Gatineau Loop

Thursday - April 26 - Biking 39 km

Rode to work, stopping at my landlord's house to drop off the rent cheque.

Saturday - April 28 - Biking 15 km

Rode downtown in a steady drizzle to meet Sharon for lunch.

Sunday - April 29 - Biking 55 km

Rode up the Gatineau Parkway with Rob and his new bike. It was raining in the morning so we postponed to the afternoon where it was brilliantly sunny and warm enough for t-shirt and shorts. Rob turned around at Pink lake and I continued, completing the entire loop by climbing Fortune and coming back down Champlain. The road was open to cars which was a pain. It usually is not open until mid may.

Weeks Total: Biking 195
Year to Date: Biking 1920 km, Hiking 25 km, Skating 129 km, Skiing 187 km

Sunny Day

Wednesday - April 25 - Biking 37 km

Rode to work on another beautiful sunny day.

Re-cycles

Tuesday - Apr 24 - Biking 49 km

Beautiful sunny and warm day to ride to work and re-Cycles after.

Viva Las Vegas

Wednesday - Apr 18 - Biking 45 km

Rode out to Greenbank road in the morning to get some blood tests run. Showed up at the lab that I normally go to, locked up my bike and walk up to the door. A sign informs me that they have moved to Barrhaven. Got back on my bike and rode to work. Guess I will need to find another clinic.

Thursday - Apr 19 - Biking 53 km

Took the day off because I was flying to Las Vegas in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day so I took a ride up to the Champlain Lookout. Still some snow up at the higher altitudes of Gatineau Park. I had to push my bike through it for about a kilometer, but I persisted and made it all the way to the top.

Sunday - Apr 22 - Hiking 5 km

Drove from Las Vegas to Zion National Park in Utah with Shelly, Laura, and all three of my brothers squashed into a rental car. There we did a short hike through this mountainous desert region. It was raining lightly and fairly cool, but the scenery was spectacular. Will post some pictures once I get a chance.

Weeks Total: Biking 158, Hiking 5 km
Year to Date: Biking 1725 km, Hiking 25 km, Skating 129 km, Skiing 187 km

Pink Lake Lookout

Tuesday - April 17 - Biking 60 km

Rode to work in a light rain. This rain thing is getting to be a theme. On the way home it was not raining, so I decided to bike up to the Pink Lake lookout as a side trip. The snow is gone from the parkway now, but the lake was still frozen. Was getting dark by the time I got home so flipped on my lights as I left Gatineau Park.

Dreary weekend

Friday - April 13 - Biking 37 km

Rode to work in a cold drizzle which matched my mood.

Saturday - April 14 - Biking 17 km

Ran some errands. Biked to Matt's for his 35th birthday. Biked to Barrymores to see Do Make Say Think.

Sunday - April 15 - Biking 17 km

Biked downtown in another day of cold drizzle to meet Sharon for lunch.

Weeks Total: Biking 159
Year to Date: Biking 1567 km, Hiking 20 km, Skating 129 km, Skiing 187 km

Virtual Shop Tour

Wednesday - Apr 11 - Biking 46 km

Biked to work in the morning. Biked to the Ottawa Woodworkers meeting after work. On the way I stopped at the bank and at Sahara Dunes Shawarma in Bells Corners for a tasty meal. Presented a 'virtual tour' of my wood shop to the group. Biked home after a couple beers at PJs, where hockey took presedence over wood talk tonight because of the playoffs.

Rental car return

Tuesday - April 10 - Biking 42 km

Drove to Bells Corners to return the rental car with my road bike in the back. Road to work from there in some light snowy conditions. Road home along the bike path which was clear of snow finally, which was good since I was on my road bike. Changed bikes at home to the Norco and road downtown to recycles. Road home after my shift.

Biking L'Ile-D'Orleans

Saturday - April 7 - Biking 67 km

Was in Quebec City for the weekend so I decided to do a ride around the perimeter of L'Ile-D'Orleans on Saturday morning. It was cool at around zero degrees, sunny, but very windy. Not wanting to ride any extra distance, I drove the 15 km from our hotel to the island and parked at a tourist office. In the snow filled parking lot, there was a sign indicating that there was a $5 charge for cyclists to park here. I went inside to pay my dues and the woman at the desk said that there would be very few vistors on a day like today, so there would be no charge. The wind was brisk from the west, so I decided to ride counter clockwise so I could take advantage of the tail wind along the long stretch of southern shore. Started off battling the wind for a few km until reaching Ste-Petronille where I turned around. This area of the island was the most pretty with lots of trees growing right up to the edge of the road and stretching over top with their canopy. Old stone houses were nestled throughout the forest. I passed a few people walking along the road. I said 'bonjour' to all, but few acknowledged my existence. The ride along the southern shore was fun. Rolling hills (some of them steep) and a wicked tail wind meant I made it up to St-Francois in little time at all. Here I stopped at a picnic area for a snack. I had to trudge through knee deep snow to get to a picnic table though. The ride back along the north shore was difficult as the wind was brutal. Thankfully I have aero bars which helped a lot on this final stretch. Traffic, vitrually non-existant for most of the day also got heavy the last few kilometers as there was a restaurant in St-Pierre which was absolutely overflowing with visitors.

Weeks Total: Biking 185
Year to Date: Biking 1408 km, Hiking 20 km, Skating 129 km, Skiing 187 km

Eaten Goose

Wednesday - Apr 4 - Biking 37 km

Rode to work in the morning in the pouring rain. On the ride home, I noticed that the goose from yesterday was now only aproximately half a goose.

Dead Goose

Tuesday - Apr 3 - Biking 37 km

Rode to work and back. On the way home I saw a big Canada goose dead beside the bike path.

Rainy Morning

Monday - Apr 2 - Biking 44 km

Rode to work on a drizzly morning. Rode home in nicer conditions. Still a couple snowy patches on the bike path but getting close to being able to put on summer tires. Rode to check out a house near Carlingwood after supper.

Hauling Clamps and Feeding Cats

Friday - March 30 - Biking 38 km

Rode to work. Took the bikepath in the morning for the first time. Only a few snow patches remain. On the way home I stopped by Lee Valley to pick up three 36" long clamps. The weight of these hanging far off the end of the rear rack made handling interesting.

Saturday - March 31 - Biking 5 km

Rode to J and K's to feed the cats.

Sunday - April 1 - Biking 5 km, Hiking 6 km

Rode to J and K's to feed the cats. Went hiking with Rob up the Lusk falls trail to the fire tower. The falls were much smaller than last spring. Last year the stream crossing was very difficult due to several meters of deep fast water. This year we stepped across, barely getting our toes wet.

Weeks Total: Biking 147 km, Hiking 6 km
Year to Date: Biking 1223 km, Hiking 20 km, Skating 129 km, Skiing 187 km