Foggy Night in Grand Marais, MN

The last hour of Sunday, July 5th went out with a bang.  All day long I had been watching the forecast as it predicted heavy rain and powerful thunderstorms for the coming night.  Sure enough, at 10 PM the weather radar showed an intense line of storms heading towards Lake Superior all along the Minnesota north shore from Duluth to Grand Portage. I decided to make a quick run to Grand Marais to try and photograph the lightning over the harbor from the safety of the covered picnic shelter at the municipal campground.  

For the entire 45 minute drive from our house to Grand Marais I witnessed countless amazing lightning flashes, torrential rain downpours and thick fog.  By the time I got to Grand Marais 90% of the storm had passed.  The lightning was basically done, and all that was left was an intermittent fog over the harbor.  The air was very still and quiet the rest of the night. I was disappointed to have missed the lightning, but I really enjoyed watching and photographing the changing fog conditions over the harbor.  This photo was made at 12:03 AM the morning of July 6th. It shows the Harbor Inn building on the left and the Gunflint Tavern on the right with the Johnson Heritage Post in between.  I may not have gotten the lightning shots I was hoping for, but I really like this image too!