I am beginning to believe that last-minute planning and execution does indeed pay off. Helen and I hummed and hawed about whether to risk taking a ride this past Saturday as the weather in the Ottawa area had been so flakey of late.Saturday morning saw bright and sunny skies in Ottawa (the weatherman had said different). So we quickly made plans to head down to the St.Lawrence River and the Waterfront Trail. I had a loose route in mind based on a previous excursion in the area back in May. That ride was rather segmented as parts of the Waterfront Trail were really unsuitable for all but the heartiest of cyclists (not us). This time would be different.

Two quick photos….. there are 2 stories attached. But you’ll have to read through my BLOG post to figure what they are.

Helen & I headed down to the parking area of the Upper Canada Bird Sanctuary (Exit Upper Canada Road from the 401). It’s about 1 hours (slow) drive from the south end of Ottawa. If you are coming from Montreal, go to Cornwalll and park near the Marina which is at the East end of town. Then read this post backwards to get a good feel of what it would be like doing this ride.

Back to the ride. You are looking at a total of 72 kilometers with the route being mostly on shared pathways. The only part that really has any cars is on the Long Sault Parkway – which has a maximum speed limit of 55 Kilometers per hour (really no worries).

Heading East you begin the Bird Sanctuary which is quite amazing in itself. There are some beautiful specifies of fowl (mostly waterfowl).

Author’s Note: The prevailing wind is from the West. In other words it is at your back leaving — and in your face coming back. Be prepared for a harder ride coming back.

Part of the history of the St. Lawrence River is the creation of a joint Canada/US hydro-electric project in the 1950′s. This resulted in the disappearance of a number of towns and villages which were either relocated or destroyed by the redirection of the river.

Helen and I stopped briefly to watch some divers exploring etc…

There are so many places to stop and enjoy yourself along the Long Sault Parkway. You can stop just about anywhere and be guaranteed a nice spot and views.

At the end of the Parkway, you can take a side trip down to Moulinette Island and see where you will want to live. It’s an idyllic setting for sure!

Then back on to the trail for our trip into Cornwall. Apart from being passed by some (idiot) on a Vespa (who didn’t even signal his arrival from behind), the trip to Cornwall was uneventful – and scenic. What can one expect from some one who drives a Vespa with a licence plate frame that says “Powered by Beer”.

A few words on Cornwall. The small city had always been kind of a joke for many people as the stench you would get when arriving in town was absolutely awful. This is is due to what I would call a bad event turned good. The town’s major employer closed its doors… Many unfortunate people lost their jobs. The good part is that the stench of the defunct Domtar paper mill is now gone. And the City of Cornwall has made great strides in cleaning things up. The area down by the water is pristine and actually very nice to frequent. So, yes, this is a recommended cycling destination (never thought I’d say that about Cornwall).

The pictures at the end of this post will attest to my positive comments.

The halfway point of our journey was a picnic lunch at Cornwall Marina.

Okay, I had just eaten!

As mentioned at the start of my post, the wind comes from the West. So after a great lunch and a bit of R&R, Helen and I headed back to our starting point. My prediction was accurate inasmuch as the ride back was much tougher (right Helen?).

Kilometer 42 & the famous Gatorade bottle

So we are driving back…minding our own business (actually I was ahead of Helen and totally unfocused). I decided to have some Gatorade… reach down, unscrew bottle… a bit left.. a bit right… wheel goes off path, reflexes take hold… turn left… crash! I was sprawled on the bikepath just like that. As she arrived, Helen asked, “What happened?” My response, “Uh, I fell.”. Concerned reader in front of computer screen, “Gee Les are you alright? What will I do withut my daily doses of Cyclemania?” Yes I am fine…. Lesson: Stop when drinking Gatorade. You are a male Les and only capable of the most rudimentary of movements at one time.

We are getting to the end folks…. One more story. You will have recalled the photo of “something” at the start of our trip.

These are actaully Goose droppings. There are areas of this trail that are infested with these potential Christmas dinners (the geese not the droppings).

I mention this for two reasons:

1. When you see droppings on the bike path, don’t decide to lie down for a break in a nearby field. They’ll be there also!
2. When it rains, the droppings take on a lubricating type of property (not good for a bike chain). Watch out. You can actually slip on this stuff!

Overall, this is an excellent cycling day trip. We recommend it highly. You may wonder why I haven’t mapped it out. Only because all of the mapping sites I use do not have bike trails on them. Just Google the locales I mentioned. They’re easy enough to find.

If you have lasted this long, you win! Yes, I have included most of the photos Helen took (this way I get to be in more!).

I am starting to use Flickr (for so many reasons).

Let us know what you think of this post.

Along the same lines.....

• July 21, 2009 -- Ottawa Cyclists Injured by Hit and Run Driver While Cycling in Kanata
• June 20, 2009 -- Ottawa Cycling Unsafe and Dangerous for Cyclists
• August 14, 2008 -- Mapping cycling fatalities in Toronto
• August 6, 2008 -- Ottawa Cycling – The City of Ottawa must be kidding!
• August 5, 2008 -- Cycling – Monday holiday Ottawa bike ride with Helen
• July 27, 2008 -- Cycling – Saturday Ride with the KNBC
• July 23, 2008 -- Cycling – St. Lawrence Seaway Tour – Day 3
• July 22, 2008 -- Cycling – Tuesday Night Solo Bike Ride
• July 21, 2008 -- Cycling – Dangerous OC Transpo bus driver puts cyclist at risk?
• July 11, 2008 -- Cycling – Amsterdam has it right – Ottawa pay attention