Ottawa

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Back in the NCR

I’ve been in the National Capital Region (NCR) for about 24 hours now. As soon as Montreal was behind me yesterday on the 40 west I felt a weight fall from my shoulders. I was looking at three days in a region where I wouldn’t need a GPS, where I know the myriad ways to get from point a to point B, where I would return without hesitation if I ever had to be housebound again.

I’m here on business with my mother and we took my truck, so I drove. We arrived after dark and it was no big deal for me. I knew what was the best exit to take on the 417 at that time of day, exactly where the hotel is, and even the construction around the Lac Leamy casino was a non-issue. In any other city in the dark, after a very long day, and with a GPS squawking in my ear, the sight of construction would have been overwhelming.

Getting to the client this morning was easy and I took us to Toscano’s on Saint-Joseph in Hull for lunch.

A good friend and I had made plans to have dinner tonight, so I headed to her place after work. Being just a couple of blocks from St-Laurent in Vanier, I told her we were going to Lonestars for dinner where I got their fajitas. My last meal in Ottawa four years ago was at the west end Lonestars, so that might give an idea of how much I’ve been craving their fajitas. 🙂

Tomorrow evening, I am heading north to the picturesque village that was the closest bit of civilization from my house. If I have time, I might even go see if the old shack is still standing. But first, I am heading to Place du Portage to have lunch with my former colleagues!

A bit of nostalgia is nice, but there is no going back for me. It’s still nice to be home. 🙂

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The Soo, ON to Chambly, QC

Whew. I landed in Chambly about an hour ago. Including the bus from Calgary to Edmonton, I’ve done just over 4,200KM since Monday. I drove at or very near the speed limit the whole time and didn’t drive at night except for today. I think this is about as far as I could drive in that amount of time. If I had to drive any further, I’d have to take a day off!

I knew that 99.9% of today’s driving would be easy. I think that the stretch on highway 17 between the Soo and Ottawa is some of the easiest driving in this country. Yeah, the speed limit could be a little higher on summer days, but it’s still an easy route with minimal interruptions. Yesterday through the U.P. was a lot tougher.

It was just past 10:00 when I pulled out of the Soo and the GPS told me I’d be in Chambly by 9:00, so I correctly estimated my arrival would be close to 11:00. By the time I’d driven just shy of 300KM, I was hungry, needed a bathroom (something that Canada needs more of outside of Tim Hortons, btw), and the gas gauge was nearing the quarter mark. So, I pulled over in Espagnola and took care of all three matters.

Just shy of Sturgeon Falls, I started to feel sleepy and began to look for a place to pull over to take a nap. Kilometres passed and nothing. Then, to add insult to injury, I passed a “Fatigue kills. Take a break!” sign. Several kilometres past it, I was able to stop at an abandoned gas station where I slept for almost a half hour.

Then, I stopped in Sturgeon Falls for an iced coffee, at a roadside park to use the outhouse, and then in Cobden for fuel. That put me at about 1.5 hours from Ottawa, so I had a good idea of when I’d get to Chambly. I called my mother to let her know.

It wasn’t long after Cobden that I started to feel peckish. Stopping for fast food was unappealing and I didn’t want to waste time going to a sit down dinner. There was only one option and it’s one I wouldn’t have had in any other city on the planet than Ottawa. This is because Ottawa is the only city I know well enough to know exactly where to grab a home made dinner in under 20 minutes while only going four blocks from the on and off ramp to the highway, The Table Vegetarian Restaurant. It serves organic food buffet-style. Just walk in, fill up a plate, pay based on the weight of the food, and leave. I made sure to pick up a jar of their onion chutney, something I have been craving for a few years since I used up the supply a friend brought me in Vancouver!

I can’t wait to go back to Ottawa later this summer and see what is the same and what has changed. I am so pleased that time has stood still at The Table.

The worst 100KM or so of my entire trip were between Vaudreuil and Chambly, a nightmarish combination of fatigue, darkness, traffic, construction, and the fact that Quebec likes to save money by not painting lane markers. I would never have made it on my own nor if I was coming in cold with just the GPS. It took both of us to navigate the maze and the last obstacle had me curse for the first time on this trip. I loathe driving in Montreal and I pity the US tourists next to me who had an additional difficulty: directions and road signs written in French only.

But I made it in one piece, thrilled to have gotten my new truck cross country without incident! Now, to see how it tows. I am going to have one looooong rig now!

 

I found myself in the real life version of The Long, Long Trailer. The truck hauling this trailer has a 'JUST MARRIED!' sign on it.

