At work we are given our birthday day off as an added bonus to our regular vacation days. For my day off this year I decided to take a drive out to the town of Elora to do some hiking. Running through Elora is the Grand River which has carved out a magnificent gorge. To get to the bottom the gorge I had to do a short hike along a trail to a staircase.
Elora Trail
It was the perfect fall day out with nice warm temperatures and sun making the leaves glow as I walked along the trail. It didn’t take long before I found the staircase to get down to the bottom of the gorge.
The Staircase
It was going to be a bit of a bitch to get back up this staircase. Luckily I didn’t have to worry about that just yet – I still had some exploring to do in the gorge before I was going to need to climb back up these crazy steps.
David Street Bridge
Down in the gorge I had a great view of the David Street bridge. Thinking back I wish I had checked out the view from the top of the bridge too. I guess I’ll have to save that for my next visit here.
Elora
Before I left Elora, after some much needed shopping therapy, I decided to get one last shot of the city from across the river. Elora has always been one of my favourite places to visit and I love coming back here in the different seasons. I hope to be back here again soon.
On the spur of the moment, I decided to head out to Picton today for a yarn show and I brought along my camera to visit some abandoned barracks.
The Old Barracks
The barracks aren’t completely abandoned as some local merchants have set up shop in the area. The goal is to revitalize the area while keeping the heritage of the place. I think its a great idea. Who wouldn’t want to wander the barracks and support local shops at the same time.
Boarded
Of course, some of the buildings look beyond repair with roofs caving in and mother nature taking over as she usually does.
Abandon Hope
And what would I photograph if all the buildings looked all spruced up?
I headed up to Penetanguishene and the surrounding area with a couple friends in tow in the hopes of finding some winter inspiration. We had fantastic, sunny weather but there was quite the chill in the air. (Yes, I know its the middle of winter, it should be cold.) The Penetanguishene harbour was frozen over and I noticed this large crack leading from the main docks out toward the opposite shore.
Cracked Ice
Speaking of the opposite shore we did check that our while we were here to see what the town looked like from over there. It’s not very often I see this view and sometimes I forget how pretty the town is. And look at those awesome clouds.
Penetanguishene
One of the other stops we made today was in Hillsdale. There is a beautiful run down mill along the river there. It’s crumbling structure makes me sad that it is neglected but what a photographic find!!
Mill at Hillsdale
Isn’t she pretty? Yeah, I know, I’m weird…I like the old, falling apart kind of things. And so ends another fun day with my fellow photographers and playing in the snow.
After a full nights rest we were excited to start our journey in the Snæfellsnes Peninsula but first there was some free food to be had. Our host served up an amazing breakfast which we ate while enjoying the gorgeous views of the bay. After filling our bellies we decided to explore the town further before getting out onto the road. Sunny skies graced our walk along the shoreline.
Stone Path
It was a short walk around the bay and we were soon packing up the car to head north in search of a grocery store in the town of Stykkishólmur. Mountains greeted us on both sides as we drove through the middle of the peninsula and eventually up into the mountains and over to the other side.
Down the Road
Entering the harbour town of Stykkishólmur we found a little spot called Plassid to indulge in some local cuisine. Mmmm…fresh scallops with couscous and salad. Tummies full again we wandered down to the harbour. On the ocean side of the harbour lies a small hill you can climb to get stunning views of the town. We climbed it but once up top by the lighthouse I thought the wind would blow us off into the waters below. I was told that Iceland was windy but man, I did not expect it to be this windy.
Stykkishólmur
On our way out of town we stopped at the church perched on the hill and I took the shot above looking back into town. What a beautiful place. It really didn’t matter where we were along the road there just seemed to be a reason to pull over to get more photos.
Farmstead below the Mountains
I mean, is it possible for this place to get any more beautiful or jaw dropping? I guess we’ll find out.
