Ice Bubbles

On January 2nd we had breakfast at the cottage and then packed up all our stuff.  We made a shopping list of things that need to come out next time.  It was a beautiful sunny morning with the temperature well above freezing.  There was hardly a breeze.  After we cleaned out the cottage and packed up all our stuff I put some oats out for the deer, changed the video card in the game camera, and we got ready to go.  Margarit headed for home with Helena and Anna and their pets.  Hailey and I decided to take a drive up to Abraham Lake, hopeful that the wind wouldn't be too bad.

As we got close to the lake the wind intensity increased.  The temperature got up as high as +10C, but the wind was howling once again, particularly at Windy Point.  We continued further up the lake as far as Cline River.  I was hopeful that once we got around the corner, the moutains would break the wind a little.  They did, but it was still pretty intense.

We parked the truck and wandered out onto the ice.  There were lots of ice bubbles, and quite a few other people out enjoying the day.  One group even brought skates and hockey sticks and went out onto the bare ice of the lake.  I dug out my 4x5 view camera and tried to take a shot of the ice bubbles.  I wanted to start my year of a photography on a positive note and improve on my poor performance in 2018.  I set the tripod down low and used a slightly wide lens to try and capture the ice bubbles.  At one point a gust of wind upset my tripod, but fortunately it blew the camera against me and I caught it, avoiding any damage. 

After finishing up the photography Hailey and I headed back to the cottage.  We picked up her rabbit, Joey, locked things up securely, and hit the road for home.  We made a stop in Rocky Mountain House for fuel and a late lunch.  At 2:00 in the afternoon the sun was shining brightly and the temperature peaked at +12C...!

We arrived back in the city at around 5:00... just after dark.  A pleasant but uneventful drive back home.  After unpacking we settled down for the evening and didn't do much of anything.... tired from the past several days out in the mountains.  A very enjoyable holiday break to say the least...!