Sudbury as a holiday destination?
This week we are visiting Kathleen Street in Sudbury, go for a skate on Ramsey Lake and a ski at Bioski and Kivi Park. #ottski #ottwalk #ottbike
Winter
A weekend in rural Quebec
Last weekend we visited a friend’s cottage near Chèneville, roughly 60 km north of Montebello. We took the quiet back roads from Buckingham via Mayo to stop in a small ski area near Ripon, the Parc des Montagnes Noires. It is not a big area, but there are a few kilometers of cross country ski trails with a few small [Read more…]
Gatineau Park: Winter Paradise in Ottawa’s Back Yard Captured on Mapillary
The title of this post is a bit unfair, because Gatineau Park really is in the province of Quebec and Ottawa isn’t. It is managed by the National Capital Commission, which also manages the Greenbelt and the Rideau Canal Skateway to name but a few of the many properties they look after. But hey, in a globally connected world, in [Read more…]
Pea soup after a day in the snow
Easy peasy pea soup Nothing beats a hearty, warm bowl of Dutch pea soup after a long ski. A few times over the winter, we make a big pot which we enjoy over a number of days. Pea soup is one of those comfort foods that are filling, easy to make and easy to freeze and heat up in the microwave later [Read more…]
Perfect Conditions for 5th Winter Bike Parade (incl. video)
Cycling in winter is much more enjoyable than you’d think. Take a look.
Chaudière Island in Pictures
In January 2015, I had an opportunity to visit the Domtar and Hydro Ottawa sites on Chaudière Island in the Ottawa River between downtown Ottawa and downtown Gatineau. As you all likely know, the site will undergo a complete metamorphoses, starting soon. The property is closed for the public as it is still a working Hydro Ottawa site so I [Read more…]
Gift Card from Santa? Here Are Three Canadian Books
So now what? Your mother-in-law gave you a gift certificate (or even cash in an envelope) for Christmas and you really don’t know what to buy because you have everything already. Here are three books related to cycling (or to the broader theme of a better city) for winter reading. All three books are written by Canadians: Tom Babin, who [Read more…]
A Tale of Two Ottawa Retailers: Hot Chocolate Rocks
This is a short case study of two different companies in Ottawa that are active on Twitter. Both use social media to get the word about their business out. Twitter is a channel that you shouldn’t ignore in your communication mix. Although many messages get lost in the endless stream of opinions, some times some one picks up on your [Read more…]
Can you Bike, Skate and Walk to Work on Winter Bike to Work day?
Next week, February 14, 2014 is Winter Bike to Work Day. It is a day to celebrate winter cycling worldwide. Winter cycling is easier said than done as cycling in winter requires some preparation. If you haven’t biked in winter -and I mean serious winter, as in -20C to -30C (-4to -22F) sans wind chill, not those -2C Copenhagen ‘winters‘ [Read more…]
2013 Draft Ottawa Bicycle Plan in 1500 words
I read through the draft Ottawa Bicycle Plan last night (update: I improved it a bit here and there on Thanksgiving, removing typos, adding headers and more insight in budgets). A document of nearly 150 pages that outlines the vision for the next 18 years. I think it is a very solid plan, perhaps one of the best I have [Read more…]