I’m off to Colonel Sam Smith Park with my friend Nigel. It’s the middle of January and we are hoping to find something to photograph. We’re anticipating seeing some ducks and lo and behold we find – ducks.
Gadwall Playing in the Waves
This Gadwall duck is playing in the waves at the shoreline before swimming as far from us as possible. I guess our long lenses are intimidating. Interesting fact about the Gadwall is that they often snatch food from diving ducks as they surface. They’re the pirates of the lake.
Rocky Shoreline
I notice that the ducks seem to congregate along the shoreline. I guess the shallows are warmer. Do ducks even feel the cold? I wonder sometimes as I’ve seen them stand on ice for long periods and they seem to enjoy just barely unfrozen water all winter. How? And can you give that superpower to me?
Male Long Tail Duck
This long-tailed duck is one of many enjoying a paddle around the shoreline. He has an impressive tail which I assume is for mating purposes but what’s interesting to note is his plumage during winter The males have two mirror-image plumages: in summer mostly black with a white face patch; in winter mostly white with rich brown, black, and gray on the face. I’ve only ever seen the winter plumage as they are from the high arctic and they are there for the summer and my travels don’t take me that far.
After our fill of the ducks we head home to warm up and plan our next outing.
This was our last day in Wawa. Actually more like half day. There had been no luck so far in finding these massive waves that apparently happen on the north shore but we are still hopeful. The wind had picked up overnight so we are hoping to get great shots today.
Old Woman’s Bay
We went back to Old Woman’s Bay for one final look and although the waves were much larger than the day before it wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for and temperatures in the were very chilly.
Our final stop in the park was at Katherine’s Cove. We were happy to see a lot more waves breaking along the rocky shoreline and I am happy to report that I have way too many photos of these waves.
Waves at Katherine’s Cove
Katherine’s Cove doesn’t just have a rocky shoreline, it also has a lovely sandy beach from where I can sit and take many more photos of waves breaking on the shoreline.
Sand Beach at Katherine’s Cove
We spent quite a lot of time at Katherine’s Cove but eventually it was time to get warm and start heading in the direction of home. As we drove along the coast towards McKerrow, our home for the evening, we found a couple spots were the waves were exactly as we imagined.
Cold Cabin
We couldn’t stay here very long as we needed to get to our motel and get a good hot meal before heading the rest of the way home tomorrow but this cabin photo is one of my favourites of the weekend.
My friend Nigel and I headed up for a long weekend to catch some waves, so to speak, in beautiful snowy Wawa. By “catch some waves” I mean photographically not actually getting in the cold, stormy water of Lake Superior.
Before looking for those waves we decided to explore Michipocten and Wawa for some snowy winter scenes. It wasn’t too hard to find those winter scenes as the snow started lightly falling on the already snow-covered landscape.
Middle Silver Falls in the distance
Middle Silver Falls. Black and white version.
We explored Michipicoten a little more and found a beach with some small waves crashing and as we explored more we found a boat shed. It looked a little worn but that’s what I loved most about it.
The Boat Shed
After exploring Michipicoten we decided to head in Lake Superior Park to scout out some locations and get a few photos along the way. We found this hidden little beach at one of our stops.
A Secret Beach
Our final stop of the day before heading back to Wawa for dinner, was Magpie Falls.
Magpie High Falls
As always when travelling there is usually something that is under construction. Little did I think that there would construction at a waterfall. So more intimate photos will have to do.
This last day of our trip we headed out early to check out the lighthouse at Lion’s Head and see if we could get a shot of the waves crashing. It was very windy but the waves were not as high as expected. I guess it was just wishful thinking on our part. I now have lots and lots of shots of waves crashing into the beach or the lighthouse. (Delete key is ready folks..lol)
Lions Head Lighthouse
We headed back for breakfast at the B&B before heading out for a hike along the bluff at Lion’s Head.
Lions Head Trail
The first section of the trail was nice and wide with room for lots to hike but eventually that turned into more of the typical Bruce trail type hiking trail.
The Escarpment
I’m not complaining – look at these fantastic views. From this vantage point we can see Lion’s Head way in the distance.
Sadly after our hike it was time to pack up and go home. We made one last stop. When we stopped at Jones Falls on the way up we had both taken some photos of a large tree. I call it the Grandmother tree or Big Mama. Both of us had decided that we hadn’t done it justice with our original photos so we headed back on the trail to photograph this beautiful tree.
