KIEFERART FINE ART UP CLOSE

"Exit Strategy"
Oil on canvas, 11" x 14"

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Palisade Head, near Silver Bay on the North Shore, is one of those places I think the locals are trying to keep to themselves. A mostly-hidden, narrow, steep access road brings you to the top of world. Standing atop miles of razor-edged cliffs provides one of the most spectacular views of Lake Superior that exists in Minnesota. There is little in the way of public accommodations. RVs? Forget it. This isn't a Minnesota State park. This place assumes that you exhibit some common sense and watch your step.

There is one stone "wall", about 3' high and 12' long, that was built near the edge of the cliff to offer minimal protection to the public from becoming so much stuff-on-a-rock hundreds of feet below. There's plenty of exposed cliff on either side of the wall, so it's about as useful as putting up a sign reading, "Idiot Testing Center". This special place is where thrill seekers (the "sane" ones who have the equipment and skills to repel this sheer) meet thrill-seeker wannabes.

Most people instinctively stand at least 5 or 6' back, but to their credit, Scandinavians are genetically hell bent on adventure as personified by this young couple. This woman's spirit simply could not allow her to leave this place without having lived on the edge, literally.

The Iraq war had been front and center in the news. The term "exit strategy" had made its way into the American vernacular. How do we get out of this and remain in tact? Her partner wondered that, too. He was all that stood in the way of her certain undoing. The thing that truly captured my eye (other than the obvious) was the look of glee on her face and the concerned look on his. I think that summed it up for these two as it did in Iraq.