I've long loved the view of the world from the air, and generally seize the opportunity to fly over landscapes I care about whenever I can, especially in a small plane with a pilot who's sympathetic to the needs of aerial photographers. In July, 2008, Jim Feldman and I flew over the Apostle Islands in search of photographs to illustrate a book he's writing, and some of the best results are below.
These images can be viewed more attractively as a full-screen slide show, optimized for screen display. The slide show is downloadable as a 10 megabyte PDF file by clicking here. You will need an up-to-date copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader view it.
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Apostle Islands from the Air
(York Island in foreground) |
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Ashland Waterfront and Docks
In foreground is one of the largest concrete ore docks ever constructed, soon to be dismantled. |
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Ashland Ore Dock
One of the largest concrete docks ever constructed, soon to be dismantled. |
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Bayfield Peninsula |
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Sand Island
Looking south with Sand Island Lighthouse in foreground |
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Sand Island Lighthouse |
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Sand Island Lighthouse |
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Sand Island Sea Caves |
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Sand Island Farmstead
The clearing in the center of this image are remnant fields of the Noring Farm, abandoned in the first half of the twentieth century.
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Sand Island Farmstead
The clearing in the center of this image are remnant fields of the Noring Farm, abandoned in the first half of the twentieth century. |
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Sand Island, Shaw Point
In foreground is Shaw Point, which was a center of settlement on the island from the second half of the nineteenth century until World War II. |
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Sand Island, Shaw Point
In foreground is Shaw Point, which was a center of settlement on the island from the second half of the nineteenth century until World War II. |
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Raspberry Island
Viewed from north, with Raspberry Island Lighthouse on the far tip. |
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Raspberry Island
Sand spit in foreground, Raspberry Island Lighthouse in distance. |
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Raspberry Island Lighthouse |
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Raspberry Island Lighthouse |
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Rocky Island Sandspit |
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Rocky Island Fishing Cottages |
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Rocky Island Fishing Cottages |
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Stockton Island Tombolo
A tombolo is an unusual geomorphological feature in which a spit or bar forms between a mainland and an offshore island. The Stockton Island tombolo is among the most classic examples of this wave-deposited formation. |
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Stockton Island
Julian Bay and beach in foreground, with the marshes of the tombolo behind it. |
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Stockton Island
Julian Bay and beach in foreground, with the marshes of the tombolo behind it. |
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Stockton Island
Julian Bay lies beyond the Stockton tombolo, with the national park docks in the foreground and marshes in between. |
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Basswood Island
Basswood Island is in the foreground, with the Chequamegon Peninsula mainland and the Red Cliff Reservation across the water on the left side. The patch of open grass in the middle of the island is an abandoned farmstead. |
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Basswood Island Farmstead
This open patch of grass in the midst of the Basswood Island forest is an abandoned farmstead from the first half of the twentieth century. |
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Madeline Island, Big Bay Park
This distant view of Madeline Island shows the sand spit that links together Big Bay State Park and Big Bay Town Park, with protected estuary and wetlands behind it. |
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La Pointe
View is from south, with Basswood Island across the water in the background. |
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La Pointe from South |
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La Pointe Marina |
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La Pointe Marina |
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La Pointe from North
View is looking south, with baseball diamond on left side of image. |
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Grant's Point
The trading settlement now at La Pointe was once located here. |
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La Pointe from South |
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La Pointe from West
Nebraska Row in foreground |
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Bayfield with Madeline Island Ferry |
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Bayfield from North |
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Bayfield from East
The Big Ravine in the center of town is clearly visible, with the orchards high on the ridge above town. |
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Bayfield Harbor |
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Bayfield Harbor |
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Bayfield with Big Ravine
The Big Ravine in the center of town is clearly visible running down from hills in upper right of picture toward lower left of photograph, with the Old Iron Bridge crossing above it. The Bayfield School is just to the left of the ravine. |
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Bayfield School and Courthouse
Bayfield School is the large brown structure on center right, with the old Bayfield County Courthouse (now serving as headquarters for the national park) located down hill to left. The Catholic Church is visible in the center of the foreground, with the Big Ravine lying between it and the public school. |
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Blue Vista Farm
Owned and operated by Eric Carlson and Ellen Kwiatkowski, this beautiful farm raises fruits and flowers using sustainable agricultural methods. |
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Mt Ashwabay and Big Top Chautauqua
Mt Ashwabay is a community-owned and operated ski hill between Bayfield and Washburn. (The name combines the first syllables of Ashland, Washburn, and Bayfield.) During the summer, the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua brings in world-class musical talent to perform under blue canvas, and puts on extraordinary musical histories of the region authored by Warren Nelson and Betty Ferris. Don't miss it! |
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Big Top Chautauqua
During the summer, the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua brings in world-class musical talent to perform under a blue canvas at the foot of Mt. Ashwabay, and puts on extraordinary musical histories of the region authored by Warren Nelson and Betty Ferris. Don't miss it! |
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Long Island
No longer an island, this is now a long sandy peninsula guarding the mouth of Chequamegon Bay. |
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Barksdale Plant Ruins
Operated from 1905 to 1971 by the DuPont Corporation, this was once among the largest TNT manufacturing facilities in the United States. |
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Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center |
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Highway 2 at Foot of Chequamegon Bay |
