Ben Hovland
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benjovland.bsky.social
Ben Hovland
@benjovland.bsky.social
2K followers 250 following 42 posts
Photos, bikes, news.

Visual journalist at @mprnews.org
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benjovland.bsky.social
The dancing lights were even bright enough for video!
November 12, 2025 at 4:11 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
I’ve never seen overhead aurora in the middle of Minneapolis as bright as I saw tonight. Here are a few more photos with my nice camera (Canon R6, 16-35mm f2.8, 6400iso, 0.8”) slightly edited for contrast and clarity.

The shimmering corona was absolutely stunning. #mnwx
Silhouettes of people holding up their phones to photograph the aurora, which is shimmering in the sky above in green and reds. The green and red corona of the aurora is seen in the sky above the outline of trees. The green and red corona of the aurora is seen in the sky above a tennis court The aurora glimmers above a school building and playground
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Red aurora visible to the naked eye from the middle of Powderhorn in Minneapolis at 7:10pm. #mnwx
Red aurora glows above houses
November 12, 2025 at 1:15 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Back with some full moon photos for your viewing pleasure.

The full Buck Moon rises next to the historic Gold Medal Flour sign in Minneapolis on Thursday. Taken at 400mm from the Hennepin Ave bridge. #mnwx
A large full moon, partially shrouded in clouds, rises above an orange neon sign atop a building. The sign reads “GOLD MEDAL FLOUR.” A large full moon, partially shrouded in clouds, rises next to an orange neon sign atop a building. The sign reads “GOLD MEDAL FLOUR.”
July 11, 2025 at 5:32 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Birds and a bike in northeast Minneapolis.
A single heron flies toward a tree full of bird’s nests. A great blue heron flies with a twig held in its beak. Its legs stretch out gracefully behind its body. A heron stands in a nest while another passes it a twig with its beak. A pink and white bicycle with drop handlebars next to a river, the Minneapolis skyline visible behind it. It is outfitted with white bar tape and saddle in the style of a 1990s Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra.
April 23, 2025 at 3:02 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Weekly bike post on our way to Kat’s appointment on Monday. #mspcyclecast
A woman who is 38 weeks pregnant rides an orange ebike across a bridge. She’s wearing overalls and a white helmet.
March 4, 2025 at 11:37 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Weekly bike post, Crosby Regional Park edition.
A person rides a fat tire bicycle along a snowy path through trees next to the Mississippi River. The sun, low on the horizon, casts long shadows on the ground. A man balances while sitting on his bike, arm resting for stability on the handrail of a wooden bridge.
February 22, 2025 at 12:33 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
OK bike nerds, ice skating season is over. Have some pics from Stupor Bowl last Saturday.

By my count, it’s been seven years since the last truly snowy edition of the event.
Hundreds of people run across a snowy field. They are wearing helmets, some ski goggles, and the downtown Minneapolis skyline is framed behind them. A person riding a brakeless fixed gear bicycle performs a skid stop in the snow. Their spokes, rims, frame and drivetrain are covered in icy snow. Three people smile as they sled down a hill at a checkpoint. A person dismounts their bicycle at the finish of the Stupor Bowl.
February 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Sorry bike bsky, this is still an ice skating account.
Ben poses for a selfie on a frozen lake. Golden afternoon light is reflected on his face. Ignore the silly GoPro chest mount thingy i screwed up the settings.
January 30, 2025 at 4:02 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Ice skate sunset patrol on Lake of the Isles with my pal Raven.
#mnwx
January 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
OK I’ll bite. If you feel like it, quote this with a pic of a BRIDGE.
The 110-year-old Thebes, Ill. railroad bridge spanning the Mississippi River is framed below a composite image of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The photoshopped picture shows 20 separate phases of the eclipse, taken at 8 minute intervals, with the central phase depicting the sun’s corona during totality.
January 24, 2025 at 2:57 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Sorry cyclists, this is an ice skating account now
A person pushes their friend on a yellow plastic dolphin ice skating trainer. A person pushes their friend on a yellow plastic dolphin ice skating trainer. Ben takes a selfie of himself being pushed by his friend Erin who is learning to ice skate.
January 23, 2025 at 2:09 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Nordic ice skating on Lake Harriet kinda rips #mnwx
January 18, 2025 at 7:55 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
I managed to mash out a few words that went on @mprnews.org tonight, you can read them via the link below.

Always a privilege to share photos of the artists and community members that make my corner of the city so special.

www.mprnews.org/story/2024/1...
Several people ladle out soup in the lobby of a crowded theatre. People walk down the middle of a street holding lanterns and puppets. Four members of Stay Well Magdalena perform on a stage. A 3-year-old lets out a howl from atop his father’s shoulders.
December 21, 2024 at 5:03 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
Hundreds celebrated the winter solstice tonight with a lantern-lit parade through south Minneapolis with puppets from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre.

