Share your experiences about trips you did, ask for info about trips you dream about...
Tired of waiting for the ice and you need a reason for a road trip!
Sorry for the face book link. but that's all I have.
https://www.facebook.com/folvp/photos/gm.756620787791164/96610166008136…
Stay tuned for more on the 400th anniversary of Champlain's crossing here.
Jeff.
My blog entry on winter camping in Agawa Canyon and Algoma Region is now ready for you enjoyment!
http://agawagroupofseven.blogspot.ca/2015/01/the-canyon-in-winter.html
Too much copy and paste and of course pic heavy..
Algoma is a great place to go and they have a ton of snow right now.
Jeff
A lot of stuff to post so just a link to WCA's myccr
http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=43368&p=398542#p3…
Jeff
I have always said turn around you might be missing something.
Well this time my wife Anne got me to turn around.
My friend Mike and I just came out from a 5 day base camp up in Agawa Canyon enduring some of the most in-climate weather I have encountered on my fall trip since 85.
We did not take the canoe due to flood levels and weather.
We had just finished showering and grabbing a beverage to sit by the fire when the most amazing sunset I have seen there started to unfold. we grabbed our cameras and headed for the beach.
So while I was madly switching lenses and settings my wife told be to turn around and look at something different.
This is the "Normal" view of the water between the Agawa Islands and the mainland.
All images where shot from the same point different days. 2nd one is zoomed in a bit.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2HEJrOaH0i4/VDwgyaTqM9I/AAAAAAAALa8/…
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-axn9_cVs8eA/VDwgxflilhI/AAAAAAAALHk/…
Now for the Mirage.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gMyQkZsiXeU/VDwgDKQkKCI/AAAAAAAALYk/…
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B3d6xnHd2Pc/VDwgD-ae5QI/AAAAAAAALYo/…
Using google earth and the path feature and drawing a straight line from where I took the images from and it could have been Rowe Island (18 k away or Leach Island even further.
No wonder the First Nations found this area so mystical.
Jeff
Here is a link to my blog on the area.
http://agawagroupofseven.blogspot.ca/
I will get around to posting what kind of day trips you can do in this area.
Jeff
Sunsets of Superior.
The Coast of Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay is an amazing place. Many of those who have visited, return time and time again. What makes this coast even more amazing is that for as rugged and remote it is, it can be accessed by almost everyone!
We will start this off with a disclaimer and warning.
When shooting sunsets all precautions should be taken to avoid looking into the sun.
Failing to do so can cause eye damage or blindness. There are various techniques to do this and it is worth the research to protect your eyesight.
For these shots I used a Nikon D200 with a 18 – 70 lens, a 70 – 300 lens and a Nikon J 1 with a 10-30 lens.
I will not hide the fact that the type of camera makes a huge difference to capture the classic sun set shot, but you still can get very good shots with some point and shoots.
The next thing is location, and knowing where the sun will be going down and Lake Superior’s east and north coasts give some of the best sunsets of the world.
Weather and atmospheric conditions also play a major roll, all of which will effect what you try and capture for your memories.
There are a lot of really good people who can teach you photography, I am not one of them, but I can introduce you to an area that has inspired more than a few artists.
We will start with Neys Provincial Park go to Pukawaska National Park, and move on to Superior Provincial Park.
We arrived at Neys mid afternoon and the conditions where not looking promising. We went on a Park organized tour of the P.O.W. artifacts around the visitor centre and at the end they point out the old logging boats on “The Point” As neat as the old boats are and who may have ridden in them the lighting at the time did no justice to the spirits around them.
Gichigami was calm and smiled upon us as the evening progressed the conditions changed to give us this.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aNwkxZAn0xhjIZOp-lg-StMTjNZETYmyP…
The soft orange light gave the boats a softness and glow, that even in the shape they are in now, you are transported to a different place and time. If you look at the wooden post that sticks up it will take you right to the river with these men.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K6uF_akTVQFG2u_Gd6PQbdMTjNZETYmyP…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ivj3af0KzHx3fzEfMYCiMtMTjNZETYmyP…
The soft light also softens up the rocks.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_p9wNHyut6xmS_p5tTOMydMTjNZETYmyP…
Sometimes you get lucky and catch some natural phenomenon. I did see these when I took the pic because I was not looking through the viewer. Sunspots!
