Oct. 1, 2017 - North Shore Scenic Views and a Bear

I don’t take many scenic photos but we recently took a trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior and it has so many beautiful areas I was inspired to take these shots. One of our first stops was at Gooseberry Falls State Park. The path we took from the parking lot to the Visitor Center was a different one than we’ve taken before. It gave us this view of the Gooseberry River flowing toward Lake Superior.

RiverGooseberryFallsStatePark20170916

We always stay at Fenstad’s Resort in Little Marais. I like to go birding along the back roads near there, especially the West General Grade Road. This stream runs under the road and it presents a lovely, picturesque scene. I always hope to find a moose standing in the stream but, so far, I haven’t been that lucky.

BoggyStreamWestGeneralGradeRoadLakeCounty20170920

The fall colors were beautiful and this photo was taken along the Honeymoon Trail in Cook County.

FallColorsHoneymoonTrailCookCounty20170921

One day we went to Grand Marais. The large rocks on the shore of the harbor have lichens growing on them. Here is a close-up view showing the intricate patterns formed by the lichens.

LichensrocksGrandMaraisHarbor20170918PPS

We made our first visit to Black Beach, near Silver Bay. There are three separate beach areas with black sand and very scenic views. This photo was taken looking up the shore. Palisade Head (with the cell tower) is in the background.

SceneryBlackBeachSilverBay20170920

I was exploring the grounds of the resort and walked up a path to look at an apple tree. As I turned the corner, I came face-to-face with this Black Bear. I think both of us were startled, so I just backed off and walked away. Of course, I took a photo first.

BearBlackFenstad'sLittleMarais20170917