Traveling north on Hwy 35 out of Minneapolis - St. Paul, you can't help but notice the profound changes in the landscape. The brief Minnesota fall is ablaze with its red, orange and gold deciduous woods; it's a band of forests that extend south and west along the river valley. There is no monotony on this four-lane slab of asphalt. Technicolor trees entertain the eyes for miles on end. In the Midwest we bask in the cornucopia that is Fall. We embrace all of its beauty... we know that a stark cold winter approaches.
The north road climbs the remnants of an ancient mountain chain, and our vehicle crests high above Duluth and its infamous Great Lake to the east. Sugar maples and oaks give way to birch, aspen, and pine; we are entering the southern edge of the boreal ecosystem. The valley and its great lake are reminders of glaciers that once were, forces of nature that shaped the landscape that now seduce us with its beauty.
Summer and Fall rains pool in rivers and valleys, the flood surges east towards the greatest of lakes. Tributaries and creeks merge, they cascade down the ancient Sawtooth Mountains. Water jumps, splashes and fills the air with a fine mist. This is Gooseberry Falls and it is a Minnesota icon.
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