Archive for January, 2009

Fishing Shanties on the Chaleur Bay

Published on January 28, 2009 in Misc. 2 Comments

If you’re ever driving in northern NB, instead of taking Hwy11 it would be worth it to take the old Hwy 134 to be able to go thru all the small little villages and see some old houses and fishing community.  In Point la Nim, near Dalhousie Junction, they set up their bobhouse every year to ice fish Smelt which is a small little fish about 20cm long and very good.  I’ve always loved how colorful these little shanty are, especially the pink and yellow one.

Fishing Shanties on the Chaleur Bay
Fishing Shanties on the Chaleur Bay, New Brunswick

Mount Bailey – Mount Carleton Provincial Park

Published on January 26, 2009 in On the Road. 0 Comments

That was my first time up Mount Bailey, located in Mount Carleton Park in New-Brunswick at 560m, you might think it’s not that high but in winter it’s challenge.  We had set up a meeting point at the entrance of the Park, a few of my friends drove from Edmundston while others where following us by car.  We left early that morning, just to make sure we had enough time to get up/down the mountain and make the 2h trip back home before dawn… we made it.  It was such a nice day, sun was out shining on us, a bit chilly a some point but the hot chocolate helped us through the cold :)

I guess we were probably the first crew to head up Mount Bailey around this time of the year as there was no beaten trail, it made it even nicer but also harder for the first one who had to make the path.  On Mount Bailey there are old fascinating trees with lovely textures, I couldn’t resist shooting against a great blue sky.  There’s also areas where you can see patches of newly grown trees.


Old Tree on Mount Bailey, (2)Multiple Exposure in camera


Small Little Tree, Mount Bailey

Almost halfway up the mountain, the tree where covered in white snow which almost looked like if you were in a fairy tale, even if it was windy the snow seemed to stick to the tree like if it was meant to stay.  It took us around 3h to get to the top and about 45 min to get back down, we did took our time to climb so we could eat and have a hot drink.

If you’d like to see what’s the view from the top, best thing is to grab a pair of snowshoes and climb, it’s worth it.  At the viewpoint, you can clearly see Mount Sagamook and Mount Carleton.

Never ending tunnel

Published on January 19, 2009 in photography. 1 Comment

Winter season is always cold, especially with wind along the coast but once you enter the wooden area you can almost feel the warmth of the forest.  About a week ago we went for a 5km walk at Dailey Point which is about 10min from my place,  it was our Sunday walk at the park.  After feeding the checkadee-dee-dee in our hands we went to one of my favorite place, an area where you could almost fell you’re getting  into a never ending tunnel.  I could spend a whole entire day in that area, I just love it!  After a few minutes we decided to turn around to avoid the wind along the coast and the light started to change drastically, it became dark, blowing wind with snow.

We thought of leaving as the weather seemed to get worst but the sun wanted to break thru the thin layer of cloud, so we waited a bit and good thing we did.

Day 7 – Trip out West (Vancouver)

Published on January 12, 2009 in On the Road and photography. 2 Comments

Yep, my last day in Beautiful BC, what a great time it was!  Again, I woke up early, went for breakfast and walk my way to Granville Island hoping to eat good sushi and find some Matcha Tea and of course, do a bit of photography.  Walking on Granville bridge gives a nice overlook of the city, there are boats everywhere, little marina and people walking/jogging everywhere.  Granville Island is a must for any visitors in the Vancouver area, I spent most of my day looking at craft, art and getting food at the market.   


From Granville Bridge, Vancouver, BC


Granville Island, Vancouver, BC

Again, the weather wasn’t at its best so I’ve focused for the most part on textures.  I was amazed how green Vancouver was for a city, everywhere you look there’re Ivy’s, plants, trees and even more surprised to see leaves still on mid november.   Only a few areas you could see where Ivy’s had lost their leaves which gave place to some pretty amazing patterns and textures. 


Granville Bridge Pillar, Vancouver, BC

Days are short in November and I still had a few locations I wanted to see, in order to save time, I took the Aquabus from Granville to Horby St. it was well worth the 3$.   I dropped off a few things at the Hostel, got to the car a few blocks down the road and set the GPS to hit Stanley Park.  I was mainly going there for one thing, the totems.  Before I got to the totem, I walked around Beaver Lake, it’s lovely, lots of wildlife like Canadian Geese, Raccoons, Ducks and lots of other birds.


Raccoons at Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

It’s such a nice place and you definetly need more than half a day to go thru the park, there are lots of activities and if you have a chance, bring your bicycle or rent one.   If you decided to drive around the park it’s great, you get to see things fast but you’ll miss most of the best areas.   Once at the totem area, I have to say I was disappointed a bit, why you might think?  I wanted to be able to to close but there was water all around them, good thing I had my telephoto lens but my intentions were to use my wide angle on them.   Other than that it was great, lots of work has been done to create those magnificiant totem.    

