Chickadee Photo Art

Wild Pacific Trail

// July 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Pacific Ocean & Vancouver Island, Scenic

Welcome back to my website & thanks for visiting !

** New Photos gallery has been updated . . .

Walk on the Wild Side . . . rocks, ocean, surf, spray, rainforest and the scent of the ocean is what you will experience on this trail. In the winter this area has become popular for “storm watching”.  These photos are taken from the Lighthouse Trail which is just a small part of the larger Wild Pacific Trail.  Magnificent is all I can say.  Today a few photos from the Wild Pacific Trail.

There are signs posted here calling this area the “Graveyard of the Pacific” as many ships have been lost to storms on the rocky coast.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Atikaki Wilderness Prov. Park & Jackson’s Lodge Outpost

// July 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Atikaki Wilderness Provincial Park, Birds of Prey, Boreal Forest, Otters, Scenic

** New photos gallery has been updated. . .

It started with a plane ride arranged through Shaun Jackson of Adventure Air over the boreal forrests of north eastern Manitoba and into the Atikaki Wilderness Provincial Park to Wapeskapek Lake on the Gammon River.  Our own private island cabin (Jackson’s Lodge Wapeskapek Outpost) was home for the next three days. Everything about this trip was awesome! Hot weather, an evening thunderstorm, great pickerel (walleye) fishing, wildlife sightings and terrific accomodations with everything we required and more.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well-equipped the “outpost” was – hot/cold running water, indoor shower, a great variety of cooking utensils and dishes, propane fridge, stove with oven and a freezer.  My son and fiance sighted a moose and calf swimming in the river, we had river otters hanging out at our boat dock, a clear view of nesting bald eagles with one chick right at the water’s edge, a variety of beautiful forrest song birds and even garter snakes basking on the heated bedrock.  The rasperries and blueberries were just beginning to ripen and they were abundant so the next groups in will have plenty to pick and enjoy.

Fishing was excellent and as much as I enjoyed the fishing I have to say I equally enjoyed taking photos of the Bald Eagles, Otters , songbirds and scenery.  It truly is wilderness and it was a most exciting trip. Warning! Warning!  Bring lots of bug spray – that was the only drawback of being in the back country and the black flies are relentless.

We saw a few groups of wilderness canoe enthusiasts camped on the mossy bedrock and paddling downstream on the Gammon River.   We weren’t sure where they started off from but that would be a really exciting canoe trip for the more experienced paddlers.  Adventure Air may fly groups in and drop them off – not sure but one could enquire about this.

Canadian Shield rock cliffs lined the river in many places. The scenery all along the river was truly beautiful.

Below:  The view from our cabin – now that’s a view one could use more often!

From the air we could see this group of wilderness canoe enthusiasts.

Heavy rains have made the rivers creep up onto the land.

Lastly – our island getaway.  Thanks Shaun Jackson for a very memorable wilderness experience!

Enjoy!

Sharon

Whiteshell Provincial Park

// June 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Boreal Forest, Fungus Mosses Lichens, Manitoba Tourist Destination, Scenic, Whiteshell Provincial Park, Wildflowers

The Winnipeg River (above) meanders through the Whiteshell creating lakes throughout. Above are some rapids where Pelicans sit to catch their fish. The photos below show terrain typically found in the Whiteshell.  Roads have been “cut through” the rocky terrain and the forest is full of lush undergrowth, tall stands of Boreal Forest trees and many different kinds of mosses and lichens.   I personally find the mosses and lichens both beautiful and interesting ( check out a previous blog under Mosses and Lichens for photos). Fox, deer, black bears and beavers are common sights here as well as a variety of  forest dwelling birds, owls, herons and other waterfowl.

Below:  rocks line the highway edges.

Below is the sign welcoming visitors to the Whiteshell.  Note the “turtle” on the sign.  The Petroforms (a sacred site to Aboriginal Peoples) are located in the Whiteshell.  One of the Petroforms is a turtle symbol representing “Turtle Island” which is another name for North America. According to First Nations teachings, the Turtle represents the teaching of Truth. You can find a “Gallery” dedicated to the Petroforms which inlcudes contact information on the right hand side of this page.

In addition to the lakes, beavers in the park have created numerous marshes which in turn provides habitat for birds, turtles and waterfowl to name a few.  Many of these marshes are filled with beautiful pond lillies. Below is a photo of a marsh filled with Water Calla Lillies.

The Whiteshell is less than 2 hours from Winnipeg and is a very popular cottage area. There are a number of hiking trails in the Whiteshell for persons with varying skill levels.

Enjoy!

~Sharon