Saturday 10 May 2008

Back to Gatineau Park

Spring must truly be here because today I did my first ride of the season to Champlain Lookout in Gatineau Park.

The weather was foreboding when I left home just after 8:20 am and headed north. I was dressed properly for once, with a long-sleeved jersey, long-fingered gloves and leggings under my shorts. It was 6C but the wind was not too bad so it was not uncomfortable. The forecast was for sun later in the day and temperatures going up to 18C.

After meeting Fred at the Gamelin Gate, we headed onto our usual loop, taking us around Kingsmere and the Camp Fortune ski area before doing the serious climb up to Champlain Lookout. There were a lot of cyclists out and about, even with the cold overcast day.

We both were rolling well and completed the circuit in good time. Then we headed to the very trendy Westboro strip and enjoyed an excellent lunch in a vegetarian buffet restaurant, the Table, on Wellington Street. Then we stopped in at Mountain Equipment Co-op, which ias always a fun place to visit, and I bought a new blinkie light for BlackAdder as the previous one had gotten killed by rain. It was fun riding back along Wellington Street and looking at all the interesting stores en route.

After saying goodbye to Fred, I rode along the bikepath on the Ottawa River, passing the Tulip Festival at Major's Hill Park, and I added a circuit of the Eastern Parkway to bring my ride up to 100 kms (and 1000 vertical meters) for the day. And as I came home the sun began to shine brightly.

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