Pigeon River

Today I am sharing two views of Pigeon River from slightly different perspectives but both shots taken from just above the falls. As I said in my blog the other day (click here) this river forms the natural border between Canada (Ontario on the right) and the USA (Minnesota on the left). Although the river is quite wide and fast flowing it is probably possible when the river is low like this to wade across from one country to the other although you would have to negotiate some quite dense forest on either side. Unless of course you crossed near the falls and used the hiking trails on either side of the river.

I have seen some photos today however that show the falls after heavy rain and the water level is several feet higher and the volume of water rushing over the falls has dramatically increased. The spot where I was standing to shoot these images is now under water and there is dense spray at the bottom of the falls. The scene is far less tranquil than in these pictures and is a reminder of the powerful forces in nature that have shaped the landscape for millions of years.

That's Canada, Eh!

This is Pigeon River and it forms the physical border between Canada on the right and the USA on the left.

When I sat here looking at this scene in the second image I thought back to the pictures I saw in geography class  many years ago and it struck me as being a quintessentially Canadian scene with the autumn leaves, the rugged cliffs and the river tumbling between the rocks.

Years ago this was an important part of the logging route with logs being floated downstream and via a variety of chutes to avoid the falls on the way to Lake Superior. Nowadays the logs are transported by road on big trucks and so the river has returned to its natural state although signs of the old industry are there if you look for them.