Capturing the Art of Nature
Day 5 - October 16
Exploring Port Stanley and the surrounding region
Category
Ontario Adventures
2006
Click on image to view gallery
The next day – October 16th offered a dull setting but it was good enough to get out and into the car and drive around to see what the area offered a scenic landscape photographer. I got on the highway and headed east along the route we used when we arrived in Port Stanley. Very quickly I came upon a sign that mentioned hawk bluff with a road that led towards the lake. So I turned onto it and drove the couple kilometers to its end at a bluff overlooking the lake.
As I drove down the gravel road I passed another photographer who was packing up his long lenses and heading home. I guess I missed the hawk watching period of the morning, next time I will plan to come earlier to see them. I left the car and got out to walk the short distance to the cliff edge. The lake looked quite vast from up here; the winds were moderate but not overly cold. They were a nuisance for stability but I was able to get off a few shots.
The main impression I got from up there was of the constant progression of erosion. One could see the power of nature as the bank was slowly being eaten away. The collapsed fence was a powerful reminder that sometimes erosion works at a faster pace and really takes little notice of the designs and efforts of man. The bluff face contained hundreds of holes where I assume birds made their nests. I didn’t see any but there were sure enough of the nest holes.
Just back from the edge the winds were a bit slower and I noticed a number of cabbage white butterflies busily eating off of the last blooms of the season. They were a bit of a challenge to capture and get a decent shot of as it seemed that they would move on as soon as I got setup enough to capture an image.
After the bluff I continued heading east along the shore and eventually came to Port Bruce where I got out and walked along the beach. I noticed some tire marks in the sand which seemed a bit out of place but they added to the mood of the deserted beach. I’m sure that in summer the beach would have been crowded.
I then headed in-land and drove through St. Thomas. Nothing inspired me there today perhaps tomorrow. I drove back to Port Stanley and went into a residential area on the east side. There I discovered some old pilings along the lake edge which caught my eye. A view of the port’s lighthouse and breakers was also available for this location.
I went back to my suite and rested for the remainder of the day. During the evening I had the urge to gather a few more shots and was attracted to the night views from my balcony.
The rain over the rest of the trip basically shutdown the photo gathering but it did convince to come back perhaps next year to uncover a few more secrets of the area.