I was very much looking forward to getting to Saint Bride and the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. I visited the reserve back in 2010...and remembered the tens of thousands of northern gannets that nest on the cliffs there. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
But, not this time! What I didn't count on was thick fog for the three days of my stay. I guess it's common in July. I understand that 28 of 31 days in July were foggy.
1: Cape Way Inn...this Inn is the closest lodging to Cape St. Mary's. I knew something was a little off when I was the only one staying at this rather popular Inn. It's not popular during the fog month!
2: This is the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve's Visitor Center. At times, the visibility was much worse. It's about a mile hike out to the gannets...and I was concerned that the fog would thicken to the point that I wouldn't be able to see the trail. I'm glad I didn't embarrass myself by asking how far the lighthouse was...as it turned out, it was about 100 yards away. I just couldn't see it!
3: Since I had come so far to see the gannets (I drove from Chicago), I stayed for a good part of the afternoon. For about an hour, the visibility improved to the degree that I could see the birds. I must say that I was impressed by the D850's performance in tracking the birds in flight in these very low contrast scenes!
4: I tried to use the fog to my advantage, but it was not to be when it came to the birds.
5: The fog wasn't going to lift, and it was too late for me to cancel my reservations at the Inn, so I spent a full day walking around the metropolis of Saint Bride...population 200. It turned out to be a fun day--trying to capture pictures of an area that I'm fairly certain doesn't draw a lot of photographers. Here's the Sacred Heart Catholic Church:
6: The cemetery is across the road...in the meantime, water was literally dripping from my camera and tripod.
7: And another...
8: In typical Newfoundland fashion, people kept stopping their cars on the road to talk with me. Of course, in the beginning I was always expecting them to challenge me on why I was taking photos of property. Instead, they would usually ask me where I am from (apparently it was obvious that I don't reside in Saint Bride)...and then they would give me all sorts of advice on good photo spots. A couple of people told me about the fishing harbor.
9: Now this a real working fishing area...I doubt if they've had a tourist on these old piers in a long time. I was tempted to walk to the harbor as the road isn't paved and my Prius has such low clearance. But, I made it OK. I was concerned about getting in the way of the fishermen...but just like everywhere else in Newfoundland, they were extremely friendly.
10: I think the fog helped make some of these photographs more interesting.
11: The diffused light certainly helps bring out the colors in subjects such as this stack of crab baskets.
12: Even the knots are colorful.
On my last night in Saint Bride, I decided to drive the 15 miles to Branch, Newfoundland to get some fish & chips for dinner. I was hesitant to drive there because there are so many deep potholes on the road. These potholes are dangerous...deeper than anything I've seen before and certainly capable of blowing a tire or far worse. Imagine driving 55 mph on a two lane highway and then swerving to avoid a super deep pothole...or hitting the pothole and losing control of the car! So, I drove about 25 mph and made my way to Branch.
The owner of the Inn where I stayed said that she won't drive when it rains...because she can't see the potholes well enough when they fill with water. I was so concerned about the condition of the roads that I called ahead to one of the upcoming B&B's to tell them that I might be a late arrival. I had a 450 mile day coming up...and if the roads were like the ones in Saint Bride, it would take far longer than I initially thought. Fortunately, the roads were much better throughout the rest of the island.
One last note...the weather changes dramatically within short distances. While I was stuck in the fog for three days, it was mostly sunny in Branch (15 miles away)! And, it had been like that for a while. Unfortunately, the fog never did lift for the gannets...and I went back three times to check.
Next up, Trinity and Bonavista...
Thanks for looking...and reading.
Glenn
But, not this time! What I didn't count on was thick fog for the three days of my stay. I guess it's common in July. I understand that 28 of 31 days in July were foggy.
1: Cape Way Inn...this Inn is the closest lodging to Cape St. Mary's. I knew something was a little off when I was the only one staying at this rather popular Inn. It's not popular during the fog month!
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
2: This is the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve's Visitor Center. At times, the visibility was much worse. It's about a mile hike out to the gannets...and I was concerned that the fog would thicken to the point that I wouldn't be able to see the trail. I'm glad I didn't embarrass myself by asking how far the lighthouse was...as it turned out, it was about 100 yards away. I just couldn't see it!
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
3: Since I had come so far to see the gannets (I drove from Chicago), I stayed for a good part of the afternoon. For about an hour, the visibility improved to the degree that I could see the birds. I must say that I was impressed by the D850's performance in tracking the birds in flight in these very low contrast scenes!
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
4: I tried to use the fog to my advantage, but it was not to be when it came to the birds.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
5: The fog wasn't going to lift, and it was too late for me to cancel my reservations at the Inn, so I spent a full day walking around the metropolis of Saint Bride...population 200. It turned out to be a fun day--trying to capture pictures of an area that I'm fairly certain doesn't draw a lot of photographers. Here's the Sacred Heart Catholic Church:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
6: The cemetery is across the road...in the meantime, water was literally dripping from my camera and tripod.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
7: And another...
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
8: In typical Newfoundland fashion, people kept stopping their cars on the road to talk with me. Of course, in the beginning I was always expecting them to challenge me on why I was taking photos of property. Instead, they would usually ask me where I am from (apparently it was obvious that I don't reside in Saint Bride)...and then they would give me all sorts of advice on good photo spots. A couple of people told me about the fishing harbor.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
9: Now this a real working fishing area...I doubt if they've had a tourist on these old piers in a long time. I was tempted to walk to the harbor as the road isn't paved and my Prius has such low clearance. But, I made it OK. I was concerned about getting in the way of the fishermen...but just like everywhere else in Newfoundland, they were extremely friendly.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
10: I think the fog helped make some of these photographs more interesting.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
11: The diffused light certainly helps bring out the colors in subjects such as this stack of crab baskets.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
12: Even the knots are colorful.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
On my last night in Saint Bride, I decided to drive the 15 miles to Branch, Newfoundland to get some fish & chips for dinner. I was hesitant to drive there because there are so many deep potholes on the road. These potholes are dangerous...deeper than anything I've seen before and certainly capable of blowing a tire or far worse. Imagine driving 55 mph on a two lane highway and then swerving to avoid a super deep pothole...or hitting the pothole and losing control of the car! So, I drove about 25 mph and made my way to Branch.
The owner of the Inn where I stayed said that she won't drive when it rains...because she can't see the potholes well enough when they fill with water. I was so concerned about the condition of the roads that I called ahead to one of the upcoming B&B's to tell them that I might be a late arrival. I had a 450 mile day coming up...and if the roads were like the ones in Saint Bride, it would take far longer than I initially thought. Fortunately, the roads were much better throughout the rest of the island.
One last note...the weather changes dramatically within short distances. While I was stuck in the fog for three days, it was mostly sunny in Branch (15 miles away)! And, it had been like that for a while. Unfortunately, the fog never did lift for the gannets...and I went back three times to check.
Next up, Trinity and Bonavista...
Thanks for looking...and reading.
Glenn
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