Monday, July 29, 2013

Sleepy Cedars Campground Ottawa ON

 

Heading for home today.  We slept in a bit this morning, but not as late as yesterday.  We have our breakfast and pack up the last few things before we can hit the road.

We leave Sleepy Cedars Campground by 10am and shortly after, we are on Hwy 7 heading West.  We stopped along the way for fuel and then around noon, we pulled into this nice little rest area for lunch.

6904 Hwy 7 Silver Lake Rest Area 6906 Hwy 7 Silver Lake Rest Area

We had grilled cheese sandwiches and for dessert some ice cream.   This is a very nice little pull off, right beside a small lake.

6910 Hwy 7 Silver Lake Rest Area 6913 Hwy 7 Silver Lake Rest Area

We continued West along Hwy 7 and pulled over again in Havelock Ontario.  We had ourselves another little break before continuing on.  This is certainly the way to travel, all the comforts of home right here as we drive along.  We took some photos of the trains in the train yard at Havelock.

This one is pushed by a locomotive and is a snow plow that pushes snow off the tracks.

6917 Hwy 7 Havelock

Some more trains in the railway yard.

6914 Hwy 7 Havelock 6916 Hwy 7 Havelock

We backed into our driveway at home around 5pm.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sleepy Cedars Campground - Ottawa


My goodness, someone slept till 11:00 am this morning and it wasn’t me.  

Breakfast quickly became Brunch as we ate our bacon and eggs with toast. 

As you can see it is a dreary rainy day.  We won’t be going downtown today.

I have plenty of things to do on the computer.  I won’t be bored.

6879 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - Bill writing blog

It rains off and on for the early part of the afternoon.  We watch as others pack up and leave.

6883 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - rain 6884 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - rain

It stops raining, so I go out and check the engine oil and the battery fluid levels.  It is a good idea to check the batteries every couple of weeks, they can and will boil dry ( I learnt this first hand last fall ) if you do not keep an eye on them and keep the fluid levels topped up.  Even though we are plugged into hydro, there are still systems that use the 12 volts that the batteries supply.   It is a good habit to check them.  There are 3 batteries to check.  They were all fine.

6890 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - rain ends & Bill starts to get motorhome ready for trip home 6896 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - rain ends & Bill starts to get motorhome ready for trip home

As you can see in these next photos… the Sleepy Cedars Campground just got a whole lot “sleepier”  there is hardly any one around.

6897 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - evening walk shows empty campground 6899 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - evening walk shows empty campground 6900 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - evening walk shows empty campground

We had our dinner and after dinner I began to pack away a few of our outdoor chairs and mats and such.  We will be departing for home in the morning.  The more I put away tonight, the quicker our departure can be in the morning.   That is if we can get out of bed before the noon bell rings.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Sleepy Cedar Campground - Ottawa


Slept in again, we are getting up later and later each day.  This morning it was 10am before we rolled out of bed.  Had our coffee and tea and checked our emails and played our online games.  We had a late breakfast and the headed off to do some shopping.

I wanted to check out one of the local RV stores so that is where we headed.  RV Canada here in Ottawa has a nice store and we spent a half hour browsing up and down the aisles.  Picked up a few things that we needed and then we were gone.  They don’t have what I am looking for.

6878 Ottawa Prince of Wales Dr - RV Canada

I am specifically looking for a Tire Pressure Monitoring System, or otherwise known as a TPMS.  I always wonder about my tire pressures, even though I check the tires with a tire thumper, I don’t know what the pressure is.  It is a bit of a chore to check the pressure with a tire pressure gauge as I have to take off the hubcaps to do so.  I could put on valve extensions, but the tire experts do not recommend the use of valve stem extensions as they tend to leak.  So I am definitely interested in getting the TPMS so that I can see at a glance on the monitor screen what my tire pressures are.  

After leaving RV Canada we stopped at Canadian Tire, they didn’t have any TPMS’s nor did Princess Auto or Wal-Mart.

I remember our blogging friend Nick has a TPMS’s so when I got back to our motorhome, I fired off a quick message through Facebook to him and shortly after, Nick replied with the information that I was looking for.  He told me the system that he uses and exactly who to order it from online.   Thanks Nick.

We hung out at the motorhome till 4:30 pm.  We have been invited over to Anne and Jims apartment for a home made lasagne dinner.  This is Jim’s secret recipe lasagne that Karen has been raving about since Jim made it for her the last time she visited them in Ottawa over 10 years ago.  That was the first thing Karen asked Jim when we saw them a week ago, if he would be making his lasagne for her?

