ottawavelo

Gatineau River Yacht Club

It’s the Gatineau River Yacht Club’s 50th anniversary!

The club’s web page suggests quite clearly that this weekend’s celebrations were open to members and past members only, however I thought maybe I could have a quick look around and hopefully photograph their clubhouse designed by architect James Strutt, who designed two other of my favorite local gems – the Trinity United Church on Maitland Avenue and the Westboro Beach pavilions as seen in this post.

But ….. no luck. Here is as close this pooch and I managed to get.

Looks like a fun place from the mainland though.

This link has a great description of the clubs history.

On the way back along Chemin de la Mine I noticed these interesting sculptures.

And then this fun antique put-put put-ed by.

Osgoode Link Pathway

My daughter and a friend went to see a matinee at South Keys about a bike courier in New York City. In the meantime, I took advantage of being in the south end to re-visit the Osgoode Link Pathway. I have previously only biked the northern tip of the trail. I drove to the trailhead parking lot off Leitrim Road and biked South, getting as far as Flag Station Road, before heading back to pick up my movie goers.

Being a reclaimed rail corridor, the pathway is flat, straight and mostly shaded, crossing a few roads along the way. A pleasant ride and a good work out.

Thomas MacKay Day

This evening I decided to go for a quick ride and honour Thomas MacKay Day en route. My goal was to bike down the road in New Edinburgh which bears his name, and photo some projects along the way for which he was responsible.

This image captures two projects built under the supervision of our famous Scottish stonemason – the tier of Rideau Canal locks leading up from the Ottawa River and the Commissariat, Ottawa’s oldest stone building.

On the east side of the locks, close to where the above photo was taken, sits this small monument in the form of a celtic cross dedicated to those who died building of the canal. UPDATE, August 2017 – Unfortunately the cross was knocked over and has yet to be replaced.

The glyphs engraved on the face of the cross suggest the work (pick, shovel and wheelbarrow) and the hazards (explosions and disease carrying mosquitoes) associated with the building of the canal. Not sure what the harp in the centre symbolizes other than reinforcing the celtic theme of the monument.

There is another creative MacKay whose work is on display throughout the capital region. Janet MacKay is a talented sculptor and designer who was very much responsible for promoting and integrating bronze sculptures into the interpretive panels found along Confederation Boulevard, such as these.

This is what MacKay Street in New Edinburgh looks like as dusk settles. To the left is Rideau Hall, a mansion Thomas MacKay built for himself where the Governor General now resides. I wasn’t able to photograph the building but did capture the gate that surrounds the property with its distinct top heavy posts. Don’t know if they were designed and installed by Mr MacKay.

On the way home I joined many others along the shore of the Ottawa River to pause and admire tonights beautiful sunset.

Biking to the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology

I was about to recommend a route to a friend who is trying to figure out the safest bike commute from Island Park to Lancaster Road in the east end, until I realised I had never biked there during working hours. How good a recommendation would that have been? So at 4:30 yesterday afternoon, after driving home from Toronto, desperate to go for a bike ride, I tested out the route.

The purple line is the commute I would recommend to my friend, the red line is the additional path I took to get to the route and back.

The route starts in Fisher Park on the pathway that runs parallel to Byron, accessible from any of the adjoining streets. Follow the path as far as Island Park Drive.

It then continues along Island Park Drive to where it ends at Carling Avenue. As you can see the bike lanes on either side of the driveway aren’t overly generous in width and are a bit rough, but they are adequate. I felt safe. This is a popular road during rush hour as it leads to and from Pont Champlain across the Ottawa River, so proceed with extra caution along this stretch.

Things get a bit kooky at Carling. Continue across Carling to where it intersects Holland Avenue. A branch of the Experimental Farm Pathway starts here. Zip along until you reach a fork in the path. Bear right along the dirt path that leads into a wooded area. It weaves and floats up and down through towering trees, very magical.

Wooded Patch — Wooded path along the Experimental Farm

Turn left once this section of path ends and continue all the way down Cow Lane, then right on Morning Side Lane. I’ve rarely seen cars on these roads.

Midway down Morningside Lane turn left. That takes you to a crosswalk across Prince of Wales Drive. Continue straight through. The road turns right towards the canal locks across from Carleton Universty. After crossing the locks and carrying your bike down a few stairs, turn right up the bike path. Now it gets a bit convoluted once the path reaches Hogs Back Road. The path goes under the road, then along Hogs Back Road over the falls, and back under before continuing down the opposite side of the Rideau River.

This path meanders along the river through Vincent Massy Park. On a warm summers evening the park is filled with families pic-nicking around the many tables and bbq’s. The design of this elegant service pavilion and canopy allow for rain water to be channeled off the roof into undergrounds cisterns, minimizing reliance on the municipal water supply.

