The Hills are Clear (almost)

Today was my first ride in three days. Life has gotten busy this week and the weather wasn't cooperating on Monday and Tuesday. So, I headed to the hills to rip my legs off.

Champlain Look-off - Gatineau Park

I rode from my place all the way to Champlain Look-off without having to step off the bike and walk through any snow. Still a few snowy spots on the roads, but there are paths through them all.

Fortune Parkway still covered in snow. I was able to get down just past Fortune Lake
- couldn't be bothered hiking through the snow.

I rode the Gatineau Parkway to the Champlain turn off and up Blacks. After going up to the look-off I headed back and rode down the Fortune Parkway to check it out. I suspected that it would still have snow on it and I was right. I reckon with the warm temperatures this weekend (30 degrees!) that it will knock the shit out of the snow and Fortune will open right up.

Bumpy, lumpy and cracked.

I found that the Fortune Parkway to be quite rough. Maybe all the frost isn't out of the ground yet . . . don't know. It's got lots of new cracks in it and a few sections you really need to hold on to the bars cause it's like the rodeo - buckin' bronkin' fun!

Stopped at Bate Island coming home across the Champlain Bridge to have a look see at the kaykers playing. Ottawa is kind of a mecca for paddlers. Lots of big water on the Ottawa River.

Guys to the right were waiting in queue to ride one of the waves that buddy above was carving on.