The Light at Split Rock

Yesterday we saw the interior of the lighthouse and the lens that projected the light across the lake at 10 second intervals.

Today here are three views of the lighthouse itself perched high on the cliffs and you can see why it was so important to have a light to assist the safe passage of ships along this stretch of the lake.

Grand Marais Harbour

For two days of our trip to Canada we went across the border into Minnesota to drive along the north shore of Lake Superior. One stop along the way was the town of Grand Marais which was a really nice spot with a harbour protecting the town and the boats from the extremes of the lake.

I like the lighthouse on the end of the harbour wall and even though it was a calm day you can't underestimate the importance of the lighthouse because the lake can be treacherous and many ships have been sunk after  crashing against the rocks along the shore.

I shot this scene in colour and in black and white. It was an overcast day with not a lot of strong colour so I thought that it would work well as a black and white image. I like both images but I think I prefer the colour image because it has a  warmth about it.

Dead or Alive

This Eastern White Cedar was growing on the bank near Gooseberry falls near Two Harbours in Minnesota. I was informed by another visitor to the falls that this was the fittest west these trees can be found as the prefer the more temperate climate of Eastern Canada and the USA.

We were amazed to see that was still actually growing as it was pretty much hollowed out. I think this is a really good perspective to see the twisted trunk, although my son managed to get a better shot (just don't tell him I said that).

Driftwood Art

On the long drive back along the North Shore of Lake Superior we stopped off at Neys Provincial Park. During the Second World War the park was used as a prisoner of war camp for German prisoners. They worked in the logging camps and after the war many returned to this part of Canada with their families. I can understand why because it is such a lovely spot.

There is a beautiful stretch of sandy beach with lots of driftwood washed up along the shoreline. Apparently you are not supposed to remove any of the wood as it is part of the ecosystem within the provincial park. So of course I didn't take any souvenirs but we did create our own mini artwork recreating Stonehenge with wood. I think we did rather a good job.