Capturing the Art of Nature
Buttermilk Falls (Day 2 )
Our first day exploring this year and we discovered a lovely waterfall and a few small hidden patches of colour
Category
Ontario Adventures
2015
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Up early and still running on Pacific time so it was real early but one had to get started on the time zone change and get off to a good start taking photos. The morning opened with some clear sky and nice sun though it was a bit windy. Mike arrived shortly after 9:30 and we were off to the sights. Looking south at the escarpment gave us some concern as the wall of trees looked very brownish and lacking in colour. With that as our first view into the day's adventure we decided to take in a waterfall first and then explore some roads. Mike had read about a waterfall next to Albion called Buttermilk Falls. It was one we tried to locate a few years back without success but today Mike had a better understanding of where to look. So we made for the highway and zipped into the Albion area past the main falls and further west along the escarpment. Eventually we crossed over another stream and this we believed was our target. So we parked and got out to check.
The spot was indeed Buttermilk and so we returned to the car to get some camera gear and then walked to the top of the cliff to start taking some photos. The water was just a trickle and the view from the cliff edge quite limited so we decided to climb down the rock face to the stream bed and then walk to the base of the waterfall. The decent wasn't too difficult but we took our time picking our way across the loose gravel and rocks and fortunately made it to the bottom without incident. The short distance to the fall was an easy walk and now we could start taking photos. The low flow was a bit disappointing but we kept looking for new angles and found quite a few. I spotted a ledge behind the falls where one could walk and stay dry and Mike and I headed there for a different look to the water. It offered some very interesting effects and showed that there really was more water flowing than what one first believes. We spent some time looking over the angles and then set off downstream for more.
We found a number of interesting sites along the stream and quite enjoyed the location which we had to ourselves. We came by a small pool with fallen leaves on its surface between the leaves was a lovely reflection of the colourful trees above. We tried many different angles of the pool to capture the reflection and the leaves in the best way possible. It was a fun challenge and we both quite enjoyed the opportunity. We continued further along the stream and finally came by a spot fixed up with a big fire pit and some ropes for hanging curtain walls. The trail continued down but we decided we had travelled far enough and so we looked for a way to climb back up to the cliff top. The slope didn't look too hard at the place beside the camp area so we started to climb the loose rock. It proved to be a bit harder than expected as there were limited hand holds in a few spots. After a careful ascent we reached the top of the ravine and there we caught our breath before walking back to the car. Though at first we were not too impressed with the location, after trying different perspectives, the place came alive and we both felt the effort was well rewarded.
Well it was now lunch and so we left the area for a restaurant where we enjoyed some good Indian cuisine. Done with food we continued driving SW looking for clumps of coloured trees. This proved harder than we liked as trees were either bare or still quite green. We did come by a few nice settings where we were able to take some time to capture the colours. After driving for an hour we found a nice row of trees near the Grand River. This took a little coaxing but I soon had a number more photos in the camera. It was now approaching 2:30 and I had a scheduled radio call to Ralph in Vancouver, so we hauled out the radio gear and tried to find a reliable connection. We tried a number of repeaters but finally settled on a Hamilton repeater and connected the link to Vancouver. I put out a call to Ralph but he wasn't there, so we put that aside and continued our drive.
It was however getting quite grey and dull out and the colours were not popping. We finally did locate some great colour spots north of Bantford but without the sun they looked quite dull and now the rain had started. We decided it would be better here tomorrow morning when we could explore the area for colour with a fresh start. So we drove to my hotel and called it a day. Overall it really was quite successful and we both enjoyed our time amongst nature.