Happy Canada Day!

We ate charcuterie along the Rideau Canal (and by that I mean we picked up discount cheese and crackers from the nearby grocery store) and then watched Canada Day fireworks at Lebreton Flats in Ottawa

This past week we had our first near-miss collision, but it wasn’t with a vehicle. It was mid-morning and we were cycling down a long hill at a fast pace. To my right I saw something black come out towards me. It took me a moment to compute what was happening, and then I realized a baby black bear about the size of an Aussie Shepard was running out from the bushes onto the road! It didn’t see me and I had to swerve to avoid it, missing it by less than a meter. Karen yelled at the little guy, and then it looked up, saw me, and then fled back into the trees. Karen and I hurried off and didn’t stop to get a picture in case mama bear was nearby.

Later that same day we discovered our favourite Ontario town, Almonte. It wasn’t in our itinerary to go there, but we stayed with another kind Warm Showers host who, along with being a community organizer is the “assistant to the assistant town clock-winder.” He showed us the town, and the tour included vodka tasting at Vodkow dairy distillery, seeing ex-textile mills that had been turned into beautiful Missing Middle housing, and climbing up the town’s clock tower to wind the clock.

Almonte has stunning waterfalls going through the town, and its Main Street is used in many Christmas Hallmark movies.


The next day we left to explore the Deifenbunker, a four-story underground communication headquarters-turned museum, before making our way on to Ottawa. We made it to Ottawa on June 29 and stayed for a few days so that we could celebrate Canada Day in the capital. As a result of our bike trip, and maybe also because Canada’s sovereignty has been threatened in recent months from our southern neighbours, I was feeling especially patriotic that day. I feel very fortunate and privileged to have been born and raised in Canada. Karen and I visited the National War Museum, saw Prime Minister Carney speak, and watched the Snow Birds to celebrate the holiday.


How could we not feel patriotic while watching the Snow Birds do the ‘Maple Split’ formation while flying over Parlament Hill?


Today we said ‘goodbye’ to Ontario and ‘bonjour’ to Quebec. Unfortunately, eight years of French classes in Edmonton failed me and so that’s about all I will be able to say. We spent a full month in Ontario, the same amount of time it took to make it through the four western provinces combined.

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