Rideau Blog

This morning it was a perfect morning to go out for a paddle on the Rideau River. It was a beautiful spring day, there was not a cloud in the sky, and there was absolutely no wind at all. As usual, there was hardly anyone on the river this morning, which meant that it was good opportunity to see wildlife.

This morning was no exception, and I saw a turtle warming up on a log, geese and ducks, a Blue Heron, and lots of other birds and fish jumping. I have included some of the photos below, and as you can see I was able to photograph a nice variety of wildlife for just a one hour paddle.

I also find it great that I was able to take all of these photos inside of the city of Ottawa itself. Of course the city covers a fairly large rural area, but in many cities you would have to drive hours to see wildlife like this. In Ottawa you can take photos like this, and then paddle into down town and go to a museum, stop at an art gallery, or go shopping. There is just a great mix of urban and rural in the city right now, and I hope that it stays that way as the city continues to grow.

If you live in the city of Ottawa, and want to know if you are in the flood plain, the city of ottawa has a great online map. You can find it at the following link. To use it, you need to have java enabled, and enable the flood plain view since it is not enabled by default.

After you log in, you can zoom in, or just enter your address, and it will automatically zoom in on your address. Once you have zoomed in, just click on the 2008 Draft Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw radio button, and you will see the flood plain on the map.

I am sure that the map is getting lots of hits from people living along the Rideau, Jock River, and and South of Manotick. It turns out that part of my property is in the flood plain.

When it comes to winter, there are the people that participate in winter activities, and those that just hibernate all winter. I am part of the second group since I definitely love winter sports, and this past winter has been perfect for skiing and skating. It started snowing early, and we have had plenty of snow for most of the winter.  It has also been cold enough to keep the snow and ice from melting, but it has not been so bitterly cold that it is tough to stay outside for very long.

The days are getting longer and there is also more time to enjoy the nice weather.  Last week-end I went skating on the Rideau Canal in the morning, and then went cross country skiing in the early afternoon. I got back from skiing around mid afternoon, and then sat out in the sun and had a beer.  For me it just does not get much better than that.

Cross country skiing is also such a great sport. It allows you to get out and enjoy the fresh air, and if you push yourself enough, it must be one of the best exercises around. It is relatively low impact (unless you hit a tree), and it seems to use every muscle in the body. I have been skiing on a regular basis this winter, and I think that I am in the best shape that I have been in a long time.

The snow will probably be all gone in a few weeks, and I am starting to look forward to my summer activities such as kayaking and boating, but I am hoping that the great ski conditions will last longer than normal this year. Sorry hibernators, but I am sure that you can handle a couple of extra weeks of watching T.V., or reading a book by the fireplace.

I went for an early morning skate on the Rideau Canal this morning. Getting an early start is nice since there are fewer people on the canal, and it is easier to find parking. Of course there are some drawbacks to being an early bit since most of the services are not open until around 10 a.m., and it will be colder in the morning than it will be in the afternoon. Because of this, it is a good idea to bring a backpack for your boots, and a thermos of something hot.

The Canal surface is a little bumpy, and I think it will need to be flooded a few more times before it will be really good. You can currently skate from Bank Street to Sommerset, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes in each direction. It was snowing a little bit this morning, but not enough to cause any problems. It is supposed to warm up this afternoon to a few degrees above zero Celsius, and it should be a perfect day for skating by mid aternoon. As you can see from the photos below, there were already many skaters on the canal by around 9 a.m., and I expect it to be pretty crowded by this afternoon. Of course even when it is crowded it is still fun, and some people prefer going when there are lots of people.

You can also look at the Rideau Canal Map, for more information.