Capturing the Art of Nature
Port Talbot, Duttona Beach (Day 6)
Back in Port Stanley and off to see the coastal sights, it is a fun place to visit and enjoy the countryside
Category
Ontario Adventures
2011
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My first day in Port Stanley on this year's holiday, it was nice to have a sunny day rather than the forecast rain. So as I wasn't sure if I would have any more good days, I set out to find some sights to photograph. I decided to head west along the coast line as I always felt closer to the back country in this area.
I filled up the tank and set out along Warren Street and Lake Line. This path seems to get one into the colour the fastest of all roads from Port Stanley. I was soon passing farms and stands of trees but very little colour. It seems that the trees were either bare or green! Later I met up with a chap who was out taking photos like me who said that the high winds had dropped the colored leaves and only the green were still on the trees. They should be turning over the next little while. Unfortunately today the bushes were not looking all that exciting and I won't be here when they are.
I did find one small section of forest with some colour and I stopped to watch the light play on it as clouds came and went hiding the sun for a few minutes at a time. After gathering a few photos I continued on retracing my old path to the Pearce Park. The trees were quite bare near the old church cemetery I visited on past trips so I zipped past and soon arrived at the John Pearce Park.
As I was organizing my cameras for walking, the other photographer came by and we chatted for a bit. I waited while he took a few shots of the entrance to the park and then I started down the circular road. It was thick with dry leaves which made for a lovely crunching sound as I walked along. But the trees were not all that interesting. I did gather a few photos of the lake and beach from the cliff edge; I decided to stay on top as the lake level was high and the beach almost non-existent. Returning to the car I continued along the lake side road to Duttona Beach.
There is a public walkway to the beach that I found last year and so I drove to it and walked out to the beach. I didn't have a lot of maneuvering room with the lake level so high but I did get a number of interesting shots of the waves and high winds. I made my way back to the car while a chap in the next house busily organized his wood pile for winter. It seemed that most of the cottages were empty only the larger ones seemed to be occupied. Done with Duttona, I continued west to Port Glasgow. I hadn't been this far before so I was hoping for some new opportunities.
Along the way I explored the village of 'Eagle'. It seemed to be a bigger year-round community with some serious water treatment facilities down at the lake. I had a nice view of the lake from the cliff but saw no access route to the water. So I continued on to Port Glasgow. Arriving at the destination, I was disappointed to find that it was mainly a group of trailer parks. The place had a grassy park along the cliff edge but trees had grown up and there wasn't much of a view. I could see a path leading down to the beach but it seemed to be part of the trailer park so I felt I should avoid it. Needless to say that with the lack of colour and access, the place was a disappointment.
Time had progressed fast and I felt it was now time to head back, so I took the highway for the first section of the return trip. I did pass a few cemeteries which looked interesting but I didn't feel compelled to stop, perhaps tomorrow. Soon I was back to Port Stanley and able to get a bit of rest, it does tend to tire you out.
At sunset I decided to drive to the local beach and capture the setting sun. It was very windy and sand was blowing and piling up on the road. One smaller car was stuck in the sand drift and needed a tow from a truck to free itself. I found a parking spot out of the worst of the wind and hauled my equipment to the beach. It was a fight moving against the wind. I got the tripod setup and lens mounted but the wind was shaking it so much I was not sure I would get any usable photos.
While I was shooting, some wind surfers were busy getting their sails organized it was fun watching them being propelled by their sails. One chap repeatedly jumped 10+ feet in the air at the end of each speed run. I captured a few shots of them just before I packed up for the day.