Tag Archives: Lake Superior Provincial Park

Photography

From Gargantia Bay To Fenton Lake

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June 24 dawned misty and cloudy. Maureen and I drove into Wawa to the North of 17 restaurant for breakfast. The day cleared up. So that evening we drove back down the Gargantua Bay Road. As I drove along a weasel ran out in front of us to then disappear back into the woods. Upon arriving at the parking I loaded up my camera gear. Our aim was to hike the two km trail into the back of Gargantia Bay. The Ojibwa people had built a road here, so the going was very good. There was soon an onslaught of the mosquito population to annoy us.

We soon arrived at the bay’s end. We were greeted by a young couple and there two young children. They were set up at one of the campsite available here. There was a nice sandy beach here, but I saw nothing of interest to photograph . The Ojibway had constructed a longhouse on the beach from were they performed their religious ceremonies. The longhouse consisted of saplings fastened together. It was quite sturdy looking.  We chatted with the campers for awhile. They suggested that we hike up the hill to a lookout that gave a view of the bay to the North. Picking up the lookout trail at the end of the beach, we were soon sweating as we made our way up the steep hillside. Upon arrival we were greeted to a magnificent view  looking towards the Devil’s Chair. Descending the hill back to the beach I headed over to the Ranger’s cabin. It had seen better days as the walls had been removed for an open air effect. I suspect that people had taken free firewood.  We bid the campers goodbye and picked up the trail to the parking lot. I swore the mosquito clan had brought in more reinforcements as they seemed to be thicker. It seemed at  times that my hands were covered with these pest. We arrived back at the parking lot. Arriving back at the highway I suggested that we go to Fenton Lake.

Maureen dropped me off at the side of the highway. I suggested she go to Wawa and stop at Tim Horton for a coffee. Meanwhile I set up my tripod and Canon 7D to capture the above photo. As I was waiting the wind calmed down. The could cover changed to what you see in the above composition. I needed depth so I put shoreline on both sides of the composition. The cloud cover is shown to its best effect. There is lots of depth here. The island is visible. A typical Northern Ontario scene in the Boreal forest.

Maureen soon returned with her coffee. I packed my gear away. It was getting dark now. It was time to head back to camp. The 37th Annual La Cloche Art Show concluded yesterday with recorded sales. There was an excellent turnout of artist and the public.While that is it for now   Until next time happy trails.

Photography

Rocky Patterns

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As I waited for the sun to descend to the horizon I walked the beach to the North. Once you leave the rocky part of the beach, it becomes all sand. I noticed three campsites along this stretch of beach. There were old tracks of a moose that had walked the beach. This is a common site in this park. The sand was crumbling in at the side of theses tracks and there was debris in the tracks Geese tracks were evident on the beach. Two islands could be seen in the distance. Ducks floated in the distance, silhouette like. Backtracking I  returned to the little stream to set up for the above composition. I thought I would create something a little more abstract or create a pattern. There was a green colored rock sitting above the water with interesting marking. With the low setting sun allowing for slow shutter speeds, thus the water took on a dreamy affect. Yet the color of the rocks still shone through the water. By setting the tripod low to give me a face to face look with the subject rock I used  my Canon EOS 7D to capture my composition.

It was soon time to leave. The 14 mile drive out was enjoyable as the woodlands passed by me. A Grouse hen walked across the road in front of me. Slowing to a stop I observed four tiny chicks following her. They must have been only a day or two old. The fourth chick huddled down in the middle of the road among the grass. Then a moment latter it dashed off after its mother. I waited a bit to make sure there was none other. I slowly proceeded by and was soon on my way. As I rounded a corner a Black Bear sow dashed across the road with two very small cubs in tow. They disappeared into the woods out of sight. It was not long before I turned North onto Hwy 17 To our campsite at Rabbit Blanket Campgrounds. It was time to call it a night.

I will be at the 37th La Cloche Art Show Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday this week. I am a host for the show. My schedule is 2 to 5 each day. If you are in the area stop in for a chat. Three of my compositions were selected. I had the honor of receiving the Peggy Forbes Award. Peggy was one of the original founder of this wonderful show. So That is it for now. Until next time happy trails

 

Photography

Color My Rocks

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Sunday June 22, Maureen and I traveled to Lake Superior Provincial Park. This large and beautiful park is North of Sault Ste Marie. Here is a great opportunity to explore the shorelines of Lake Superior and the interior wilderness with many lakes and hiking trails. We decided to set up a base camp at the Rabbit Blanket Campgrounds. Thus allowing me to photograph the North half of the Park. Being close to Wawa allowed for getting gas easily.

The tent and screen tent were soon gracing our campsite. The screen tent is a real bonus. The mosquito population was here. Supper was soon over and we drove the fourteen mile gravel road to Gargantua Bay. This is a narrow road with a couple of newly built bridges. It is a nice drive through open forests in many places. At the parking lot we took the hiking trail to the South. A bridge was crossed and we emerged on to a stony beach. Before my eyes was this small stream flowing over these colorful rocks into Lake Superior. This little stream had to be only ten feet across. Being a long day as it was we headed back to camp for a good nights sleep.

I returned to Gargantua Bay the next evening. The above composition is one of the photos I captured that evening. This was about capturing the beauty of the rocks with the stream flowing around and over them. At the same time the setting sun gives a dramatic effect to the overall scene. If you look close you can see specs of red sunlight on some of the rocks. You need low light or cloudy days to bring the color out on these rocks.

