Planning Part 10 - Days Eight through Ten Ottawa

 At the end of day seven we will land in Ottawa, where we intend to stay for three days. Clearly our nation's capital is an important stop on any journey focused on our cultural history. But it is also a chance for respite from the rigors on the road, to catch up on the necessities of life (laundry, restocking supplies and sleeping in), and most importantly, to visit with friends and family.

Central Ottawa, Main Attractions

While the intent is to be less structured about our city visits, there are several absolute must do's for Ottawa, of which a tour of Parliament Hill and walk along the Rideau Canal top the list for obvious reasons. While we are in the area, there's lunch at Byward Market, or at least a stop for a Beaver Tail; and perhaps a jaunt over the bridge to Gatineau to visit The Canadian Museum of History. Also within walking distance is the Royal Canadian Mint.

While these sites are topping the list, there are literally dozens of museums and sites to visit in the city including:

• Canadian War Museum
• National Gallery of Canada
• Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum
• Notre Dame Basilica
• National War Memorial
• Canadian Museum of Nature
• Canada Aviation and Space Museum

In addition to Ottawa's regular attraction, a number of events and installations in honour of Canada's 150th have been planned across the city. You can find out more about these activities at the Ottawa 2017 website.


Finally, our visit to Ottawa wouldn't be complete without paying homage to personal history as well. Jason has family roots in the city. His mother and aunt were born and raised there, and his paternal uncle lived his adult life there. More interesting, his grandmother has a special connection to Beechwood Cemetery (the National Cemetery of Canada) - having both been born and buried there. Her parents (Jason's great-grandparents) were custodians of the burial ground and its park-like surroundings, and as such lived on site. As was customary at the time, his grandmother was born at home (on the cemetery grounds). After a long life in the Ottawa region, she was finally placed to rest there as well. So on top of learning more about Canada's history, I hope the boys can learn a bit more of their history as well.

Planning Part 9 - Day Seven Algonquin Provincial Park

The joy in planning this trip has been in learning about new places we'll be able to discover when we actually hit the road. But there is a special anticipation that comes with finally planning to go to one of the places I've dreamed about for years. Algonquin Provincial Park is definitely one of those places, and it is no coincidence that the previous night's stop was Huntsville, ON. Huntsville is 30 minutes from the west entrance of the park, and the east gate is three hours from Ottawa. This means we can spend almost a full day exploring the park. It might not be the week long camping and canoeing adventure, or the lakeside chateau with Muskoka chairs that I always envisioned, but it will certainly give us an opportunity to get to know the area.


Day 7 Algonquin Provincial Park

There are a multitude of activities we could do while in the park - canoeing (there are canoe rentals available), swimming, educational programs and hiking. There are three hikes in particular that sound interesting and feasible (short enough to complete within our timeframe, and our children's hiking attention tolerance). These include:


Booth's Rock Trail - a 5 km trail that passes two lakes and goes to a lookout
Spruce Bog Boardwalk  - a short 1.5 walk through a Black Spruce bog
Bat Lake Trail - a 6 km trail through a hemlock forest to an acidic lake


If these options don't work out, there are literally dozens of stops along the 60 km drive though the park. There is no doubt we'll easily fill a day there. Once we're done, we'll head to Ottawa, and kick off another phase of the trip - one that is decidedly more urban and more focused on the history of our country.



Planning Part 8 - Day Six Sault Ste Marie to Huntsville

As I researched the drive from Sault Ste Marie to Huntsville, I was surprised by the number of things to do along the way. By now you should be able to spot the theme of my underestimating the number of attractions in Northwestern Ontario.

Just outside of Sault Ste Marie is St. Joseph's Island. The island, last of the Manitoulin chain, is known for it's boating and fishing opportunities, but also for it's beaches, trails and quaint towns. It's also home to Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site. In its prime the Fort was the most westerly British outpost in North America, and militarily solidified the British presence and allegiances in the area. It was eventually burned by American forces during the War of 1812. Now you can wander though the ruins of the Fort and enjoy the views of Lake Huron.

The are also two provincial parks along the way - Killarney Provincial Park and French River Provincial Park. Killarney is touted as being extremely beautiful with great wildlife viewing opportunities. French River has historic significance as a paddle route of First Nations, French explorers, fur traders and voyageurs. 

Day 6

Yet, despite peaking my interest, it is not likely we'll stop at any of these locations. Partially because they are a bit off our direct route, but also because we'll be due for a more kid-focused adventure.

With that in mind, there is one stop we'll absolutely make - Dynamic Earth in Sudbury. The museum focuses on geology and the mining industry, and includes a mine tour with a seven story descent underground in a glass elevator. Last, but not least will be a photo-op with the Big Nickel.

Our planned stop for the evening is Huntsville to situate us outside of Algonquin Provincial Park for our next day's adventure.

Excursion 1 - March 26 Banff National Park

Our National Parks pass arrived several weeks ago, and has been burning a hole in my pocket ever since. Unfortunately, between the kids' busy sports schedules, my constant work travel and a generally nasty winter, a winter day trip just didn't come to fruition. So when a day free of activities, chores and snow storms presented itself last Sunday, we knew we had to hop in the car and go - even if it was for a few hours.

Johnston Canyon, March 2017

The first stop was Johnston Canyon. Just off Hwy 1A between Banff and Lake Louise this accessible walk is extremely popular year round. In the spring, summer and fall, you are treated to a lush canyon and roaring waterfalls. My favourite time to visit is in the winter when the waterfalls and canyon freeze into an icy wonderland, and the views did not fail this trip (see below for additional pictures).

The trail is normally quite benign - a mix of paved path and boardwalk along the canyon's edge. The heavy snows, constant use, and recent freeze/thaw had turned the top layer into a sheet of sheer ice. Even with appropriate winter foot wear, the walk was extremely treacherous with a number of sections where you needed to let yourself slide down a hill or use the hand rail to pull yourself up. The kids, of course, thought this was awesome. Many adults, particularly those with less than adequate footwear (dress boots, running shoes), found it to be a struggle. My advice if you would like to take this hike in the winter, especially if you'd like to make it past the lower falls, would be to bring a pair of crampons - those that had them, easily breezed past the rest of us.

Cave and Basin National Historic Site, March 2017

The next stop was Cave and Basin National Historic Site, so named for the mineral springs that were found within a grotto cave and adjacent basin. The springs, which had long been used by the local Indigenous Peoples, were "discovered" by three CPR employees (as depicted in the mural to the left). An ensuing legal battle over ownership of the springs garnered the attention of the Federal government, and resulted in the creation of Canada's first national park to protect the area. I found it fitting to start our exploration of Canada and its historic places at the site that started it all.

Cave and Basin National Historic Site, March 2017

As a child, I remember visiting Cave and Basin to soak in the springs, and the old pool deck is still visible. The pool was closed in 1992 (only the Upper Springs remain open to bathers) in part to protect the endangered Hot Springs snails that can be found only in these waters. You can still tour the interpretive displays and the grotto itself. There are also a few small interpretive hiking trails outside the centre, which we did not do this trip.

Of course, no excursion to Banff would be complete without a walk down Main Street and a visit to the Banff Sweet Shoppe. Bags of candy in hand, we had dinner at another Banff institution - Bumpers Beef House, a traditional Prime Rib and Steak house - before heading home.

Johnston Canyon, March 2017

Johnston Canyon, March 2017