I was excited to get up north this winter to finally get some snowy shots of my favorite city. Unfortunately, the closer I got to Duluth the more I started to realize that there was about as much snow in Duluth as there is in Minneapolis right now- less than an inch in most parts and in some spots endless spans of dried brown grass.

We didn’t let our disappointment stop us however. My traveling partners (my brother and my son) still made it up and down the shore and out on the edge of Lake Superior early in the morning to get plenty of pictures.

Just because there was a lack of snow doesn’t mean that it there was a lack of cold weather. You can see the ice formed on the lake here. The temperature was -1 in this photo.

The temperature was -6 in this photo. You can just barely see some steam rising up off the lake here in this photo as the heat from the sun mixes with the freezing cold water.

I really like the “fire and ice” look of these.

When shooting the sunrise, you have to act fast. The sun moves pretty quickly and before you know it is gets too bright to get a very good picture.

We got some photos of the sunset as well, but you have to move over to the canal side for that and shoot towards the hills.

I wonder who owns this little shack and if they still use it for anything?

We also made it up to one of my favorite areas, Split Rock Lighthouse. I didn’t get my snowy lighthouse picture like I wanted, but it was still enjoyable nevertheless.

I love Ellingson Island, just off the coast at Split Rock. Believe it or not, there were people camping in tents when we were here. The temperature was about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

There was a little more snow and ice up around Split Rock but not much more.

I could get pretty abstract in this setting.

We also stopped at Gooseberry. I always have trouble photographing the upper falls. I need to get there before the sun gets too high. I focused on the lower falls, where there were a group of ice climbers embarking on a new climb.

There was plenty of fake snow up at Lutsen Mountains:

Duluth and the North Shore of Minnesota is one of my most favorite places to travel. Even though I catch myself snapping photos at repeat locations, with the constant weather changes it is possible to get a different result each time.

I took the long way back home and drove along Mille Lacs. I figured there would be some pushed up ice around the perimeter of the lake and I was right.

Of course there were a few fishhouses out on the lake and even some vehicles- which I was surprised to see considering the amount of people that have been falling through the ice this year with the lack of  cold weather.

I think some people think I must be crazy for wanting to live in such a cold climate. The four seasons make it worth it and the extremes only make it so that there are more beautiful images to make. SOMEDAY, I keep telling myself, SOMEDAY I will either live on the North Shore or have a tiny little cabin nearby where I can read, draw and take pictures.