Tag Archives: Photography

A Fall Frosty Morning

November 11, 2018 Troy

As light began to appear one morning I could see the leaves were white with frost. Immediately I decided to finish what I was doing, grab the camera and head to a nearby park to see if I could capture a piece of this beautiful, frosty morning. The temperature was barely below freezing and was rising fast as the sun rose above the horizon so there wasn’t a lot of time to photograph leaves adorned with some interesting ice crystals. Working somewhat quickly I decided on a few shots I wanted and prioritized those in case the frost disappeared before I got them all. Fortunately areas more shaded retained the frost crystals a little longer extending my time of picture taking with these cool subjects.

I started with an overall landscape picture but the light wasn’t quite right so moved on to fall colored leaves outlined in frost while staying somewhat close to the place I wanted to photograph the overall landscape from so I could quickly return once the sun was lighting up the areas I wanted to see it more. That resulted in the picture at the top of this post. Frost covered cattails with some colorful trees reflecting in the slightly foggy water below. There were a couple of ducks on the water but seem to be missing from the photo. They would have really made a great addition I think. Once I captured that scene I began to move on to smaller subjects such as the milkweed seeds covered with frost in the photo above.

While the sun continued to rise shedding light on more of the landscape I grabbed a few pictures of leaves outlined in frost and showing some of the elongated ice crystals standing up from the leaves make them appear as though they had hair on them. A short time later I had to move on to shadier locations in order to continue capturing images of what remained from the earlier frost. That only lasted a short time later and it was time to move on to other subjects or head home and continue on the days projects. Heading home did not seem like a good decision since I was already at the park with camera in hand so I kept wandering to see what else was going on that may be photo worthy. There wasn’t much else that provided interest so I grabbed my bike out of the car and went riding to continue enjoying this sunny day.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Sandhill Cranes Invade by the Thousands

November 4, 2018 Troy

During the recent sandhill crane migration I had the opportunity to photograph them throughout the day flying away from their roost in the morning, feeding in nearby cornfields, and then returning at night. The day started off hours before sunrise to find just the right place to watch and take pictures from. The problem was where exactly was this spot? I hadn’t been to this area before and all I had was a map indicating a parking place to watch sandhill cranes. Fortunately there was another adventurer with me who had been in the area and had a bit of an idea of at least where the parking spot would be. We found the parking space which was filled with several other vehicles. This must be the place and there appeared to be a trail so all we had to do was follow that to the cranes right? As it turned out all of those other vehicles were hunters and were off in the woods already. And the trail? It definitely didn’t lead to the cranes.

Being dark out we followed the trail by flashlight and thought it was the right direction as we could hear thousands of sandhill cranes calling and we seemed to be getting closer. After some time on the trail, in the dark, we began to hear squishing sounds only to point the flashlight down and realize where walking through swamps. Every direction we turned to get out of the water led to more water but the cranes sounds really close so we kept trudging through. By this time daylight was beginning to show but there still was not much light as a heavy fog enveloped the area making it difficult to see far enough to know which direction to go. Finally I took out my phone and brought up a satellite map to see what to do next. Our hope of seeing the cranes near their roosting sight disappeared as the realization of needing to head back the way we came took over because there was nothing but more and more water ahead of us. Feeling a little defeated we made our way back to the car to see what we should do next with all of this fog.

Acres and acres of corn fields surrounded Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge which is where we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the thousands of cranes that stop on their migration south next. But the fog made it nearly impossible to see much and had no indication of disappearing anytime soon. We decided to try driving around some of the area farms and see if there’s anything to look at. Have any of the cranes made their way to the fields yet? After driving for a little while just ahead of us we caught a glimpse of a flock of cranes flying towards corn fields. That was all the encouragement we needed to continue our search. It took a little more time but eventually there was a field with several sandhill cranes feasting away. Pulling off of the road we grabbed cameras and began taking shot after shot as more and more cranes continue to land in this field. Hundreds of them showed up as the fog finally decided to relent revealing more cranes than I could have imagined all looking for food so they can continue their migration.

