Saturday, March 31, 2018

The Winter Chill Upon The Ottawa River

You might remember back in early December I did a post from the Portage Bridge, looking downstream over the Ottawa River in a series of pics documenting the view over time. I decided to do so again, with the bulk of these views looking downstream again over the course of the winter. And I'll be doing the same from here again for the CDP theme day on Change coming up in October- perhaps a good idea for those of you considering options for that theme. 

This view was taken in early December 2017. The familiar sights of Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court were illuminated in the sun.


A few days later, after some snow and colder temperatures, this was the view. As you can see in the background, the river was starting to ice up. A portion of the river here does tend to stay open through winter regardless, thanks to the fast flow coming off the Chaudiere Falls just upstream.


I crossed the road here to photograph west towards the falls that day. The Chaudiere Bridge is seen here at the heart of the shot. A careful eye might pick up the mist behind it; that is the spray off the waterfalls. The new viewing platform is wisely closed off over the winter; the amount of mist coming off the falls would freeze that up considerably and make walking on it treacherous.


This one I took on the first Sunday in January.


Here it was in late January.


And here we have a view in mid-February.


Here we see it as it was on the 11th of March. The ice was slowly wearing away downstream.


I finish with these views one week later.


This sign is found close to the Gatineau shoreline.


And close to that shoreline in the open water I heard the sound of Canada geese honking. Some of them were swimming about in the current, the first time I've seen any since last fall. Odds are these ones were just taking a break before continuing to fly for points further north.

35 comments:

  1. I do enjoy these excursions through time. It's interesting that the river never ices all the way over because of the fast current; that must be some fast current! Again, some beautiful shots, William!

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  2. Great view of the sky and river freezing up!

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  3. Such beautiful views, William !

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  4. There are a lot of towers in the distance. Are they steeples?

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  5. Hello, pretty views of the icy river! Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend. Happy Easter to you and your family.

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  6. The “timely” views are always interesting!

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  7. Good idea to show the always changing conditions overthere, ity's a beautiful serie.

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  8. @Lowell: it is a powerful river.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Karl: thanks!

    @Sandi: that's Parliament Hill, though the spires of Notre Dame also appear.

    @Eileen: thank you.

    @Marleen: definitely.

    @Tom: I would never cross the ice on that river.

    @Marie: they are.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Jan: I thought so.

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  9. A really nice series, William!

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  10. It's interesting seeing it over the seasons! Sometimes it is startling even over various types of weather, which can vary week-to-week.

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  11. Good look at the slowly changing season.

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  12. Lots of snow and ice but somehow the river keeps flowing.

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  13. Great idea to show the river over the winter period!

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  14. Beautiful wintry shots ~ love canal ~

    Happy Days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  15. It’s fun to see the river in different times of year. What is always same is that the view is so beautiful :-)

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  16. Lindo poder admirar a mesma paisagem em épocas diferentes e constatar as mudanças ocorridas em cada estação
    Fotos magníficas
    “Que nessa Páscoa, independentemente de crenças religiosas, você tenha um grande encontro
    consigo mesmo e possa crescer enquanto ser humano, renovando-se a cada dia. Feliz Páscoa para você e os seus amados!”
    Beijos

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  17. Fantastic to see the ever-changing views and I enjoyed hearing about the geese.

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  18. A nice look of a beautiful changing area.

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  19. gorgeous city views ... i can understand why you live there and enjoy it so. nice shots! ( ;

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  20. @RedPat: thanks!

    @Jennifer: that's true.

    @Red: and it'll be quite different as spring and summer unfold.

    @Sharon: watching ice chunks move downstream, you really see how fast that current is.

    @Christine: it's a good spot, but cold on a winter's day.

    @Carol: thanks!

    @Tamago: true!

    @Gracita: thanks!

    @Mildred: I've seen more of them yesterday, flying overhead.

    @Bill: I wonder if we'll have high water again this year.

    @Beth: thank you!

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  21. Have to say I like the last photos the best, just because I love seeing signs of Spring. I remember the December post and hope I told you then that I think its a wonderful idea to take pictures from the same viewpoint over the course of time. I think it even more so after this post. (Like fast forwarding through winter.)

    The tulips in your header photo almost make me forget to scroll down to read your latest post. They are so beautiful.

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  22. Very interesting! Thanks William.
    Cool, cold, colder, colder, colder, coldest, cold, cool, SPRING!!!

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  23. There was more water in the dead of winter than I expected.

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  24. Old Man River...he just keeps flowing along... (cue the music)

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  25. Lovely views William, I think I like it best when there's enough water for reflections ☺ Thanks for the tip for October theme, good idea!

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  26. So good to see these views - lovely.

    All the best Jan

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  27. @Sallie: I already took the first shot for that October theme day this past weekend.

    @Pat: spring has taken its time getting here.

    @Mari: yes, that water stays open, but it would be brutally cold to fall into.

    @Kay: a good take on the river!

    @Grace: you're welcome!

    @Norma: it must have been.

    @Jan: thank you!

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  28. Hi WIlliam, I hope you will not mind, but I re-posted your caution about the Thai spammers in a post to appear on my blog tommorrow. I agree with your comment that they need to take a long walk off a (very) short pier!

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    1. A sensible thing to do. I keep hoping they'll actually see such sentiments and take a hint.

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