13 September 2009
Canada: Quebec: Outaouais Region: W shore Gatineau River below Barrage Mercier. 31J/12, 46.71641N 75.98508W TIME: 1900-1945. AIR TEMP: 12 C, sunny, sunset, calm. HABITAT: campsite in Aspen>Picea glauca woods with Cornus understorey along barerock riverbank. OBSERVER: Aleta Karstad Schueler, Frederick W. Schueler, Adam Zieleman. 2009/231/-, visit first session of painting that was finished in the morning. 19:00 Arrived at a dam run by Hydro Quebec, on the Gatineau River, 11.5 km NNW of Grand-Remous. We were hunting for the site where a collection of Orconectes immunis (Calico Crayfish) was made in 2004. Unable to get close to the original waypoint, we guessed which gravel roads might take us to the river. We passed a very old dam which was leaking from crumbling concrete at its base beside the road, and then arrived at a newer dam all fenced in with high chain link and locked gates. We turned right onto a road that shortly headed steeply downhill. We paused at the top, and while I got my painting kit out, Fred scouted down on foot, returning to say that there was a good campsite down here. I walked down ahead while the vehicle inched the trailer down the rough stony roadbed that sloped and turned at the same time.
A Gavia immer (Common Loon) called twice from the still waters above while I was on my way down, and the rushing of spillway streams into eddies greeted me as soon as the road levelled out. A magnificent sinuous flow of granite in every earth tone imaginable lay before me, alongside the smooth concrete teeth of the spillway where the silken white water and the satin black water slipped side by side over the lip of concrete to plunge into the eddies. The contrast between the crispness of the sweeping parallel lines of concrete and the fluid shapes of the languid rock in ropy parallel masses – fascinates me. One formation shows the ambitious precision of the minds of men, governing water to make it work – and the other tells a story of changes in the crust of the earth.
19:45 I have lost my light and must finish tomorrow. Adam has built a nice fire and the Kelly Kettle has water boiling to pour into the pot of noodles. We will stir in flaked chicken from a can and add green onions and mango pickle. In another pot I will lightly “fry” onions and summer squash.
14 September 2009
TIME: 1037-1122. AIR TEMP: ca 16 C, light overcast. HABITAT: Fern/Cattail/Solidago/Raspberry crack in bare-rock river shore below Hydro dam. OBSERVER: Frederick W. Schueler. 2009/232/db, cf Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York Fern) (Plant). common herb, specimen, from crack in rock below painting site. This has oval sori, and is more glabrous than the species description requires.
The cracks in the rock contain quite a mixed vegetation of the species collected, Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern), Typha latifolia (Broad-leaved Cattail), Solidago (Goldenrod), Rubus idaea (Red Raspberry), and Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting).
