falls take H58 east from Munising to the Miners Castle access road then watch for the falls trailhead road on your right. The walk to the falls takes about 15 minutes and ends at a platform above the canyon, looking down on the falls.

Despite the snowy image above, winter access to the falls is very limited as the access roads are not plowed for several miles. Snowmobile access is permitted however.

Also don't bother fishing the Miners River. No fish here. Nope. None. Move along. Trout? Never heard of them.

Aaron Peterson is a photographer and writer based near Marquette and Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  For more of his work visit www.aaronpeterson.net

Wednesday Waterfall: Cascade River State Park, Minnesota

The Minnesota North Shore has long been one of my favorite places. I dig the Scandinavian efficiency with which the coast from Duluth to Grand Portage is laid out: cool little towns, then state parks, then gobs of national forest, then cool little town, a bad ass tunnel through a cliff, etc. It seems tailor made for active travel, sort of like an inland Pacific Coast Highway, but better because you can wear flannel and there's less coke. Whoa, did I say that? I did.

I found this gnarled old cedar clinging to the black volcanic rock of Cascade River State Park near Grand Marais, Minnesota. That's the Cascade River behind it, ripping through a tight gorge before throwing itself over a series of falls and dumping out into Lake Superior.

I love finding spots like this where Ma Nature mouths you by the scruff of your neck and shakes you a bit. "Pay attention," she says, "I'm trying to teach you something here."

The lesson I learned here is to endure. Persevere. Hang on even if nobody else is. And above all, grow.

That's all well and good, and quickly forgotten as I hopped back in the car and went about my picture making way, trying to acquire as many salable images as I could during that short trip a few years ago. But here's the beauty of still photography: that image, that moment, is still here with us several years later and can teach the same lessons, ones that are even more important now that our houses are worth less than we paid for them, our beautiful children WILL NOT GO TO SLEEP and for some reason (I know this is trivial but it still pains me) the winter sky refuses to sprinkle us with its magic dust (not talking about coke anymore).

So, yeah, I need to wrap this up. "Be well, do good work and keep in touch." What? Somebody already said that? Keillor, again?

Okay....ah, how about: "Pay attention, remember and share?"

Aaron Peterson is a photographer and writer based near Marquette and Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but he's been known to go to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario too if the money's good.  For more of his work visit www.aaronpeterson.net

Wednesday Waterfall: Scott Falls

Scott Falls is only about 20 feet from the side of M-28 just west of Munising, one of the busiest roads in the Upper Peninsula. It’s so close you can actually pull up, roll down your window and snap a photo from your vehicle. Like black bears munching blue berries in the ditch and the handmade signs for pasties and smoked fish, Scott Falls is one of those precious roadside attractions that makes any trip to the U.P. memorable.

Compared to its brash, crashing cousins nearby, Scott Falls is a dainty maiden traipsing through a fairy tale landscape of thigh-high thimbleberry. The demure trickle drops about 10 feet over a sandstone lip, splashing into a shallow circular pool before running a few hundred feet into Lake Superior.

While the falls is beautiful, the best part is the cave behind it. That’s right, a real cave. Now, it’s instinctual to think “cave=creepy,” but really, this is “cave=cool.” Wade around the edge of the pool and slip behind the falls and into the sand-floored cavern with moss-covered walls. This is the kind of place where garden gnomes are born and raised. Yea, it's a U.P. gnome nursery.

Location: About 10 miles west of Munising on M-28, immediately across the highway from the MDOT Rathfoot Roadside Park.

Bonus: One more mile west is AuTrain Beach, one of Lake Superior’s warmest, and sleepiest sand beaches.

Aaron Peterson is a photographer and writer based near Marquette and Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  For more of his work visit www.aaronpeterson.net

Wednesday Waterfall: Laughing Whitefish Falls, Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Laughing Whitefish Falls is located in the Laughing Whitefish Falls State Scenic Site just north of the former town of Sundell in Michigan's central Upper Peninsula.

Here the diminutive Laughing Whitefish River cascades down a sandstone bowl into a deep valley on it's way to Lake Superior.

Aaron Peterson is a writer and photographer based in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For more of his work from the Lake Superior region visit www.aaronpeterson.net.

Snowy Owls invade Michigan's Upper Peninsula

There's nothing a photographer likes better than seeing something new.

Snowy owls, native to the arctic tundra, have been spotted throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula and along Lake Superior. A photographer's dream come true.

Speculation abounds as to why the birds are here. It's not too uncommon, as every few years the owls' main food source, the lemming, crashes and forces the birds south out of hunger. However, this year reports are indicating that owl numbers are up and this migration may be a case of arctic overpopulation.

This owl was photographed on Lake Superior along the Keweenaw peninsula near Copper Harbor, Michigan.

Aaron Peterson is a photographer and writer based near Marquette on Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) For more images of life along Lake Superior and Michigan's Upper Peninsula visit my website at aaronpeterson.net.

Stand Up Paddling!

Finally got a chance to check out stand up paddling, or SUP this weekend at the Great Lake Sea Kayak Symposium in Grand Marais, Mich.

Sweet sport. Probably adding it to the repertoire, much to my saving account's chagrin.

Here are the first few quick edits:

Yep, that's right, got wet on this one. Shot from the splash zone and underwater in the shallows using a waterproof housing for my Nikon D700. Learned a bunch, mostly how much I still have to learn about shooting subsurface. And that shooting underwater in Lake Superior for about three hours will bring on mild hypothermia even in a wet suit. And that a gin and tonic (or several) is not an approved remedy for hypothermia :-\

Recent Work-Superior Outdoors

The summer issue of Superior Outdoors magazine features two of our sea kayaking images from Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.

Superior Outdoors is a great little publication with a big heart based out of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The husband and wife team of Darren and Michelle McChristie have dedicated their publication to active outdoor pursuits and environmental concerns in the Lake Superior region of Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Here's the mag in their own words:

"Superior Outdoors magazine is a high quality magazine for outdoor enthusiasts packed with stunning photographs and engaging stories. Our focus is Lake Superior, with coverage that includes central Canada and the Midwestern states. We cover a wide range of topics from outdoor adventure, news and events to environmental issues and the largest, most comprehensive event listing in the region. Each issue also includes an eight page photo gallery of the best images from around the lake."

It's that last part, the eight-page photo gallery that I like best. Eight pages! If you love life on the Big Lake, you should give Superior Outdoors a read.

Here are the images Superior Outdoors is using this issue:

Till Creek Falls dwarfs a curious paddler.

Lifting fog and a gorgeous day ahead.

And here are a few more from the rugged and remote shoreline of Lake Superior Provincial Park, on Lake Superior's north east coast, in Ontario, Canada. One of my favorite places to work, play and just disappear...

Quiet campsite at twilight on a sheltered cove.

The ancient pictographs of Agawa Rock depict Lake Superior demigods.

Sunset at Agawa Beach.

Lake Superior fog, eerily beautiful to paddle in.

Stretching legs after a long day in the boats.

Waves and boulders grind pockets in the sandstone at Grindstone Point.

Evening paddle in a quiet, sheltered bay.

A bouldery bay at Cape Gargantua.

The ladies dance around the fire to stay warm.

Paddling Five Mile Point

Got out this weekend for a quick sea kayak paddle on Lake Superior and was reminded of what I love about living and working in this region: outdoor options.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Island National Recreation Area are both world class kayaking destinations about 20 minutes from home, and that's where I'm usually lured. This time however, I was looking to fill in some blank spots on my mental map of Lake Superior and stayed a little closer to the farm.

Five Mile Point begins just east of AuTrain at a convenient little wayside with a historical marker and a sweet waterfall. I'm embarrassed to say I had never paddled the point before, but figured a sandstone  point in Lake Superior exposed to northern wind and waves was bound to have an interesting shoreline.

I was not disappointed. It reminded me a lot of the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin--arches, caves, cliffs and creamy swirls of tan and brown sandstone. Just an awesome day paddle, one of many along the Hiawatha Water Trail.

Here are a few quick and dirty snaps from the old iPhone.

 

For those curious about the boat, it's a Current Designs Isle, a Greenland style boat designed for large paddlers. It has lines like a throwing knife, is fast and straight tracking with tons of volume.