Capturing the Art of Nature
Campbell Valley Regional Park
Though not a large park, there are still some spots that I have never explored. Today Nick and set off to discover some new spots.
Category
General Collections
2012
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Campbell valley Park is only a few kilometers from my home but I don’t go there very often and there are still a number of spots I have never seen. The one area, in the north-east section, is not that easily accessible as there is no parking near it except alongside a busy road with no shoulder. This area holds some historical significance to me as almost 50 years ago my father had leased this area to raise highland cattle. I spent a few weeks in the summer there enjoying the rural life. I have not been back since even though I zip past heading along 16th Ave. So since Nick had the day off we decided to see what this area had to offer.
There is one wide area alongside the road just long enough for two vehicles. When we arrived there was already another car there so we had just enough space to pull in and get off the busy road. We set off up the access road and over the locked gate. A bit further a trail led off across the field and the road ahead stated it was private so we opted to head across the field to see the old pond that I remembered. The day was bright but mostly overcast which kept us cooler but It left me concerned about light levels. The walk across the open field was pleasant as it offered some classic rolling views to the south.
Soon we reached the pond, it was now much larger than I remembered it and had a wooden dock and a number of locked canoes. There was also a nasty sign saying permits were required to canoe! And to avoid going in the water as the algae was thought to contain a carcinogen! such a nice place to visit. It was still a pleasant scene and I gathered a number of reflection photos off of McLean Pond. We made our way north and around the west side of the pond and into a forested area north of the pond where we joined a horse trail. Here we gathered a number of forest photos and continued north to the edge of the park and then back tracked and continued south along the east side of the pond and eventually through a tree farm and back to the truck. While walking through the trees Nick filled up his memory card and so his photo taking ended which made him anxious to get to a store to buy a new one.
Once back to the truck we set off for the mall near my home were we picked up a new 8GB card for his camera for all of $17.00. As it was lunch time we stopped for a quick burger at 5 guys and then returned to the north entrance of the park so we could walk the river loop. Just as we arrived it started to shower and the light levels dropped considerably. We waited in the truck for a few minutes for the rain to slow and then set off along the trail. It was a pleasant walk and I got a number of trail photos and various swamp shots – the river is now totally overgrown with grasses so any water shots were limited. As we reached the far bridge and the half way mark it started to shower again. We were fortunate that we were under trees for most of the return and so avoided getting too wet but the dim light hampered photo taking. The rain this time continued to get heavier and so we picked up our pace a bit and got back to the truck and safely out of the rain.