Art & Architecture – Page 8 – OttawaVeloOutaouais

Return to Stony Swamp

The last time I biked through the Greenbelt Stony Swamp Sector, many of the trails were closed due to wildfires in the area during this summer’s prolonged dry spell. I promised myself I would return once some of the trails were re-opened, so today I did. The blue line on the map is the route I followed to get there. Red line is how I got back.

I joined the Greenbelt trail network after crossing over highway 416. The ecological diversity in this area is remarkable.

Along the section of trail between Highway 416 and Moodie Drive I noticed this old stone pit someone had recently used to have a campfire.

I followed Moodie Drive to get to the trails west of Moodie. This wide gravel shoulder wasn’t too bad for the short distance I had to travel.

Just beyond the trailhead sits this wild bird care centre.

There are a couple of board walks along the trail that look out onto beaver ponds. This particular spot must be popular for feeding chickadees. I had only to pause for a moment before these bold little guys were all around me.

I happened upon lots of people holding out their hands onto which the birds would land, pluck a seed and then fly off.

Unfortunately not ALL the trails are open yet. I guess they are still cleaning up after the fire.

On the way back I biked through the residential area called Bells Corners East which appears to have been built up in the 50’s and 60’s. This house has retained much of it’s original detailing. I’ve seen similar big stars on houses through out the country, particularly in New Brunswick. They may symbolise something in particular, like the star in the Acadian flag, or they may also be a popular detail from the period. Not sure.

I then wound my way home along the Ottawa River.

Bike Ride to Vanier for brunch at Fontenelle!

The blue line is my ride before lunch. Red line is post feast.

After reading this delicious review of the Vanier Snack Shack, Carla suggested we meet there for lunch after my son’s Sunday practice at nearby Grandmaître arena. I got there first, but it was CLOSED! ‘Let’s go to Fontenelle then.” she suggested after I told her the sad news. “Fonte-where?” you ask, as did I. Well folks, if you’ve never been, you are in for a big-brunch treat. Extremely friendly, tasty generous helpings, and very reasonably priced. Click here to read what the Ottawa Breakfast Club has to say about this fine old fashioned diner. UPDATE July 2016: The original owners have sold the restaurant after 60 years of operation. The breakfast menu is still pretty much the same, however the interior has been completely renovated to a more modern look.

Oof – time to earn that feast! So I headed east on Montreal Road to check out some uncharted streets. First, a visit to the small area called Fairhaven which Urbsite describes as, “… a woodsy enclave of the early 1950s where Ottawa’s most progressive architects had designed modern houses for themselves.”. Great time of year to check them out, as the trees that camouflage these low-rise modernist dwellings are now leafless.

While following a little path starting at the corner of Lang’s Road and Greenhill Way I happened upon what I think is an old quarry.

I then biked through this newer development on the other side of Montreal Road.

I also cut across La Cité Collegiale campus before meandering through Vanier on the way home.

PS – While trying to find more info on Fairhaven I discovered this blog – ‘Mid-Century Modern Ottawa. A celebration of Mid-Century Modern (MCM) residential design in Ottawa‘. It’s like being in a candy store.

Another Big Hardware Store in Gatineau – The Saga Continues

I needed to find a particular shade of 1/4″ plywood for the latest theatre set I’ve designed. I found out there’s another big hardware store on the Quebec side that is accessible by bike path. It’s a Rona on Boulevard du Plateau, so I went and had a look. The blue line on the map is how I got there. The red line is how I got to Réno-Depot from Rona after not finding what I wanted, and then home.

The design of the bike path I followed along Boulevard des Allumettières was influenced by popular struggles to minimize the negative impact this major traffic artery would have on the social fabric of the area. This interpretive panel located in front of one of the three traffic calming round-abouts describes in part these struggles.

InterpPanel — Interpretive panel along Boulevard des Allumettières

For example one of the things they managed to set in place was no transport trucks allowed.

Boulevard des Allumettières is only five years old. It’s name is in reference to les Allumettières, female employees of EB Eddy, whose dangerous job it was to prepare and package wooden matches, a major local industry at the time. Their story is explained in this article.

It’s great that organized activism resulting in benefits to the community are acknowledged as part of the history of the area, as is the case with the above interpretive panel.

Backing up a bit, here is the path along Boulevard des Allumettèries just up from the Ruisseau de la Brasserie Pathway.

These are some of the sound dampening walls separating the traffic from the bike lanes and houses.

I had trouble figuring out how the path continued beyond the Promenade du Lac des Fées off-ramp, until this bicyclist, who had just passed me, suddenly appeared on the other side. I realised then that I was to follow a pair of switch backs that circled under the off-ramp. I guess the message spray painted on the concrete barrier is meant to discourage pedestrians tempted to hop over and avoid walking the longish switch backs.

