Need to see a little blue sky

Been pretty dull and damp for the last several days. Thought I could find a pic with some clear sky, here's one with some great clouds around the towers.

Who is eating the bread crumbs

Finally found out who was eating the bread I was throwing out. A Canada Jay, Whiskey-jack or meat bird.

From snow to freezing rain

Today remained fairly cool with a brisk wind. Tonight the sound of freezing rain on the windows isn't pleasant. I pulled out the generator and got it ready to go. With the wood furnace going I don't like it when the electricity fails. The fan has to keep going to keep the firebox cool.

After seeing the early morning sunrise I should have expected this weather. As they say red skys at night sailors delight, red skys in the morning sailors take warning. This is this AM's sunrise.

It's too early

Looked out the window last night around 10:00PM didn't look too bad. This AM was another story. Lots of snow could hardly open my storm door to get out. Shovelled out the door and a path to the garage. Finally the snow plow came through and plowed in the end of the driveway. Got that all cleaned up and another came through talk about Murphy's Law. Got out the tape measure there was 15cm.

By late this afternoon there was a hint of sunshine coming through.

From Crane Lake lookout

Another from the ATV ride Crane Lake to Roadhouse Rd. Nice weather today 12C with a little cloud, just right for getting some loads of wood. Days are drawing in so quickly now it's sundown by 6:30pm and sunrise around 7:45am.

Outlook Point/Forestry Point

Out early yesterday AM taking some pics with the sun coming up. This one of Outlook Point looked better in black and white and then I used a sepia preset.

Getting up to speed again

Out for an ATV trip south from highway 560 on the Crane Lake Rd around to the Roadhouse Rd. Great day a little chilly but the sun and clear skys finally came out in the afternoon. The fall colours were great, lots of frost in the ground in the AM. A good deep frost with a wind will likely take a lot of the leaves away.

Pictures of Bear River near just off 560, some fall pitcher plants near Crane Lake, and a small waterfall at the same spot.

Finally the sun but not for long

A bit of sunshine if only for a short while got me out early taking some pics. The trees are now at their best after this it's all down hill. Cooler weather down to -5C will put an end to the colours.Finally the top light on the new tower is blinking over Gowganda, final tune up of the tower will begins Tuesday. The new hi speed is all that it was supposed to be and allows many people in town the opportunity to get the information they want without waiting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

ATV ride to Obushkon Lake

My cousin Gord Clark and I went for a ride up to Obushkon Lake to get some pictures of the leaves, in the rain of course. While up on a high point I took this panorama shot of the area. Another of Gord, prospector in training.

Still the same old weather

Been dodging in between rain showers now for several days. It seems you just get started and down it comes. The outlook is not good for awhile, so will have to put up with it. Into town today ptui, ptui. Needed some new food and a couple of other chores but was still not pleasant. I suspect having to go over 200km. doesn't help especially with the price of gas.

Here are couple of more pics from the last batch. Looking down on some Water-shield and overlooking a marsh that is changing colours too.

October colours

Lots of rain the last few days and with more in the forecast. Temperatures are cool at night but are warming during the day. The leaves are turning real fast now. Went out in the rain and tried to get some colourful pics but hard to do when it's pouring out.

Some colours in one of the cutovers that have a lot of red maple regeneration and some on the ground with this British Soldier Lichen.

Well it had to happen in September

Usually it's earlier but it made it's way to us early this morning, a dusting of snow on the roofs. Most of the day windy with wet snow that never stayed on the ground, supposed to get more tomorrow.

Weather has been changing

For the last couple of days it has rained on and off all day and night. Yesterday was the first time for the wood furnace because it was so damp, today it has been going all day too. The temp is supposed to go to 3°C tonight with showers and wet snow. The forecast is for rain right through to Sunday. Oh Wow.
A pic of Banker's Bay on Gowganda Lake early, AM. last week.

More on the IPM-Steam

Not only were there lots of fueled tractors there were lots of steam engines too. Some were running balers, threshing machines and log saws.

The one in this series of pics is running a thresher, great show watching the fellow that was running it. He was busy as a one armed paperhanger.

By the way on the news tonight the IPM had over 80,000 paying customers come through their gates. More than they even imagined. The cleanup will last a month and then all the fields will be ploughed ready for next seasons crop.

International Plowing Match, Earlton, Ontario

For the first time ever the IPM has come to northern Ontario at Earlton, Ontario. History records that in 1846 when the first provincial exhibition was held in the city of Toronto, a special feature of the event was a plowing match. It took place on a farm on Young Street in the vicinity of St. Claire Avenue. The IPM has been in various locations in Ontario since 1913.

Today the plowing competitons are combined with a Rural Expo of farm related products, from tractors to GPS's, quilting and solar energy products. Shows of tractor pulls, music and picking the Queen of the Furrow. Check out the IPM here.

Here are a few pics of the old tractors on show.

Fall colours creeping in

Nice sunny weather with a bit of rain. The temps have been a little too hot recently but today it has moderated. Out cutting firewood yesterday and the day before and today putting in some new wires upstairs for all the computer equipment. This was a job I started a long time ago. Oh well it's in except for repairing the hole in the drywall.

A few pics from west of town of trees changing, has been very slow this year because of the dryness I think.

