So that is a wrap for this season. All the cabins have been put to bed for a long winter's nap...
Not much, but it is indeed snow. Yesterday a bit, today too. Nothing accumulating.
So that is a wrap for this season. All the cabins have been put to bed for a long winter's nap...
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The full moon is going to likely make it difficult to see the meteor shower Monday just before sunrise.
The penumbral eclipse was a no go here with the recent pervasive cloud cover. My volunteer headed off to Toronto yesterday, so I dropped her in Bancroft at the Greyhound bus stop. It rained heavily a couple of times during the trip, and lots of drippy.
It didn't rain in Madawaska. The ground was still dry when I got back. So much for the 70% forecast... Apparently rain on the way for 6, count 'em, 6 days! Somehow I doubt this bunch of weather is going to miss my little river valley. No wonder there are no calls for accommodation this weekend...I don't mind. Much as being host to people from all over the world is engaging, I could use a long nap.!
It IS raining here, but very lightly, such that one does not get wet outside. Seemingly overnight, the hills have lost that glow, and with the exception of a very few yellow leaves, the greyness of bare tree limbs has become the predominant colour. It's a good day to eat turkey.
Here comes the last long weekend of the season. Looks like we are getting good weather for most of it.
There will be turkey in the air...I mean the aroma of roasting ones. Might see a wild turkey by the side of the road, or a clutch of them. They have been much more visible this year than in the past, lots of sightings. Anyone driving through Algonquin Park in the dark tonight, be aware of moose! They can sneak up on a car pretty quickly. In other words, it isn't safe to "book it" through the Park after the sun goes down. In my 24 years here, there have been 3 very late arrivals due to collisions with these grand creatures. These unfortunate incidents all happened on the stretch of hwy 60 inside Park boundaries. That being said, moose are not restricted to the park, so collisions are possible on all local roads. Also, anyone on highway 60, keep in mind that there have been lots of speedtraps, especially on the long weekends, this season. Thanks to everyone who has been part of the experience here in 2013, tourists, volunteers, and regular clients. I will be taking bookings for the next while, weather permitting, but soon it will be time to plan and book your 2014 getaways. There is still lots of colour in the landscape, but the brilliant and deep reds are gone. It's very much like the dying flames of a campfire. Looks like this shiny weather is going to continue through the weekend, the nights are warming up again.
There are still lots of reds to be seen on a close up basis. Mushrooms are blooming too. Unlike my usual "it's not raining here", I am happy to report that it rained big time the last 24 hours. Why so happy? Because the mushrooms will bloom again. Excellent weather for such in the next few days.
Another beautiful day in paradise is drawing to a close. No frost here yet, but I have been taking the immense fuschia (aka my hummingbird feeder) in at night as a precaution.
Apparently hummingbirds can survive up to minus 20C. There were sightings of rufous hummingbirds last December, in Eganville and Ottawa. What the heck do they eat at that time of year? All the flowers are gone, so no nectar there. The tree sap isn't running any more, so no food there either. Even those sugar water feeders freeze at that temp (personally, I think hummingbirds need nectar, not sugar). Another of nature's mysteries... Overnight there was a huge boost in the colour level of the trees in this area. I just went for a wee drive, to see what's going on in the bigger world. I estimate 20% colour level, that up from 10% a couple of days ago, the last time I was on the highway.
The sun is shining here. On the highway, I had to use windshield wipers. So, as happens so often, it's not raining here, but it is within 1 km. I am asked daily what the weather will be. When I give my assessment, I often have people state that some info they see on their 4G device contradicts mine. Like, the meteorologists, who are sitting apparently in a building with no windows, are going to be more accurate than the nature signs that you can read. As Madawaska no longer has a weather reporting station, the reports for this spot are being modeled on info from Bancroft (yup, weather network, etc, are forecasting for here based on a place 45 km away as the crow flies). Bancroft is wayyyyyyy down the mountain, and on a completely different river system.
