Fog can envelop the Mississippi Valley any time of year, but there’s something especially magical about those fall mornings when the air is colder than the water and wisps of mist drift up from the river. Those are the mornings I reach for a heavy jacket, fill my thermos with fresh coffee, and pick a spot to watch the river as the sun slowly burns off the morning fog.

The pictures in this album were taken throughout the year, but the ones from those fall mornings are still my favorites.