Wet and Windy Nanaimo
Day two of my trip to British Columbia in video format. Enjoy!
The Dams are Open
For the first time in a very long time the dams above Eugenia Falls have been opened. The rainfall and snow melt have caused some flooding so the conservation authority decided to open the dams. Walking up to the main viewing platform at the top of the falls is challenging as the entire section is flooded.
Flooded
Hiking down to the next viewing area is a little better but there is still a large puddle in the way. The puddle is not stopping people from getting over to the edge to get a photograph of the falls. Most of us have never seen the falls like this. It’s like the Niagara River is pouring over the edge rather than the Beaver River.
The Photographer
A few people can’t get past the large puddle but I was smart enough to wear my waterproof hikers and today was the day to test them out. They performed brilliantly and I was able to get the photograph below with dry, albeit cold, feet.
Eugenia Falls
Isn’t it magnificent? This is a full blown waterfall here folks. Don’t know what it normally looks like? Take a peek below for a photograph taken last summer.
Eugenia Falls with Little Flow
Quite a large difference, don’t you think? The Falls is pretty much like that no matter what time of year with the occasional flow that might be a touch larger but not like the photo above this one.
Algonquin Highlands
Our annual trip to Algonquin was changed a bit this year. With no organizer for the trip this year I changed the itinerary to a new venue and smaller group. Nigel, Paul and myself booked a cabin in Bobcaygeon for two nights.
Autumn at the Marsh
This morning we pack up and made our way to the cabin with the occasional pit stop as we explored the Algonquin highlands and surrounding areas. Our first day there we decided to drive up to the east gate of Algonquin Provincial Park and hike up to the lookout to catch the sunset.
Having Fun
It turned out that sunset was a bust and the valley below was more green than in previous years. So we had a little fun with some self portraits as we waited and hoped for something more spectacular to happen.
Autumn Colours
I decided that macro was my only option to capture some of the glory of autumn at this lookout. As the sun slowly sank from the cloudless sky it was time to grab some local eats before settling in for the evening.
A Visit to Prince Edward
Prince Edward County is a headland found just south of Belleville on the waters of Lake Ontario. Within this small headland lies three provincial parks: Lake on the Mountain, Sandbanks and North Beach. I decided to take a drive around the edge of the headland ensuring that I would be able to get to all three parks. My first stop was Lake on the Mountain located on the east side.
View from Lake on the Mountain
Unfortunately I did not like any of the photos of the lake itself but the view back down to Lake Ontario was beautiful. On the southeastern tip of the headland in Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area was a lighthouse I wanted to take a peek at. Here I found many photographic opportunities and I may have spent a little more time here than anticipated.
A Place to Rest
The next stop was Sandbanks Provincial Park where beautiful white sand dunes are predominant. It is one to the most popular provincial parks in this area and one can see why when they step out onto the dunes.
Dunes at Sandbanks PP’
Even in late September there are more people than expected lounging on the shores the dunes, soaking up the last of the summer sun. The final stop of the day was North Beach Provincial Park, found just north of Sandbanks, it is a day use park whose long, narrow beach faces the west. A perfect spot to watch the setting sun before heading home.
Three Against One
These three large rocks became my photo models for a lovely pale orange backdrop the setting sun left behind. Prince Edward County is a lovely place to visit no matter which park you go to and since it’s a short 2 hour drive from Toronto its a great day trip but I recommend through a weekend.
Dawn at Halfway Log Dump
In my previous post I mentioned that I went to watch (and of course photograph) the sunrise at Halfway Log Dump. Getting up about 45 minutes before the sun was to appear on the horizon I drove to the trail head located in the park not too far from my campsite. After parking I still needed to walk about one kilometre to the water. I can tell you it was a creepy walk through the forest where thoughts of bears kept going through my head. Silly I know but it felt like forever before I finally got to the shoreline.
Early Morning
I found I was not alone this early morning as a workshop was in progress so some of the shots I had hoped to get were going to full of other photographers. I had to change my game plan so I decided to work on some long exposure photography as there was a nice wind that would streak the clouds in the sky.
Ghostly Gull
In the above shot a gull decided to walk around the front of the camera and I hoped it would blur out completely during the long exposure. As you can see it stopped a couple times to make sure it would show up in the shot. Little bugger…lol