I found myself in the real life version of The Long, Long Trailer. The truck hauling this trailer has a ‘JUST MARRIED!’ sign on it.

Last time I was through here, I opted to pass the Soo then stop for the night

Last time I was through here, I opted to pass the Soo then stop for the night

last time I came through this part of Canada, I stayed here, at the Iron Bridge Motel. Or, as I like to call it, the Bates Motel. The owner was a creep. I refused to take a shower.

last time I came through this part of Canada, I stayed here, at the Iron Bridge Motel. Or, as I like to call it, the Bates Motel. The owner was a creep. I refused to take a shower.

hard to believe that glamorous Shania Twain comes from this part of the world

hard to believe that glamorous Shania Twain comes from this part of the world

next big town: Ottawa!

next big town: Ottawa!

first sign announcing Quebec!

first sign announcing Quebec!

Ottawa bound!

Ottawa bound!

This is where I turned the last time I took this trip to go straight to Pontiac.

This is where I turned the last time I took this trip to go straight to Pontiac.

entering Canada's National Capital Region!

entering Canada’s National Capital Region!

Never thought I'd be so happy to see Scotia Bank Place!

Never thought I’d be so happy to see Scotia Bank Place!

Home. That's the only way I can describe seeing this skyline for the first time in four years.

Home. That’s the only way I can describe seeing this skyline for the first time in four years.

What the heck happened to the Ottawa Ikea?! Did it fall into the same magic potion as Obélix?!

What the heck happened to the Ottawa Ikea?! Did it fall into the same magic potion as Obélix?!

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Where I’ve Stayed

I haven’t given too many details on the campgrounds in which I’ve stayed because I don’t think it’s wise to give too much information on exactly where I am at the time of posting, so consider this a bit of a catch up edition. 🙂

So, my first campground was the Ottawa Municipal Campground in Ottawa, Ontario.

I maintain that the OMC is Ottawa’s best kept secret. The park feels like it’s deep in nature, but it’s just minutes from the Queensway and from shopping centres in Nepean and Kanata while being about ten minutes from downtown (as long as it’s not rush hour!). Staff is friendly, rules are lax, there’s wi-fi at the laundromat, and the electricity and water are good.

I found this campground using Google.

My second campground was Stillwater RV Park in Nipigon, Ontario.

For the night that I stayed, this place was fantastic. It had 30A pull-thrus, good water, a cheap laundromat, and wi-fi. Even though it’s located right on the highway, the sites are removed enough from it to be quiet. But I’d hate to stay here in the high season as the sites are packed very closely together. Thankfully, the place was practically empty when I stayed.

I found this campground in an old Trailer Life directory the POs left me.

My third campground was Shady Oaks RV Resort & Campground in Sidney, Manitoba.

This was a really nice campground, if you like being in the middle of nowhere (60km to the nearest grocery store!). I had a beautiful spot overlooking the Manitoba prairie and shaded by oak trees that rained acorns the whole time I was there! Water quality wasn’t very good here (too much iron), but I wasn’t drinking it, so I didn’t mind. The staff was very friendly. There was wi-fi, but it wasn’t free, and this new service needed a lot of tweaking.

I found this campground by driving down the Transcanada highway and following the signs advertising a park offering full 30A hookups and wi-fi.

Then, I moved on to the Dyer Straits Campground and Cabins (great name!) in Whitecity, Saskatchewan.

I adored this campground. Even though it’s right on the Transcanada and just twelve kilometres from all the shops and services, it feels like you’re in a natural setting. It’s quiet and the owners are friendly and laid back. The water here had the same problem as that at Shady Oaks, but, otherwise, the services were good. Wi-fi isn’t available at all the sites, but the owners are okay with laptop owners coming up to their house after dinner and stretching out on their lawn chairs.

I knew that I wanted to stay in the Whitecity area and was looking at another campground found in my Saskatchewan Official Campgrounds Guide, but Dyer Straits was cheaper.

Next, I stayed at the Gordon Howe Campground in Saskatoon.

This campground is very well located. It feels private and rustic, but is close to downtown and several Saskatoon attractions. I found that there were a lot of rules and I was disappointed to learn that you can only dump during the week! That said, staff was friendly, laundry was cheap (and change for it was given with a smile), and the wi-fi was free (even though they had a service interruption most of the time I was there!). Water pressure at this park is very high, so you need a regulator. They warn you about this several times.