We got to their apartment by 5:00 pm and visited for a bit, then the delicious lasagne was served.  Along with garlic bread, the meal was scrumptious.

We stayed and visited till about 8pm when we said our good nights.

Back at the motorhome for the evening, write the blog and go to bed.  Night Night.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Sleepy Cedars Campground - Ottawa

Slept in today, this is becoming a regular habit.  Got up and we checked our laptops, answered emails, played a few online games, had our tea and coffee and then had pancakes for breakfast.

We are going to go with Anne and Jim to see a bit of Gatineau Park.  Gatineau Park is in the Province of Quebec.

They picked us up around 10:30am and we were on our way across the Champlain Bridge from Ontario into Quebec.

6639 Quebec, Gatineau -  Champlain Bridge

We can now add another “Province Visited” to our map.

VisitedProvincesMap

Shortly after crossing over the bridge, we were at the entrance to Gatineau Park, or as they say in French….  Parc de la Gatineau.   French is the language of choice in Quebec, English is secondary, if even spoken.

6641 Quebec - Gatineau Park

We have 2 objectives today.  Number 1 is to visit the Estate of William Lyon Mackenzie King.  Number 2 is to visit Pink Lake.

We stop at the Information Map that is located just inside the Park entrance to get orientated.  Jim and Anne study it out closely.

6651 Quebec - Anne and Jim at Gatineau Park Information Centre 6645 Quebec - Gatineau Park Information Centre

Here is some information about the Mackenzie King Estate and Pink Lake.

6656 Quebec - Gatineau Park Information Centre 6657 Quebec - Gatineau Park Information Centre

Our next stop is the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre.

6660 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre 6662 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre

Inside we picked up maps and brochures about the park, then we wandered around looking at the different displays of animals and whatnot that are within the park.

6666 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre 6667 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre

There are many different displays to look at.

6671 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre 6673 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre

Jim got a kick out of pushing all the buttons on the interactive displays.

6688 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre 6711 Quebec, Old Chelsea - Gatineau Park Visitor Centre

Now that we are fully informed, we head off for the Mackenzie King Estate.

6717 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate 6720 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate

It is already after 1pm so before we do any walking, we need to eat.   There is a nice (but expensive) little tea room /cafe in the Moorside Cottage.

6721 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage 6724 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage - Mackenzie King Tearoom

Umm, ya… its a bit pricey, but we have to eat.

6730 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage - Bill in the Mackenzie King Tearoom IMG_0647[1]

After lunch we are sufficiently fortified to begin our walking tour of the Estate.  We go upstairs in the Moorside Cottage to see the various rooms.

This is the Secretary’s room.  Jim and Anne check out the Guest Bedroom.

6731 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage Secretary's Room 6732 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage - Anne & Jim in the guest bedroom

This is Mackenzie Kings bedroom.  He was Canada’s 10th Prime Minister.  He was considered by most, to be Canada’s greatest Prime Minister.

6736 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage - Mackenzie King's bedroom

He loved his time spent here at the cottage.

6742 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside - The Moorside Cottage

We then walked over to the Kingswood part of the property.  This is where any dignitaries or important guests would stay.

6748 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - The Guest Cabin

I am reading about the history of Kingswood.  It is a lovely little cottage set in the woods with a pathway leading down to Kingsmere Lake.

6760 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - Bill reading sign 6761 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - The Kingswood Cottage 6782 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - steps down to Kingsmere Lake

At the end of the footpath is a very picturesque little lake and a little boathouse where he would store his canoe.

6783 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - Kingsmere Lake 6785 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - The Boathouse

6793 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - The boathouse 6795 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - inside the Boathouse

6799 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - Kingsmere Lake 6804 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - Karen at Kingsmere Lake

Of course, what goes down, must now go back up.

6805 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Kingswood - steps back up from Kingsmere Lake

We then walked out to the Abbey Ruins.  King began construction in 1935, but it was never completed.

6814 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Abbey Ruins 6820 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Anne & Jim at the Abbey Ruins

From here we walked back to the main house and through the gardens.  Karen photographs Jim, Anne and I as we stroll through the gardens.

6832 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Jim, Anne & Bill in the Moorside Gardens 6835 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Moorside Formal Gardens

We then walked over to the L’Arc de Triomphe, a scaled down version of the original in France.

