Thursday, April 28, 2011

Off to a smashing start!

So yesterday was Departure Day. In theory it would've been a reasonably early start to the day, with a morning visit to the storage locker to pick up a bike to bring to my brother in Toronto, followed by joining some of the guys from work for lunch, and a leisurely drive to the T-Dot. That well-laid plan was quickly derailled as soon as I went out to put my luggage in the car. That's when I noticed the gaping hole where the driver's window used to be, and shattered glass all over the place. Missing: my GPS, about $5 US in cash, and a backpack full of bike gear. Added: a mud-covered rock. Still there: my bike, my bike mechanic toolbox, my woodworking toolbox, and all my camping gear. I think I got lucky on that one...

A quick call to the collision center next to my dealership established that they could get a used window in and installed on Thursday. Not great news, but not the end of the world. They call back 5 minutes later with even better news: they could get a new window in, and if I bring my car in the next 45 minutes, they could install it that same day, for only $10 more than the cost of a used window!  Yay!  The car was fixed by 1:00pm. I must say, those guys at the shop really came through for me.

Between repairs and replacement of stuff, I think I'm out about $600.  Like I said, it could've been worse.  I'm wondering if this event is a sign that I really needed to get out of Ottawa - the only other time I've had stuff stolen from me was many, many years ago on a family trip to Ottawa.  Or, could this be an ominous omen of things to come...?

I managed to vacuum the broken glass out of the inside of my car, get my final packing errands done, and leave Ottawa by 6:00pm, only four hours behind schedule.  One good thing to come out of this is that my car's interior is now cleaner than it has been in years!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Gatineau Mud

Lauriault trail waterfall
I went up to Gatineau Park on one of the rare nice spring days that I've experienced since returning to Ottawa. Should've known that the trails were going to be a bit wet... Regardless, I forged ahead and took my leisurely time walking the Lariault Trail, which starts and ends at the MacKenzie King Estate. One of the attractions of this trail is the small stream that it follows for much of its distance, which opens up into a dramatic waterfall. Along this trail I was treated to a couple of wildlife encounters, including a patient and photogenic garter snake and many woodpeckers of a type that I'm not familiar with. Alas, when I reviewed my woodpecker pictures I realized that I'd left the Image Stabilization feature of my camera "off" and hence they all ended up blurry.

On the hunt for the mysterious night heron

Black-crowned night heron
There's a black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) that I've seen a few times at Mud Lake in Ottawa. Although these birds are very widespread with sub-species apparently present in most of the continents, this is only the second one I've seen; much more familiar to me is the great blue heron (Ardea herodias), which you can find in just about any wetland in North America.

I tried to get pictures of the night heron, but the best I could do was a slightly out-of-focus capture before it flew away. I guess this bird is quite a bit more easily spooked than its larger cousin.
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Blue Heron

Monday, April 18, 2011

New Adventures!

In a couple of weeks I'll be driving cross-country to Robert's Creek, British Columbia, to take classes at the Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking. I've given myself a month to get there, so I'll definitely be taking my time. On the way out, I'll be going through the States to take advantage of what will probably be better weather at this time of year - kind of important since I'm planning to camp and hike and mountain bike as much as possible. I'm currently trying to firm up my route; I know I want to hit one of the Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Parks, most likely in Milwaukee, the Tetons, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, check out the Badlands in South Dakota, spend some time in the Rockies... Trying to see if there's a route through Moab Utah as well. So many places to go, so little time!