Countryside Art Group - Show Updates

On the first of each month I will update the Countryside Art Group's blog with a listing of shows where the various artists in the Group are exhibiting their work.

If you get a chance come out and visit them at one or all of the shows.

As many of the current shows are cancelled due to COVID-19, the Countryside Art Group would like to wish everyone to be safe and enjoy good health during these challenging times.

Returning Home from Chutes

Today we are leaving Chutes Provincial Park to return home.

After breakfast and before we left, we wanted to go and see a full view of Big Chute Falls.

We followed the trail beyond the observation deck and went down a long flight of steep, wooden stairs.

This put us half way below the falls and above another set of rapids. 

It was soon time for us to make our way back to the campsite pack up our things and prepare the trailer for us to go home.

It wasn't long, before we were on the road and soon back on the Trans Canada Highway.

The return home was fairly uneventful, with only two slow downs for construction.
















About halfway home we stopped for fuel, took the time to stretch our legs and have lunch.

It wasn't long before we were back on the road again.















A couple of hours away from home we stopped to have supper, before continuing on our journey.

It was nice to finally make it home, but I wasn't impressed to see by flower beds had become overgrown with weeds.

Chutes Provincial Park

Today was our first full day at Chutes Provincial Park and after breakfast were are going to go hiking on the trails.

We started at the beginning of the trail at the observation deck by Big Chute Falls.

I of course, took many photographs of the water coming over the falls but I will find a place where I can get pictures of the entire falls from a distance.

From there we walked along the trail beside the River aux Sables and at a section of the trail by the rapids one of the soles of my hiking boot came off. Fortunately, we were not far from our campsite.
















Ron told me to stay and take my pictures and he would go back to the campsite and get a pair of my running shoes and return.

While I was waiting, I thought what are the odds of me loosing another sole off another pair of fairly new shoes? Two days ago, while Ron was tying down the canoe after fishing at the inlet at White Lake, I walked up the gravel road taking photographs and realized that I had lost the sole off of my loafer.

When Ron returned, he not only brought in my running shoes, he brought along a roll of duct tape and asked if I wanted him to patch up my hiking boot. I thought why not? Especially, since there was less than 30 miles (48km) of wear on them.

We continued following the trail, past the Seven Sister Rapids and stopped at the observation area before we crossed both of the Twin Bridges and started back down the River Aux Sables on the opposite side of the river.
















We managed to make it as far as just past the last of the Seven Sisters Rapids, to the next observation area when the other sole came off my pair of hiking boots. I had enough of this nonsense and took both boots off, put my running shoes on and at this point we turned around to go back to the campsite.

I placed my hiking boots where they belonged, in one of the trash containers for garbage since they did not even survive our two mile (3.2km) hike.

After lunch we decided that we would go back out on the trail again to go through the forest and see what kinds of birds and wildlife we could find. We also brought along my last pair of running shoes and the duct tape, just in case.

We went back up the River Aux Sables, across the Twin Bridges and this time took the trail to the left away from the river.


When we came to the fork in the trail we decided to continue going away from the river.

At the next fork in the road we went toward the river which took us to a beach and the rapids above Big Chute Falls.

We retraced our steps and continued on our path going back up the river and we again bypassed the trail leading back into the forest.

We continued along the river, back over the Twin Bridges and back to our campsite completing our afternoon walk of 3.2 miles (5.2km).

After supper we relaxed with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the campgrounds.

Tomorrow, there is one more small trail that we will take in the morning before we head back home.

Leaving White Lake and going to Chutes

Today we are leaving White Lake Provincial Park and heading back to Chutes Provincial Park for a couple of days so I can see the falls and walk the trails.

We decided to leave after breakfast because we were not sure how long we would be tied up in traffic due to construction.















On the way out of the Park we stopped and I got this photograph of the entrance sign for White Lake Provincial Park which is just off the highway.

We were pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't as bad and the delays were not as long as they had been on the way to White Lake.















Fortunately, we were early enough that they were drilling the holes in the rocks instead of preparing them with the blasting caps.

Although, where we were held up for almost an hour on the way to White Lake, once again gave us the longest wait time.















The company that is doing the work on this section of the highway is extremely slow. The fact they have barely moved beyond the set of traffic lights they were paving tells the story.

It took us a little over seven hours to get to Chutes Provincial Park and I was very happy to finally see the Park's sign.















We were in our campsite and set up by 4:00p.m. which gave us some time to walk around the park before it was time to make supper.

Our new campsite is right beside our original campsite, the difference is that this one has power so I can use my microwave and toaster.















After supper we spent the evening enjoying the peace and quiet.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to going hiking on the Twin Bridges Trail.

White Lake IV - A Work in Progress

Today is our last full day at White Lake Provincial Park and with breakfast over, while we were having our cup of coffee/tea we decided that we would walk the Tiny Bog Trail in the morning and after lunch we would go to on White Lake fishing.

The Tiny Bog Trail is 2.8 miles (4.5 km) in length, with a wide variety of terrain. The marshy areas would have a pathway made of wood planking, hard packed earth in other areas as well as a mix of pathways over rocks and around boulders as the trail goes up and downhill.

We weren't very far into the trail when we started to get into the marshy areas, where we went across a wooden path  followed by the hard packed earth trail and then another wooden path.

It wasn't long before we came to a spot on the trail where we could see a body of water edged on all sides by reeds, with a beaver lodge on the far side.

The trail continued with the terrain constantly changing and going up and down hill.

At the halfway point there was a lookout point with a bench, where you could catch glimpses of the lake below.















The trail continued through mainly forest, up and down hill, but in some areas there were large boulders scattered around here and there just sitting in among the trees.

