In winter it's easy to capture dramatic photos on any Lake Superior beach. You'll find lots of opportunities along Highway 61 for your own North Shore icy shoreline experience. … read more
From the heart of Canal Park, a paved bicycle path leads 7 miles along the North Shore, through Duluth's eastern neighborhoods, ending up at lovely Brighton Beach. Get out and enjoy! … read more
Winter is always treacherous on Lake Superior. The 1913 storm recounted in this book still stands as the deadliest storm in Great Lakes history. Called the "white hurricane," it roared for three days. … read more
As reports came in of wild blueberries all over the Gunflint Trail and the North Shore, I stayed home waiting for news from somewhere else...the South Shore. This weekend, we went to Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield and picked about two gallons of big, beautiful blueberries. … read more
One of my favorite all-time North Shore ski trails is Korkki Nordic, up in the ridgeline above the shore between Duluth and Two Harbors. Sally and I played hooky today and took a few laps on this terrific woodland trail. That was the first good choice of the day. Korkki is a truly classic trail. It's narrow and winding and is groomed for classic skiing only. Because so much of the trail is in deep forest, more snow is required to open it safely. Last year, the trail might have been open only two weekends. This year, it's been open … read more
We are all seeking beauty, and many of us seek to capture beauty in a photo's frame, to understand, to remember. Our photos become our memories. And when there are no photos to be our memories, we may make do with symbols.It was a busy day at Split Rock Lighthouse last week for the annual Fitzgerald memorial ceremony. I attended the somber gathering at the lighthouse itself. Hearing the bells and the names brought that tragedy home.Right after the ceremony, I booked down the hill not only to try my own camera out on this, but also to see the … read more
We hiked to the top of Mount Josephine today, up at Grand Portage. It's a very steep climb on a poorly maintained trail, so the challenge of getting there almost overwhelmed Sally and me. Ten hours later now and I'm still woozy from the muggy heat. The trail had been recommended in the Falcon Press "Hiking Minnesota" book as well as numerous fliers and the Grand Portage Lodge visitor guide. So I was surprised by how hard it was to find the trailhead. Also, the trail itself really hadn't been maintained this year or, it seems, for years before. Where … read more