6843 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - L'Arc de Triomphe

Karen, Anne and Jim pose for a photo under the Arc.

6844 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate -Karen, Anne & Jim at the L'Arc de Triomphe 6845 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate -Karen, Anne & Jim at the L'Arc de Triomphe

Looking back at the Moorside Cottage.

6846 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - looking back at The Formal Gardens and The Moorside Cottage

From here we decide that we are going to take the hike to The Waterfall.

6848 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - The Waterfall sign

This trail is downhill all the way to the base of the waterfall and just over 1 KM in length.  As I always say whenever hiking, what goes down must eventually come back up, so with that bit of advice and every ones assurance that they will be able to make the climb back up, we head off to see the waterfall.  I always prefer the uphill part to be at the beginning of the hike, then it is a much easier downhill on your return.  It doesn't always work that way though.

6849 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - The Waterfall Path

I lead the way.

6850 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Bill on The Waterfall Path 6851 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Waterfall Trail sign

We come to a culvert / tunnel that passes under a road.

6854 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - The Waterfall Path under Champlain Pkwy 6855 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - Karen on The Waterfall Path on the other side of the Champlain Pkwy

Around a few more bends we come to the waterfall.

6856 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - The Waterfall Path - Bridal Veil Falls

Not exactly what we were expecting.  We were all disappointed that it was just a trickle.  We found out later that the river upstream from here had been dammed up after Mackenzie King died and the once spectacular waterfall that he enjoyed is now just a trickle for us to see.

6857 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Mackenzie King Estate - The Waterfall Path - Bridal Veil Falls

Now we have to climb back up hill out of here.  After some grunting and groaning we do make it and are happy to arrive back at the car and the air conditioning.

So onwards we go to see Pink Lake.

Someone had told Anne that the water was pink, but that certainly turned out to be false.  The lake got its name, not because of any pink water, but because the Pink Family was awarded wood cutting rights to the areas around the lake.

The Lake is very unique and rare even if it isn’t Pink.  It is a Meromictic Lake, which means that it has layers of water that do not intermix.  There is no ozygen in the water at the bottom of the lake.  Most all lakes are Holomictic which means that at least once a year, often several times a year, the water in the top layers of the lake, switch places with the water layers at the bottom of the lake.  Lake temperature and winds are the driving forces behind this shifting of water layers.

We stopped at the Pink Lake Lookout.

6859 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Pink Lake Lookout sign 6864 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Pink Lake Lookout

We had planned to hike the trail around the lake, but at this point that is just crazy talk.  We all agree that after the hike to and from the waterfall, that we are all hiked out for the day.  It is 5:30pm and we are low on energy, so we take a look at the lake from here and then call it a day.

6869 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Pink Lake Lookout 6871 Quebec - Gatineau Park - Pink Lake Lookout

Leaving Gatineau Park, we head back to Ottawa the way we came.  You can just see the Parliament Buildings through the railing of the bridge.

6872 Ottawa - Champlain Bridge - view of Ottawa and Parliament Buildings as we cross back into Ontario

Anne and Jim dropped us off back at the Sleepy Cedars Campground.  We invited them to stay for dinner, but they had to get back to their apartment.

Karen and I BBQ’ed hot dogs for dinner on our Weber Q BBQ and then Karen got busy naming all of the photos we took today.  I relaxed playing games on my laptop.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Sleepy Cedars Campground - Ottawa


Slept in till just after 9am today and had a lazy morning around the Sleepy Cedars Campground.

It was noon before we got in the car and drove into Ottawa.  Today we are going to go for a boat ride on the Rideau Canal.

We parked the car at the World Exchange Building underground parking.  Then walked the short distance to Rideau Canal where we bought our tickets for Paul’s Boat Tours.

This is the boat we will be cruising in today.

6563 Ottawa Rideau Canal - Paul's Boat Lines

We were early so we bought a quick lunch at one of the street meat stands and sat in the Muskoka Chairs that were near the National Art Centre to eat our lunch.

6572 Ottawa Elgin St - Summer Getaways on display at the outdoor terrace beside the National Arts Centre

After our bite to eat, we walked back to our cruise ship and got onboard.

We waited past the departure time for a group of people who had bought tickets, but were not onboard yet.

I think if you snooze you loose and find it rude that they can hold up a boat for 20 minutes past the departure time.   This cuts our whole cruise time short because the boat has to be back to the dock in time for the next group of people who bought tickets.

