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September 30 Friday Bicycle touring from Ottawa Ontario to Ottawa Ontario We got up early and went downtown with Claren when she left for work. We put our bikes onto her bike rack and hauled them downtown without our panniers. We saw lots of cyclists and bike paths on our way downtown. Looks very cyclists-friendly with lots of green space. Claren dropped us off, and we headed toward the Parliament buildings. There is supposed to be a bike path around the back, but workmen were doing construction in the area and we couldn't find the bike path due to it being covered under heaps of construction material. We found another bike path that was paved part-way and then turned into hard-packed gravel. The path led us directly to the Mountain Equipment Co-op store. Unfortunately, it didn't open until 10 AM, and it was only 9. Sportables, a bike shop, was across the parking lot. Sharon's rear tire has a lot of play, so shed wanted to get it checked out. Unfortunately, Sportables didn't open until noon. Sharon, being a real biker, was hungry -- we had a small bowl of porridge at CJ's and Valerie's that Claren whipped up in the microwave -- but it only partially filled one corner of our very large stomachs. We thought of finding a diner for hot chocolates since it was so chilly. On the way, we found a Loeb's food store and went there instead. I stayed outside and read a book while watching our bikes, which has become our standard practice since Minnesota when my tires were mysteriously flattened. I managed to find an intermittent spot of sunshine. When Sharon returned we had banana-nut muffins to tide us over until lunch. We returned to MEC and bought a spare tube and a fleece hat for me -- which Sharon immediately claimed. I haven't worn it since I tried it on in the shop. Oh well, at least I still have my toque with the maple leaf on it (I re-acquired that from Sharon now that I have a new hat). Sharon bought a new Gore-Tex cycling rain jacket. Her old one is more like a J-cloth, than Saran Wrap. Her new one is blue with lots of reflective tape on it. It has some neat features: along with an extra long tail, so that when one is bent over cycling it still covers one's backside; there are thumb loops to keep the sleeves from pulling up; as well as zippers under the armpits for extra cooling on those long and hot ascents; an inside waterproof pocket for a wallet; and a vent stiffener on the back with a zipper to allow better flow-through cooling. It has been well thought out with cyclists in mind. Next, we hit the bike shop. The mechanic, who was an hour late because he went mountain biking in the Gatineau Hills -- at least he has his priorities straight -- tightened the cones on Sharon's axle. Hopefully that should fix it for another fifteen years. We didn't buy a water purifier since we didn't want to carry it for the next year before we use it. Besides, in Ontario we have to pay provincial sales tax, so we can save that by having Sharon's brother, Neil, buy it for us in Calgary and then Vicky can bring it with her when she flies to Portugal. (Which reminds me, Claren got a letter from Susan and it says she is meeting us for two weeks November 19th in Lisbon.) We found Sussex Drive. All we could see of the Prime Minister's house was fence. We continued on Rockcliffe Drive and found a great picnic area overlooking the water. Other than a couple of walkers, we had the entire place to ourselves. It was 2:30 PM, so we were fairly hungry. We gobbled down yogurt mixed with grapes, sunflower seeds and peanuts, with banana and nectarines thrown in for good measure. Our appetites sated, we headed along a bike path that follows the canal. It still amazes me the number of trees that are still green. A lot of the leaves that have changed have blown off and now litter the pathways. The many teapots of Chinese tea I drank last night are returning with a vengeance. I had to make a pit stop in the forest. I saw a great sign. It was for the Stoop and Scoop bylaw. Only in Ottawa. There was a picture of a squatting dog looking back with beady eyes at a pile of steaming dog poop. Under this picture were the words: Think About It. Another sign I saw in the park washroom read: No Washing Feet in Sinks. We followed the canal for quite a distance, then, remembering we were to meet Claren at 4:30 PM, we reluctantly turned our feather-light bikes around and headed back toward downtown. We decided to cross the canal so we could ride bike on the opposite side. We pushed our bikes across a pathway over some locks and got lost on an island of sorts and had to double back. At 4:25, we were about three blocks from the parking lot where Claren had left her car. Unfortunately, once again I had to make an emergency pith stop and with some sense of urgency headed into a gallery that said "Tourist Info." The washrooms turned out to be a long block away in an opposite corner of the building. When we got to the car it was 4:40. Claren's briefcase was inside the locked but vacant car, so we knew the Claren had already been to the car. In the cold and wind, we leaned our bikes against the vehicle's side and got out our books while awaiting her return. Slightly before we froze to death, Claren arrived and we gratefully sought refuge inside her little car. With the car's heater turned on high, she took us across a bridge into Hull, Quebec. Then we headed for Gatineau Park, which is advertised as two minutes away. The trees were spectacular. Many were orange and red. We stopped at some overlooks. We went to Beech Lake. (The photo taken after the Parliament Buildings is Meech Lake.) We went all the way to the end of a narrow gravel road until we reached the Prime Minister's summer home. There was a guard in a guard house -- a gate blocked farther passage. What a great job. Sitting in the middle of tranquil nowhere. Of course, we Canadian citizens are paying for that. We turned the car around and bumped back down the same narrow, windy, rutted gravel road. I could tell the Prime Minister flies in by helicopter. Extravagant "summer cottages" line the roadway, overlooking the lake. We went to the Champlain and Huron lookouts and watched a beautiful red sunset over the autumn leaves and flat farmland below. The Gatineau Hills rise right out of tabletop farm land. Back in Hull we stopped to admire the curvy architecture of the History of Man centre. Straight lines must have been outlawed; even the rails in the railings are bent. We ate lots of salad and breadsticks at the Italian Gardens Restaurant. When we returned to CJ and Valerie's placed, we watched Grumpy Old Men on video. I tightened my rear brakes since they weren't doing much when I applied them. I almost ran into the back of a van downtown yesterday when I only put my rear brake on. And they don't slow me down too much going downhill either. While adjusting my brakes, I noticed I had lost a nut off my front fender after lengthening it to accommodate my new 1 3/8 inch tire. |
