A long steady climb on the bike, time to look around as I spin in a low gear, and there’s a rib cage surrounded by what appears to be hay. It’s not hay, though. Those are porcupine quills, and the leathery casing of long-dead skin is draped over the rear half of the unfortunate porcupine who is another casualty of the motor vehicle.

 
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Water captivates most of us. It can be tranquil or terrifying, healing or destructive. It soothes us and frightens us by turns. But whatever its mood, water is always fascinating and mysterious. It carries us along with it, and maybe that’s why those of us who are photographers spend so many hours trying to capture its moods. I know I’m drawn to take my camera along whenever I head for the water. But I’m not the only one by a long chalk. David E. Birren has been caught by water’s magic, too, and he’s assembled a selection of photographs he’s taken in Wisconsin and Michigan—what paddlers know as Canoe Country. Dave’s graciously allowed Outside Up North to reprint some of the photos from his gallery. Let’s begin with this tranquil scene:

 
Makes you want to float along in the canoe, doesn’t it? So does this:

 
Sunrise will soon burn off the low fog…

 
…and who knows what will be revealed?

 
With the sun comes the breeze, which pushes the water into small ripples:

 
But shallow riverside pools with their mirror-like reflections aren’t bothered by the wind until the Old Woman really gets her back up.

 
Rushing rivers have their own waves:

 
Fascinating patterns are highlighted with slow-motion photos of river rapids:

 
But the eddies below a falls can harbor intricate patterns, too, in this case river foam:

 
The water pulls us. It exerts a draw that the photographer can hardly resist, unless the moon cries out to be portrayed:

 
I can’t think of a better way to end the day—or begin it, come to that—than to pay homage to the moon. Many thanks to freelance photographer and web designer Dave Birren for allowing us to reprint these beautiful photos from Canoe Country. You can see lots more by visiting Dave’s photo gallery.

 
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