These views were taken from the top of Mount Mackay overlooking Thunder Bay in Ontario. You can see that the weather on the day was quite changeable. As Summer ended and autumn began it was quite wild as we looked out across to Pie Island and the Sleeping Giant and Lake Superior. As the heavy cloud came across and the hail fell it was time to head back down the mountain but away from the top we quickly warmed up and could enjoy the beautiful greenery of the forest trail.
So these three images of the Sleeping Giant were captured on two different mornings and from two different vantage points during my recent stay in Thunder Bay.
The first was on a rather overcast morning shot from the along the waterfront near the marina. The ship on the horizon looks huge in comparison to the giant and the low cloud in the distance resembles a plume of smoke adding to the atmosphere of this image.
The second and third views are from the boardwalk at Mission Marsh Conservation Area at sunrise. As you can see it was a beautiful golden morning with colours changing rapidly as the sun rose higher in the sky.
Today I have had a great day exploring a place called Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire and I took a number of pictures of the unusual rock formations which I will be sharing over the coming days but for today's blog I wanted to share one of my favourite pictures from my Canadian adventure.
I have posted several views of the Sleeping Giant and I don't tire of the view particularly as there are so many good memories associated with it. I really like this view of the sunset with the giant and the canoe it is such an evocative image. I hope that you like it as much as I do.
Today I have spent several hours editing and updating my new website and as much as I have enjoyed sorting through folders of photos and playing around with different layouts I am ready to put my computer to one side and take a break.
This would be a great spot to take a break, particularly on a sunny day as it was when this picture was taken. This is a view of the Sleeping Giant seen from Thunder Bay. The ship is a grain carrier coming in to the massive grain silos to collect its cargo and then sail through the great lakes and then who knows where.
I thought long and hard before posting this picture as I tend not to post images of my family but although this is a picture of my daughter she can't be identified from this shot so I decided it was OK to use it.
It is one of my favourite photos from the trip for a number of reasons. I love the sunburst and its reflection, I love the colours, I love the stillness of the water, I love the view of the Sleeping Giant and the reflection of the treeline on the far shore. I think it is a fantastic image.
Most of all though I love it because this was such a special moment. Setting off in the late evening to explore the lake we approached the island and we saw a family of otters swimming off to the reed beds and later a family of Loons, we experienced complete calm and it was wonderful bonding experience, creating some wonderful memories.
As we paddled back to camp the sun had dipped below the horizon and we returned in the dark guided in by torchlight. It was such a wonderful evening and sharing my love for the outdoors with my daughter is a moment from the trip that will always be precious to me. And on a day when I remember my father and the many things we did together it seems fitting to share a picture that sums up in part why I love being a dad.
I've been away camping for a few days and not able to post anything but I've been getting loads of photos which I can share in the weeks ahead.
Today's first picture was taken on the morning I left for the camping trip as I went for a short walk. These beautiful flowers added extra brightness to the morning, they're in a beautifully tended garden at Heritage Park overlooking the Sleeping Giant at Thunder Bay.
This second picture is a view of the Sleeping Giant as seen from Marie Louise Lake in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, there will be lots of different views that I will share because it was always changing. This particular picture was taken on a really calm morning just before a trip out onto the lake in a canoe. Again there will be more of these adventures in the coming weeks, after I've had time to sort through all my pictures but please come back to see...
Obviously the title for today's post relates to just the first picture. Later this year I will be going to Canada and for some of the time will be camping with friends in Sleeping Giant National Park. Last weekend I discovered that North Wales has it's own Sleeping Giant as can be seen in the first shot which is of the tip of Anglesey as seen from the beach at Gyrn Goch.
The next three pictures are focused on a group of three rocks but from slightly different viewpoints. I like the sheen on the rocks, I like the motion in the water and the soft colours in the sky. These pictures were taken just after the sun had finally dipped below the horizon giving a pinky glow.
