Howdy,
We're finally having a bright, sunny winter morning here in southern Minnesota. I had hoped to get photos of sunlight refracting through the frozen waterfall but, alas, we're too close to the winter solstice. The Earth's tilt keeps the sun from reaching the falls, so that photo will have to wait until late February. The morning light on the semi-frozen Blue Earth River, however was worth the trip!
Blue Earth, Yellow SkyThe peace and quite of this place is always welcome. With a couple extra layers of clothes and some thick, leather mittens, the cold isn't a problem. After taking a few photos, I found a place to sit in the sun for awhile and just observe. It was a nice escape.
Thin IceWeather conditions were warm enough for the water's surface to create a slight haze, absorbing and diffusing the sunlight as the sun crested the nearby bluffs.
No Kayakers TodayIn the summer months, people in kayaks or inflatable rafts pass through here quite frequently. They will pull their kayaks out of the water and visit the falls, then head downriver to Mankato. This time of year, I almost always have the place to myself.
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Stunning!!!! My favorite was the 1st one, but the title on the last one was priceless!! Hats off to you for making winter beautiful :)
Now, if only I could make it warm too! Brrr!
Beautiful photos, and a great capture of that early morning light! If you are dressed for it, winter is the best time to enjoy the woods. No people, and no bugs!
It was pretty nice, though I should probably invest in some of those hand warmer packets. The last couple summers, I used to go out there a lot after the students left for the year. On weekdays, I almost always had the place to myself. Weekends would see tons of kayaks and inner tubes floating in.
Those hand warmer packs work great. I've learned that they work best if you tape them around your wrist. I had read that tip somewhere, and it really does work--keeps your hands warm even if you are wearing gloves.
I frostbit my hands as a child, so the circulation in my hands is terrible in the winter. For the moment, I'm using big, leather mittens with lighter glove inserts. I might have to try that wrist thing.
It doesn't take much cold to make my hands hurt so bad that I could practically scream in pain. Mittens are the best... Except when you are trying to manage a camera!
That's why I have the liners. I can pull my hand out for about ten seconds for a photo and it doesn't quite freeze. I can't cary milk jugs at the grocery store, because they're cold enough to cause pain. Yet another reason to go back to Spain, if I can find a way :-)
Yeah, you definitely should not be in Minnesota. A warmer climate makes much more sense.
Gorgeous but very COLD looking, which I suppose IS the point of winter photos, eh?! Maybe that has something to do with the solitude. Is this near Blue Earth, Minnesota? I had a great time at the Blue Earth Minnesota County Fair a few years back. Even found a mouse under my tent...named him Milbert, and he was with me for quite some time.
Stay warm, and keep up the great views of the season.
It was actually pleasant, for a winter morning. The high was in the mid-20's, so it's not brutally cold... yet. I think that's why the river was churning up a little mist.
The Blue Earth River does flow right through Blue Earth, MN, and joins the Minnesota River just outside Mankato. I took these photos by Triple Falls, which is about half way between Rapidan and Mankato, following the water.
Milbert, eh? I'm surprised he stuck around, with all the humans there. You would thin he'd have been worried about getting stepped on!
Nice wintry images @fotosdenada, I wonder when the rivers here in Austria will freeze.
Thanks! I don't know much about the winters there. I have a friend from Sankt Pölten and visited her in Wien during the spring, but the snow had all melted by then. I can vouch for the apple strudel being very tasty, though!
My pleasure @fotosdenada :)
I live in the south of Austria, in beautiful Carinthia, where we have mountains. The snow is mainly there on the mountains - in the valleys it is gray and either muddy, but we all hope for some snow at christmas :)
I lived in Andalucía, the southern province of Spain, for several years and would like to find a way back there. It's very difficult as a US citizen to move back there for anything beyond a 60-day tourist visa, though. It does, occasionally, snow in the area but it's very infrequent. I have to admit that I didn't really miss the cold and snow... lol
I don't mind the coldness and the snow as long as it's a real winter, but not this gray and brownish muddy winter ;)
Magnificent photos @fotosdenada I love every single one of them but the first one is pure magic! The composition is fabulous made all the more beautiful by the mist rising from the river.
I smiled when I saw your advice on the bottom of your last photo.
Thank you. The mist was a bit of a surprise, but added a lot to the scene. It was chilly, but really pretty. I also heard the hawk, but she didn't fly past for a photo op. Next time, I guess!
howdy sir fotosdenada! wow those are exceptional pictures! I love those with that haze on the water and the snow on the ground and that big tree going over the water..it's beautiful man!
Thanks! It was nice to actually see the sun up here. It's been gray and gloomy almost every day for the last month!
yuck! lol. I know how that is. In Northern Ohio it would go for weeks without the sun coming out. I think alot of people are depressed because of that. The area was depressing anyway though.
A beautiful morning, covered in the white, just the sun's air for the start of a new day
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Thanks