What better way to celebrate a 15th birthday than tubing the rapids of the Elora Gorge along the Grand River on a cool Sunday in September? The cool temperatures meant very little traffic on the river. The high rainfall this summer meant the river was looking more like it was April.
Even better, the 15 year old got in as a 14 year old and was half the price of an adult instead of full price because of it. Shhh – don’t tell anyone!
Elora Gorge Conservation Area is located just outside the town of Elora, Ontario. Although there is plenty of camping in, frankly, some of the best campsites in Ontario for privacy and size, the park is best known for tubing the gorge.
Tubing the Elora Gorge is fairly family friendly and not overly ‘extreme’. That is, except for the rapids at the point upstream where you put your tube in. This is a bit of a gauntlet that can flip you upside down and batter your feet, ankles and knees on the rock below the surface. Typically, there is a point halfway down the first rapids that acts as a washing machine and pins tubes in place until the rider ultimately loses balance and flips.
The great thing about going in September, on a cool morning and after a day of non-stop rain, is the fact that we were basically the only customers. The two boys tubed while I shuttled from the end back to the starting point.
I missed the tubing this year but had a great chance to get in some long exposure water blur photography. I screwed on my Polaroid Variable Range ND Filter and was able to shoot at places that are normally teeming with people during the summer.
The turbulent water of the Elora Gorge rapids look so calm when represented in a long exposure image.
I love the above image. The puddles and pools with the reflection of the sun lit trees above the gorge just look so cool beside the blur of the main channel of the Grand River.
The above is the waters of a small creek in the campground area that was quite swollen from the rain the day before. Where the water goes out of view in the image is where the water plunges over the side of the gorge wall and into the Grand River. At this time last year, the creek and waterfall was nothing more than a trickle.
At the end of the Elora Gorge, the Grand River widens as it leaves the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. This is a hot spot where tubers and fishermen collide. Mostly, this interaction is peaceful but I have witnessed a few confrontations. The Grand continues on through Cambridge and Brantford, eventually emptying into Lake Erie.
Looking upstream, back into the gorge. This is the getting out point for tubers. There is a bridge that crosses the river at this point which more resembles a causeway and is impossible to travel under.
The HD Video below was taken last year when the gorge was a little more crowded with tubers. Be sure to switch to the highest quality setting and be sure to hit the ‘Like’ button!
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