They were probably carried there by glaciers millineia ago as they made their way across the Great Canadin Shield.

It wasn't long before we made it back to where the trail branched off and we returned to the car to go back to the campsite for lunch.

Before we made it there, Ron decided to follow a dirt road we hadn't been on to see where it went.

It was a good thing he did, as we found another place to launch the canoe into White Lake.

There was a quiet inlet with sheltered places that may be a good location for Ron to catch fish, without having to go to the boat launch and paddle a very long way to get here.

After having lunch we went back to the inlet and we got the canoe off the roof and into the water and Ron went fishing in the inlet and I stayed onshore and first went around and took a number of reference photographs.















I started my sketch by putting in the horizon line first. I added the land just above the horizon in the distance and gradually worked forward.

Next, I started putting in the islands on the right side of the lake, this was followed by the spit coming out from the left side.















It wasn't long before Ron came back into the inlet and moved slowly back and forth still trying to catch a fish.

I added a few coniferous trees onto the left side of the drawing.















As he made his next pass across the water in front of me, I decided to add him into the drawing.

On his last pass he almost caught a fish, just as he was bringing it into canoe it managed get free of the hook and back into the water.















It was time to go back to the campsite and after supper we enjoyed our final campfire.

Tomorrow, we pack up the few things that need to be tidied up and tied down and we will be on our way back to Chutes Provincial Park.

White Lake Campsite 79 - A Work in Progress

Today was our third day at White Lake Provincial Park with another sunny and warm 82F (28F) day.

After taking the dog out for her morning walk and enjoying the loons and their babies on the calm lake we returned to the trailer and had breakfast.















While relaxing over our morning cups of tea or coffee, we discussed our plans for the day. Ron wanted to go fishing and try his luck again, but with my knee still hurting from being in a cramped position in the canoe yesterday, I decided I would stay here at the campsite and sketch.

After taking a number of reference photographs I started this sketch of the empty campsite across the road. It had some lovely birch trees nestled among the pine and spruce trees, with a lot of wild flowers in bloom around the edges of the lot.

Ron returned a few hours later and once again he didn't have any luck catching Walleye, Northern Pike or any other type of fish for that matter.

We decided that after lunch, we would walk the Deer Lake Trail which gives the option of a 1 mile (1.5km) long walk to the observation deck or continue around Beaver Pond for 1.6 miles (2.5km).

The trail was fairly level with just one section that went slightly uphill and then back down to the observation deck.

The observation deck allowed you to view almost all of the Beaver Pond.















From there we opted to follow the Deer Lake Trail around the Beaver Pond.

Aside from a few pathways through the forest we were pretty much within sight of the pond.

Some areas of the path went over soft, wet, marshy areas and a pathway made of wood planking wound its way through the forest on the edge of the wetland.

While on the trail you would catch glimpses of birds and butterflies, hear the rustling sounds of small animals scurrying through the underbrush and the never ending chorus of frogs.

It wasn't long until we were back to the beginning of the trail and heading back to our campsite.

We saw the sign for Clearwater Lake and decided to check it out which is listed as a fairly easy trail and only 1.2 miles (2km) long.















When we arrived at the start of the trail, Ron wasn't particularly thrilled about reading the warnings about meeting a bear on the trail, but decided that with it being fairly well travelled, the odds were worth going anyway.

The trail going through the forest was of hard packed earth and fairly level without a lot of tree roots near the surface which, if you are not watching where you place your feet could be a problem.















It didn't take long for us to make our way to the lake which as we approached it, we could see the sandy bottom through the crystal clear water.

There were canoes available for rent and a bench by the water where you could sit and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place. The only sounds were the whispering of the leaves as the wind blew though them.















It was nice to see the fingerling speckled trout in the water by the shore and I watched them for a little while, until it was time to retrace our steps back to the car.

As we drove back to the campsite we talked about going on the Tiny Bog Trail in the morning and going fishing in the afternoon on our last full day in the park.















It wasn't long after we returned to the campsite that we had supper and the dog was taken for her final walk.

As the sun was setting it was time for a bonfire while we relaxed and enjoyed the evening.

White Lake I-III

After a good night's sleep, we were well rested and ready to explore White Lake Provincial Park which is a large 10,003 acres (4048.00 ha) park, that was established in 1963.

First, we walked down the path and along the edge of the lake, which as this time of the morning was like a mirror, reflecting back the images of the islands into the water.

After breakfast, we took the car to find the boat launch first and then decided that we would explore where the different roadways led throughout the various campsites.















White Lake I

We returned to the trailer to have lunch and afterward I got my camera, pencils and sketchbook together and we went back to the boat launch to go out on the lake.

Once on the lake we paddled along the shore toward where we had seen a large inlet with with reeds bull rushes and lily pads, which looked like a good place for fish.















White Lake II

While Ron fished, I started work on my first sketch which had a spit with spruce trees, coming out into the lake beside a pathway going through the reeds.

After about and hour, we moved along the reed bed toward another section of land with coniferous and deciduous trees.















White Lake III

A while later, we rounded the point and saw a couple of islands and the far shore of the lake.

I worked on that sketch until my knee started hurting, at which point I slowly started paddling back in the direction we came from letting Ron continue to fish. 

Unfortunately for Ron, the fish just weren't biting and once we were heading away from the inlet, Ron put his fishing gear away and we paddled back to the boat launch.

While I made supper, Ron took the dog out for a walk. When he returned, he filled the fire pit with wood so we could enjoy a fire while relaxing after our meal, with a beverage.

After everything was tidied up in the trailer, we started the fire and enjoyed the evening.

We stayed up until the fire was out and then headed off to bed.

We would decide in the morning what we would do, depending on the weather.