Over the next 45 minutes or so cranes came in and left again until all of them had moved on to other fields. Back in the car in search of other crane covered corn fields. This went on for the next couple of hours until the need for food became to great a distraction from watching and photographing cranes. After a nice stop to re-fuel, the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Sherburne which has several trails and numerous service roads which can be hiked for a portion of the year. Eventually the sunlight began dimming and it was time to return to a crane viewing area for the evening barrage of cranes coming in to roost.

Getting back to the parking area for sandhill crane viewing there were once again several cars but this time also several people just standing and watching or photographing as the cranes flew overhead. Finally some confirmation that the point is to watch the cranes from this parking place. We were informed many flocks of cranes have already passed by and it was unknown how many more would still be coming. A few minutes later answered that question as one flock after another continued to fly overhead in route to their evening resting place. Hundreds and hundreds kept going over calling to one another along the way. It was an amazing sight to see and hear thousands of cranes converging into one area. Overall they estimated over 11,000 cranes at the refuge this year.

Photos, Seasons, Troy's Blog

Fall Colors

October 28, 2018 Troy

Fall is slowly making its way south bringing with it some colorful leaves. There was a lot of promise for a spectacular fall canvas filled with reds, yellows, and oranges as Northern Minnesota has shown amazing displays but the transition further south has been less striking. It takes a little searching to find some beautiful fall leaves but they’re there. A little here. A little there. Many trees have decided to either turn a dull brown or just drop their leaves without even hinting at a change in color. It makes these spots of fall color more impactful though I think.

One of falls lessons in the above photo – Don’t be afraid to display your uniqueness! Most of the leaves have turned a bright yellow if they are displaying their color this year but there’s a few stunning red leaves mixed in. Capturing leaves floating in the water is always interesting especially if there’s a blue sky shining back.

Heading out one afternoon the unbelievable red colors of some of the leaves caught my attention in the late afternoon sunshine so I of course had to stop the car and grab a camera for a few quick shots before continuing on my way. Trying my hand attempting to find some artistry I set the camera so the sun was peaking through a hole near the top of the beautiful leaf. Not sure it had the effect I was hoping for but I still kind of like the shot. The grass is in the way in my opinion and the details of the leaf become lost in picture but I do like the sunburst filtering in through the tree behind and the whole in the leaf.

Heading home from work one afternoon I happened to look down along the Mississippi River and noticed some nice fall colors showing up. I decided the next morning to get up before sunrise, as the forecast called for a sunny day, and head to a nice spot to capture this morning light against the fall foliage.

Arriving near the river an hour before sunrise revealed a cloud filled sky leading to some disappointment but there was still time so maybe the clouds would begin clearing yet. As time passed and sunrise neared the clouds kept persisting dampening my hopes for a beautiful fall sunrise along the river. As the morning continued I tried to find things to photograph and began to notice a few breaks in those cloud blankets so I decided to explore along the river banks a little and there it was. The sun revealed itself shining on the reds and oranges beginning to arrive along the river. Unfortunately it was later in the morning so the light wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for but I took some photographs anyway which turned out ok.

On another outting I came across some beautiful bittersweet fully colored up and showing their bright red berries contrasting nicely with the bare trees and shrubs around it. I had to snap a few photos of this great looking vine. Happy Fall!

Photos, Troy's Blog

Fall Migrations

October 14, 2018 Troy

One of my favorite parts of fall is the duck migration. Things have been on the slow side this year but still a little activity. Heading out to an area shallow pond before the sun rises brings great anticipation of what may be stirring on this morning. With a few clouds in the sky the sunrise provided some beautiful colors to mark the start of a day out in nature.

One of the staples out at this pond is a family of trumpeter swans which is always a nice sight during the morning. They are so graceful swimming among the plants and downed trees. Even though they are becoming more common it’s still fulfilling to watch as two parents raise their young.

The most obvious display of the fall migration was a large flock of wood ducks gathered together preparing for their trip south. I’ve never seen so many wood ducks all together. Usually they are mixed in with other types of waterfowl. Over the course of the morning a young eagle would appear flying over flocks of ducks sometimes circling them and other times landing in a tree watching over them. It never really went after a duck which may have been because there wasn’t a good opportunity or because it was just practicing. Still fun to watch but every time this happened I missed it with the camera.

While I was hoping for more activity during this beautiful morning it was a fun day just taking a break from everyday activities.

Night Sky, Photos, Troy's Blog

Taking in the Beautiful Night Sky

October 6, 2018 Troy

Getting away from the city lights from time to time provides an opportunity to take in a star filled night sky revealing a universe of possibilities which is always humbling for me. All of those things going on in life become brought into perspective as the whole universe is a good reminder of our place in it. I can stare into the abyss watching the stars twinkling for hours. Time seems to speed up as my eyes bounce from constellation to constellation occasionally being interrupted by a satellite passing by. Once in awhile there’s a shooting star if you’re looking in just the right spot. Often times I try to capture all of this with the camera but it seems impossible to accomplish. On this particular September night I wasn’t expecting an opportunity to see stars as rain and thunderstorms were forecast. At one point I looked up from an evening fire and began to see stars overhead. Continuing to watch more and more stars revealed themselves so I decided to grab the camera and begin shoot away.

After the first shot or two I really liked how the clouds made the vastness in the sky appear and enhanced the transition from the horizon to the stars. There are several star clusters and what looked like a possible galaxy which, unfortunately, is not clear enough in this picture to see but it’s the bright light just off center to the right. The light showing in the clouds to the right near the horizon is a rising full moon which I think is also a nice addition to the photograph.

Being near a lake it is only appropriate to attempt capturing this beautiful star filled sky reflecting in the calm water. Bordering the stars with a spruce tree seemed to be a nice contrast as well making for an interesting shot. After spending a little time just photographing the stars and watching them twinkle, doing some light painting seemed like a good idea. As it turned out I had quiet a bit of fun doing this and trying some different angles with a green light.

Light painting didn’t actually start out as the objective. Looking at the picture below you can see how I did it. A friend of mine wanted to do some night fishing and had brought along some bobbers with lights on them so I started to take pictures of his actions with a fishing pole and realized how intriguing it was in the photo. The fish weren’t biting so we began setting up some ideas to photograph and this was how it turned out. How do you set up these shots? Once the camera is in place and you can see the range of the landscape in the potential photo you can begin to direct where to cast for the lit bobber to really show up. Since night photography usually involves long exposures you have a little time to work with. Once the shutter button is pushed the model then begins reeling in the line and casting it back out in a different direction to get the light trail where you want it. For one of the photos I used a flashlight to show the process for a few seconds, turned off the light, and continued with the action of reeling in and casting back out in order to show how this can work. It was a lot of fun and something I hope to work with more in the future.

Adventure, Troy's Blog

Mushrooms Abound

September 29, 2018 Troy

While camping at Lost Lake in the Chequamegon – Nicollet National Forest Labor Day Weekend I kept finding different and unique mushrooms. There are nine different ones pictured alone in this post but I counted at least 13 different types. I’m not a mushroom person so I don’t know what most of them are nor do I eat them so if you’re looking for what kind each is I’m sorry but I can’t answer that. Maybe at some point I’ll research these and figure out what more of them are but there are just too many at one time. It would take a good part of a day to identify all of them which is more time than I am willing to commit at this moment.

There were several things I wanted to do while enjoying an extended weekend in the quiet north woods of Wisconsin. Some of these included fishing, sitting by the campfire, exploring area trails and waterfalls, and photographing stuff like animals and stars. Upon moving my stuff from the car to a cabin I kept seeing different mushrooms. Some in or on trees and others on the ground. I thought it was pretty cool to see these especially since I had recently read an article about some of the area mushrooms and was learning a better appreciation for them and their structures. Eventually I planned to take a few pictures of them but fishing was more on my mind so the camera stayed in its bag and down to the lake I went.