VMpark — Vincent Massey Services Pavilion, built in 2010

Close by are these older pavilions designed in the modernist style popular of the late fifties and sixties.

old pavillion — Vincent Massey Park Services Pavilion, built in 1957

Here’s a view further downstream where the O-train passes overhead.

Further down the path beyond Bank Street there is a trail sign directing bikers towards Pleasant Park Road. Once on this road it becomes the longest section of the route shared by bikes and cars. I am happy to report that riding along Pleasant Park Road at this time of day was… pleasant! I kid you not. The road is wide with ample room for both forms of transport and the road is in great shape.

There is an nice shortcut through Weston Park just before the eastern extremity of Pleasant Park Road. Now the messiest part of the route occurs just before reaching Lancaster Road, our final destination. That’s because St-Laurent Boulevard is a convoluted cluster at this point – a very tricky triangle to safely negotiate on a bike SO, I suggest cutting through the Elmvale Acres parking lot all the way to Smyth Road before crossing St Laurent at the intersection.

Bicycling directions to Unknown road - Google Maps — Safe passage through Elmvale Acres parking lot

Then just a short ride down Lancaster Road to the Museum and voila! Mission accomplished. Now that I’ve travelled the route and ironed out a few bugs in the process I feel quite confident recommending this route.

Ottawa to Calabogie

Calabogie lake is an increasingly popular destination for Ottawan’s in search of some Rest & Relaxation. There are also lots of Ottawa Valley historical sites to discover en route, and what better way to do so than by bike? Well exactly. Here’s the route I recommend.

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I followed Richmond Road on the way out of town. It was an important stretch in the early development of Ottawa and its surrounding communities. It’s usually a very busy road, but not so bad early weekend mornings.

There are many heritage buildings along the way, such as the Aylen-Heney house at 150 Richmond Road, built in the 1830’s to house labourers of Peter Aylen, the leader of a rioutous gang of Irish immigrants called the Shiners.

The former Maplelawn Estate is located at 529 Richmond Road.

Here’s another one a bit further down from Maplelawn. I love the iron detailing on the top of the stone fence.

This is The Olde Forge built in the early 1830’s where Richmond crosses Carling.

This old house was built by William Bell in the 1820’s. Its location is in stark contrast to its immediate surroundings, where Richmond passes over the Queensway across from the Bayshore Shopping Centre.

I continued along Robertson Road to where the Trans Canada Trail crosses overhead on an old converted rail line. So, under the train bridge and up a short path to the right I went, and voila! – I was on the trail. Now train tracks like to go straight and stay flat as much as possible, and this line was no exception, all the way to Carleton Place.

There is lots to see along this easy going stretch including wetlands, farmland, housing developments, Stittsville, and this bunch of huge solar panel structures sitting in a farmers field.

My route through Carleton Place was a charming meander, making me want to return someday and discover it in more detail. For example, check out the fabulous cornice moulding on this sucker!

Then, poof!, the road became a winding gravel road which made me think of this song – just replace West Virginia with Calabogie and Shenandoah with Madawaska when you sing it out loud in the shower.

I stopped and ate lunch by the dam in the tiny village of Clayton before continuing along Tatlock Road.

I’ll admit to being nervous as I approached Highway 511, mostly because it says Highway before the 511, but also because the shoulder on the side of this two lane road appeared very narrow or non-existant when I checked it out on Google Maps Street View. However riding along this stretch felt very safe. The road was in good shape and all the motorized vehicles gave me lots of room, including the huge pick-up trucks hauling big boats.

So I made it to Calabogie safe, sound, and happy. However I do need to invest in a good bike seat.

At the cottage I came across this great 1960’s tourist road map brochure. I love the graphics. Coincidently the route corresponds alot to this Bikely route I used to help me plan my route.

Return to Pointe-Gatineau

Bunch of streets still to be discovered in parts of Pointe Gatineau, so off I went.

The bike path goes past this sturdy old stone building built by the Gilmour Hughson Lumber Company in 1892 at the eastern edge of Jacques Cartier Park. At present it is la Maison du Vélo, out of which a community group called Le Grenier du Petit Sportif lends bikes and provides other velo services.

Once you cross the Lady Aberdeen Bridge you are in Pointe Gatineau.

I biked along some pleasant residential streets lined with single level homes, including this one that caught my eye for its immaculate layout of stones and grouting.

On the way home I decided to try crossing the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, something I would have never imagined possible as I’ve always considered the bridge being akin to the Queensway, until I happened across this Public Works questionnaire seeking out opinions on the re-design of pedestrian and bike lanes across the bridge.

So, off I went…

….and I LOVED it! What a glorious expansive view of the river which I hope they don’t impede with the renovations. I’ll mention it when I fill out the questionnaire.

Ottawa River Loop

There are a couple of small streets I had yet to cover on the other side of Pont Champlain, so this evening I biked along the Ottawa side of the river to get there, and then back home along the Gatineau side.