I had planned to stay at another campground right on highway 16 west of Saskatoon, but didn’t have specific directions to get there. So, upon arriving in Saskatoon, I followed little brown signs showing a trailer until I got to what looked like a dead end as I wound up at a sports arena parking lot. Just before deciding to cut my losses and try again to find the other park, I saw rigs off in the distance behind trees and realised that the road forked out to the left to the campground entrance. I’m glad things worked out this way as this campground was a much better choice for my purposes than would have been one several kilometres out of town.

Which brings me to here, the Rainbow Campground in Edmonton.

Meh. This campground was obviously my best choice for Edmonton, but it’s ludicrously expensive for 15A service with no water! And you have to pay 10.50$ per day for internet access! The gates close at 11PM sharp, so this isn’t the place to stay if you want to experience Edmonton’s nightlife. That said, it’s fairly conveniently located and fairly quiet. I’m right at the entrance and in front of the men’s washrooms, positioned here because I have a toad. They only allow one motorized vehicle per site, so I have to park my toad somewhere else. This is the only site where there is a ‘somewhere else’ close by: right across the way in front of the men’s washrooms. 🙂 I do find that getting here is a bit of a pain. My GPS is of absolutely no use and being ‘off Whitemud Drive’ is of only limited use. Depending on where you enter and exit Whitemud Drive, it runs north/south or east/west! So, I always have a hard time figuring out which direction to go to get home.

I found this campground in the Official Alberta Campgrounds guide, and decided on it with a bit of research done in Lloydminster on a limited internet connection.

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On the Road

For a change of pace (*g*) more photos, less bla bla bla.

Miranda at the Ottawa Municipal Campground

Miranda at the Ottawa Municipal Campground

We left this site at the Ottawa Municipal campground mid-morning on Thursday September 4th. Right on ‘schedule.’ I gassed up (oh, the cost of freedom these days) and without much fanfare made my way through most of the places I’ve called home for eight of these past ten years. Highway 105 north was the hardest as the string of familiar hamlets passed behind me, to be seen again, perhaps, in a very distant future: Alcove, Farrelton, Kazabazua, Low, Blue Sea, Gracefield… Maniwaki was a non-event, but the town has changed since I was there last, perhaps four years ago.

The drive was difficult because of construction, but the weather made up for that.

Finally, we reached the first major milestone of this first leg of my journey:

Grand-Remous, Quebec

Grand-Remous, Quebec

Loosely translated, turning right meant civilization and turning left meant heading into a northern frontier of mining towns, granite cliffs, and forests of black spruce.

I turned left.

When I reached the southern access point of Verendrye Park I was glad to almost be done driving for the day. It was getting close to mid-afternoon and my 250km done that morning had worn me down. So, I selected to stay at Lac Roland, 40km from the entrance and right on the 117. Cost for the night was the same as when I tent, 15$ and change, since I didn’t want hookups.

Then came the taking of a calculated risk that will have a lot of people saying “YOU IDIOT!”, but I repeat that it was calculated, and it paid off big time.

I drove all the way to the end of Lac Roland campground, right to a dead end, with no way out except backing up about a half kilometre. Or doing what I did. I unhooked the toad, and moved it onto a site, then I manoeuvred Miranda into that site, too. That took some precise driving, but I’m actually more comfortable operating her in reverse than I am the toad. The square shape makes it very easy to know exactly where I am and what I’m doing.

Lac Roland, Vérendrye Park, Quebec

Lac Roland, Vérendrye Park, Quebec

Why did I do such a seemingly foolish thing?

The view outside my study, of course:

View from study at Lac Roland

View from study at Lac Roland

If I had played it ‘safe’ I would have taken the first pull through I found where all the RVers gathered last night and partied hard, instead of being quietly ensconced in a private site with a great view.

And I wouldn’t have had the chance to gain so much confidence about my Miranda driving abilities. Driving out of there was actually tougher than backing in!

Next order of business was dinner. Mmm, charred bird!

BBQed chicken that tasted better than it looked

BBQed chicken that tasted better than it looked

(It was very tasty!)

This wonderful device was very useful for doing a preliminary cleanup on the greasy BBQ tools:

Outdoor Shower

Outdoor Shower

I then set up the computer and settled in to watch a couple of eps of a favourite show since it was way too early to sleep, but I was too tired to do anything useful.

Went to bed ridiculously early last night, so was up ludicrously early this morning. It was pouring rain and damp inside, so I decided not to hang around. Next stop: L’Abitibi.

