Kayaking in the Capital

Another last minute trip brought Jon and I to Ottawa for a weekend visit with his friends Kevin and Aura. They are newly settled in the capital on a nice quiet street in Westboro. We crashed in the spare bedroom, me in a nice big bed and Jon on the floor, trying out his new inflatable mattress pad.

Group Shot: Aura, Kevin, Jon, Blake

Kevin and Aura make an amazing couple: very friendly and positive! I warmed up to them right away. They are super hospitable and I feel lucky to have met them.

Jon's catch in front of Parliament

Saturday, we piled four kayaks onto the Mazda and unloaded off the Ottawa River. The weather was perfect all day long. It was six kilometres of mostly calm paddling to the Parliament Building, with only one stop along the way. Jon caught a fish right under the Alexandra Bridge and fulfilled his wish of having a very Canadian photo: fish, kayak, and Parliament.

Hog's Back Falls

The next day, the three of us guys took to the touristy streets. We saw Parliament Hill on solid ground, perusing the grounds along with Hells Angels who were in Ottawa for a mandatory club meeting. There was nothing but good press for the club that weekend.

Rideau Canal - Locks 1 to 8

As the clock neared five in the afternoon, Jon and I were packed up and on our way home again. The long drive and deep conversation made for a good extension of our mini-vacation. It may have only been two days, but the positivity from the weekend left me energized and ready to tackle another week of work!