The next day,after throwing a line in the water for a bit, I decided to snap a few quick photos of those mushrooms just around the cabin I was staying in and retreat to a chair for some R and R before continuing on with a day of exploring. Looking at these photos a little later on I was not happy with how they were turning out so figured I should find a bit more time at some point to get some better ones. Also I was spotting more types of mushrooms to take pictures of.

By the third day I decided to try again photographing the mushrooms in the area but only half hardily. Handholding the camera in relatively low light of the forest I attempted some more pictures of the same mushrooms as the day before in hopes of better results. Well, the results really weren’t much better but I wasn’t sure I cared enough to spend more time doing that.

After spending about as much time as I wanted photographing mushrooms I returned to the cabin ready to take it easy for a little bit when the friend I was camping with brought out his camera and started getting more serious about capturing these little forest gems. Begrudgingly I joined in and realized if I wanted some decent shots I needed to commit to setting things up correctly with the camera which required a tripod, remote shutter, and additional lighting. At first I struggled a little bit because it was taking longer to set up a shot or series of shots than I really wanted but the urge to capture these amazing mushrooms motivated me to continue on.

Getting good, close shots of some of these tiny mushrooms requires figuring out how to get low to the ground while keeping the camera steady for a second or two and triggering the shutter while holding a light at just the right distance and angle became a bit of a circus act. Eventually I enlisted some help and began to see some nice photos encouraging more time on the forest floor. By the way, it had rained the night before so the ground was wet and muddy adding to my lack of motivation to crawl around to get some interesting shots.

Once I finally got past the lack of desire to spend the time capturing these little fungi and started to get better results from the camera setup, time started to fly and the day with it. Every time I thought this is the last different on that I see I would photograph it, stand up and see another one or be informed of one I need to take a look at a little further in the forest. After several hours of just taking pictures of mushrooms I finally decided I needed to be done. I was on fungus overload and needed to go fishing. Especially since I wanted to eat fish for the next meal.

While meandering back to the cabin so I could put the camera gear away and grab a fishing pole I couldn’t believe how many different mushrooms existed in such a relatively small area. I’ve never seen so many. Or at least I’ve not noticed them like this. The other thing that really caught my attention was the coral fungus. Having just read about them a few months prior I wanted to find some and here they were. Since that time I’ve been paying more attention to decomposing logs and trees looking for more of these interesting little fungus. Sometimes I find a couple of different mushrooms but nothing like what was at Lost Lake. Hopefully I can return to those cabins again and continue this hunt for even more mushrooms.

Adventure, Troy's Blog, wildlife

Merganser Feast

September 23, 2018 Troy

Before the sun had risen above the horizon at Lake Itasca in Northern Minnesota I ventured to a dock hoping for a foggy morning scene. There was some fog hanging onto the lake as sunlight began casting shadows from the pine and maple covered shoreline but not the epic foggy morning dreamt about the night before. Everything was so still waking up from a cool summer night. So peaceful! The type of morning I have come to cherish. As I was soaking in this serene landscape movement caught my attention. Ducks swimming slowly through vegetation nearby. With camera already resting on it’s three legged perch I stared into these grasses watching as ducks disappeared under the water’s surface and returned again all without making a sound. Only the ripples giving them away. Zooming in on one of these busy birds I noticed something in it’s mouth appearing to be a crayfish.

Watching intently through my cameras eye the outline confirmed my suspicions. It was indeed a crayfish caught in the beak of a merganser. This hard shelled creature appeared much to large to be swallowed by the little mouth of this bird so I continued to watch, snapping a few pictures along the way, as it wrestled to get it’s next meal ready to eat. As if it were dancing, this duck would swing it’s head from side to side opening its clamping beak attempting to shift the crayfish in another direction before dipping it underwater as if rinsing it off in preparation to eat it. The crayfish dance would be repeated for several minutes until finally satisfied this meal was ready to be consumed. All the while the crayfish appeared to be in a state of uncertainty of what was going on. Only moments before it was the predator eyeing up the next meal.