After riding through part of Gatineau Park I arrived in the area in which the Rona is located. All very new development. Here’s what a section of Boulevard des Grives looks like. Note the designated bike lanes. Well done Ville de Gatineau.

So, I didn’t find what I was looking for at Rona. Glad I checked it out. Now it was time to head to Réno-Dépot.
Retracing my treads, I rolled back onto the Ruisseau des Brasseries Pathway and headed North. If you come upon this incredible graffiti painted on an errant boulder, and you are still planning on going to Réno-Dépot, you’ve gone too far. You should have turned left over a small bridge a hundred yards back. I’ve made this mistake a few times.

BUT continue on a bit further before turning around and you will come to this underpass, one of the more worked over graffiti sites I’ve happened upon on the Quebec side.

Got to Réno-Dépot. No luck. I’ll have to visit the orange bib brigade this side of the river and see if they have what I’m after.

By the time I headed home the sun had sufficiently set for the lights on the Rue Montcalm bridge to start twinkling.

Big Hardware Stores in Gatineau – The Unofficial Tour

Big hardware stores are where you buy construction stuff – lumber, mouldings, fence, etc, along with other hardware materials. Biking to those in Ottawa from downtown can be pretty daunting, but Réno-Dépôt in Gatineau is accessible via bike paths pretty much all the way. Yesterday I had to return some prop items to both Réno-Depot and Pilon hardware stores in Gatineau. They happen to be close together, so I made sure my ride took me past both stores.

The red line on the map below shows the best route to get to Réno-Dépôt. The blue line is where I diverged from this recommended route to get to Pilon, then Réno-Dépôt and beyond.

These huge steam pipes hug the wall where the bike path passes under the Portage Bridge on the Quebec side. Not too long ago they used to hiss and pop.

On one side of the path, just before it slips under Boulevard des Alummettières, sit these elegant, simple and effective demarcation posts.

Pilon is retro 60’s, from the design of the building, to it’s big old roof sign, to all the clean cut friendly salesmen sporting crisp shirts and ties. No orange bibs here, thank you very much.

Pretty soon there will be a bike path all along Boulevard de la Carrière, which you can take from Pilon to Réno, but right now they are in the middle of road repairs. Lousy to bike through. The changes to the road will result in separate lanes for cars, buses, trains and bikes. Here’s how it will appear, as seen in this section completed closer to Réno.

To get to the streets I wanted to cover further north I had to cross under highway 5 at Boulevard St Joseph. Avoid this intersection at all cost. If there exists a list of ‘worst intersections for bikes in Gatineau’ I am sure this one is on it. Cars fly down St Joseph while others zip on and off the highway ramps with barely a glance. An absolute mess.

The streets I visited just south of Boulevard Mont Bleu are filled with a great mix of housing styles from the fifties and sixties. One intriguing period style I’ve come across throughout the region has big black rocks set into the facade like so.

Great looking windows extending up to the roofline and tall recessed entrance on the one below.

Confident house — Mid-century modern, Gatineau style

Although it’s been extensively altered away from it’s 50’s origins, I love the mish mash of growth all around this one. The little boat up top suggests an image of the whole house being submerged with seaweed growing up and around it.

I then followed designated bike lanes from Boulevard Riel all the way to the Ruisseau-de-la-brasserie Pathway.

A final look at big steam pipes on the way back seen from under the Portage Bridge.

Théâtre de l’Île

Gatineau’s Théâtre de l’Île and the island on which it sits, just off the Ruisseau de la brasserie Pathway, are local treasures.

Yesterday morning I biked over to take care of a few details on a set I designed for a play called ‘Sous-sol à louer’ that opens on the 31st. This old stone bridge leads you onto the island.

bridge2 — View of stone bridge from the island

The 120 seat theatre is located in the Hull Water Works. Originally built in 1886, it was converted to its present use as a theatre in 1976.

The secluded grounds that extend behind the theatre are quite zen, especially in the spring with the sound of water gurgling by on either side.

This sculpture by Victor Tolgesy is located at the far end of the grounds.

This piece titled Sortie côté jardin was sculpted by Denis Charrette from a maple growing on the site. The tree was in bad shape and had to be cut down. The title of the piece is a play on words, côté jardin being the equivalent of the theatrical term ‘stage right’. The sculptor was inspired by a play written by Hedwige Herbiet, called La légende du Théâtre de l’Île.

It’s a great destination for a short ride, or a fine place to pause on a longer journey.

