Yours to Discover
August 2016
Heading to Ottawa city the capital of Canada, we swing by Hog’s Back park in Mooney’s Bay. The park situates in the middle of the busy urban area has its own appeals; large weir diverts water from Rideau River into these beautiful but temporary 6-foot artificial waterfalls.
Going up Rideau river to the man-made canal of the same name, we marveled at 1831 civil engineering feat. Considering the effort to tame the wild river and occasional flooding, the dam broke not once but three times, and still, they kept on going.
Following travel path to another man-made structure, we visit the world largest spider, Maman sculpture which all of its skinny legs reaching 30 feet above our heads. Looking up into its egg sac, we can see white marble eggs in its protective bronze ribs. According to Louise Bourgeois, the famed artist that create this and many sculptures, it represents the maternal nurture and its motherly protective nature. For us, the metaphor lost its effect on us after one of us became a recipient of that motherly love last August 2016 and with scars to prove it.
Folks in Ottawa might have nurtured this idea literally by letting millions of these critters nest everywhere on their establishment’s gables and eaves, door frames, windows, handrails, and stairs. At some of these places, we have to check our restaurant meals for any spider remains, or squint our eyes to a beautiful scenery outside the window due to heavy webbing obscured the glass. Many windows laced with dry-up insect carcasses dangling like snots from windows frames. Only to return to motel late at night and walked right into webs spun across our door frame. Cursing loudly and wiping off the webs with critter still on it from our faces, we reached for 2 cans of yard foggers and a long handle broom to gain access to our room.
While the Maman sculpture perches on the other side of the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and its close proximity to the church has a whimsical effect rather than evoke any type of admiration. Upon entering the simple church facade, one is greeted with beautiful and elaborated designs; hand-painted columns, lofty blue and gold vaults, intricate stain glass windows that cast a rainbow of color on the main isle created a surreal and ethereal look.
Going to Ottawa and not visiting the parliament building is like going to Washington DC and not visiting the White House. So off we visit the Hill, Peace Tower, and the forever burning centennial flame. Prior to 1970, no building in Ottawa shall be taller than the Peace Tower but that is no longer the case. Standing near the centennial flame, one can smell the heavy natural gas permeated the surrounding air since 1967. We found out that this flame is not like an Olympic flame, which burns until over, but the centennial flame sometimes extinguished by bad weather, maintenance, or even during a protest.
Killarney Provincial Park is the only couple of hours away from Ottawa. After a good night sleeps at Rideau Height campground, we hike the short trail to Killarney East lighthouse which one of many still operational in the Georgian Bay. Sunburst lichen grew on the rocks below the lighthouse gave reddish-orange tint thus the name Red Rock Point. Yearning for a longer hike, we put on our hiking shoes for the 1.6miles round trip trek through the mountainous wilderness of turquoise lakes and pine ridges. But where are all the wild animal have gone… like bears, deers, or even famed beavers? The hostess at Rideau Campground said that she hand-fed a black bear cub after its mother has been shot by a local hunter a few years back, and by now it must have grown much bigger. Our fellow camper from Nova Scotia said as he approached the campsite, he saw a bear drops down from an apple tree and scamper off down the empty street. We thought that could very well be the same bear.
French River Provincial Park is a short 1-hour drive from Killarney Provincial Park. Although this park is beautiful when exploring with canoe or kayak, the only scenic hiking route is to Recollet Falls. Hiking is primarily done via 3.6 miles round trip to the falls. Which is a bit deceiving; just series of water cascading and not a tall and majestic water one typically seen. However, this is preferred and most direct westward route in 1615 for French Recollet missionaries hence the falls adopted their names.
We know that a very small portion of Ontario has been visited. But Ottawa remains to be the place to discover the native culture, heritage, scenery, outdoor activities.
GPS Coordinates
- Hog’s Back Park – 45°22’18.2″N 75°41’50.0″W
- Ridau Canal – 45°24’16.1″N 75°40’51.5″W
- Maman sculpture – 45°25’45.6″N 75°41’50.1″W
- Killarney Provincial Park – 46°00’46.9″N 81°24’06.3″W
- French River Provincial Park – 46°00’58.7″N 80°36’12.7″W
References
- Destination details from local knowledge, some were extracted from hand-out literature/brochure, or website, and Wikipedia
- Coordination are from Google map in Degrees, Minutes and Seconds (DMS format)