On my ride yesterday morning I happened upon the Nepean Allotment Garden along Viewmount Drive.
The group Just Food has all of the community gardens throughout the city listed here.
Not far from the garden I discovered this impressive treehouse.
There are also many examples of houses designed in the Mid-Century Modern style throughout Nepean, such as this one.
The small east-end community of Briarcliffe is attempting to have itself designated as a mid-century architectural heritage site. Read more about it here and here. Made me think of the fantastic Mid-Century Modernist home depicted in the movie The Incredibles. I had to see what Ottawa architects were thinking at the time, so off I headed to Briarcliffe!
The architects success at designing homes in harmony with their natural surroundings made it a bit of a challenge to distinguish period details, especially since the natural environment has had a good fifty to sixty years to establish itself. However what can be seen of the houses in amongst the trees is wonderful. The community is also great to bike through, winding up-and-down quiet streets.
Another wonderful portion of todays trip was spent further contemplating the strange Rothwell Heights ghost town described in my earlier post. The mystery of this abandoned land has been resolved. Since the military took off it has been embroiled in a land claim by the Algonquin First Nations. So the narrative may be clearer, but the eeriness of the place remains. However it won’t be long before all that changes, as issues surrounding the Land Claims seem to have been resolved.
Biked back along the river. Try to make out the svelte early morning rowers in the distance.
Further up stream the New Edinburgh Boat Club is a lovely site to see.
On the way past the GG’s, I paused to take in this landscape installation set into the round-about commemorating the streetcars which once dominated the city landscape. More on that here.
Headed west and found myself in a residential area in the form of a triangular island, defined on three sides by busy traffic arteries: the Queensway, Richmond Road and Pinecrest Road.
It’s streets are laid out in such a way that vehicules are discouraged rushing through in search of short cuts. The area seemed to maintain a sense of quiet self containment. Fortunate circumstance despite the rush of traffic on all sides.
To get there I passed through a rich patch of forest called Frank Ryan Park.
On my way home along Iris Street behind Ikea I happened upon this front yard filled with eclectic sculptures.
Crossing the Lady Aberdeen Bridge over the Gatineau River just before it blends into the Ottawa River, one arrives in Pointe-Gatineau. NCC bike paths can be followed the entire way from downtown Ottawa.
Named after the point of land on which it sits at the confluence of these two mighty rivers, the area has a long history of settlement dating back to the early 1800’s. From the outset the Catholic Church established a dominant presence. The picturesque Saint-François-de-Sales church greets you just as you pedal over the bridge onto the eastern shore.
UPDATE– Fall 2016: There is a new multi-use path that goes along the edge of the river infront of the church, along Rue Jacques-Cartier and it’s fantastic! Click here for a description.
Many of the streets I explored behind the church are named after Catholic Saints (Rue Saint Josephat; Rue St Antoine; etc). Most of these streets are lined with comfy one story homes, however the main street beyond the church, Boulevard Gréber, feels like a battered strip which progress has left behind.
On the way there, or back, if you follow the bike path behind the Museum of Civilization you will come across this great series of sculptures titled People by Louis Archambault, originally presented at Montreal’s Expo 67.
When I dropped my sister off at her place on Kingston Avenue a couple of nights ago, we noticed a little tree sitting on her front yard, it’s base all wrapped up in burlap. It completely took her by surprise. We then noticed similar little trees on all the front yards along the street. I decided to bike by yesterday and see what had transpired. Sure enough they have all since been planted where they had been dropped.
She subsequently discovered from a neighbour that the city was going to cut down all the tall ash trees lining the street because of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer Beetle which was in the process of killing ash trees throughout the city. Amazing the devastation the little vermin is capable wreaking.
On my way home from Vanier, an area of town layer out in a network of twisting and turning streets I very much enjoy exploring, I cut through New Edinburgh to get to Sussex Drive. I was spurred on by this great story posted by an enthusiastic visitor to the Capital. It wasn’t clear in his post whether he had found a bike path along Sussex to take him to Rideau Falls. I have always found this section very treacherous to ride along, a fear heightened by the senseless death of Melanie Harris, killed by a city bus on this stretch of road. So, with fingers crossed, I checked it out. Hélas, there still aren’t any bike lanes heading west beyond King Edward HOWEVER I had heard that the NCC is in the planning stages of modifying the road to include two bike lanes. Heritage Ottawa isn’t keen on the need to tear down two old buildings (see below) to accommodate the changes proposed. Here is a link describing the planned changes.
Passing through the Experimental Farm on my way to cover some streets in the Parkwood Hills neighbourhood I happened upon a group of cows waiting anxiously at the field gate. As I was taking their picture two farm workers came down and opened the gate towards the barn. The cows hustled through. Their udders looked really full.
In tribute to our national holiday I set out to explore streets in Gatineau named after a few of our First Nations.
Rue des Algonquins and it’s surrounding streets are a pleasant meander along large wooded properties. Very nice to bike through. The Algonquins were residents in this area long before Mr Champlain floated up the river.
Rue des Montangais and surrounding streets have some big new chateauesque-ish homes.
Les rues des Hurons and Abénakis, had lots of parked cars.
The blue line on the above map is a very nice section of NCC bike path that weaves through wooded area and links up to a number of other paths.
Gatineau housing developments are rapidly pushing westward. Todays ride brought me to the frontier of one such development along Boulevard du Plateau. Here one can, or will be able to explore streets named after famous galleries such as Rue du Louvre, Rue du Prado, Rue Glenbow, etc, or roads named after European centres such as Rue de Munich, Rue de Naples, or Rue de Londres, etc. What they have to do with these famous places I do not know as of yet.
Construction is moving so rapidly that houses are popping up on streets that had yet to appear on a MapArt I bought a year ago. So rapid that they haven’t had time to install posts to hold up the new street signs.
On the Gatineau Park Pathway heading back from Frontierland, I noticed someone has painted the symbolic carré rouge along with the plea REVEILLEZ VOUS!
Signs of the times.
This morning I pedalled through the grounds of the original Ottawa Hunt Club.
With names like Paul Anka Drive and Rich Little Street I’m guessing the area was developed in the 60’s and 70’s. This interesting roof detail was quite prevalent along Plante Drive. They remind me of pill box fur hats also popular in the 60’s. UPDATE – March 2020 : It’s a house design called the Bonnechere introduced by the developer Robert Campeau who was very active in Ottawa in the 70’s. Here’s a link that includes a drawing and description of the design, mid-way down the post.
turning down Finch street I came upon this old log building, surrounded by these row houses.
Here is it’s story.
In other news, a blue heron scared the bejeezles out of me when it took off as I passed right beside him along the bike path in the arboretum on my way to Hunt Club Woods, Estate & Chase. Glorious elegant birds they are.
OttawaVeloOutaouais 