Went to the lake this weekend

[invisible]

The snow falling on Winnipeg yesterday morning (yes, you read correctly) didn't stop me from going to the lake for the day. Steep Rock is a tiny hamlet on the shore of Lake Manitoba, which is one of the two main lakes here in Manitoba. Its attraction are some unique limestone cliffs.

The gods were kind to me: the day in Steep Rock (only 2.5 hours north of Winnipeg) was beyond beautiful.

1. The lake wasn't ready for swimming, as you can see here:
http://federicobuchbinder.com/img/v7/p550417499-4.jpg
f/3.2 @ 16 mm, 1/8000, ISO 200


2. The waves were frozen...
http://federicobuchbinder.com/img/v1/p998441469-4.jpg
f/3.5 @ 11 mm, 1/5000, ISO 200


3. ...but you could still see hints of the green-tinted water that make Lake Manitoba so special
http://federicobuchbinder.com/img/v1/p665452499-4.jpg
f/8 @ 28 mm, 1/1600, ISO 200


4. Cliffs
http://federicobuchbinder.com/img/v3/p688178544-4.jpg
f/2.8 @ 68 mm, 1/5000, ISO 200


5. The pelicans had their own opinion about the lake not being ready for swimming
http://federicobuchbinder.com/img/v3/p776543970-4.jpg
f/18 @ 75 mm, 1/500, ISO 200

All of these shot with Nikon D70s with Tamron 28-75mm and Tokina 11-16mm.


Thanks for looking...

[sleepingdragon]

Very beautiful shots. I can't believe all the ice there.
I like the jaggedness of the ice in the first shot.

When does all that ice melt?

[Fox Paw]

What awesome scenery. Good shots.

[bjorkfiend]

...

[Antarctican]

Lovely series! Once I got over the initial shock that there's that much ice still on a lake near Winnipeg, I really enjoyed these images. (I was also very surprised about the pelicans....I had no idea they would be in that area. Live and learn, eh?!)

[MissMia]

Beautiful!

Snowing in Winnipeg and over 100 here in Phoenix! Thanks for posting these so that I can dream of some place cold. :big grin:

[Jeff Jarboe]

looks like a nice day for a swim

[invisible]

When does all that ice melt?
According to one of the locals, it should all be water within 2-3 weeks. (It is unusual for it not to have melted by now, though. Manitoba weather is like that, impossible to predict...)

You're a trooper -- I like to leave that sorta thing for non-freezing days. :lol:
I'm not a trooper actually! As soon as I got there and saw that the water was not actually water, disappointment set in. Then I realized that this was a unique opportunity! It's very rare to see the lake frozen and at the same time see grass on the top of the cliffs... The temperature was about 5-10 ºC, so I didn't even have to wear a jacket.

(I was also very surprised about the pelicans....I had no idea they would be in that area. Live and learn, eh?!)
Although we have pelicans in various places here in Manitoba, I didn't expect to see them there either. Turns out that the water in that lake is very pure, therefore there's lots of fish, therefore pelicans :)

Thanks everybody for your comments!

[kundalini]

The first and last are :thumbsup:

[Mohain]

Snow! Still? looks cold!! Great set :)

[invisible]

Thanks kundalini and Mohain!

[PhotoJet]

Ok... it took quite an effort to look at these, as I am just about sick of snow, :puke: but I have to say that I love that first shot! :love::love:

I am now feeling very bad because you still have all this white nonsense and I am whining about snow. Shame on me!! :whip:

[invisible]

Thanks PhotoJet, those ice crystals were really a crazy sight, especially in mid-May. I just got an email from a local I met there telling me that all the ice is gone... only four days after these shots were taken.