Photo of the Week 2012-06-04

A recent business trip to Northern Ontario provided some opportunity to explore the area from Sault Saint Marie to Manitouwadge. I had never driven the section of the Trans-Canada Highway from SSM to Hemlo and expected some great scenery. Although I`m certain it`s more dramatic in fall with the trees showing brilliant colours, the spring landscape still did not disappoint.
I lost cell coverage (on Bell) just 10 minutes north of ``the Soo`` and did not regain it until my last day when I drove back into SSM for my return flight. That left hours of driving completely free of the phone ringing or the Blackberry announcing arrival of a new email to take in the scenery.
With stops for business in SSM, Thessalon, Wawa, Manitouwadge, Hemlo and Marathon there were many sights along the way. I was travelling light as far a camera gear was concerned. I had just my 7D DSLR body with 24-105 zoom and my G12 as backup. This was more than enough to get some nice images and so far, my favourite location was Silver Falls just outside Wawa in the community of Michipicoten.

Cold Dawn at Silver Falls

The weather at home had been hot and humid, hovering around 30*C while I was away. Temperature up north had dropped to single digits after my first morning in SSM. On the last day I left the motel to find frost on the car, cold morning air and foggy patches moving lazily across the landscape. Immediately I thought of heading back to a scenic lookout over Lake Superior that I had visited the previous evening. On the way, again I passed by Silver Falls. The combination of warm water and cold air transformed the scene into something special. I stopped and enjoyed some time in the fresh air making different compositions of the scene capturing sunlight as it began to arrive.

DJE