Capturing the Art of Nature
Mount Nemo and Kelso (Day 3)
Back to the Escarpment in the Halton region
Category
Ontario Adventures
2018
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My day began at little past 10am when my cousin-in-law Mike arrived and we set out for our day of photo taking. Today we planned to visit the part of the escarpment on the far side of the valley from Rattlesnake point where we were yesterday. So we got some coffee and set off for Mount Nemo. Our drive went quickly and we were soon arriving at the parking area and paying for our admission. We asked about which spots were covered by the day pass and then drove in to find a parking spot.
Once parked we checked the map and made for the main viewpoint at the far end of the main trail. The day was mostly overcast with a few bright spots appearing occasionally. The main trail was busy with people, kids and dogs but it was a wide route and had room for all even when we stopped to take photos. It was a pleasant easy walk to the viewpoint; there we encountered a group chatting quite lively about something. The overcast sky muted the colours but we still found enough colour to keep things interesting. After checking out a few spots along the cliff edge we had collected a number of photos and so we decided to follow the trail towards Rattlesnake point. It was a pleasant walk through the trees and it turned to the cliff in a number of places offering varying views of the valley below.
We finally reached the end of the section of trail that followed the cliff, here we had a nice broad viewpoint where we could spread out to enjoy the scenery. It would make a lovely spot to relax in the summer sun while soaking in nature, today we stopped only long enough to gather a few photos. The trail now turned away from the cliff and towards the parking area. We still had a ways to go and we were able to enjoy the colours of the trees as we wandered through them. We eventually circled back to the main trail and then along it to the car. The trails were quite lovely and the scenes from the cliff were still very enjoyable despite the muted colours. Well it was a bit before 1pm so we decided to go find a spot for lunch.
As we drove into Lowville, we spotted a bistro that had its parking area packed with cars. We thought it must be good to have so many there. So we found a spot to park and headed into the restaurant. The place was packed full and we got the last open table. It stayed full with people coming and going as we sat there. The food was really quit good and the decor of the place quite lovely. We both were quite pleased with our find and hope to return at some point. It was now 2:30, we had stayed quite long enough and so we set off for our next adventure.
Included in our paid locations was the Kelso conservation area. It had a few viewpoints on the map so we decided to head there. It had two parking areas the closest being the summit lot and so that became our destination. After a stop to take some photos of rattlesnake point we arrived at the Kelso lot, passed through the checkpoint and parked. The lot was only half full so parking was quick and easy. Once out we noticed that all the visitors seemed to be riding mountain bikes. There were many trails throughout the area set up for the bikes and I thought that we may be at the wrong place for walking but we decided to take the shortest trail to the marked viewpoint and we set off.
The trail was an easy walk and we eventually found other walkers on the route besides us. The trail was along the top of a cliff looking down on an old flooded quarry. It was being remade into a fish and bird habitat. The views were interesting but not overly scenic. Once at the viewpoint we decided to walk further along the trails to a second viewpoint. This trail was quite pleasant, the trees were a bit ticker as we made our way along and eventually we came to the far end where we reached the far edge of the cliff. Here we were surprised to encounter the top of a ski chairlift. It was operating carrying people up and down. We had arrived at the top of the local ‘ski-hill’, one I had seen many times in passing from the 401 highway. Here we were at the top of it. The sun was now starting to peer out from the clouds and we had some nice views across a broad valley that had lots of colour to enjoy, the number of people here was quite high as many had taken the easy way up the slope.
After gathering some photos we continued along the cliff edge to the next viewpoint and back to where we started. We took our time wandering along the trail stopping to marvel at the huge gaps in the rocks near the edge. Some of the gaps were only a few feet wide but dropped down 50 to 100 feet! They were an interesting sight. As we continued along further form the chair lift the number of people diminished and soon we were mostly on our own. The trail looped back to where we started and then we walked the first trail back to the car. In the end it was a lovely walk and we found many scenes of colour to enjoy. This area was great for walking and biking and well worth our time being here. Should I come again next year it would be a good spot to revisit.
Well it was now approaching 5:30 and we felt it was time to head home so we packed up and set off along the main roads for home. We passed by the Rattlesnake point parking area and then down the escarpment and through Lowville, passing the bistro, its lot had finally emptied out. The rest of the drive went quickly as Mike made his way to the highway and our exit at the hotel. This trip saw us do much less driving but we found some amazing sights and colours, I sort of missed the drive of previous years but the sights we did find were a good reward for this trip.