nature, Photography

Port Dalhousie, Ontario

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In mid-May we stopped in Port Dalhousie to go walking and to also enjoy the spectacularly calm and beautiful views of Lake Ontario.

We walked one of the 500 metre (1640 ft) parallel piers to get a good look at the heritage lighthouse that has been operating – and continues to operate – since 1898.

There used to be many of these square lighthouses along the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, but Port Dalhousie’s is one of only three that are left. It’s wonderful that it’s still in operation.

This stone breakwater still offers protection from those massive winter storms that can whip into impressive fury on this series of inland seas that we call the Great Lakes.

This was a lovely sunny day and was to be one of the few that we experienced on this trip. We didn’t know that then but we definitely didn’t take that lovely calm lake and that warm temperature for granted!

Happy Friday.

Commentary, nature, Photography

Creek Time

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I have been dealing with a bad case of flu for the last several days but yesterday had enough energy to take myself out for a short walk along Penticton creek, which isn’t far from where I live.

It was a beautifully warm, comfortable day and I was able to take little breaks to enjoy the scenery. It was great to get out and start feeling a bit more like myself again.

There are apparently a couple of particularly nasty flu viruses round and about right now, so make sure you follow your best precautions to try to avoid them. Both M and I have had every symptom in the book, from fevers to severe body aches to nausea, so this one is definitely no picnic.

Stay healthy.

nature, Photography

Wawa, Ontario

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The small community of Wawa, Ontario, is not only a haven for fishing, hiking and winter sports, but is also known for its famous Canada goose statue.

It’s a very appropriate symbol for this town since Wawa takes its name from the Ojibwe word for “wild goose” which is “wewe.”

This 8.5 metre (28 ft) statue was first erected in 1960 but has been replaced a couple of times due to weather damage. This one has been constructed of multiple panels that move a little so that there’s some resilience to the high winter winds.

If you’re driving through northern Ontario it’s definitely fun to stop at this community and take a look at the largest Canada goose ever!

Happy Wednesday.

nature, Photography

Home from Iceland …

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… but we brought a very unattractive souvenir with us in the form of an award-winning case of flu (we have tested negative for Covid).

I literally have every symptom and am feeling extremely miserable. M is somewhat better but also quite ill; at least we can be sick at home though.

I might not be around much over the next day or two as I recover from this nasty bug.

Happy Monday and see you soon.

nature, Photography

Northern Icelandic Weather, Part I

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We spent a few days enjoying the benefits of the Icelandic hot springs and could easily see visiting one of them regularly if we lived here. The waters are extremely soothing, especially if you have any skin conditions, and the effects of the warm water very relaxing.

Mývatn Lake with an old magma field in the foreground.

However, as we enjoyed the Mývatn Lake hot springs near Reykjahlið in the north, we began to realise that bad weather was on the way.

After spending a comfortable night at a hotel in Reykjahlið, the next morning an employee warned us of an impending storm that was expected to arrive in the north during the course of the day, bringing freezing rain, ice pellets, gale force winds and possibly … snow.

Those white spots? Large, fluffy snowflakes!

We got going right away to our next stop, a hot springs spa in Húsavík, a town on the Greenland Sea, but the storm was beginning to settle in.

By the time we arrived for our appointment, the management of Geosea was considering closing because of the high winds, but decided to stay open when a lull occurred. Because we were within easy reach of our stop for the night in Akureyri, we stayed for our appointment.

This is what we saw when we arrived in Húsavik: an overcast and stormy view of the Greenland Sea with snow capped mountains across the fjord.

The break in the storm meant that after our hot springs appointment, our short drive to Akureyri was fairly uneventful and lead us to believe that the storm might be abating, but we were in for a bit of a surprise.

Stay tuned for part two.

Sometimes, life is like that.