Ottawa to Hudson Day 52

The Parliament buildings in the background on the left.

Just to prove we were on Sussex Drive. Neither of us went sight seeing on the rest day so we were pleased when our route took us through downtown.

The Royal Canadian Mint. Unfortunately it started to pour after this so we did not get pictures of Stephen's house. We can understand why he has that little smile on his face. You would too if you had the house he had, right beside the Money.

The 2007 and 2008 vets who provided us with a wonderful break. Banana cake, granola bars, bagels and cream cheese etc, etc. Such a wonderful gesture, thanks guys!!!!!

Our entrance into Quebec was not as spectacular as other provinces. This was the sign we saw when we got off the ferry. Petit Kruz a la Quebec!!! 5 down and 5 to go!!!

First of all, yesterday's rest-day was spent at my daughter, Renee's, who lives near Perth and that is about an hour from Carleton University. She picked me up at about 5pm and brought me back Sunday evening. Great day spent with her, Steven, and their three boys. When I got there, the boys showed me the latest addition to the family - six young hens and a rooster!! Ben asked me if I could get him a hamster and a lizard!! He is 5yrs old so, that request was no surprise. The hens are actually Luke's. Ben has one as does Joe. Renee put on a barbeque lunch and family, friends and neighbours dropped by congratulating me on the ride so far and of course, their were lots of inquisitive questions about various aspects of the tour.

Monday morning, we had breakfast at the university cafeteria and headed out of the city by around 0730. August 17th and day 52 and 164k to go to camp at Hudson, Quebec. The day was over cast and muggy. There were great bike paths to use throughout the city so we sure took advantage of them when possible. The route out of Ottawa took us past national landmarks such as Parliament Hill, Chateau Laurier, Convention Centre, Royal Mint, External Affairs H.Q., French Embassy, the Prime Minister's Residence, the Governor General's Residence to mention a few. Then on through Orleans, Cumberland and into the country. We did have a brief downpour and missed taking pictures of the Prime Minister's Residence and Governor General's Residence.

Before our turn to catch the ferry, a few vets from tour 2007 and 2008 had a table set up with snacks for the riders going by. What a pleasant treat!! No peanut butter sandwichs for morning break!!! After spending a few minutes chatting, we carried on to catch the ferry to go from the Ontario side to the Quebec side which was just a 6 minute ride. Suddenly, I can't read the signs! We're in a foreign country? We'll somehow have to manage with the language and the signs. We travelled on various roads, going through little towns and villages throughout the countryside - towns like Thurso, Plaisance, Papineauville , Montebello, Fasset, Calumet, and Grenville, to name a few and some of the routes were # 148, 344 and 342. The farmland we cycled through along both sides of the Ottawa river was flat and picturesque. The roads had rideable shoulders most of the time. We had another ferry crossing to Pointe Fortune at k134 but again, just a short ride, but costing a toonie. Again, beautiful homes along the Ottawa River. The road leading into camp was pretty rough for cycling so we were glad to see the campground sign.