a peek inside the fishbowl

01 Jul, 2012

A Canada Day bike ride down the Ottawa River

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa

I think it was Mark’s idea. We started at the apartment, biked past our house on the way to Westboro Beach, and pushed onward to Lemieux Island and back again, making a decent 15 km loop. Happily, it wasn’t all just huffin’ and puffin’. There were some lovely surprises along the way.

Like hundreds of geese and their goslings converging near the water:

Bike ride down the river

… and of course the Inukshuks:

Remic Rapids, Ottawa

Remic Rapids, Ottawa

… and cool rocks too.

Remic Rapids, Ottawa

We pedalled all the way to Lemieux Island (did you know the area is open to the public?) where we crossed the pretty bridge and stumbled upon a very mysterious path:

Lemieux Island, Ottawa

If you cycle around you will come upon a dog park. I’m not sure if it’s officially sanctioned or not, but there were an awful lot of soaking wet/filthy/smiling dogs there.

We biked up a wee hill so we could get a better view of this:

View from the hill on Lemieux Island, Ottawa

And then we turned around and went homeward. Along the route we had a surprise bird sighting. A number of people stopped to see:

Bird spotting along the Ottawa River

After taking a few minutes to watch him sneak around looking for prey we finally made it to Westboro Beach for a breather and a dip. (Note to self: when biking with kids always have a really appealing goal in mind, and save it for the very end.)

Westboro Beach, Ottawa

Someone decided to get an up close and personal view of a nearby tree (which was proclaimed to be “the best climbing tree ever”).

Westboro Beach, Ottawa

It was a great way to spend a few hours on Canada Day. In fact, I think we should make it a new tradition.

Looking for other fun activities and events in Ottawa? You might want to check out the ultimate Ottawa Bucket List!


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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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