Once this early morning meal had reached the stomach of this merganser it was back to hunting. A water bird of this size appeared unable to handle more than one of these bottom dwelling creatures and yet continued searching for more. Watching this happen several more times I began wondering just how many crayfish can a little duck eat before becoming too lethargic and tempting a nearby perched eagle into a possible easy meal. Finally the mornings feast seemed to come to an end and preening was the next event on this cool, sunny mornings calendar. A few dunks in the water while flapping its wings before drying off in the warming sunlight in preparation of checking that all of this little ducks feathers were perfectly in place removing those that were not. Returning to the soundless swimming in and out of grassing camouflaging this brown aquatic bird from sight before once again losing it under the waters surface.

Scanning over the nearby waters surface this merganser re-appeared once again holding another crayfish in it’s tiny beak. The dance continued, although as if perfected, lasted a much shorter time before another crayfish was swallowed whole into the small mouth of a motivated predator. By this time more people were stirring causing these little ducks to retreat further into the weeds protecting them from the large two legged animals wandering along the shoreline. It was time to store my camera and tripod back into its protective sack relinquishing my place on this dock for others to begin launching their water crafts for a summer day out on the water.

Adventures, Camping, Troy's Blog

Return to Lost Lake

September 9, 2018 Troy

After my trip to Lost Lake in July I couldn’t wait to return having so much fun the first time and much more to explore that just wouldn’t wait until next year. So a few days after getting home I booked Labor Day weekend for another extended weekend of exploring, fishing, and campfires. Even though it marked the end of summer I was eager with anticipation of what was in store for a second visit to the cabins for weeks beforehand. The summer goes so fast as it is that I try to never look forward to upcoming events, but enjoy the things that are happening in the moment so as to not rush the summer away. As hard as I tried I couldn’t keep my mind off camping in the north woods of Wisconsin and I was not disappointed. Why is this area so much fun? For me it has to do with a number of things. First off it is a beautiful area full of lakes, scenery, and wildlife and I can just take it all in without the responsibilities of every day routines. Secondly I get to just be me and basically relax. There’s no being a father, husband, or son for a few days which can be a nice break. I love being those things but a break is kind of nice once in a while. And lastly I like heading to this area of Wisconsin because I get to see an old college friend and hangout doing whatever we want to do whether that’s fishing all afternoon, playing with our cameras trying to capture the beauty of the area, or exploring a new lake or trail.

On this trip it almost felt like a completely different place. Yes the lake is still there with the resident loon and the roads are the same but so many things around us gave new adventures. First off shorter days made a huge impact which I wasn’t fully expecting. It felt as though a good part of the day had already disappeared by the time day light became bright enough to see which just had a domino effect the rest of the day with everything happening later. Yes I was aware of earlier sunsets and later sunrises but the days flew by even faster than I anticipated as often we would be preparing dinner by lantern and fire instead of eating under a setting sun. The fire would just get going nicely when the yawns could no long be ignored and it was time to retreat to bed for the night although one of the nights we did continue to fight the tiredness and photograph the night sky. Some of the other differences between the July and September visits where clouds and rain, mushrooms, waterfalls, and light painting.

Our second night in the Chequamegon National Forest we found an area on a nearby lake where we could take in the sunset as the forecast called for clouds skies and some rain over the next few days so that was possibly the only opportunity to watch a beautiful sunset and we were not disappointed. As it turned out that was the last visible sunset during the rest of our time there. During our last night a nice thunderstorm rolled through completing the camping experience. Because there was so much rain mushrooms were popping up all over. It seemed as though I would photograph one and only a short distance away there would be another different, interesting mushroom. We lost count how many different mushrooms we saw and photographed over our long weekend there. I’ll probably do another post on only the mushrooms of Lost Lake. There is a waterfall drive in the area we were in which shows off a number of different rapids and small waterfalls. Even though they are not very high they are still mesmerizing to watch and listen to and well worth some time to explore which is something we didn’t do on our first visit to the area.

