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Post by imec on Aug 24, 2009 3:39:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 5:09:57 GMT
It looks like a lovely day but everything seems strangely deserted to European eyes. We generally manage to fill up even our "wide open spaces."
Has something changed in the water to make the lake die? Acid rains?
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Post by bjd on Aug 24, 2009 10:03:30 GMT
Can you swim in that lake? It looks awfully cold.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 10:15:53 GMT
The water does look cold. The whit indicate you had a nice breezy day however,didn't see any sailboats. Some beautiful shots I.,especially enjoyed the close ups and any pictures of water are a special treat. Looks like a wonderful weekend getaway. Thank you for this.
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Post by imec on Aug 24, 2009 14:01:45 GMT
The lake has been used and abused for many years - pollution (sewage, farm run-off, recreational use), introduction of exotic biota, commercial fishing and hydro-electricity production (which artificially controls water levels. Currently, the lake is on a trend toward eutrophication due to due to excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. There is nowhere near enough industry in the area to produce significant quantities of acid rain. The lake is normally a pleasant temperature for swimming. This year it is a little on the cool side due to the unusually cool summer. Kids will swim anywhere though. There was quite a bit of activity on the lake but remember, it's a massive body of water in a province of only 1 million people. Quite a few sailboats were out, but a lot were still harbourside - the summer has been so awful that many have simply given up for the season.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 14:21:48 GMT
Ah,there's the sailboats. That's what I would have liked to be doing out there. "eutrophication"? Need to look that one up. Hmm,got it:lots of algae,depleting O2 levels...that would do it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 15:16:32 GMT
What a lovely lake, imec. I'm glad you had good weather for it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 24, 2009 16:04:29 GMT
Thank you for this beautiful trip to the beach, Imec! You take the greatest pictures. I love that sequence of the wrack line culminating in the visual surprise of the red cord on the sand. Where was the photo of the granite outcropping taken -- right on the beach? Your comment about Gimli and its Icelandic settlers made me look up where you mentioned the Icelandic festival. There's a bunch of stuff about Gimli in the festival link. It's wonderful to see all that expanse of unlittered, unpeopled land and water. Looking at those stony beaches, I imagined the first explorers and those taking the portage routes. It does look cool there, especially since it's still August -- kinda scary about the canola field blooming so late. That field made for a gorgeous picture, though.
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Post by imec on Aug 24, 2009 16:25:39 GMT
Where was the photo of the granite outcropping taken -- right on the beach? Yes the beach (and the whole Interlake area in fact) is littered with chunks of granite left by glaciers (Lake Winnipeg is one of the remnants of the huge glacial Lake Agassiz).
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Post by traveler63 on Aug 24, 2009 23:28:33 GMT
Thank you so much Imec, your pix really made my day as we sit here with humidity and 100 degree weather. It looks cool and peaceful and I love the green.
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Post by Jazz on Aug 25, 2009 18:00:21 GMT
Imec, I love your lake! The boats are great. (I love boats and small ferry rides.) This has inspired me to leap into the car and head north in the next few days. Our lakes are very isolated and free of people as well...my most loved area is the Bruce Peninsula and Georgian Bay, all along the coast to Tobermoray. Pristine, gorgeous...clear, clean green water and beautiful rocks. Georgian Bay is so huge that as you stand on the cliff, you have a sense of looking at the ocean. Have you ever been there?
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Post by imec on Aug 25, 2009 18:09:21 GMT
No, Jazz, I've never been. My daughter was there on a student exchange trip last year and loved it. I obviously need to get there myself!
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Post by Jazz on Aug 26, 2009 1:30:35 GMT
Imec, here is a sneak peek...on Georgian Bay, just south of Tobermoray,
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2009 1:46:05 GMT
I really miss those huge glacial rocks,there are gorgeous ones on Long Island however, we have 'kettle ponds",also formed by glaciers, no lakes. Jazz,that looks like the perfect perch for some contemplative musings. The water is so perfectly clear and the colors are sublime. I hope you go.
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Post by spindrift on Aug 26, 2009 8:08:24 GMT
I am delighted to have been informed about the existence of Lake Winnipeg. I can't get over the fact that there are so few people around the lake and on the roads. Like Australia! Lucky you not having to contend with hoardes of people.
I am thinking how nice it would be to have a small cabin on the lakeside with all the peace and quiet that one could desire. Do you have electricity and telephones in all the houses?
I love your pics, Imec. Be sure to carry your camera with you on your outings so that we can see more of the area where you live.