The streets in question are just off Chemin d’Aylmer right after you cross the bridge. Now Chemin d’Aylmer is a very spooky road to bike on at anytime, which is probably why it has taken me this long to visit, but I’m glad I did. Chemin Berkley-Powell is a quiet little promenade with vines inching onto the road on either side. They must look great in the Fall when their leaves turn bright red. It’s a dead end, but I zipped up a dirt path back onto Chemin d’Aylmer.

I only had to bike a little further before arriving at my next destination, Rue d’Augusta. Turns out it’s the entrance to a new development called Château Golf with a big stone gate. It’s right across the street from the Royal Ottawa Golf Club which is where this ball must have come from. I found it in the grass while pausing to take this photo.

Beyond the stone gate entrance are these sorts of buildings. All the exteriors are done in warm tones.

Back along the river, just west of the bridge, the exposed rock river bed has this incredible pattern.

‘Twas truly a glorious evening for a bike ride ….

Biking to South Keys Cinemas

Family decided to go see a film at South Keys Cinema this evening so I biked there!

I passed through Mooney’s Bay Park where I happened upon this large gathering of Canadian geese. other parts of the park were filled with folks barbecuing, playing beach volley ball, dragon boat racing, swimming, biking and more! It must be one of the most popular public facilities in town.

I continued along a stretch of Walkley Road, which maintains a precarious balance as a speedy four lane artery and a comfortable residential area. UPDATE, Summer 2014 – The Sawmill Creek Pathway has been extended! You can read more about this great section of pathway on in this post. To access this path requires continuing down Hogs Back and Brookfield, onto the Brookfield Pathway, which connects to The Sawmill Creek Pathway, as indicated by the orange line on the above map. This makes it possible to avoid riding down Walkley. The city should still install a bike lane along Walkley. Riding along this section is tense due to the fast moving traffic, much of it uncomfortably close regardless of how much I hugged the curb. Bike lanes on both sides would make it much safer, and human friendly, supporting what the homeowners are attempting to do based on the care they put into their houses and properties. The bike lanes would also further encourage commuting by bike.

I got off Walkley Road where it crosses over the OC Transpo transit way and carried my bike down the stairs to the bike path which meanders through the little used pathways around the Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland, described extensively on this Quadracycling in Ottawa blog page.

wetland — Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland

A pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway is being constructed which will allow for much better access to this recreational treasure. Here is a section of it mid-build. UPDATE, November 2014 – The Airport Parkway Bridge is officially open! I’ve indicated it by the green line on the above map. See this post for more.

UPDATE, Summer 2015 – A new point of access to South Keys Mall and the cinema has been created via a short pedestrian tunnel under the O-Train tracks, as indicated by the burgundy line on the above map. Signs are confusing but I checked with OC Transpo – bikes are allowed through the tunnel but walked, not ridden.

Off to Home Depot at Rush Hour

Had to get to Home Depot in the west end right in the middle of rush hour.
I could have driven….

… but decided to bike.
I chose a route that allowed me to re-visit the Cyrville Industrial Area. On my first ride through a month ago today I was struck by its mix of houses and industry, encircled by very heavy duty traffic arteries – St Laurent to the West, the Queensway to the North, the 417 to the East, and Innes Road to the South. Todays trip taught me that the surviving residential area is pretty much confined to the area defined by the three blocks Gossett St, Louis Lane and Marchand St, however I did notice this white house (below, left) on Triole St, all alone standing proud.

Innes Road over the 417 is treacherous. Too bad, because a bike lane starts right on the other side.

The Home Depot on Cyrville is really great – best service in town, apart from Preston Hardware which is in a league of its own.

Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery

A number of projects I’m working on has me delving into stories surrounding the horrors of war, particularly those involving Canadians. One tale I came across is that of Private Richard Rowland Thompson who in the Boer War Battle of Paardeberg saved the life of a wounded colleague and stayed with him throughout the heat of battle. He also attempted to save another as the fighting raged about him. For this he was the only Canadian recipient of a Queen’s Scarf of Honour, one of eight scarves crocheted by Queen Victoria in her final year of life. The scarf is now at the Canadian War Museum. Turns out the fellow is buried in the Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery. So I biked up the 105 right passed the small dirt road that leads to the small cemetery.

path — Path off the 105 towards the Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery

Realizing my mistake miles later, I headed back but not before cursing the terrible conditions of the 105 north of the Larimac golf course.

I also passed this very clever bike rack outside the Chelsea Smokehouse. They smoke fish.

Anyway, back to Private Richard Rowland Thompson … in commemoration of the honour Queen Victoria bestowed upon him, stone pillars flank the entrance to the small cemetery and a small cenotaph stands just beyond, listing the sons of Chelsea who fought and fell in the First and Second World Wars. It’s a very serene contemplative space, well worth the visit.