On Trail With Nibi Mocs

OK, didn’t get back to this by the end of the weekend as promised — close though.

Here are some of the Showy Ladyslipper photos I took along the Bog Walk at Lake Bemidji State Park:

Walking back to the car, I spotted some of these flowers. I don’t have a clue what they are.

There was an abundance of wild roses.

And, I finally found a Columbine that sat still long enough for me to get a decent photo.

A friend had told me to check out nearby County Road 22. I’m glad I did! I wouldn’t have found this Yellow Moccassin otherwise.

or, this large, colorful patch of Indian Paintbrush, thistles, and other flowers.

I headed back south again and visited Itasca State Park. Here’s a scene along the wildnerness drive.

I did some hiking and found some beautiful gems, such as Coffee Break Lake.

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Back at the resort, the water was calm so I went out for an evening paddle. Here’s a couple of views of the resort from Stocking Lake.

While paddling, I found more loons and herons. I was content to watch and move on, satisfied with the photos I’d already captured.

On Friday morning, I went out paddling again. I didn’t even bother taking a camera along. I just enjoyed the feel of the canoe gliding across the nearly still water. Then, I packed up, checked out and headed home. It had been a very pleasant and fruitful stay. Thanks Joe!

Another wonderful day of photography in north central Minnesota. I took the bog walk at Lake Bimidji State Park, where I photographed more Showy Lady Slippers and a few other flowers; traveled the roads in the area looking for more flowers to photograph and found a Yellow Mocassin, some Indian Paintbrushes and more; took a quick tour of Itasca State Park, and ended up back at the resort. Very quiet evening so I went for a long paddle on Stocking Lake. The surface was smooth as glass most of the time. Perfect paddling!

I need to get to bed “early” tonight to rest up for the long trip home tomorrow. No time to process and post any photos. I promise to update the blog with the “rest of the story” and more photos over the weekend. My apologies for the delay.

The 5:00 alarm was just too early — I’d been up way too late blogging the night before. I nestled down in the covers, John Shaw’s mantra running through my head… “Don’t be late for work!”. Well, John, this nature photographer was going to be late this morning. Finally managing to roll out of bed, I had a quick breakfast and got my gear down to the beach. No mist, no clouds, still quite a breeze and a chop on the lake. It was shortly after 6 when I pushed my canoe from shore. Later than I’d planned but I was still the only person in sight.

Several loons dotted the surface of the lake, most staying top-side, only occasionally diving. A couple let me get within photographic range, one even sitting up on tail, flapping wings.

While another bobbed in the water close by.

After taking several photos, I left the loons in peace and cruised the shoreline of the narrow lake. I saw several deer, including this spike buck.

Irises growing on shore were beautifully reflected in the lake, among the lily pads.

An old, photogenic boat was pulled up in the weeds.

I also spotted more herons including this one who was more interested in fishing than in what I was doing.

I missed the lunge for the fish. But caught the ruffled feathers after he shook the water off.

So-so pose, great background.

Nicer, more active pose, not so good background.

Another loon popped up very close to my canoe — with the sun behind him though! I moved the canoe around to get better lighting but he was further away

A couple of views of the resort from the lake.

It’s mid-day now so the lighting’s not very good (and the wind is stronger). I’m going to nap for awhile. I’ll be doing more shooting towards evening, when the light is better. Sure hope the wind dies then too.

Wow! It’s been way too long since I posted on my blog. Obviously, a lot has happened since the last post. Rather than try to fill the reader in, I’ll just write about today — and, hopefully, be more diligent about keeping the blog going from now on.

Today, I drove up to Sleeping Fawn Resort and Campground (http://www.sleepingfawnresort.com) for a 4 day stay. I met the resort owner, Joe, at a sports show in Rochester, MN back in February — he had the neighboring booth. He invited me up to take photos in the area — hopefully, photos that he’ll be able to use in his advertising and gift store. So, here I am.

Within an hour of my arrival, I was out on the lake in my canoe, despite a strong wind. I found a relatively cooperative Great Blue Heron who posed long enough for me to get several shots.

He eventually flew and landed on a dock. Not as interesting a perch but the distant shore created a much better background.

We timed my visit to correspond with the blooming of the Showy Lady Slippers. After I returned to the cabin, I changed lenses and went out looking for some decent ones to photograph.

Columbines are also blooming. These were much more difficult to photograph given the windy conditions.

I’m hoping for calmer conditions tomorrow. If it is calmer, I’ll definitely reshoot the Columbine. I also know where there are more Lady Slippers so I’ll photograph more of them as well.

Note that these photos were processed on my laptop. When I get back home, I’ll reprocess them on my desktop computer — which has better photo editing tools and a better monitor.

All the photos were taken with a Nikon D200. I used a Nikkor 80-400mm VR lens for the heron photos. I used a Nikkor 70-300mm with No. 5T closeup for the lady slipper and columbine.