I use these criteria http://i.imgur.com/Jtb3E.jpg Nice to find it all in one place. Chilly to start, but just radiant. It's another beautiful day in paradise.
Wasaga correspondent reports says rain is heavy on that side of the Park. It did sprinkle, not enough to water the fuschia.
It seems some campers were scared off by the weather forecast. I just jaunted over to the post office and the highway (60) is quiet, and the outfitter has not rented all of their canoes. There's a core group here humming along, seems everyone is having fun. One cabin yet to arrive, and a few campers joining groups that are already here.
Before anyone arrived yesterday there was a serious soaker of a downpour, flooded a bunch of campsites again. Everything back to normal now, fishing, swimming, and canoing happening. It's a quality clientele. Really, it's not. It is raining all around here, as the thunder and lightning in the distance are proof of storm activity, but it is not raining here.
Really. It's obvious that the leaves are starting to change. It's not that they are turned, but I have been able to see the underlying orange of the maples for most of 2 weeks already.
I don't recall seeing leaf change this way in previous years. As usual, there are some early, stressed changers. There is a flash of red and orange here and there, some yellows with downed leaves (poplar, willow). This part is typical for mid August. What I find unusual is being able to see the underlying colour while the trees are still green. Maybe it's just me? Anyone thinking of colours jaunts to the countryside this autumn should consider booking now. The bookings for September and October are way up from last year. So much talk about summer being over. Well, it's not. Seems like it is just getting going here. Last week was fine, campers were happy. This week is great though. Nothing better than being by the water on these steamy days.
It's one of those things I keep hearing about this place, that the bathrooms are so clean. When I look at them, I see that the renovations can't come soon enough, the floor needs new something, and there is trim missing from past plumbing repairs, the showers are going to move into a shower shed...so I don't see them the same way a client does.
It's great to hear that though. It's also a credit to my clients, because they help keep it that way. It's a first! I just had people book a campsite for the rest of the day, because they cannot find a fish at Rock Lake, or Lake of Two Rivers, etc.
I've been sending people to Algonquin Park for years, for all kinds of things that are not provided here, like interpreted hiking trails, restaurant, art museum, TED talks, book signings. It's the first time I have had something that Algonquin Park does not have. Fish! There are fish here. Oh, except in the old days, when Algonquin had very few sites with electricity; I used to get lots of RVs, Europeans on tour. Now that the Park's organized campgrounds have been contracted out to a private interest, they have more than enough sites with electricity and water. I can take down the sign that says "Algonquin Park Overflow". Ok, so I already knew that. Kewl though that someone, who is camped in Algonquin, spotted habitat here for fish, and is fishing right now, as the weather change rolls in. Hope he gets a big pike! A little thunderstorm and downpour just moved through here. The phone rang. I thought I recognized the number...it was the camper on the farthest site, called the "presidential suite", asking if there was still a cabin available.
Sadly for them, no. However, I just received my first call from inside the grounds for a booking. Ah, the wonders of technology! Anyone who enjoys thunderstorms, this has been THE place for the last 2 days, and there is more to come. Fabulous light show last night, ending in a crash of rain. Lots of fair weather between the storms.
Fishing has been good during this series of meteorological events. Nature makes people smarter.
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/thinkaboutit_20130730_23221.mp3 With all the legislation and regulation in this (tourism) industry, how about some legislation to make people spend time in nature? For the good of all. It doesn't get better; light breeze, sunny, 30C. What more could you want?
But it's not raining here. As far as I can see, it has been raining in Bancroft most of the day.
3 drops. Yesterday, it did eventually rain. For 10 minutes. It's definitely old news now, but the fireflies have been lighting up the evening air for the last 2 weeks. It's always so magical to see them. They are somehow temperature dependent, only the warm nights, but I haven't figured out what the critical temperature is. It is rather tropical here, a downpour or 2 passed through overnight, and this morning is very humid and warm. Great day to be by the water.
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February 2018
AuthorSince 1989, I have been known to many as The Red Dear. Most of the rest of humankind calls me Sandra. Categories
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