Way cool capture! With the Northern Ontario landscape as the backdrop!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OcrhwzwqdRNj-f_c4ELstNMTjNZETYmyP…
Here is a link to sun spots Aug 8, 2014.
http://www.tesis.lebedev.ru/en/active_areas.html?m=8&d=8&y=2014
On to Pukawaska National Park.
As anywhere else on Lake Superior with the conditions and cold water, where you set up to watch the Lake, and you have no choice but to respect the lake, if you do you will be rewarded, not just by the beauty, but the power that she holds.
The Nikon J1 shows a much wider panorama without having to stitch a series of photos together, even tougher when you are shooting from a canoe. I feel the J1 captures the image better in brighter light. This is Horseshoe bay as the sun is starting to go down from a canoe. I like how the clouds complete the scene.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/30lkeV0TH91WTq9FG1eC3NMTjNZETYmyP…
For those that have visited this park know how the terrain limits you to photographic locations, so having calm conditions so you can paddle to multiple places is a real bonus. We ended up on the south arm of Pulpwood Harbour.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OhdfKUMFO1KK_TWbXTbM3tMTjNZETYmyP…
In most areas you don’t have the vast low profile to the west that Superior offers. So while it may be cloudy/hazy overhead you may still have great photographic opportunities if you have patience. The southern Headland trail can give you great clear, vistas, and is a very close to the campgrounds to scout out what is happening in the western skies. This is where the bigger lens will come in handy to focus on specific areas.
Something else to remember is on a clear day you have plenty of time but when the clouds are moving you may have just mere seconds for your shot.
Break in the Clouds by Pic Island. (26 Kms away)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c9ql6xW9lW5qlgsYGqhCP9MTjNZETYmyP…
The opening in the clouds moved…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CVmraA2ItBhm62OX3gyKvtMTjNZETYmyP…
Be patient….
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yOjHU-LGiiIqiI9svKKGTtMTjNZETYmyP…
And then for fun look for something else and find gold!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dpGaOLiJ0vbV2Cso5tC1lNMTjNZETYmyP…
Look around! Even though you may be centred watching one area you may miss other great shots. At the same time those golden ribbons are being painted on the lake they may also be filling other areas with beautiful conditions. The combination of the reflecting light from the clouds and the sunbeam illuminate the bay between the Headland Coastal trail and the opening of Pulpwood Harbour.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZIuJtbERmBumMlbPvp59gNMTjNZETYmyP…
That brings us to Lake Superior Provincial Park, this is Ontario’s west coast.
Anywhere along this shore will, after you have been given a glimpse of sunsets that will bring you back year after year. We will get back to those later, but first for the “Stuff” you don’t see from the shoreline. When I paddle the Agawa Canyon in the fall I am hoping for one of those sunsets where the squeaks underneath a cloudbank and the reflecting light illuminates the canyon. I won’t see the sunset but it is this special light that lets me get great shots far away from Superior’s shoreline.
This shot of a Lawren Harris location shows how this reflected light reaches the dark corners of the Canyon floor. (Shot Oct. 2013, where the Little Agawa River meets the Agawa River)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GmFrcW9ct2OUr5cipdpXZNMTjNZETYmyP…
We went to Old Woman’s bay hoping for the cliffs to be illuminated, but atmospheric conditions of a fairly thick haze made the majestic cliffs flat and fuzzy, still beautiful, but something the camera could not catch.
I hate to give away secrets but to sit there on a warm mid summer’s night, few bugs and have the entire bay to ourselves was amazing in itself and it was still a pretty sunset.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U--ib7AhydcF3yW8GRU69NMTjNZETYmyP…
The Agawa Bay Campground is famous for its sunsets and it is accessible to everyone! And that makes it even more special. It is pretty amazing to watch the campers migrate to the beach as the sundown approaches. I like to get there early and stay for the whole show. The whole scene of sky, clouds and lake is so fluid, constantly changing, each scene being painted differently. Depending on the season and the tilting of the earth no 2 sunsets will be alike and only you will have that view and it is eye candy that will bring you back for more.
