Chickadee Photo Art » Scenic

Wild Pacific Trail

Sharon — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:00:13 +0000

** 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

Sharon — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:07:27 +0000

** 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.

Bald Eagle with Pickerel ( Walleye )

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.

River Otter enjoying fish remains

Gammon River Rapids enterting Wapeskapek Lake

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.

Canadian Shield Bedrock on Gammon River

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

Room with a view! Wapeskapek Lake Outpost.

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

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

High waters on Gammon River

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

Wapeskapek Lake Outpost

Enjoy!

Sharon

Whiteshell Provincial Park

Sharon — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:00:18 +0000

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

Assiniboine Park Spring Gardens

Sharon — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:00:41 +0000

These photos taken at the Leo Mol sculpture gardens at Assiniboine Park. Leo Mol (1915 – 2009) was an internationally reknowned artist who donated his personal collection as his legacy to the people of Winnipeg, the community where he lived. A walk through this outside art gallery filled with bronze sculptures is appealing at any time of year. The tulips are in full bloom right now.

Whoops! One of these things is not like the other !

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Pacific Coast Rainforest

Sharon — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:00:08 +0000

Moss and more moss! Everything in the rainforest is wrapped in blankets of beautiful moss that sways from branches, clings to tree trunks and coats the ground. One cannot appreciate the enormity of the old growth forests until you have walked in one. Today a few photos from Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Manitoba Homecoming 2010

Sharon — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:00:04 +0000

This year, 2010, Manitoba is having a Homecoming Celebration. We are a province rich in diversity of cultures, outdoor activities for nature enthusiasts, great dining experiences, and more. Historical sites abound as Manitoba served as a major trading centre during the fur trade era with York boats traveling up and down the Red River to Lower Fort Gary near Selkirk. In Winnipeg the Manitoba Museum, The Forks, Assiniboine Park and Fort Whyte Nature Centre are sure hits with visitors of all ages. Gimli and Hecla Village serve as reminders of our Icelandic heritage and fishers carry on the traditions of their ancestors to this day. Dauphin, Manitoba hosts the annual Ukrainian Festival in August honoring the traditions and Ukrainian immigrants that cleared our fertile farmlands. Cultural celebrations, family and school reunions, city and rural communities alike have planned many events to celebrate our Province. Check out the Manitoba Homecoming 2010 website for events or activities that may be of interest to you. Why not put Manitoba on your list of places to visit this year and enjoy the friendly communities we call home. Most of the photos on this website are from Manitoba – a few of my favourites are below.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Spring Ice Jams

Sharon — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:00:45 +0000

Ice jams often form on the Red River in Spring causing sudden rises in the water levels. Below are some photos of an ice jam on the river and beautiful ice formations on some posts after the water receded.

Enjoy!

Sharon

Unusual River Ice Formations

Sharon — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:00:37 +0000

The same day I took the photos in the previous post I walked to the other side of the bridge and found these lovely ice formations. It appears that when the water passed through the bridge into quieter waters little eddies formed along the curves in the river. The swirling motion of the water seems to have frozen the “frothy water” into these beautiful little ice circles. They reminded me of pottery serving platters. At the very least, these are very unusual ice formations and I have never seen anything like this before.

A closer look below.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Spring Waters

Sharon — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:00:03 +0000

Whiteshell Provincial Park at the end of February. I was surprised to see so much open water all around this early in the season. The Rennie River was running freely in a few areas. This lovely reflection on a blue sky day caught my eye. Here are a few other photos of spring waters in the Whiteshell.

Below the churning waters breaking through the ice.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Ice Fishing

Sharon — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:00:42 +0000

Manitobans are a hearty bunch and continue to fish right through the winter on our frozen lakes and rivers. Small communities pop up on the Red River in the Lockport and Selkirk areas and the fishing shacks usually have heaters or small wood stoves inside keeping the fishers toasty warm even on bitter winter days. Todays photos are from the Hecla Village area where a couple of gentlemen were enjoying a beautiful warm and sunny winter day ice fishing.

Two fishing shacks that have been pulled off the ice.

A shack and augers in the distance on Lake Winnipeg at Hecla.

Enjoy!

~Sharon