Sunday, January 15, 2012

Snow Day

Now don't start laughing, but it snowed in Victoria last night. I know that barely 2 cm of white stuff on the ground wouldn't count as a "real" snowfall in most locales, especially here in the Great White North, but for Victoria, 2 cm is almost a blizzard. Which isn't to say what we haven't had real blizzards, for we most assuredly have, but snow is a rarity here and anything more than a light dusting throws this town into a tizzy.
I couldn't resist a quick paddle this morning and wheeled my kayak down the hill. It's not often you see a guy in a Santa hat walking his kayaking in the snow. Even one of Victoria's finest was distracted from the traffic ticket she was writing.
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Louise would normally accompany me, but she stayed on shore and walked along beside me, the idea being that she could take a few shots of me and the snow for a Christmas card for next winter. She took some nice shots, but they'll have to wait until the holidays roll around again.
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I put in at the bottom of my hill....
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....and paddled into the quiet morning. Even the small amount of snow on the ground was enough to dampen the sound of the neighbourhood.
But I was quickly joined by a duck that landed right beside me. IMG_0459 copy
While the ducks and other fowl are fairly tame in this area, it's still a bit unusual for them to approach this close unless it's obvious that you have food. I suspect that they're feeling a bit hungry this time of year, although they certainly aren't suffering. When it became obvious that I was wasn't going to feed him, he went on his way.
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Enjoying the crisp and cool air, I continued on, past the (barely) snow covered trees...
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...while three swans swam towards me.
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The swans had also drawn the attention of a photographer on shore who asked if he could take a few pictures of "Santa" in his kayak, even though "Santa" never brought him the bicycle he wanted. Turns out he's a local professional photographer named Jason, and he snapped quite a few shots. I was starting to feel like Cindy Crawford.
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Check out his website,there's some nice stuff there.

I turned around at Craigflower bridge. Clouds were building to the east and there had been some wicked squalls blow through the last copy of days.
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In the end, the clouds never amounted to anything, but on the way back I encountered the swans again at the same spot, only now we were both going the opposite directions.
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A heron was bundled up against the cold...
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...while Cormorant Tree was draped in its namesakes.
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Meanwhile Louise kept pace with me, taking pictures as I drifted along in our temporary winter wonderland.
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I landed and began organizing myself for the always fun uphill trek with the kayak.
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Trip Length: 3.38 km
YTD: 3.38 km
More pictures are here.
2012-01-15 The Gorge
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14 comments:

  1. Perfect!!! LOL
    Great post. Would have loved to been out there but had to be a yogi this afternoon. Great photo wheeling the yak down the road. Obviously the police officer had a sense of humour too.

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  2. Nice paddle outing, with your ground crew keeping warm onshore!

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  3. It was a gorgeous day for a paddle indeed.

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  4. Yeah, it was. Where were you, Ryan? I was out in Cadboro Bay, noodling around Flower Island.

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  5. Just plain awesome! You're making it look like it might still be fun? Cheers from the other part of Canada - further east (the National Capital Region) with way more snow and ice! Beautiful pics! Thanks for the smiles!

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  6. Thanks for the kind words, folks!

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  7. I have been kayaking almost all winter here in the Okanagan Valley and loving it. I used to only kayak spring till fall and never thought of paddling in the winter but after paddling this winter I think I will be making it a habit. Absolutely love kayaking and reading other people's trips. Have an awesome day and thanks for sharing your trip!

    Guy

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  8. Is that a camera I see on the Stern of your kayak? Is it remote controlled or a video camera?

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  9. It's a GoPro video camera. I've got it set up to shoot stills, but it also shoots full HD video. It doesn't have a remote control, but one will be available soon.

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  10. Awesome! One of these days I will get a GoPro I like the quality of the videos I have seen from those cameras. I use a HD Kodak Playsport Video camera on my kayak. Mounted it to a monopod on the back of the front seat on my kayak in arm's reach so video and photos are close at hand. I rarely have a front passenger. Usually full of camping gear anyway. Here is a shot of the mount http://goo.gl/w9Z17 with my other camera mounted.

    Great post, Thanks for the reply.

    ~Guy

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  11. Nice set up! I used to use a monopod for my camera mount, until the set-up failed on the water and my camera went swimming. Now I use a Spirit Sail base as the mount, and hardware from Sticky Pod and this seems to work well. Go-Pros are awesome! :)

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  12. Need a good mount for sure! That Sticky Pod looks like a great mount but is there enough surface on your kayak for all 4 suction pads? I just got this mount for my LadyFriend "Fat Gecko Mini Camera Mount" http://goo.gl/3JSja it has one suction cup but man what a suction once mounted you can pick up the entire kayak with it. She also uses a paddle bungee for her camera just in case it might detach for safety.

    Awesome pics, keep paddling. I'm following your blog now.
    Have a great day!

    ~Guy

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  13. Thanks for Following, Guy. I don't think the Sticky Pod 4 pad mount would work unless you've got a boat with a really flat deck. That's why the Spirit Sail base works so well -- it's made for the curves of a kayak. The Fat Gecko looks interesting -- I'll have to check that out!

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