By the Ottawa River, on foot

Yesterday afternoon we walked from our house across the MacDonald Cartier Bridge, along the Ottawa River bank (on the Sentier des Voyageurs skirting downtown Gatineau) and then, across the Portage Bridge, over Parliament Hill, through downtown Ottawa and home again, a loop of 7 or 8 km.

A very pleasant walk on a cloud free weekend, and as an extra bonus, we found that "Malak's Bed" was in bloom near the Musée des Civilisations.

This garden honours the photographer Malak Karsh, “ambassador” of Canada’s Capital Region. The famous tulip photo Karsh took here appeared on Canada’s one-dollar bills, as well as on Canadian postage stamps.

 Here are some of the photos we took:

The boardwalk from the Jacques Cartier Bridge
 to the Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau

Bank of the Ottawa River, seen from the boardwalk

The Maison Charron in the Jacques Cartier Park

Some of the snow artificially manufactured for Winterlude has still not melted

The marina by the Jacques Cartier Park, not yet in use.
View of Nepean Point on the Ottawa side.

View of the National Gallery from "Malak's Bed"

... and a view of Parliament Hill from the same spot

By the river on wheels

Green grass and willow trees by the Rideau,
between our house and the Minto Bridges

Cyclists and walkers are out in force today, everyone desperate for the sunshine after last week's cold, grey days, I assume. I'm glad to see so many parents teaching young children to ride their own little bikes along the paths. Chris and I have just come home from a short bike ride ourselves, following the trail by the Rideau River to the Hurdman corner and back, with a detour to the Rideau Falls where the viewing terrace is presently inaccessible, sealed off by a fence. I hope that means some reconstruction of the site will be happening soon.

Further upstream near the rapids between Strathcona Park and the Vanier park we sat on a bench watching the ducks, geese and people go by and enjoying the sparkle on the water. The trees are all turning green now (with catkins on the birches and bright red blossom on the maples) and there are many dandelions flowering in the green grass. We day-dreamed about cycling all the way to Kingston which at a pace of three or four hours cycling a day would take three or four days, depending on how strong we felt.

Lac Leamy

Walking round this inlet of the Gatineau River can give you a nice view of the sunset looking towards the Gatineau Hills from the eastern beach. On the opposite side of the water by the parking lot is the Bistro Le St. Eloi and a place where you can rent canoes (or, in the winter, skates, skis or snowshoes).

Wikipedia image

The lake is named after Andrew Leamy, an Irish settler in the region who operated a mill near the lake. He was married to Erexina Wright, the granddaughter of Hull's founder, Philemon Wright. The area became heavily industrialized in the nineteenth century. [...] In the 1960s much of the area around the lake was turned into a large park. (Wikipedia)

Between Lac Leamy and the adjoining Lac de la Carrière, a former quarry, is the Casino and Hilton Hotel.

On Wednesday evening, we saw a pair of loons * on the water and banks of violets flowering against fallen logs. Commandeered by a French speaking instructor, a ladies' fitness group kept overtaking us on the path round the lake, looking like a delegation from the Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks.

*****

* On second thoughts, I think they were mergansers.

April by the Rideau

Last night we saw bats fluttering around the trees by the Rideau River and either a small beaver or a large muskrat swimming in the water. Birds and squirrels are busy at their nests or dreys. People are active too, with impromptu games of soccer or tennis happening on the grass. The weather's decidedly changeable, with a 20º drop in temperature last night.

Meech Creek and the former carbide mill

A popular walk near Lac Meech in the Gatineau Park takes you to the ruins of a mill on the banks of Meech Creek. This little river flows out of Lake Meech at its southern end, meanders through fields under a covered bridge and under what will soon be the extension of Highway 5 (what a mess) and eventually runs into the Gatineau River.

At the peak of the lumber trade in the 1800s this narrow watercourse channeled logs to a sawmill at Farm Point.

(From a webpage about the Lower Gatineau Heritage Trail) 

Wikimedia image of the carbide mill

However, the mill further upstream in the forest had nothing to do with lumber.

Thomas Leopold "Carbide" Willson (an associate of Lord Kelvin) was a turn of the (20th) century entrepreneur and scientist-engineer, the first person to own a car in Ottawa.

In 1907 he built a summer house on Meech Lake in what is now Gatineau Park. (The house is now owned by the federal government, and notable for being the site of negotiations on the Meech Lake Accord). In 1911, he began experimenting with the condensation of phosphoric acid in the manufacture of fertilizers at a mill on Meech Creek within the park. Due to this venture and running out of capital, he lost nearly all of his estate to his creditor, American tobacco king J. B. Duke.

(Wikipedia)

Photo by Chris Hobbs

You can still see traces of Willson's ambitious project (condensing phosphates to produce fertiliser) on Meech Creek, around what remains of his mill. It's a place worth seeing in any case, the waterfalls above and below it being very attractive.

Low water

The water flow to the lower reaches of the Rideau must have been regulated last week, because its surface level was very low. Rocks and debris that we don't usually see were exposed to view. Three kayaks were out on the river on Saturday, each one containing two paddlers: a risky activity, because if anyone were to fall in at this time of year, the coldness of the water would be hard to survive for long.

The River's Daily Mean Flow is measured and monitored.

Spring seems early this year though. I have already seen swallows near the Ottawa River.

I assume the Rideau Canal through Ottawa is about to be filled in preparation for the summer boats and for the Tulip Festival next month. Talking of the Canal and of festivals, there'll be a Rideau Canal Festival again this August, with flotillas, a Bike Parade and an "Environment Fair."