One of the things that I like to empathize is for one to stop for a moment and see the beauty that can be found in the little things around us. The colorful rocks.The sound of running water. Rising of fish during their evening feed that occurred while I sat on the beach. The changing of the sky as dusk approached. Waterfowl floating on the water surface like silhouettes.  So many little things that happen when one becomes aware of his or her surroundings. Give yourself to Nature and you will be at peace.

I did a interview over at Exhibition Without Walls. You can read it here.

http://www.exhibitionswithoutwalls.com/ken-bennison-fine-art-photographer-author-sudbury-ontario-canada/

This Friday is the opening of the La Cloche Art Show at Whitefish Falls. This is show is in its 37th year. It runs from July 5 to July 13.

http://laclocheartshow.wordpress.com/

I am still in the process of working on my photos from the Superior trip. There will be more to come. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Sand River

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The above photo was captured when Maureen and I traveled up to Wawa for our three day canoe trip into Treebe Lake at the Northern  edge of Lake Superior Provincial Park. We stopped at the parking lot by the Sand River for a break. This river has some interesting rock structures to work with in a composition.

The day was cloudy so the lighting was even. It had rained the previous day and night. Thus I had nice color and detail to work with. There was not much for Fall color here as the cedar and evergreens predominated. There is a trail that follows along the river. As you walk here, you are above the river. With the sky being bland I showed only a spot of the sky in the background. My interest was in the rock structure on this river. So I put the broken boulders in the foreground for depth. The cliff edges are for lead in as your eye traverses the river. There is wonderful amounts of lichen covering these rocks to give better contrast.

Well that is it for this week. Spring is not far off now. So until next time, happy trails.

Photography

Island In The Sun

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A little island on a lake in the Wawa area. It is located just outside the Lake Superior Park Boundry. I had seen this scene a number of times in my travels up here. I have a soft spot for these little islands. This little island is almost like a dot on the lake’s surface. So the morning before Maureen and I headed out for Treeby Lake I headed out from our motel to see if I could capture a nice composition. This lake is right along Hwy 17 so accessibility was easy. There was a small open on the shoreline where I was able to set up. The forest pretty much comes down to the shoreline here.

So I had an island. I needed the right lighting to make this work. There was also a lot of yellow here too. As I waited I watched as the morning light engulfed that little island. You could not ask for anything better. The island is now separated from the lower background which consisted of dark evergreens, having not been touched by the light. By positioning my tripod I was able to enhance this separation to gain more of the darker background. I did a partial framing on the right with the colorful sunlit trees on the right. The upper edge of the background is now being touched with the morning light.  A very attractive composition.

I will be set up at the Beaver Lake Fall Fair this Friday and Sat. It will also be a time to chat with old friends. So until next week happy trails.

Photography

Watch Your Lighting

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Maureen and I awoke Tuesday morning to a beautiful sunny day. A quick breakfast at the restaurant of the Best Northern. We were soon off to Fenton Lake. Then portaging over to Treeby Lake. These lakes were within Lake Superior Provincial Park. From the parking lot it is a 150 meter carry down to the lake. We soon had our gear loaded into the Quebecor 17 canoe. Edging out from shore, we paddled along the East side of the lake. The wind had picked up by now. The good thing was we were going with it. We soon reached our first portage and unloaded. This is a 50 meter portage. With all the gear hauled over. Maureen and I relaxed for a few minutes. Maureen was still suffering from her cold. We now had to make our way along a strip of water towards the Treeby Lake portage.

The Treeby portage is 150 meters in length. The ground and rocks were still wet from the previous rains. There were fallen leaves on the trail. With care we hauled our gear over the portage into Treeby Lake. We encountered a couple of downed trees on the trail. Pushing off from shore it was time to find a campsite to spend the next couple days. The wind had by now become stronger.

Treeby is a lake with approximately 23 islands. That was one of the reasons for coming here. Maureen and I set up camp on a point of land on the West side of the lake. The winds blew and gusted day and night until Thursday morning.  I awoke Thursday morning at daybreak. Peeking my head out the tent I saw the leaves were not moving. Looked out upon  the lake to behold the calm water surface. All was not perfect as there was a slight breeze skipping and dancing here and there on the lake. From past experience you learn to be patient and wait. In the mean time you set up your gear. The sky was getting brighter by now.

The above photo was captured as the sun splashed the hillside to illuminate the Fall colors. That is an island in front. I needed sunlight on this little island to make it stand out. Again you wait. This is what makes wilderness landscapes challenging. The long waits, the right conditions. When all the pieces fall into place, you have achieved your goal. The most important thing is you are standing on the shorelines of a lake taking in all the beauty, color and grandeur that can be found in our North country.

Well that is it for this post. Until next time happy trails

Photography

Pot of Gold

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Rainbow

 

Last Sunday Maureen and I drove up to Sault Ste Marie on our way to Wawa. The weather was wet and windy. Rain was heavy at times. We arrived in Sault Ste Marie late afternoon. Before leaving home we had attended  my Grandson Gunner’s 4th birthday. We booked into a motel that night. Maureen was suffering from a cold and the dampness was making me sick. Monday morning was much the same weather wise. North of the Sault I stopped at the Chippewa Falls and proceeded to photograph the falls. There were fisherman at the pool catching salmon coming in to spawn. We stopped at the visitor center in Lake Superior Provincial Park to pick up our camping permits into Fenton and Treeby Lakes. This is to be a three day trip.

This being a cloudy day creating even lighting for taking photographs I was able to stop at various locations on Lake Superior to photograph. By mid afternoon we arrived in Wawa. We booked into the Best Northern Motel. Here we met the owners Mark and Teressa. This is a nice motel to stay in and there restaurant served excellent meals. I highly recommend staying here. For those celebrating Thanksgiving have a safe and good weekend with your families.

Until next time Happy Trails.