During one of the nights sitting by the camp fire we looked up and notice a break in the clouds revealing the numerous stars shining across the sky so we quickly grabbed a camera and some lights and headed to lake side for a little nighttime fun. The clouds really seemed to add drama to the night sky making for interesting photographs. Also we decided to attempt light painting which turned out great and was fun to play with. That started as night fishing with lighted bobbers and turned into photography experiments since the fish weren’t really interested in eating anyway. While there were these different things to explore there were some things missing which made this a different experience. There were a lot less frogs, no red dragonflies, and few butterflies. Fortunately there were also less mosquitoes even though they really weren’t all that bad in July. All of these changes made for a unique experience that finally satisfied my urge to camp at Lost Lake again this year. It does seem to be only a temporary sense of completeness as there is talk of returning next summer for another opportunity to enjoy these surrounding again.

Adventure, Troy's Blog

Under the Surface of Lost Lake

August 12, 2018 Troy

On a recent trip to Lost Lake in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest I read that the water clarity was pretty good so I brought my mask, snorkel. and of course the GoPro to explore the lake under the surface. I’ve never snorkeled in fresh water before so this would be a new experience. In salt water it’s pretty easy to stay afloat due to the high density of that water but fresh water I tend to sink rather easily so was nervous to try snorkeling in deeper water. Lost Lake seemed like a good spot to try as there is a lot of shallower places to swim allowing me to touch the bottom if needed.

My first adventure into the water brought several interesting observations for me. First, the water was a little cool but didn’t take any more than a few seconds to get use to which was nice. Next, the water clarity wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping for and finally, snorkeling in fresh water wasn’t much different than in salt water as far as being able to maintain my ability to float. I wished I had brought my fins once this was discovered because it was challenging to swim while holding a camera. Fins would make it easier to move forward while using the GoPro to record these beautiful fish.

I found it easier to move around by using my feet on the ground but that brought up a lot of the decaying organic debris into the water making the clarity even less. Some of the surrounding fish seemed to be happy with me doing that as I’m sure I was stirring up food with the debris. Once being able to move around a little easier I was able to focus more on the different fish, their behaviors, and the underwater landscape which was really interesting. There are pumpkinseed pan fish, perch, small mouth bass, and trout listed to be in Lost Lake. I didn’t see any trout but found the others lurking in weeds.

The landscape underneath the surface proved to be quite interesting with a combination of living and dead vegetation. Scanning through the weeds at different points there would be fish or two swimming in between them but if I stayed there for a minute or so there would soon be a large school surrounding me. I began to think there would be nightmares later that night of fish attaching from every direction. Fortunately that did not happen! At one point I just stayed in a single spot and turned completely around only to find fish in every direction staring at me. It was kind of cool and a little creepy at the same time.

Every so often I would come across a bare spot in the floor of the lake. As I watched some of these areas a larger pumpkinseed would return and begin to flare its gills and fins at me in defense of this spot it had previously cleaned off as a nest. I would move towards it and scare this fish away only to have it return a short time later. This wasn’t something I would do repeatedly as I didn’t want it to abandon the nest but found this behavior interesting as I was many times larger than the fish. After swimming among the fishes for awhile I returned to the shore to dry off eagerly wanted to go fishing. It almost seemed like cheating a little because I had found certain areas for certain fish so knew where to cast. That didn’t mean I necessarily caught them even though I had a good idea where they were. Another freshwater snorkeling adventure is definitely on my agenda when I get a chance.

