On November 10 each year, the staff and visitors at Split Rock Lighthouse observe the tragic loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald and its 29 crew members aboard with a special beacon lighting ceremony. The 35 years that have passed since that fateful 1975 storm may seem like a long time, but the relative recency of its sinking has immortalized its place as one of the best known Great Lakes shipwrecks.

The ceremony also commemorates the loss of all vessels on the Great Lakes, a handful of which brought Split Rock Lighthouse into its very existence. Even as modern technology has obsoleted the lighthouse, it remains a symbol of the great efforts to ensure the safety of maritime travel.

This is the sixth consecutive year that I have photographed the beacon on November 10. The weather was mild compared with most years, but the wind was blowing hard and sent waves splashing over the rocky shore, some of those reaching my feet. That said, the agitated waters on this evening did not remotely resemble the stormy seas of November 10, 1975. We can only imagine . . .

We've been truly spoiled for much of the last month here in Minnesota with beautiful warm sunny days in conjunction with spectacular fall color. But with last week's major storm system and its accompanying bout of snow, Mother Nature cast a powerful reminder that we are indeed entering late autumn and - love it or hate it - winter.

I find winter to be an especially peaceful time along the North Shore. Gone are the throngs of summer travelers that congest the roads and popular landmarks. The cold and snow that invades the region seems to slow the pace of life somewhat and quiet the landscape (fresh snow actually does absorb sound). Lake Superior's freezing waters can also sculpt stunning ice formations when cold waves solidify into intricate layers of ice upon the rugged shore. The steam that rises from the lake on early subzero mornings adds a visual dimension to conditions very well sensed by our fingers and toes. And, if Lake Superior freezes over, strong winds commonly blow monstrous ice sheets ashore where they may break up into shards larger than mattresses. Winter on the North Shore is a truly unique experience, without the crowds.

The photograph above was taken last winter along the Gooseberry Falls State Park shoreline. It will be a few months before the surface of Lake Superior starts to freeze as in the photo since it takes a lot of cold weather to freeze such a large body of water. Hence, shipping activity on the lake usually lasts into January. But, with night increasingly encroaching upon day, temperatures tumbling below freezing, and snow starting to color the landscape white, summer is starting to seem . . . well, very distant.

Here are a few more images from this year's brilliant, but short-lived, fall color display on the North Shore. Most of these were captured along Minnesota's upper reaches of the North Shore:

Autumn Shack

Autumn Invitation

Peak Fall - Pigeon River High Falls

Pine and Dawn - Split Rock Lighthouse

With fall being my favorite season on the North Shore of Lake Superior, this year has been a real treat. The red and golden hues of autumn really exploded last week into one of the most vivid shows of color in recent memory along the North Shore. The maples and aspens right along the lake revealed their autumn hues about a week earlier than usual and nearly two weeks earlier than last year.

An unusual aspect of the fall foliage this year is that the colors of the trees nestled along the shore were nearly in synchrony with their inland counterparts. Usually there is about a 1-2 week separation of inland peak color and shore peak color. This year that separation seemed to be less than a week. Most of the Arrowhead was enveloped in a golden autumn paradise at the same moment.

This image was captured on the shores of Lake Superior near Hovland, MN. More Fall 2010 images to come . . .