For Family Day weekend, we decided to once again head to Rice Lake. While our cottage is closed for the winter, we reserved a cabin at Elmhirst Resort, which is sort of becoming a third home (second home being our own cottage, lol). The weekend was also an early gift for my birthday and - coincidentally - Valentine's Day.
We beat the forecasted snow squalls, arriving at Elmhirst mid-afternoon. After we got ourselves settled and I finished up some work-related tasks, it wasn't long before I was itching to go for a walk with my camera.
As in the summer the weather can change quickly on Rice Lake; when I left the cottage, it was overcast, but the sun - starting to set - was still peeking through. Within minutes of me setting up my camera, the lake had transformed to white-out conditions! I literally had to turn my lens to face the north end of the lake, or risk the front filter being coated in snow.
My "Polar Bear in a Blizzard" adaptation...
Just as quickly as it began, though, the squall petered out and the sun gradually become visible once again. As the snow abated, I could once again see the tiny ice-fishing huts peppering the lake. They looked so small and fragile.
Then, 30 minutes later, another squall rolled in. Time for me and my camera to go warm up, but not before a couple parting images.
Later that night (around 11pm), with a beautiful clear sky overhead, I had to go out once again to photograph the resort and the night sky. Here are a couple images from that series. The rest will be part of a different project. It was quite chilly out, but it hadn't yet dropped down to the bone-chilling -26C of the following morning. As I write this, it is still a beautiful clear sky, and a balmy -23C. Brrr.
The Day After
Overnight, temperatures plummeted. It was -26C in the morning, and only warmed up to about -23C before the sun started fading. A good part of our day was spent at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough (soon to be another project), but after returning to Elmhirst, we eventually braved the frigid temperatures and walked the shoreline to the main building, and back again, after having a great chat with two of the owners, Caroline and Stephen Elmhirst.
Ice fog, drifting off the lake in the background, provides a strong visual indicator of just how cold the air was. Rice Lake is not a deep lake, so by Sunday (the following day) there was noticeably less of this thermal manifestation.
A crystal-clear view of Bellmere Winds, where our cottage is located, all shuttered up for the winter.
Ice fishing in -26C weather. Now THAT'S dedication!
The lake was very solid, fozen to a depth of at least 6 inches, from what I was told, and it made for an easy (if chilly) bridge to walk from the resort to a neighboring island.
The last photo taken for the day. In those current temperatures there was no way I would brave more night-time photography!