Adventures, Camping, Troy's Blog

Lost Lake

July 20, 2018 Troy

Just after the Independence Day holiday in the United States I ventured off to Western Wisconsin with an old time friend from college to explore the Lost Lake area in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This was my first time camping in a national forest and this was a great spot for my first attempt. I’ve read that if you’re going to a National Park you should often check out a nearby national forest for accommodations which are often more available and can be more affordable.

The cabins at Lost Lake were renovated in 2012 under the federal stimulus and provide a fun and affordable trip in well kept facilities in the beautiful Northwood’s of Wisconsin. The cabin we stayed in can accommodate up to 6 people with plenty of room. Fortunately the weather was absolutely perfect with daytime temperatures in the lower 80’s Fahrenheit for enjoying the area lakes and cooling off to the upper 50’s during the night for great evening sleeping.

There are several lakes in the area to explore but we always returned to Lost Lake for some swimming, fishing, and wildlife watching. It’s a small lake which does not allow any boat motors keeping it peaceful for all to enjoy either by swimming, fishing, or kayaking. I would get up at sunrise or shortly there after to enjoy the calm, quiet lake and watch a local loon or eagles fishing. A great break from the busy daily routines I’m commonly use to.

One of the creatures in abundance at Lost Lake are a frogs which can be heard throughout the day and into the night. Once I figured out what they looked like under the water with only their heads peering out at me it got a little frightening. At one point I counted over twenty frogs staring at me and several times more than a dozen just watching me. I was certain there would be nightmares about frogs attaching me during the night but fortunately that did not happen. Large bullfrogs can be found and heard all around the lake. I kept waiting for them to say ‘bud’ with another answering with ‘wise’ with ‘errrrr’ being croaked off in the distance. For those who don’t know this was a commercial created for Budweiser many years ago.

After enjoying a fire near the cabin one night I ventured down by the water to take in the night sky. The number of stars shining and reflecting in the water was just breathtaking. My plan was to take a few pictures and retreat to bed for the night as it had been a long day and I wanted to get up for the sunrise the next morning. After photographing and enjoying the night sky with peaceful sounds of frogs for over an hour I decided it was time to call it quits. After a few hours of some great sleep I drug myself out of bed to watch the sun appear over the horizon the next (actually the same) morning.

Light began showing in the sky way too early in July in Northern Wisconsin. I ended up getting out of bed at 4:45 in the morning with plenty of light to see my way from the cabin to the lake to witness the sun coming up an hour later. While I only got just under 4 hours of sleep that night there was no hint of being tired as the morning was so calm and peaceful it almost didn’t feel real. Fortunately I have photos that tell me otherwise. Clouds didn’t cooperate in the morning to provide one of those amazing sunrises with a colorful sky and while there was some fog on the lake I was hoping for more. Still watching the world come to life with birds moving to and fro while the loon and eagles began to wake up and start searching for food was well worth getting up for. Besides, if there were clouds for the sunrise there probably would have been clouds blocking all the stars just hours before.

During one of our afternoon just relaxing by the lake I brought my camera with the longest lens I have just in case there was something to capture. The resident loon kept its distance preventing a nice close up shot but that was ok. I was taking a picture of some of the frogs staring back at me when my college friend called out my name with a bit of a sense of urgency. I was all set up for my photo when he called again with a bit louder tone in his voice telling me I needed to look up only to see and eagle incoming. Turning the camera towards this majestic bird I focused in on it just in case it got closer and dove into the water in search of a fish. Shortly after I got focused in on it, the eagle did begin a quick descent towards the water only to grab a fish and retreat to a nearby tree to consume its fresh catch. Looking back at the camera I realized I caught this with a couple of frames which was fun to see even if it was from across the lake. Zooming out a little further I saw the reaction of a couple of kids floating at the beach as this eagle dove down right in front of them. What a sight that must have been! One of my favorite photos from our time at Lost Lake. It was such a great time I’m going back in September to do it again before camping season comes to a close.

Gaining Life Experience