Last weekend, Feb. 22nd, was the date for Mo's Fly-in on the Ottawa River, the aircraft landing on ice. It was good weather for it! The sun shone and melted some of the surface ice, but the ice beneath was strong enough for a runway to be ploughed and even aircraft not fitted with skis could land for the event, the 25th one of its kind.
Here's a video made by Yves Grenier of the ground operations, this year:
The event started at 1000 hrs and ran all day on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, 1 mile west of the Ottawa VOR. The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association published the following details about it:
Coordinates: 45°26'57" N, 75°55'48
Runway: Runways 34 & 16, 3500' x l00'
Frequencies: ground 122.75 MHz, air 123.20 MHz.
Notes: Ski landing recommended. Landing is at your own risk.
My MacKay Street friend Susan reports that the "boats are back in the dog park" on her side of the Rideau River, ready for use by the ice breaking team. There's no accessible water to float them on yet, though. The Weather Network reports that the "polar vortex makes a return this week" and the current temperature out there is -12º (feels like -17º)
I meant to write this blogpost sooner; my post of yesterday reminded me.
Towards the end of January, Kelly Egan of the Ottawa Citizen wrote an opinion column about what could be "done" with a river (the Ottawa River in this case) to make it "less sleepy"––more animated. The white water rafting wasn't on his list of ideas, but he had some good suggestions nonetheless. He mentioned water taxis, which have already come into operation through my favourite boat company, Au Feel de l'Eau. Other possibilities, he thought, were
gondolas, crossing the river from the bottom of the Rideau Canal locks to the Gatineau bank
floating bonfires with music in the background
giant chess boards on the banks
wi-fi spots at regular intervals along the shore
playgrounds and skateboard ramps
places for practising yoga
places for indulging in chalk art
ice cream sales points and a beverage service
kayak rentals from Bate Island
He also mentioned the possibility of flea markets and farmers markets close to the river bank. Perhaps this will happen more readily when the Chaudière Falls area is developed.
Musician on the South Bank of the Thames, in London
I thought of this article when walking along the South Bank of the Thames the following weekend, where a huge amount of activity was drawing the London crowds. Admittedly that's a far bigger city, but the principle is the same.
The national capital region has a huge amount of potential that could be far better exploited by the tourism industry, if people put their minds to it. The Ottawa River is a good example of this under-use of natural resources, but maybe things are about to change. CBC Ottawa announced this week that this summer there will be a new attraction in town. Wilderness Tours, a white water rafting company that normally operates from much further upstream, near Cobden,
Ottawa River with the city ahead, from the Remic Rapids
below Bate Island, spring 2013
will begin offering tours down the Ottawa River right in the heart of the nation's capital beginning in June [...] The company has been given permission to take customers downstream through the Des Chênes and Remic Rapids from Britannia to Lemieux Island, just west of Chaudiere Island.
It sounds like a good idea that will especially appeal to visitors from elsewhere in Canada or from overseas, because:
... tour guides will also inform participants about aboriginal, fur and lumber trade history [...] "You're not just being told about the history of the Ottawa river. You're experiencing it for yourself."
I have never seen the Rideau Falls as iced-over as they are this year. The snow has also piled up around the base of the falls to a phenomenal extent. This afternoon, on a relatively mild but windy day, we walked over to take a look at it.
Pedestrian access to the bridge is sealed off at present. The men in helmets and red jackets in the middle of the bridge are the officials, trying to decide what to do about that much ice, I presume.
Mid-week I walked over the Rideau River from our house to the New Edinburgh Park. Other people were doing likewise, and vehicles have been on the ice too, in preparation for the ice-breaking operations.
For the record, I stopped half way across the river to take photos in all four directions.
Straight ahead, the river bank and the New Edinburgh Park
To my left, the Minto Bridges and Green Island
To my right, looking up-river
Behind me, Bordeleau Park, Cathcart Street and the city
Nancy and John invited us and all the other neighbours on Cathcart Street to an impromptu party last weekend, which we very much enjoyed. The wording of the invitation was topical, referring to the icebreaking operations on the Rideau River that will start in a week or two and which several of our neighbours will be able to observe all day long from their homes. The dynamite blasts will certainly rattle our homes, as they do every year. And apparently I'm not the only person who worries about the effect this also has on the local wildlife.
The invitation, including a picture of the demolition team in their orange jackets at work by the river, read as follows:
It's almost that time again.
The boys will soon be on the river playing with their toys and making lots of noise.
That means it's time for our own ice-breaking party where we start to say goodbye to winter and say hello to each other after a long season of semi-hibernation.
Join us [...] for beer, wine, sherry and snacks ...