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Post by imec on Aug 26, 2009 15:12:39 GMT
Thanks. Keep in mind, this is the most populated and developed part of the lakeshore. The vast majority of the lakeshore (most notably, around the upper basin) is barely touched and much of it pristine. A vast area on the east side of the lake is pristine boreal forest which has been considered for world heritage status. There are aboriginal communities on the east side of the north basin into which supplies can only be delivered via "ice roads" - large paths cleared on the frozen lake in winter over which semi-trailers travel very slowly so as not to to create under ice waves which would severely damage the road. Gimli is near the bottom, just above the legend box.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2009 16:16:04 GMT
Jazz, Georgian Bay looks just beautiful.
Winnipeg sure has some really nice areas. Last time I was there, I did notice the large Aboriginal community there. Perhaps the biggest in Canada, other then the Northern Parts of the country. I also recall how friendly and laid back everyone was there.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 26, 2009 16:54:24 GMT
What a fascinating area. Have you been all around the lake, Imec? I thought this map was interesting in that it clearly shows the glacial path that created Lake Winnipeg. While looking for the above, I found this encouraging article: US and Canada Revisit Key Water Quality PactJune 14, 2009 Niagara FallsThe United States and Canada decided Saturday to update a key agreement that protects the Great Lakes from invasive species, climate change and other threats to the fresh water system, Associated Press reported. In a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, together with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, said the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which was last amended in 1987, was no longer adequate. “[The treaty] is a living instrument of our cooperation and partnership,” Clinton said during a press conference. “It has provided an effective framework for the last 100 years, but now we have to take stock of where we are and how we’re going to be proceeding with confidence and effectiveness into the future.” The agreement pledges the United States and Canada to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. Since its signing in 1972, levels of pollutants have dropped, and species like the bald eagle have made a comeback. However, many environmental groups and provincial and state governments have worried in recent years that the effort has lost momentum in lieu of growing populations, climate change and new chemical threats. “Today the Great Lakes face a number of new challenges, and as a result we are taking new steps to protect them,” Cannon said. “We will work together to make sure that citizens of both countries have access to safe, clean, healthy water.”
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Post by imec on Aug 26, 2009 17:08:00 GMT
What a fascinating area. Have you been all around the lake, Imec? Not even close. Its shoreline is 1750km, most of it inaccessible by road. I've ben to just about all of the locations identified on this map of the south basin.
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Post by hwinpp on Aug 27, 2009 2:39:35 GMT
Great pics of an area I have no clue about. Your pics suggest the lake doesn't get too many visitors or is Winnipeg Beach a quieter area?
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Post by imec on Aug 27, 2009 2:51:00 GMT
Well, Winnipeg Beach is actually one of the more "congested" areas of the lake. For perspective though, this is not the "public" beach but part of the beach behind private holiday residences. Grand Beach, across the lake is probably the best and busiest of the Lake Winnipeg beaches...
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Post by hwinpp on Aug 27, 2009 3:37:11 GMT
Wow, that beach looks like it's on the ocean, with some very calm water and extremely white sand. Looks like you took this from a lifeguard tower or something elevated, Imec. And what a horizon! Surely there musty be the odd 'sunset' pic in there?
Hmmm, just had another look at the map, there's already a 'Sunset Beach' there.
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Post by imec on Aug 27, 2009 14:23:11 GMT
This isn't my picture (just found it on the web - but it;s pretty typical GB shot). My sister-in-law's, in-law's used to have a lakefront cottage just north of Grand. Sunsets were amazing!!!
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Post by spindrift on Aug 27, 2009 14:51:35 GMT
I am missing a lot by not knowing anything of America. My son told me as much!
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Post by imec on Aug 27, 2009 17:45:21 GMT
I am missing a lot by not knowing anything of America. My son told me as much! pssst... the locals around here call our bit "Canada" - cute eh?
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Post by spindrift on Aug 27, 2009 19:45:15 GMT
* did I make a 'faux pas?'
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Post by imec on Aug 27, 2009 19:49:35 GMT
just pullin' your chain
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Post by spindrift on Aug 27, 2009 20:25:11 GMT
Imec? When you say 'Canola' do you mean Rapeseed?
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Post by imec on Aug 27, 2009 20:26:03 GMT
Yes, they changed the name some years ago - bit of a PR issue.
It's also a new cultivar which has a slightly different nutritional profile...
Canadian Oil Low Acid
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Post by spindrift on Aug 27, 2009 20:33:53 GMT
And it's only blooming now? In August? Wow.....it'll have to hurry up to be harvested before the cold weather starts....when does it start?
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