Carlingwood Mall via Crestview

Last Wednesday night I attended the Citizens For Safe Cycling AGM where Olivia Chow made a strong argument for truck sideguards. The keynote speaker Ralph Bueler presented loads of great facts and observations towards enhancing the presence of bicycling in urban communities. For example I learnt that the more bicyclists there are out there the safer it is for all of us. Strength in numbers. So here’s hoping that this blog encourages folks to travel and commute via pedal power, like those living in the neighbourhood of Crestview!

There were some streets in Crestview that I had yet to visit, so that’s where I headed Wednesday morning. The red line shows the route I followed to get there. The blue line is how I got home.

On the way there I biked through the Arboretum and along the canal which is in the process of being drained for the winter.

Hogs locks — Looking down the canal from the locks at Hogs Back

Here is a very accomplished mural located in General Burns Park I discovered en route.
UPDATE: Fall 2015 – Sadly the mural is no more. It’s been scraped down to a bare cinder block wall.

Crestview is a residential community with big old power lines cutting through north to south.

Consisting of mostly single detached dwellings, some of the houses date back to the mid 40’s. This one caught my eye. Even with recent vinyl siding, it has managed to maintain it’s mid-century modern look.

On the way back I stopped off at Value Village on the corner of Clyde and Baseline to find props for a play. The very kind woman at the cashier told me exactly where to find the one prop that was eluding me. “Carlingwood Mall! Just head down Clyde Avenue, which becomes Maitland, then turn up Carling and you’re there!”…… After thanking her I headed out to my bike and consulted my trusty map. Bicyclists unfortunately have to avoid Maitland and Carling if they can as they are filled with aggressive speeding cars. My map shows Clyde Avenue chopped in two just north of where I was. My instincts told me there must be a link accessible by bike that joins the two sections, so I decided to try my luck.

Clyde ends where it meets the Experimental Farm Pathway, however there is this little dirt trail that continues north, veering off to the right.

Making my way carefully along this muddy path I happened upon… an old ski tow?

The path opened onto a hill which must indeed have been a ski hill in the not too distant past.

I made my way down and joined the northern section of Clyde Avenue. Looking south at this vertical cliff, I came to understand why Clyde was chopped in two.

Wove my way through residential streets north of Carling to the Carlingwood Mall, found what I needed, and pedalled home along our majestic Ottawa River.

Regina Lane Mural

Some local communities are having success in addressing crime and safety issues through the creation of public art murals initiated by the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre. One impressive work located down Regina Lane was unveiled in late September. House of PainT Festival of Urban Arts and Culture was involved. Yesterday morning I biked over and checked it out. Lots to take in. While in the area I also took the opportunity to cover a few yet-to-be-explored streets on the south side of Carling.

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Images of the mural in its early stages of creation can be found on this site.

And here is the completed work. I wound up having to shoot a bunch of pictures and splicing them together to create one cohesive image. Click on it a couple of times to zoom in and get a good view of the entire piece. I highly recommend heading over and taking a look.

On the way back I noticed that the channel of water just before the Mill restaurant has been emptied. At the bottom there is a smaller channel carved out of the rock, partially covered by old timbers which look like they’ve been there for a long time.

I believe this channel acts as a reservoir for No.2 Generating Station, which houses some of the oldest operating hydro-electric equipment in Canada.

I visited the station a couple of years ago during the annual Doors Open weekend in June and remember the phenomenal power of the water rushing through by the rotational velocity of the huge turbines and the very loud humming noise they create. This clip gives you an idea of what it looks like inside.

Barbara Ann Scott Arena

Carla was lying in bed early Monday morning reading the news on her iPhone.
“Oh my God!,” the tone of her voice snapped me out of my half sleep.
“What’s wrong?”, I asked.
“Barbara Ann Scott died!”.

Carla designed the Barbara Ann Scott Gallery exhibit in city hall that opened in August. In the process we came to appreciate how, as a young skater from Ottawa, this remarkable and gracious woman became such an admired national hero. The exhibit commemorates her achievements and has on display many of the awards and memorabilia she donated to the city, including her 1948 Olympic gold medal. (UPDATE -2018: After an extended run at City Hall the exhibit ended, however interpretive elements on the life and accomplishments of Barabara Ann Scott are now on displayed in the entrance foyer of the Barbara Ann Scott Arena)

There is an arena on Baseline Road named in her honour, so yesterday rode out from Centretown to find it.

After stopping off at Fabricland, I pedalled down Baseline Road towards the arena. There is a short section of bike lane just beyond Woodroffe, as well as a shared bus/bike lane along another stretch, but for the most part there’s not much room to manoeuvre between the curb and fast moving cars. The alternate line on the above map is the route I recommend taking to avoid Baseline.

