Thursday, April 2, 2015

I Must Strongly Recommend You Not Walk Across The Ice

A few days ago, I crossed the Rideau Canal on the Bronson Avenue bridge on a grey, bleak day. Here is where the Rideau Canal widens out into Dow's Lake. The ice might still cover the lake, but if you look at the right, where the Canal is, that's open water breaking up the narrows. That means the ice on the rest of the lake is getting very weak.



42 comments:

  1. Beautiful photo.
    You have grey bleak cold day, we have sunshine and blue skies. Unfortunately we are already in a high wildfire danger, starting tomorrow. Dry air and high winds. Temps already up to the 90.

    cheers, parsnip

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  2. Your header photo is stunning and by contrast I enjoyed this wintry shot also.

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  3. Oh I'm used to it. My wife is always telling me I'm walking on thin ice.

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  4. Do I detect from your recent posts that you're desperately looking for signs of the end of winter, if not the start of spring?

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  5. Grey, grey, grey ...

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  6. That won't be long to see the water flowing again.

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  7. Those bleak, gray days will soon be gone one hopes!

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  8. Every year some idiot ventures out onto the thawing ice of local lakes..every year some poor rescue team has to risk their lives for the idiot.
    Jane x

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  9. Ice breakers are still on a couple of major rivers here. Trying to prevent spring flooding.

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  10. Do not worry: no way I am going to do this!

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  11. @Whisk: thanks!

    @Parsnip: much of the West, not having had much precipitation in the winter, will pay for that with wildfire problems this year.

    @Denise: supposedly it'll be going up tomorrow. This morning, meanwhile, started with yet more snow!

    @Stuart: hah!

    @Linda: no, I'm actually enjoying the winter, but there will come a point it needs to end. It'll be delaying the tulips here come May.

    @Halcyon: it really starts with stress cracks in the ice, and I've been seeing that for the better part of a couple of weeks now.

    @Anna: very grey days. They can be a bother, but they can also make for dramatic looking images.

    @Marianne: the breakups always start in the narrowest areas of the Canal and work out from there.

    @Kate: not today, anyway!

    @Jane and Chris: it's a winter tradition.

    @Birdman: it's hoped that flooding can be averted on the Rideau River a short distance from the Canal this year.

    @Jose: I certainly wouldn't.

    @MB: given that the water's a good deal deeper here than the rest of the Canal, drowning in there would be a given.

    @VP: that appears to be a consensus.

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  12. No way I would walk out there at this time of year. The first signs of spring!

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  13. Not a good time to ice skate, methinks. :))

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  14. William, you would not find me out there on the ice on the lake under any circumstance!

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  15. I never, in all the years I lived in Minnesota, felt comfortable walking on an iced-over lake or river (rivers are the worst).

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  16. @Judy: one of the first signs of spring for me are chipmunks running about. Thus far, no sign of them.

    @EG: definitely not, though some of the outdoor rinks are still open.

    @Tex: very few would be that foolish.

    @Linda: I have no problem with being on the lake when the Canal is open, but once it closes, I stay off the ice.

    @Lowell: I have the same wariness of river ice- I won't cross the Ottawa River or the Rideau River in the depth of winter by ice, but the Canal itself is controlled water, so I feel confident about it. Once the ice is closed down, though, and those stress cracks show up along the length, that's just asking for trouble.

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  17. Never, no way, not ever! Are there many accidents at this time when people still try to walk on the lakes William?

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  18. Yeah, I chuckled just yesterday over a sign warning about walking on the ice.

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  19. Well, that means things are looking up as far as spring is concerned.

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  20. I don't think I'd attempt it. I hope you aren't sad that winter is letting go...

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  21. No worries! I doubt I'd ever get on the ice even when it's thick!

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  22. makes me think of It's a Wonderful Life. the movie, if you have never seen it?? we seem to be on different path on music/movies. not sure??! ha. ha!! so i don't/won't advise walking across water/ice ... not a good idea. but it would be fun to see what would happen? but i love your style/your sense of humor... good one, William. thanks for the laugh!! ( :

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  23. Very tricky! I would stay far from the ice..

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  24. I wouldn't think of it, the ice will be too thin for skating and the water will be much too cold for swimming.

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  25. I take it the ice was still solid when you crossed?

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  26. The black and white photo is beautiful!

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  27. @Grace: no, most people are sensible about staying off the ice.

    @Revrunner: this time of year one would be foolish!

    @Red: open water in the Canal is a big red flag for winter.

    @Ciel: it'll be back again.

    @Cheryl: I've never felt concerned about it during skating season.

    @Beth: I've seen it, but my idea of good Christmas movies are the first two Die Hards and The Ref.

    @Marleen: this time of year, it's just a matter of time before that ice goes quickly.

    @RedPat: you're welcome!

    @Jan: much too cold.

    @Norma: yes, I last crossed over that lake a couple of days before the skating season ended.

    @Carolann: it's the colour of the sky that gave it mostly a black and white look; the only real colour is one of those cars.

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  28. wish everyone would listen and use common sense when the ice starts to thaw.

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  29. Mmmmmh I'll give it a miss, I'm sure some people won't though William

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  30. I guess that's what they call " skating on thin ice" a grey day indeed.
    Hoping you have a wonderful Easter season

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  31. That's a sure sign your long winter may be giving way to spring.

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  32. thank you sir, I shall heed your warning ;)

    nice shot :)

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  33. What is this 'ice' you speak of? Like cubes in a drink?


    ALOHA from Honolulu, Fellow Sky Watcher
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  34. Yep! This is the dangerous time of year. I think the ice huts are off of Big Rideau, but they did have one sink one year. Citiots!

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  35. @Gill: sense can be a rarity this time of year.

    @Geoff: falling through is a fast way to die.

    @Dianne: we get those grey days a lot in winter.

    @Mari: winter can be that way.

    @Kay: at some point the ice must give way.

    @Jen: you're welcome!

    @Cloudia: not that ice!

    @Jennifer: some of the canal ice has broken up downtown near the Ottawa Locks.

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