Sunrise in Grand Marais

When you have a demanding schedule, such as I do this summer, you have to create moments of relaxation and joy. This morning I woke up a little after six. When I looked outside, it appeared to be a perfect summer morning. It has been a very long time since I went down by the Big Lake for sunrise. When I checked the computer for sunrise time, it told me that it was at 6:21 a.m. -- in just seven minutes! I grabbed my camera and dashed out to my car. I am SOOOO glad that I took the time. That was one of the most relaxing and beautiful sunrises I have had the privilege to enjoy in several years.

As I drove by the bay, I captured this shot of a couple of the sailboats anchored off shore. I'll have to count how many total sailboats there are. I would guess there are around a dozen or so.

I missed the beginning of sunrise, but I arrived at the parking lot of the Lighthouse Keeper's Museum just as the sun rose above the horizon.  Notice part of the breakwater in the foreground of the picture.

I then drove around the museum and parked in the lot next to the breakwater.  Everyone always talks about sunsets.  However, the sunrises are just as beautiful.

It was such a glorious morning that I decided to walk out onto the breakwater.  I have not done so yet this year.  I took a lot of photos and will share them in upcoming blog updates.  This morning I'll stay with the sunrise theme.  In the shot below, you can see the beginning of the break wall cribbing in the bottom left of the photo.  In the upper right you can see the end of what is left of Lonesome Point, located on the northeast corner of the bay.

Here is another shot from 20 or 30 feet north of the beginning of the cribbing.

As I walked out along the breakwater, I captured the sun with the beacon that marks the location of the east pier.

As the sun climbed higher, the red hues turned golden.

I was not the only person out enjoying the sunrise.  As I turned the camera west toward the sand dunes, I captured this morning beach walker and a few seagulls.  You can also see the piping plover signs marking the area of a nest.  I have not heard whether the chicks in this nest made it.

Another treat as I walked out the breakwater, was this boat driving out of the channel.  She is called Idyll Time and is from Chattanooga, Tennessee.  She exited the channel and headed east.  Notice the coffee drinker standing on the bow of the boat.