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Rideau Trail Walks #12 and 13

When we left the house for walk 12 we were in such a rush that we all forgot our cameras.  It was a pretty walk, between the Ottawa River a residential area.  Part of the trail was along a fitness path, with interesting exercise stations along the way.  We also walked on a high path with steep sides, which the Little Misses promptly used for tobogganing.  In an open space, we  passed a traffic light and all sorts of signs, neatly set up and fenced in with a chain-link fence.  Apparently this is where the children of the city learn bicycle safety!

For the next walk, we did not forget our cameras.  It was a sunny day. 

I even took along my snowshoes, and it was a good thing because the snow, after that storm, was deep even on the path. 

We walked along the Ottawa River, which wasn’t even frozen over completely.  Long, long ago, this was a logging river, and before that it was part of the waterways used by the coureurs de bois, the fur traders from Quebec and Montreal.  This stretch of the river was quite dangerous, if I understand correctly.

Where we walked used to be wild country.  The first settlers landed nearby before setting out through the forests for their land grants.  Now, however, it is very urban but still pretty.

And, to show that urban isn’t all boring, look at these unique icicles.  Apparently the water comes out of this spout with such a force that the icicles drip down from nothing.

Details:  Walk #12 (January 28?) was from Holly Acres Road  to Lincoln Heights Road on maps #15 and 16 in the Rideau Trail Guidebook.  It was chilly, and the ground was covered with snow.  We walked between 3 and 4 km. 
Walk #13 (Febrary 4) was from Lincoln Heights Road to just opposite Westminster on map #16 in the Rideau Trail Guidebook.  It was chilly but sunny, and the snow was very deep, making for difficult walking.  We walked about 3.5 km. 

One Comment

  1. JoannaTopazT says:

    I love the picture of everyone making a path through the snow — and those icicles are impressive!

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