Anyways, we untied 20 minutes after the departure time and began our cruise on the Rideau Canal.

6580 Ottawa - Rideau Canal looking south from Plaza Bridge

The Rideau Canal or otherwise known as The Rideau Waterway is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America.  It was completed in 1832.

6583 Ottawa Rideau Canal - Paul's Boat Lines - Rideau Canal Cruise 6588 Ottawa Rideau Canal - Paul's Boat Lines - Rideau Canal Cruise

The Rideau Canal stretches from Kingston in the South on Lake Ontario to Ottawa.  A distance of  202 KM or 125 Miles.  The cruises ends at Dow Lake where we turn around and head back to the dock.

6590 Ottawa Rideau Canal - Paul's Boat Lines - Rideau Canal Cruise - Dows Lake (turn around to return)

There are many pleasure boats tied up along the canal wall as we get close to the downtown core of Ottawa.

6597 Ottawa Rideau Canal - Paul's Boat Lines - Rideau Canal Cruise - going under the Laurier Avenue Bridge with Mackenzie King Bridge in background 6602 Ottawa Rideau Canal - Paul's Boat Lines - Rideau Canal Cruise - boats at the Rideau Canal Dock with Mackenzie King Bridge in background

We got tied back up and Karen and I then walked back to the Parliament Buildings.  Along the way, we paused to look at and take pictures of the locking system.

6607 Ottawa - Rideau Canal Locks looking north from Plaza Bridge 6608 Ottawa - Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada sign - Plaza Bridge

There were a couple of statues that we missed photographing the other day so we found those.
Sir Wilfred Laurier.  He was our 7th Prime Minister.

6614 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings grounds - statue of Sir Wilfred Laurier 6615 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings Wellington St - statue of Sir Wilfred Laurier

We also had not taken any photos of the West Block, probably because it is all under renovation, so we took photos this time.

6616 Ottawa Wellington St - Parliament Buildings West Block (under renovation)

It can’t hurt to have another photo of the Centre Block.

6618 Ottawa Wellington St - Parliament Buildings Centre Block

And of the Centennial Flame.

6619 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings -The Centennial Flame plaque 6620 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings -The Centennial Flame

We then found the statue of Lester B Pearson.  He was our 14th Prime Minister.

6623 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings - statue of Lester B Pearson

We also got a photo of the beaver sculpture right above the front entrance door to the Centre Block.  From a distance you cannot see the detail carved into the stonework, but up close, it is amazing what you start seeing.

6626 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings Centre Block - sculpted beaver located at Centre Block's main entrance 6627 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings Centre Block - sculpted beaver located at Centre Block's main entrance 6628 Ottawa - Parliament Buildings Centre Block - sculpted beaver located at Centre Block's main entrance

That concludes our day in Ottawa, and we head back to the campground for dinner.  Along the way Karen snapped this photo of some elephant statues through the back seat window.  From our drive by location, the appear to be elephants, but further research reveals that they are actually Mastodons.

6631 Ottawa - O'Connor St at the corner of McLeod St - mastodon statues at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sleepy Cedars Campground - Ottawa