Tomorrow off to the Internation Plowing Match and Farm Exposition in Earlton, the first time ever in Northern Ontario. Crowds are expected as high as 70,000 over the 5 day period.

Canoe Trip 2009 Day 5

Last part of the trip today and by noon we should be in Matachewan. Everybody up early and a quick breakfast and on the way. Light showers started shortly afterward but no raincoats were needed as we dried just as fast. We have two rapids to do today one at Fort Matachewan an old Hudson Bay Post and another at Old Woman Rapids. The run at Fort Matachewan had a spillway which we took and the boys went down the rapids. At Old Woman Rapids we both got stuck on some rocks, the boys had to bail out and get off the bottom and we got stuck in the middle trying to stay away from where the boys ended up. The canoe swaped ends and I was looking upstream for awhile until we pushed off turned around and shot down through a trough that bought a wave over the bow into Brians lap. All in all a good run and lots of fun.
A little while later we could see the bridge of Matachewan and pulled up right beside the car that we left days earlier
Brian and I drove to Gowganda to get the truck and van while the boys cleaned up the goodies in the food barrel. A great trip had by all and the weather couldn't have been better.

No pics for the last part of the trip but a pic I took early this AM of Gowganda Lake with the fog rolling through

Canoe Trip 2009 Day 4

After eating breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, and red and green peppers, right from the package they came in, not bad for a dehydrated breakfast. We packed up and got underway fairly early. Today we would be travelling north for awhile on Mistinikon Lake, there are a few motorboats around today mostly fishermen. We travelled up the west side of Bell Island as the east side showed there were a few camps along shore where there is road access.

Further up the river we crossed highway 566 out of Matachewan, a bailey bridge crosses a lets vehicles and trucks travel further to the west. Lots of vehicles and more camps. We stayed pretty much to ourselves on the opposite shores.

A little further up we started into The Great Northern Bend where the Montreal River finally turns and flows south. This bend is all deep sand areas as the Matachewan dam holds the river back from the Upper Matachewan Lake. Here we portaged about 300m.+ to a campsite on the edge of the Upper Matachewan Lake. At the campsite the fire was still smoking as we had just missed it's former occupants who had left quite a mess. We cleaned up the site quite a bit before setting up camp and getting supper started. Again the night ended with a good fire.

Canoe Trip 2009 Day 3

Up early this AM on Rankin got Sam moving to go out and pump some water off shore, I think we lost him a couple of times in the fog. All of our water supplies are pumped and filtered with a Katadyn Combi Water Microfilter which removes all taste, odour, bacteria and protozoan cysts such as Legionella, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium, the main filter can be cleaned when needed on site. We have used it 2 years now without any problems. They say you could pump the water out of a swamp if needed. The main ceramic cartridge will pump 50,000L. depending on conditions. A+ on my list.

Got started around 10:00am and had 2 rapids soon into the trip, ended up at the portage going around Caribou Falls (280m). Had a good lunch before we headed north on Mistinikon Lake a very large lake with cliffs on both sides and very scenic. Boat traffic is on this lake coming in from a road from Matachewan. Not enough to hardly know they were there.

Later on we started to look for a campsite and found an old concrete dock that was at the end of a small bush road. It looked as if it was a loading area for boats long ago during the mining boom. Brian set up the tent on the dock, it had wood flooring and the boys camped a distance away as the night before they moved their tent down the beach in Rankin to get away from some sort of snoring that was going on. Honestly I never heard it at all.

Of course there was the usual evening campfire too.

Canoe Trip 2009 Day 2

Didn't get moving too fast the second day but finally got out to do some fishing. Paddled back to the base of the second rapids and did some fishing from the shore. Not much biting there so out in the canoe pitching Rapalas and ended up with a nice bunch of walleyes. They were added to the Maritime pasta dish that Brian served up. Good stuff. After supper the sun dipped into Rankin and we watched the fire as the moon came up over the trees.

Yesterday after almost a year waiting I finally got hi-speed internet. There is now a seat belt on my chair in front of the screen.

Canoe trip 2009 on the way to Matachewan via Montreal River

Just back from a great 5 day trip up to Matachewan, left at the Wapus Ck. on 560 and headed north on the west Montreal River. These were some of the finest days of the summer, sunny, low humidity, a touch of drizzle the first night and a bit on the last morning of the trip. Brian, (brother in law) and his son Sam and his friend Johnathan arrived Wednesday night for the start of the trip on Thursday. Got all the gear packed Wednesday for the big start in the AM.

Lots of campers at the Wapus landing and several motor boats were tied up. Off we go, up the Wapus to the Montreal River and north into Metikemedo Lake and finally into Penassi Lake, using some old canoe route information there were very few of the marked campsites still being used. Without a good spot it's difficult to pitch a couple of tents so we paddled on. Further north we rode out two good rapids with no trouble even though the water was low. Finally got to Rankin Lake where I had heard there was a great beach to camp on. Little did a know it was quite large for a small lake off the river a piece. All in all 27 Km. later we pitched camp a tired bunch of paddlers. Had enough energy to have a steak and potato supper and a short sit around the fire and an early turn in for the night.

We only seen one motor boat the all the way up and it was on Penassi Lake. Where we were at Rankin it would have been hard to get a motor boat in since the water is low in the rapids.