These shots are from 2 different nights.
Evening Paddle
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a4dCjz-VOdwikJt59Ba8vNMTjNZETYmyP…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KS9vMPpdDAC69iJ6wi0qG9MTjNZETYmyP…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0vC1VGwZvRtxP6eILNl0Y9MTjNZETYmyP…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K7frEfsC8W2XNyHdGFFnvdMTjNZETYmyP…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bj8J41O2A3kBuD8vTIdUk9MTjNZETYmyP…
And Don’t leave to early, sometimes good stuff happens. I have a shot like this of my kids when they where 4 and 8 on the same beech except it was on film)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BgbfMtdizoYXkDeILb1wc9MTjNZETYmyP…
So there you have it, right in our own backyard, some of the most exotic sunsets in the world.
Jeff
Link to album, more images will become available as I get around to changing them from raw to jpegs.
https://picasaweb.google.com/114224116055024928868/NorthernAugust2014?a…
New adventure starts tomorrow, on the river day after tomorrow
I thought the members here might be interested in meeting him and help him with him as paddles across the eastern half of Canada.
I met him on the shores of Lake Superior last week and have been following him for over a month since another tripper put me on to his adventure and cause.
Here is his facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Rantas-Paddle/117469248331877
and his webpage.
http://www.atikokanyouth.org/track_our_paddler.html
If you know of any groups that help him with logistics of camping and accommodations as he crosses the country let them know.
As we all know finding places to camp in certain areas is very tough.
So I hope you can help him out.
You can send him messages, he has satellite communication.
If you are padding in the area he is in paddle out and greet him the way only paddlers can.
Jeff
Pic of Spitzii and his paddling partner Mike Wind bound at Gargantua Bay
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EbMuRa1g7rQ/U-_71Oc1h9I/AAAAAAAAJ4c/…
Got this from the Thunderbay WW facebook page.
Great history and shows just shows us how they paddled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QnaYKKthms
Jeff
If your looking to paddle a historic route here's your chance.
Feel free to Share.
Jeff
http://www.lavaseportages.com/
Poster has a typo It is for July 19 2014
Thanks to the forum of "looking for partners" I was able to meet up with Hilary to go to the Grand River.
After being home for the last 3 weeks, due to a severe poison ivy outbreak, I was finally able to join on another day trip at the Grand River organized by Doug and Lisa Ashton with a fabulous BBQ afterwards.
After picking up Hilary we drove together to Cambridge, due to road closures we just made it in time for the shuttle.
As usual Doug was super organized. The group was smaller, only 10 boats and 21 people participating today, probably partially due to some other trips organized by other members today.
It was cool to start but sunny and fabulous weather.
The water level in the beginning seemed lower then last year, so it was zig zagging around the gravel pits.
There were lots of other groups on the river and in the beginning a bit confusing as who belonged to who, but Doug gathered us together and to make sure that we all new who was the first and who was the last canoe.
This time I didn't flip the canoe, but somehow still got stranded in the middle of the river, helping our boat and some other boat to get past the gravel pits. My partner didn't realize that I was not back in the boat and kept on paddling while I was standing in the middle of the river.
Lisa told us the story of the watermill of the German Family while the young boys, just graduated from college checked out the architecture.
After a nice lunch in Glen Morris we leisurely paddled to Paris.
Again a very nice relaxing paddle with fabulous friends
Afterwards we all met at Doug and Lisa who spoiled us again with some amazing appetizers and hamburgers.
The weather stayed dry and it was great getting to know some newer members.
On our way home Hilary and I encountered a fox on the road, but my camera was in the back of the car and the battery of my phone was empty. The fox stayed staring at the car while I was able to get the camera out of the trunk and took some nice pictures of this elegant animal.
Underneath is the link of the pictures I took of this trip
https://plus.google.com/photos/104477673238900710374/albums/60252939539…