Slept in till 9am and then got up for breakfast.  Today we are going to visit the ByWard Market.  Our drive this morning takes us along the banks of the Rideau Canal.
6270 Ottawa Colonel By Drive - Rideau Canal 6271 Ottawa Colonel By Drive - Rideau Canal
We are driving on the Colonel By Drive.
6275 Ottawa Colonel By Drive - Rideau Canal 6278 Ottawa Colonel By Drive - Rideau Canal
There are very nice walking and biking trails.  Ottawa has a lot of green space and promotes the use of the walking and biking paths.
6280 Ottawa Colonel By Drive - Rideau Canal 6282 Ottawa Colonel By Drive - Rideau Canal
The GPS takes us to the parking lot at the ByWard Market.  We pay our parking fee at the automated kiosk and then begin our tour through the market.
6289 Ottawa York St - Byward Market
The ByWard Market is the oldest continuously running farmers market in Canada.  The main market building operates all year long.
6297 Ottawa  Byward Market
The outdoor vendors are seasonal as the weather permits.
6291 Ottawa  Byward Market
There is such a variety of fruits and vegetables.
6294 Ottawa  Byward Market 6293 Ottawa  Byward Market
All are so very nicely displayed.
6295 Ottawa  Byward Market 6296 Ottawa  Byward Market
Of course, we do not buy any of the fresh fruits and vegetables.  We just walk by and head straight to the Bakery to buy butter tarts and croissants.  We then continued to walk past all the fruits and vegetables and wound up at the BeaverTails stand.  The President of the USA, Barack Obama, made this place popular when he stopped here during his visit to Ottawa and bought some beaver tails.
6302 Ottawa George St - Byward Market - Beaver Tails
Beaver Tails are basically fried dough, shaped like a beavers tail, covered with sugary toppings…  It is a very “Canadian” treat and very tasty, much better than those fresh fruits and vegetables we passed by earlier.
6303 Ottawa George St - Byward Market - Beaver Tails 6304 Ottawa George St - Byward Market - Beaver Tails
While we were enjoying our snack, a lot of police officers and police cars started converging on the area.  They were putting up yellow police tape and asking everyone to leave the area.
6309 Ottawa William St - Byward Market 6313 Ottawa - police road block at George St & Byward Market
That ended our visit to ByWard Market and we later heard on the radio that there was a suspicious package found and so the area was evacuated as a precaution.  We made our way back to our car to drop off our purchases and then walked along Sussex Drive towards the Royal Canadian Mint.
We walked past the American Embassy.  I would guess that the funny structure on the roof of the building is probably a helicopter landing pad.
6324 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Embassy of the United States of America 6325 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Embassy of the United States of America
This building with the huge spider out front is the National Gallery of Canada.
6330 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - National Gallery of Canada 6331 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - National Gallery of Canada - Maman the giant egg-carrying spider
A little further along we arrived at the Royal Canadian Mint.
6339 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Royal Canadian Mint
You can’t take any photos inside the building.  The tour was very interesting and we got to see how the coins are made.  Paper money is not made here at this facility.
6340 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Royal Canadian Mint 6349 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Royal Canadian Mint sign
Neither are circulation coins made here.  Only commemorative and collector coins are made here now.  Originally all currency was made here, but now a facility in Winnipeg produces all the circulation coins and paper money.
At the end of our tour we were allowed to pick up a 28 lb bar of gold… Unfortunately it was chained to the desk.  In todays market that bar is worth somewhere around  $700,000.00
6343 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Royal Canadian Mint tour - Bill holding gold bar weighing approx 28 lbs 6347 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Royal Canadian Mint tour - Karen holding gold bar weighing approx 28 lbs
After we toured the mint, we walked back to our car at the ByWard Market.  As we walked past the American Embassy a van was waiting for the barricade to be dropped so it could enter the building.  Pretty neat how that barricade disappears into the ground and then raises again as soon as the vehicle is past.  That barricade was up and the garage door was down before you could blink an eye.
6361 Ottawa  Sussex Dr - Embassy of the United States of America
We got in our car and then drove and parked on a side street, very close to the Prime Ministers home at 24 Sussex Drive.  We watched as armed police officers walked a beaten path along the perimeter fence.  There were security cameras positioned every 100 feet or so.
6377 Ottawa - 24 Sussex Dr - the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada 6376 Ottawa - 24 Sussex Dr - the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada
When the cops weren't looking I snapped a photo of the house through an opening in the tree branches.  I felt that every security camera was zoomed in on me as I approached the fence to get the shot.  Who knows if Harper was even home.
6385 Ottawa - 24 Sussex Dr - the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada 6381 Ottawa - 24 Sussex Dr - the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada
Across the road from Stephen Harpers house is Rideau Hall.  This is where the Governor General resides.  It is mostly open to the public for touring.
6390 Ottawa Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall sign 6393 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guards peforming sentry duty
There are ceremonial guards out front performing sentry duty.
6395 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guards peforming sentry duty 6396 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard peforming sentry duty
We stood smartly to have our photos taken with the guards.  Apparently Karen stood more smartly than I did.
6398 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard (and Karen) peforming sentry duty 6399 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard (and Bill) peforming sentry duty
We passed through the gates and onto the property.  We went straight to the visitors centre to learn what we could.
6403 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Main Gate 6406 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Visitor Centre
There was plenty of information on the past and present Governor Generals.
6409 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Visitor Centre 6413 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Visitor Centre
There are beautiful gardens and sitting areas throughout the property.
