Tag Archives: Pacific Northwest

Ferry travel = Stunning show

Above: the view from the back of the ferry, as it rounds the corner at the end of Navy Channel, heading into Village Bay, on Mayne Island. (About 30 minutes after leaving Saturna Island…)

Friday morning’s sunrise was exceptional.

 

Leaving Saturna-2

This is one of the first shots I took, about 15 minutes after we left Saturna Island, heading down the channel. I could tell it was going to be a promising sunrise. I love cloud cover, it adds drama!

Pretty soon, several other travelers looked up from their computer, device, or book, and came out on the deck to snap pictures with their phones. It was a spectacular show, and it kept getting better…

Ferry sunrise, with the silhouettes of Mt Baker on the left, and Saturna Island on the right. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above, the pointy silhouette of Mount Baker, in Washington State (did you know it’s a volcano?) in the far distance. To the right, the silhouette of Saturna’s Mount Fisher.

And in the other direction, the still dark blue part of the sky, and the ferry’s motion cutting a swath in the water. Those dark hills are on Mayne Island.

Mayne Queen ferry, going up Navy Channel, with Mayne Island on the right. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I slowed down my camera’s shutter speed, to get the motion blur on the wake.

Here is another shot of the ferry’s wake, down Navy Channel, in the direction of the sunrise:

Ferry's wake in Navy Channel, between Mayne and Pender Islands. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And then… hang on to your hat…

Mayne Queen ferry, quaint pictogram. Photo by Andrée Fredette

…or to the railing, because those colours are about to get boosted to the max!

 

Sunrise to the max, over Navy Channel, Southern Gulf Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

and one more, for good measure…

Insane sunrise oranges on Navy Channel, in the Southern Gulf Islands of BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And after a stop at Mayne Island, where the Victoria-bound travelers transferred to the Skeena Queen, another ferry, about 30 minutes later, the bright oranges began to fade, and became more subtle.

Aboard the Skeena Queen, leaving Mayne Island and headed for Swarz Bay, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And then the sky went into the pastels. Still absolutely gorgeous…

Subtle morning on the water, abord the Skeena Queen ferry, on the way to Swarz Bay. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Light on water: pure magic.

Water Moods – Photo Wednesday

Above: Header photo of the quick flow of water across a forest path, over pebbles, reflecting the sky.

Today’s theme is brought to you by the rains, which have fed all manner of ponds, seasonal creeks, and riverlets flowing around the wood paths, and the roads.

Surface tension, grasses bent by the water. Photo by Andrée Fredette

This is a macro shot of the surface tension of blades of grass, pushed by the water flow on a forest track.

 

Reed Abstract. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And more play with reed reflections on pond water. Amazing magic happens when you throw a stick into the pond! Sinuous waves.

And to conclude, I leave you with yesterday morning’s moonset, around 7 am, over Pender Island… Moody blues and pinks.

February 23, 2016 moonset over Pender Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

It pays to look out the window, early in the morning!

 

 

Where the newts live – Photo Wednesday

Above photo: hunting for newts in the pond, the photographer wore rubber boots…

There was a break in the rain. A little sunshine even… So I went for a walk in the forest, and headed for the pond.

Earth tongue mushroom trio. Photo by Andrée Fredette

On the path, I noticed some Black earth tongue mushrooms (Trichoglossum something…). Sorry about the fuzzy photo, forgot to bring a flash and it was very dark in the woods.

 

White worm coral mushroom. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And very close by, an old White worm coral mushroom (Clavaria vermicularis Sporocarp), which looked like it had been stepped on… Life is tough in the forest.

And then, at the pond, I enjoyed the quiet surface of the water.

A pond in the forest: newt habitat. Photo by Andrée Fredette
A forest pond = prime newt habitat.

Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). Photo by Andrée Fredette

Say hello to my little friend: Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa).  Here is a link with lots of information on this interesting salamander of the Pacific Northwest. Did you know that they have few predators because they are highly toxic?

There were a few in the water today, but the crowd will gather in a few weeks, when the sun warms up the water, for the big Spring Party. Reproduction involves a behaviour called “amplexus”, which – to the uninitiated – looks a lot like wrasslin’… Here is another link to inform the curious.

And to conclude this post, a slightly manipulated photo of the water that is quickly draining down the logging road, bending grasses as it goes, and creating a lovely abstract pattern in its wake.

 

Flow, abstract. Photo by Andrée Fredette

 

Friday’s Ferry Ride

Commuting from the islands to Victoria is a regular event for most of us. Some people take the ferry often enough that they lose their sense of wonder at the landscape.

Leaving Swarz Bay, island views in the distance. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Not me. I pay attention to details. The lovely beach with logs strewn about, shown above.

Cormorant Reunion, near Swarz Bay. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And the cormorants who hold reunions on the ferry traffic buoy near the Swarz Bay terminal, on Vancouver Island.

Cormorants get-together on buoy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And details on the venerable Mayne Queen ferry itself…

Mayne Queen Ferry lifebuoy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

On older ferries, the pictograms can be quite puzzling.

Pictogram on Mayne Queen Ferry. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Perhaps letting people know that this is not a garbage can…

Rusty links, story of my life. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I did write that the ferry is a venerable piece of equipment. It is over 50 years old, and despite regular maintenance, is showing its age.

 

Ferry wake, dramatic sky, Friday afternoon. Photo by Andrée Fredette

On a sunny afternoon, sitting on the back deck of the ferry offers up absolutely beautiful views of the wake, and the dramatic sky. On the right, the lumpy shadow is Salt Spring Island.

And arriving on Saturna, the ferry disturbs the birds that were perched on the dock pilings… But before they took off, I was able to get these shots, through the car window.

Cormorant, waiting. Photo by Andrée Fredette

The standard cormorant, first.

And a gull, of course.

 

Seagull, waiting for the ferry. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And I will close with my favorite shot of the day: a detail of the lighting on this 50+ year old ferry.

 

Lighting detail on the Good Old Queen. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Boats on the water – Photo Wednesday

This Wednesday, my post is about the water… and boats.

(Above: The header photo shows the Mayne Queen, the trusty ferry that serves the Southern Gulf Islands in BC. It is on its way through Navy Channel, with Mayne Island on the right, and North Pender island on the left. The clouds were nicely hugging the islands’ curves that day…)

 

Wave patterns on Plumper Sound, Southern Gulf Islands. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above: Looking down at the water, from the top of Warburton Pike (the highest place on Saturna Island), the waves created by boats echo off each other, in the narrow space of Plumper Sound, between Saturna and Pender islands. They create a moiré effect. A bit like the splashing in a bathtub…

And below, another shot of the Mayne Queen, our link to civilization… on its way to Saturna island…

 

Mayne Queen ferry on Navy Channel, on its way to Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette