Capturing the Art of Nature
Central Elgin (Day 9)
It was a bright sunny day to enjoy the region around Sparta and there I found small patches of brilliant colour scattered among the bare trees.
Category
Ontario Adventures
2014
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I woke to a clear blue sky that beckoned to me to come and play amongst the trees. So after some breakfast and a bit of organizing, I set off for the lands to the east. Yesterday I travelled west and though I didn’t see all the areas, I wanted, I only had today left to explore the Sparta area. This area has offered some amazing colour in years past so I was really looking forward to finding some this year.
My first stop was down along the harbour where I could look back towards the lake front homes of Port Stanley. They were nestled in amongst some lovely trees with shades of orange and gold. I also saw where they were building up the embankment with concrete taken from the dismantling of the large grain elevators next to the harbor. I only took a few photos here and then set off for my traditional shots at Hawk’s Cliff. As I drove up Hawk’s Cliff road I passed a dozen or so cars of people watching the raptors from a field beside the road but I didn’t stop as my goal was the cliff edge. Alas, the cliff has gotten so unstable that there was a strong fence put up blocking access to the cliff. It was most annoying but I accepted the implied wisdom and turned back to look for trees.
I next made for Roberts road and slowly drove east stopping at various sites to capture some images. Though much had already be lost, there were still some lovely patches to enjoy. One day I will need to walk through some of these forested areas as there are so many micro scenes to enjoy. I continued along and eventually found myself at the beach in Port Bruce.
I parked alongside the beach area and walked out capture some lake photos and a sailboat that was not far from shore. The beach has some tall grassy like bushes scattered across it which makes for some interesting textures. Done with the beach I drove inland to Sparta Line where I turned west and drove through the Rush Creek depressions until I reached Sparta. The creek areas were quite bare of leaves and I didn’t take the time to search out micro sights. In Sparta I came past an old Quaker cemetery and there I parked to wander the stones. Most of the old ones were too eroded to read but the oldest I could read dated back to the early 1800’s. As I was pondering the ancientness, the elementary school across the street let out and the thrills of the kids carried across the road to me – such a contrast.
Done with the cemetery I set out to find a spot to run my radio to talk with Ralph in Vancouver. After a bit of driving, I found a spot back along Roberts Road and setup the radio. Once again I was able to access the repeater but I was unable to bring up the link. I’m beginning to think the node is down. But at least I tried.
I then continued west and crossed over Kettle Creek to drive along its western side to where I had spotted some colour a few days earlier. It really was quite lovely and I got a few final photos before heading back to my room. It was a nice outing and I found some pleasant scenes. But mostly it just felt great being out in the warm sun and fresh air.