Favorite Places: Gooseberry Falls State Park

Each year we manage to do at least three trips to Gooseberry Falls State Park. Located an hour from Duluth along Minnesota's "North Shore," these falls are a state icon. While the middle of the North America is no place for an ocean, our little piece of Lake Superior offers mid-continental dwellers the opportunity to enjoy the vast landscapes often relegated to coastal folk.

Tamy and I try to visit Lake Superior and "The Falls" at least once during spring, fall and winter. We avoid the area like the plague during the touristed summer months. Crowds of people, noisy kids, and traffic spoil the serenity that I crave when seeking nature's solitude.  These falls are dynamic. They change with the seasons and with the light. Misty mornings contrast with splashes of highlights during the midday hours. Come evening, hues of pink and orange reflect the calm of the Great Lake and the torrents of the Falls. 

When visiting Gooseberry, play with your gear.... change your lens, change your position, play the angles. During this last trip, I worked one side of the falls hoping to isolate the movement of the water against a fallen tree. I shot low and moved in. Each image from this shoot is unique and yet the same. Here in lies the value of a favorite place. When you know an area, you are free to experiment. I have yet to make the "perfect" Gooseberry shot, but no worries... I'll be back... it's a favorite place!

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