After a snowy singalong around bonfires in the park, revelers returned to the theatre for hot soup and more musical performances.
A giant heron puppet leads dozens of people through a snowy park. People hold lanterns and puppets as they sing together. The facade of the historic Avalon Theatre in Minneapolis. People hold lanterns as they stand outside. A wide angle view of a large group gathered in a park. They hold dozens of lanterns and large puppets.
December 21, 2024 at 4:58 AM
benjovland.bsky.social
A view of Marshall Avenue and the Mississippi River on my ride this morning. #mnwx #MSPcyclecast
December 19, 2024 at 4:59 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Winter fans, rejoice — finally seeing plowable snow in the Twin Cities.

A few weather features from my bike ride around town this morning for @mprnews.org:

#mnwx
A person pilots a snow plow on a sidewalk in front of a 33-foot tall silver loon statue. A brown tabby cat sits on a front porch, snow falls in front of them. Above, a Minnesota state flag hangs from the awning. Two orange snow plows drive down I-94, a wake of snow flowing off their curved plows. Kids run through thick falling snow to catch a school bus, its lights flashing red.
December 19, 2024 at 4:49 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
And finally, just to be clear, Tom the turkey did *not* receive a pardon yesterday. Minnesota, apparently, doesn't partake in that tradition.

He's back in Hutchinson, Minn., with his owner Paisley VonBerge (center, first photo) to be processed for Thanksgiving dinner for her family.

Godspeed, Tom.
A man and young woman stand next to a large turkey who is standing on a table. Kids watch as a large white turkey walks past them.
November 27, 2024 at 11:05 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
After Walz and other officials finished fielding questions, it was Tom's turn in the spotlight.

The nearly 42-pound bird wasn't super talkative, though @mprnews.org's @claymasters.bsky.social tried his best.
A man wearing earphones holds a mic up to a white turkey standing on a table. People watch as a turkey spreads its wings while standing on a table inside the governor's reception room at the State Capitol.
November 27, 2024 at 11:05 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Walz boasted that MN is the nation's leading turkey producer at the traditional Thanksgiving-week event.

He & other officials weighed-in on questions about potential tariffs under the incoming Trump administration.

Walz also said he had no regrets about his VP run with Kamala Harris.
A man speaks at a podium, gesturing with both hands.
November 27, 2024 at 11:05 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Tom isn't here for a long time, but he's here for a good time. The 22-week-old turkey got a tour of the Capitol's steps after appearing at a presser with Gov. Tim Walz & members of Minnesota's agriculture industry on Tuesday.
A white turkey trots along the front steps of the Minnesota State Capitol. Two human men follow him. A majestic turkey stands on the State Capitol's steps, white feathers slightly ruffled. We look up at him from an ant's eye view, the turkey's head framed against a partly cloudy sky.
November 27, 2024 at 11:05 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Kat Rohn, executive director of OutFront MN, said in the face of tragedies the state’s trans communities are persevering.

"We are beautiful, we are tenacious, and we will not be erased," Rohn said.
A person speaks at a podium in a large rotunda. A seated audience watches and listens.
November 22, 2024 at 4:39 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Community members & state leaders held a moment of silence for 2 trans women, Liara Kaylee Tsai & Savannah Ryan Williams, killed within the year.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said the Walz administration will stand with the community as the federal government’s leadership changes.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan bows her head, her profile is silhouetted against a light in the background, as she speaks during a vigil honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance in the State Capitol rotunda in St. Paul on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
November 22, 2024 at 4:39 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
This week's coverage highlights include a trans pride-themed bolo tie worn by Theo Casio during a Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil at the MN Capitol.

“To remember those people in this setting, it’s loud in ways that we need it to be because those lives should have never been lost," Casio said.
Theo Casio shows off a handmade bolo tie by queer Métis beadworker Hunter Werner during a vigil honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
November 22, 2024 at 4:39 PM
benjovland.bsky.social
Last week, I accompanied folks at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge who keep count of migrating sandhill cranes.

If you've never heard the call of a sandhill crane, it's worth clicking through to Kirsti Marohn's story on MPR News just for the listen:

www.mprnews.org/story/2024/1...
White cranes with black wing tips and red crested heads fly above a distant treeline, where a bald eagle is perched on a lone branch. A person, slightly blurry, looks through a pair of binoculars and holds a clipboard. Waves of migrating cranes, their silhouettes barely visible, fly in the distance. A close-up of gloved hands holding a clipboard as a person uses a purple mechanical pencil to write numbers on a sheet of paper. Sandhill cranes stand in a backwater, a small group in the foreground and dozens more in the background. The pre-dawn sky glows pink above the trees.
November 20, 2024 at 8:20 PM