Yesterday, I was wondering what to do with myself, and had a notion to make another visit to the extraordinary Tommy Thompson Park, a/k/a the Leslie Street Spit.
I had been there in the summer of 2016, and found it a wonderful place. My blog entry for that walk is here:
https://aproposno.blogspot.ca/2016/10/summertime-at-tommy-thompson-park.html
I don't know what compelled me to go out there on one of the coldest days of the year, but I do know there's something about a clear, cold winter day that would offer some terrific sights, and a chance for some good photos - so off I went.
Ye gods, it was cold! Every time I took my gloves off to take a picture, I thought my hands would never be warm again! But, once inside gloves (and pockets) for a few minutes, they did warm up, and I got some pretty good pics that I'd like now to share.
The paved path was very easy to walk on, even in shoes, as I was. I guess there had been enough vehicular traffic over the last few weeks that the snow had been tamped down to a hard, dry surface, not unlike regular pavement.
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| If you look closely about mid-picture, you can see someone coming out of one of the paths. To my surprise, I met at least two dozen people, out for a walk, or taking photographs like I was! |
Here's the first view of the city skyline from the baselands.
I liked this pic because it looks like some of the smoke from the stacks at right is coming from the tall stack at the (long-decommissioned) Hearn Generating Station!
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| The French call it a "trompe-l'oeil" effect - Mr. Know-It-All |
Getting to one of the trails on the lake side of the park, I was reminded that, in winter, however blue the sky, Lake Ontario maintains this grey colour throughout the winter:
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| This is one of several lookout points along the east side of the Neck. |
This next series of pictures I'll refer to as:
A Natural Art Gallery
What stark beauty - and incredible shapes - mundane construction debris, like concrete and rebar, take on when coated with layers of snow and ice, and seen in bright sunlight!
And even natural things, like trees, logs, rocks and bushes, have an eerie, otherworldly appearance:
Moving along from the "Art Gallery," I was pretty amused by these ducks, just bobbing along on the surface of the lake, occasionally diving for food. Just another ho-hum day for them!
Another view of the skyline, across the outer harbour:
And, looking back, a more "honest" view of the twin smokestacks of a local aggregate company, quite separate from the one at the Hearn.
Mainly, though, I wanted to get a pic of the now-deserted marina berths that had been filled to capacity with watercraft during my summer visit.
Farther along, a full view of the outer harbour makes it look like the whole lake is frozen over, but of course, it's not. Don't go out there, kids!
Here's a view of one of the parts of the east-side endikement that juts out into the lake:
Another amusing sight was this port-a-potty, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
I wondered what combination of bravery, foolhardiness and desperation might compel a person to use it on a day like this!
A view similar to one in the summer, of some of the wetlands of the Cell One area:
And, from a distance, the large pond of Cell Three:
Finally, as far as I wanted to go yesterday; the pedestrian bridge between here and the farthest part of the park offers a great view of the Cell Three pond:
Farther along the bridge, the same pond looks like it's been cleared for skating or hockey, but it's only the action of the wind on the snow that's opened up this patch of shining ice.
Again, I wouldn't recommend trying it out.
And, as in summer, one of the greatest views of the Toronto skyline you'll ever see is at this point, looking across Embayment C, through Peninsulas C and D.
Finally, on the way back, the sun was setting (it was about 4:45 pm), and I wanted to get a pic of something reflecting the light, so it was back to that aggregate company's smokestacks.
However ho-hum the sight, it always looks better in the sunset, doesn't it?
That was my winter walk in Tommy Thompson Park.
I wasn't sure how it was going to go when I started out, and yes, it was bitterly cold, but the sights made the whole effort worthwhile.
This is a terrific place in all seasons, and I'm sure there will be more blog posts from here in the future, so do come back again!
