To celebrate completing the ride, I changed my shorts ;). While true, I actually treated myself to a leisurely morning around Ottawa. As I rode into town last night and frantically tried to find an available hotel room (yes while pedaling), I kind of missed the great cycling infrastructure Ottawa has. And I didn’t take any pictures for ACA. So I went back and did some of those things.
Conveniently, a breakfast recommendation happened to be back in the area I rode to.
From downtown, I crossed the Alexandria bridge and headed northwest towards Gatineau national park. I envy Ottawan’s access to the outdoors. The park is huge, beautiful and only about a 30 minute bike ride away.
Cycling in Gatineau is a bit of a choose your own adventure. As I was doing the 5 km climb up and into the park, I saw not less than 50 roadie cyclists, contorted in the most unusual looking *aero* positions, screaming down the hill at speeds probably pushing 80 kph. Inside the park, there are roads, gravel paths, MTB paths and then tracks that have slightly less vegetation than the surrounding environment so must be a path kind of paths. Somehow I ended up on the latter. It was rocky, rooty, steep and total mayhem for a while there.
And I learned something. Or at least my personal cycling preferences were solidified. One thing is that variety is critical to enjoyment. This I’ve said before. The new addition is that things have to suck every once in a while for maximum enjoyment. I need to be pulling out my phone and looking for the shortest distance to pavement, ideally every 2 or 3 minutes for an hour. Or I need to be going through the mental motions of putting my fleet of bikes up for sale. I need to be wondering why the hell I spend my free time, tons of it, doing this. Not all day long or anything, because that is masochistic, but just enough to keep things in perspective.
After Gatineau, there was a little highway (quiet) and a 5 minute tow ferry over the Ottawa river. Tonight I’m in Fitzroy provincial park. Tomorrow to the cabin Karen (she’s already there) and I have rented.
Goodnight
I’ve stayed in Fitzroy! As I recall, you’re technically still in the city limits of Ottawa.
I think you’re right
Thanks for bringing us along your journey – adds to my summer.
Enjoy the Madawaska
Love the Ottawa photos. Glad you went back and did a tour. Your pastry donut, sugar sugar and more sugar. It was fun to come along on your ride. Finish your ride and enjoy your vaca with Karen. Your body needs some rest although this ride seemed a little tame for you! Proud of you. Love Mom
I do believe that 4-inch holey pastry is a “cronut.” It was very popular in the 2010s, but I’m glad to see Ottawa is keeping the dream alive!
Makes sense. It was divine