 
Stanley Park Totem, Vancouver, BC

Day 6 – Trip out West (Whistler to Vancouver)

Published on January 6, 2009 in On the Road and photography. 1 Comment

Time does fly, I was feeling the end of my little road trip was ending and once more… rain.  That morning I woke up early to get to Horseshoe Bay in time for the ferry to Nanaimo, after paying 60$ and 1h later I decided more time around Vancouver would give me more time to shoot.  Once traffic started to move, I turned around, went for a refund and looked up all the little parks in the area using the GPS.

Hit up the road again but this time I took the Marine Drive to end up at Park Verdun.  West Vancouver has some pretty neat spots, I was impressed to see so much greenery in November. It looked like a tightly nit community, the school was just across the road and people were really easy to approach.  I had the chance to talk to a few locals that pointed out a few locations I should check.  Park Verdun is small but worth a stop, you can still see big old tree trunks and new vegetation that has now taken over.


Park Verdun, West Vancouver 2008


Park Verdun, West Vancouver 2008

On recommendation of a local, Whytecliff park a popular scuba diving area and the first park to become Canada’s first Marine Protected Area.  It has beautiful rugged coastline and cobble beach but watch out the rocks, they’re slippery.  It seemed there was lots of activity going on that day, especially once the ambulance, Coast Guard, Policeman and Air Ambulance came to rescue a lady that had swallowed too much water, she was later transferred to the local hospital by helicopter.


Whytecliff Park Beach, West Vancouver, 2008

My energy was to a minimum, still tired from driving and lack of sleep so I took it easy and relaxed a bit more while contemplating the sailboats and surroundings.  One day I’ll the sailing on that open sea.


Sailboat and flocking birds taken from Whytecliff Park, West Vancouver, 2008


Whytecliff Park, West Vancouver, 2008

My lat destination of the day was Lighthouse Park, the beauty and majesty of this old growth forest reveals one of the most spectacular views.  The light was getting lower and I knew I had to make it quick in order to get the best light but yet ready for any shots on the way with my camera around my neck with tripod in my hands.  An old man looked at me while I was walking fast and told me to turn left instead of going right, I said thanks with a big smile, and didn’t even asked him why.  Once I got to the end of the trail, I was pleased to see Vancouver with the glacier all lit up in the back.  I stayed there until sun set hoping the light would hit the skyscraper but it didn’t happen.


Vancouver taken from Lighthouse Park, West Vancouver, 2008

On my way back, capturing the beauty and majesty of those big old tree needed to be capture, on my way down the trail I had spotted this place and I knew exactly from where I wanted to take the shot.  Even at that time there was a lot of people walking the trail so I had to wait till it was clear to get what I wanted.


Lighthouse Park, West Vancouver

Day 5 – Trip out West (Jasper to Whistler)

Published on January 2, 2009 in On the Road. 1 Comment

What a lovely place Jasper is, if only I would’ve had more time… ah well there’s only so much you can do within 7 days. Around 4h30pm on my way to Jasper, it started getting darker as I was getting closerbut I could still see the mountains and beautiful landscapes.  I’ve stopped a few times, took a few long exposure shots pretty much just to document my trip and mark down a few spots I’d like to hit in the morning.

After a good night sleep, I grabbed a coffee and a muffin and took Hwy 93 toward Athabasca Falls.  For those who know me, if I can take an alternative route instead of the Hwy, I’ll do so.  There are two ways that I know to get to Athabasca Falls, the 93 or 93a… I took 93a, drove about 25km to see ROAD CLOSED with a gate to block the road, and I swear, I could probably hear the falls from where I was, oh well, nothing happens for nothing.  I turned around, drove a few km, stopped, set up my tripod and waited for the sun to come out while screaming every few minutes to let the nature know I was there (bear/grizzly) because it seemed like the proper place to see one.

Jasper
Pyramid Mountain Off Hwy 93a near Athabasca Falls, Jasper National Park

I finally made it to Athabasca Falls but I was delayed in time and it became overcast after my last few shots of the mountain, in a way it was a good thing.  I was able to shoot the stairs and path without harsh shadows, focusing on lines and textures without doing much shooting of the actual falls.  Those waterfalls are definitely a must during spring and beginning of summer, in November, not so much water flows but therefore no tourist around.


Steps at Athabasca Falls, Off Hwy 93, Jasper National Park

After spending about an hour, I took the road back to Whistler, BC, I knew it would be another long drive and I wanted to be there as early has possible since I had no reservation for that night.  Around Kamloops, the light condition started to change and gold tones started to pop out just before sunset.  One day, the Okanagan valley will be and area I plan on spending more time.


Near Savona, Okanagan Valley, BC

Got to Lillooet and it was already dark outside, I wish it would’ve been daylight because it’s seems like a different world, the roads aren’t the best with lots of curve and little wooden bridge but by far my favorite road and I plan on doing it again next time I head out West, it’s a MUST.  The 50km drive to Whistler took me an hour.  After my 10h I was drained out, my GPS was giving wrong indications and finding a place to stay was a hard task at 9pm.  A women at the tourism information gave me her friends contact information for a room for the night for 50$,  can’t say I wasn’t lucky.