6407 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Visitor Centre 6408 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Visitor Centre
There is a Pacific Coast Totem Pole.
6422 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - West Coast Totem Pole 6423 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - West Coast Totem Pole
We noticed that many of the trees had little markers at their base, so we took a closer look and realized that these markers told what kind of a tree it was and who planted it and when.
This Red Oak was planted by Richard M Nixon, April 14 1972
6427 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - red oak planted by Richard M Nixon 6428 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - red oak planted by Richard M Nixon
Then we found the tree that was planted by his wife, Patricia Nixon.
6431 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - red oak planted by Patricia Nixon 6433 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - red oak planted by Patricia Nixon
While everyone else was walking on the pathways, Karen and I were well off the beaten paths wandering around through the trees like lost fools.  We were checking out the different markers to see who planted which trees.
Down one of the pathways we could see the Unity Pool and way off in the distance we could see the Parliament Building Peace Tower.
6437 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - A View of Parliament Hill and The Pool of Unity 6438 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - A View of Parliament Hill
Next we found this Silver Maple planted by Nancy Reagan.
6444 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - silver maple planted by Nancy Reagan 6446 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - silver maple planted by Nancy Reagan
Ronald Reagan’s tree must be around here somewhere, so we continue the search, but instead we find John F Kennedy’s tree.
6453 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - red oak planted by John F Kennedy 6455 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Bill beside red oak planted by John F Kennedy
And Jackie Kennedy’s tree.
6448 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - red oak planted by Jacqueline Kennedy 6451 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Karen beside red oak planted by Jacqueline Kennedy
We found several trees throughout the grounds that were planted by Queen Elizabeth, but the one I thought was interesting was the one she planted when she was just a young Princess before becoming the Queen.
6536 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - sugar maple planted by Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh 6537 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - sugar maple planted by Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
We found the tree that William and Kate planted in 2010 when they visited Ottawa just after they got married.  It was fitting to find that tree since they just had a baby yesterday.
6474 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - eastern hemlock planted by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William & Catherine) 6475 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - eastern hemlock planted by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William & Catherine)
Here we finally found the Ronald Reagan tree.
6482 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - silver maple planted by Ronald Reagan 6483 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Bill beside silver maple planted by Ronald Reagan
And the Nelson Mandela tree.
6514 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - sugar maple planted by Nelson Mandela 6515 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - sugar maple planted by Nelson Mandela
We startled a little red fox out of his hiding spot in the trees and he took off along one of the pathways.
6511 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - a fox 6512 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - a fox 6513 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - a fox
We are near the main house now, so we walked up to get a closer look.
6509 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall -  the official residence of the Governor General of Canada 6510 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall -  the official residence of the Governor General of Canada
Uh Oh… here come the ceremonial guards, I hope that they are not upset at us for wandering off the established pathways and are wandering around under the trees.
6519 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard performing the Relief of the Sentries 6520 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard performing the Relief of the Sentries
Nope, they were not after us, so we followed them as they marched up to the front of Rideau Hall and watched as they performed the changing of the guard.
6523 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard performing the Relief of the Sentries 6526 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Ceremonial Guard performing the Relief of the Sentries
Back to our tree searching and we found Bill Clinton’s tree.
6534 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - sugar maple planted by William J Clinton 6535 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - sugar maple planted by William J Clinton
Also found this stone Inuksuk hidden among the trees.
6538 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Inuksuk 6541 Ottawa 1 Sussex Dr - Rideau Hall - Inuksuk
We never found Hillary Clinton’s tree so when we returned to the Visitor Centre, I asked if there was one, but it turns out she was not with Bill when he visited Rideau Hall.  I guess President Obama didn’t have time to plant a tree either when he was here, he must have been too busy eating beaver tails.
It was time to head back to our base at the Sleepy Cedars Campground and have some dinner.  I BBQ’ed some hamburgers for us along with some potatoes and onions with butter in foil on our Weber Q BBQ.   Very delicious.
After dinner I got a fire going in our fire pit.  We are hosting our friends Ann and Jim this evening.   Karen got pictures of me in a typical pose… deeply engrossed in my iPhone.
6556 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - campfire 6559 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - Bill relaxing at campfire
And she got photos of our shadows sitting around the fire. 
6557 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - campfire 6558 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - campfire
But again completely forgot to get photos of Ann and Jim.  So here are some more fire photos as we all sat around talking the evening away.
6561 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - colourful campfire 6562 Sleepy Cedars Campground Greely Ottawa - colourful campfire