Route 117, Quebec

Route 117, Quebec

Which is where I am now, parked outside the Canadian Tire in Val D’Or making full use of a free wi-fi signal I’m picking up. I have errands to run and am debating whether to leave the coach here and set off in toad, or to go off coach and all. There are so many RVs here that I suspect I’ll be able to get away with spending the night here. I hope so. The other place I have lined up is 25$ per night and that doesn’t include hookups!

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Trials and Tribulations

I don’t have any pictures to share at this time because my desktop computer isn’t set up and hooking up the camera to the laptop is too fussy for the short time frame I have. So, enjoy all the bla bla bla and come back later for pics. 🙂

Oh, I’ve written soooo much about the last almost week, but I need to save some material for a book! 🙂

Here are some highlights from the past six days.

Friday August 29, 2008

  • I successfully backed up into a busy street at rush hour as I couldn’t very well sleep at my mechanic’s. No one was injured during this impressive feat of driving. Thank you to David for stopping traffic!
  • After spending several hours loading STUFF into the RV, I took off for a sports arena a few blocks from the house to spend my first night as an urban boondocker. The cats took to the RV immediately and slept good nights. Mom was too exhausted to fuss and had a good night, too. The arena wound up being quiet and dark. I didn’t suffer for lack of 120V current and I really, really, really enjoyed being able to take a hot shower!


Saturday August 30, 2008

  • Up at six, worked non stop, got the house emptied and the RV stuffed by noon, right on schedule.
  • Was screwed over by Vidéotron one last time.
  • Arrived at the campground absolutely drained and overwhelmed.
  • Circled my loop, planned my entry into the site, came back, pulled straight into an empty site, and unhooked my toad, which is where:

Rae learns a very important lesson about towing

Watch where your feet are. The tow bars are heavy and purple toes are NOT a fashion statement.

Toes weren’t broken, so I ignored the throbbing pain down there and moved the toad out of the way. Moved the RV back, forward, and back again, getting it into the campsite in one shot. Eyewitness testimony states that I seemed to have been doing it my entire life. Which is where:

Rae discovers that backing up perfectly (in one try) into a campsite is actually not the most important consideration at that time

As it turned out, I had circled my loop and reentered another one. I was in the wrong site. But, in my defense, both sites had neighbours with a blue tent AND both sites were of the same shape as I’d been told to look for!

A very nice park official checked to see if the site would be available for the five nights I was staying. It was. I could stay.

The RV was stuffed to the gills, I was overwhelmed, and just about burst into tears when I saw how much work I had ahead of me. So, I said *expletive deleted* that and went out for a nice dinner during which I formulated a plan of attack.

I slept the sleep of the dead. Never mind that the mattress is really too thick and that I can barely roll over. I was on my own mattress with my feather duvet and pillows. The cats were by my side. I could hear crickets outside. The wind was whispering a lullaby. I was home.

Sunday August 31, 2008

I slept so late I was disoriented upon waking up. I mean, the day is half gone by the time 9:30 arrives!

I hadn’t been able to plug in my RV on Saturday since the prongs on my cord didn’t match the holes in the electrical post. So, I just dragged the coffee maker and toaster out onto the picnic table.

A few hours later, as order begins to emerge from the chaos that was the basement:

Rae finds something that no longer makes it necessary for her to run an extension cord from her electrical post to the coffee maker set on a picnic table.

She believes it’s a ‘cheater adapter.’ Possibly. Whatever it is called, it’s an adapter. She now has 15AMP service!

One of the most useful things I did on Sunday was label a tote TOWING and put in it all the odd bits that I use for towing.

I took the afternoon off to get organizational stuff at Wal-mart, then I head off to a friend’s for a Labour Day BBQ. Her mom gave me a hibachi she had lying around in the shed and I am now able to char my own barbecue sauced bird!

Monday September 1, 2008

I was spending the day with a friend so I woke up early and attacked the basement. I got it so well sorted and organized that it is no longer stuffed to the gills!

At some point during this day:

Rae has a real light bulb moment involving a too highly chlorinated fresh water holding tank

“Gee the water is caustic. I can’t wait to empty the tank and put in fresh water. Waitaminute. The tank is only a third full. Maybe I can use the new hose I bought yesterday at Walmart at a major discount and top up the tank with fresh, unchlorinated, water and dilute what’s left?”

Tuesday September 2, 2008

WORK! I finalised all my files and opened cases and packed since I knew Wednesday would be a wash.

A separate entry will follow about the evening.

Which brings us to today, Wednesday September 3, 2008

I did some real work, spent some time on line, shed copious tears, received and gave a ton of hugs, and left the way I’ve always dreamt of leaving a place, with a tug of regret.