All hockey parents know how to get to the Barbara Ann Scott Arena, but signage identifying it as such is hard to find. Here it is as seen from the sidewalk along Baseline.

The quiet residential streets surrounding the arena appear to have been developed in the fifties, with lots of big mature trees providing a colourful canopy of Fall leaves – a fine area to bike through at this time of year.

I’ve heard we northerners are more at peace with the cycle of life and its various stages; birth, growth, death, rebirth, because we experience the change of seasons in such strong contrast. Maybe, but the third stage still hurts.

R.I.P. B.A.S.

Forêt Boucher Forest, via Chemin Garden

After telling a friend about this blog, she suggested Chemin Garden in Aylmer as a destination of interest. She should know, she lives there! Fabulous. While setting my coordinates for Chemin Garden I discovered Forêt Boucher just to the north, so I added it to my itinerary. Here’s how it all panned out.

Sunday morning is usually a pretty safe time to venture down streets I would normally avoid, however I can now confirm that Boulevard Alexandre Taché/Chemin d’Aylmer is terrible ALL the time. The little dirt path in the image below on the left is the only safe place for pedestrians and bicyclists alike who make the mistake of venturing along this street. I fortunately survived and was able to to make it to Pont Champlain, where I hopped onto the Voyageurs Pathway (image on the right). Oof!

At the southern end of Chemin Garden sits Howard’s Pawn Shop with its distinct high security front entrance.

The rest of Chemin Garden is graced with an interesting mix of small homes generously spaced apart. As my friend explained to me, this is as a result of their sewage being stored in septic tanks and decontaminated through drain fields, which requires the added space. The houses have also been around for a few decades, giving them time to develop and settle into their own personalities. Here are a few that caught my eye.

Continuing towards Forêt Boucher I passed these nifty benches outside a public pool. The curved ribs of the fish provide comfy back support. Cleverness all around.

Now let me try to explain biking through Forét Boucher. It is firstly a natural reserve with little way finding or interpretation. So, no trail signs. Bring a GPS. I used my iPhone Location Services a few times. Proceed with extreme caution as the paths are rough and narrow in spots, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Here are a few images to give a taste of what to expect.

I had hoped to work my way across the forest and wind up at the end of Chemin Antoine Boucher which defines the northern limit of the forest, but I overshot my mark and wound up even further north. I climbed up a ridge and found myself looking over this enormous Lafarge stone quarry.

I followed the trail under the power lines that bordered the edge of the stone pit as far as Chemin Pink. The trails north of Chemin Antoine Boucher are set by ATV’s. I didn’t come across any but I did meet another biker and his dog sporting a small cow bell.

By the time I got to Chemin Pink the drizzle had turned to rain so I bee-lined home along Chemin Pink and down through Gatineau Park. Twas’ a good ride with lots of discoveries.

Almonte Farmers Market for some of Steve & Uta’s Yummy Bread

Want some great sourdough bread? Well then next Saturday head to Almonte’s Fartmers Market and grab a loaf or two from Steve & Uta. That’s what I did yesterday morning. The blue line shows how I got there.

Robertson Road and Hazeldean Road is mostly malls and burbs, so I suggest biking along the Trans Canada Trail from Bells Corners to the other end of Kanata, as I’ve hi-lited on the above map in purple. I did however stop in at Bushtakah in Kanata to buy some bike gloves.

Just before the bridge over the Trans Canada Highway, three deer ran beside me for about a hundred yards before turning away from the road. See those white bums in the distance? That’s them.

I biked along a combination of hard packed dirt and paved roads from the Hazeldean/Spruce Ridge intersection as far as March Road. This shot is a good indication of the surrounding scenery. LOTS of square timber houses along the way.

Happened upon this auction along Corkery Road. They seem to be quite popular in the countryside.

We all went to one in Perth earlier this summer for the first time. It was lots of fun. Scored a silky tiger striped pillow and a framed print for $2! Kept the pillow for the car and sold the frame at the Shanghai Restaurant garage sale…. but I digress.

March Road has a narrow shoulder and fast moving cars, so it might be a wiser choice to continue down Old Almonte Road and weave your way west along quieter streets to Almonte.

Here are Steve and Uta in action. Uta is a great artist who will be creating an installation at FieldWorks next year. She also created the incredible head dress China Doll wore in this years Pride Parade.

After purchasing two loaves and tucking them away in my panniers, I went for a stroll through beautiful Almonte. Here’s a sample of sites to take in.

post office — Old Post Office, circa 1891

There is a short picturesque walkway along the Mississippi River with lots of interpretive panels explaining the defining role it has played in the history of the town. Nice views too, like this.

Carla and the kids joined me at the market, we ate, toured, shopped and headed home. Fine ride, great destination, excellent bread!