Chute de Luskville

We slept so soundly within the park limits last night and again woke up to the sounds of birds. I was surprised at how quickly the park filled up with cyclists and was happy at the thought of driving out to what I thought would be a more secluded place. I couldn't have been more wrong! We pulled off onto a barely noticeable dirt road and were shocked when the parking lot for Luskville Falls was full. After carefully maneuvering the bus back out we parked along the dirt road and headed to the trail. The trail was perfect! Busy but perfect! It followed the water straight up the mountain and continued on to an old fire tower turned weather station. And I do mean straight up! It reminded me of the rocky steep ups on the Appalachian trail and how sometimes I would literally count my steps before I would allow myself to take my next break. I took multiple breaks on the way up and will admit that when we were at what I thought was the top and saw a sign saying I still had 1km more to go I thought of turning around. I quickly recovered after another break though and soon we were on our way up again. At a simple rock hop water crossing I fell and got soaked but walked away unscathed. The fire tower at the top had a fence around it and was not meant to be climbed. Michael tried but turned around at the halfway point. There were more trails at the top including a 21km trail that would have landed us exactly where we were yesterday but I hadn't packed snacks so we headed back down to the bus. There was a fork in the trail on the way down so we took a different trail down that was less steep and way more enjoyable considering the dogs were on leashes and I had to constantly remind Melkie to stay behind me. Back at the bus we were right back into our routine of eat and nap. I was still overheated when I set up the bed and within minutes I was too cold but had forgot to take out my blanket. Of course Michael was already sound asleep and I was unable to access the blankets in the drawer beneath us so I got up and worked on a silly video of today's adventure. I hope you like it! When Michael woke up we decided to go for a drive and check out Luskville. It was a tiny villiage along the Ottawa River with as many cottages as houses. We had already decided to stay by the Falls tonight but we did explore a dead end road that had an interesting trail to the escarpment mostly used by rock climbers before heading back. On our return to the falls we pretty much had the place to ourselves and discovered another trail at the far end of the parking lot. It was the perfect trail to end the day and when we got back to the bus it was time for a late dinner. Goodnight World!

Gatineau National Park

Last night I woke up to a huge lightning storm. I wish I had have taken pictures. The lightning just lit up the sky! And then it was over. When I woke up next it was to the sounds of birds and the light filtering through our tinted windows. Today was absolutely gorgeous! I had intended to get up early and go for a walk in hopes of seeing some wildlife but instead we had a leisurely morning, taking our time with coffees in bed. After breakfast I loaded up my backpack with Gatorades and snacks and soon we were headed up the trail. We started out on a paved trail that turned into part to the TransCanada Trail and then later turned into a narrow dirt path (the kind I like best). Of course that was about the same time we started with a whole bunch of ups and downs. Each up on its own was entirely manageable but soon I was out of breath and Michael suggested a break- perfect! The farther we got from the bus the more we wondered when this lake was going to show up. It seemed like we had been walking forever. Finally while on another break Michael looked at his map and we realized we had walked almost all the way around the lake (without even seeing it once) and would soon be at the lookout spot. We hiked up to a marsh and both of us were thinking I hope this isn't it but soon we saw a clearing ahead and came out onto a parking lot. The lake was on the other side and there was a 2km boardwalk trail around the lake. Unfortunately dogs weren't allowed on the boardwalk (due to the sensitive ecosystem of the lake) so we hiked on. We can't help but notice how much more active people seem to be here compared to Ontario. We see cyclists everywhere! Today the park is filled with cyclists, hikers and we even saw a few people on roller skis. I get that we are in a park and that what people do in a park but we have been out on the trail every single day in Ontario for awhile and haven't seen this many people. This park is designed really well in that it has designated trails for each activity with few shared trails. There are trails for skiing and mountain bikes and snowshoeing here too! It felt really good to have my pack on and be on a dirt path in the middle of the woods today. We arrived back at the bus tired and hungry so after a quick bite to eat it was nap time (again). Naps are becoming an afternoon routine. Later Michael made us dinner and we just hung out on the bus for the evening. It was the perfect day!

Mooney's Bay Park

We ran a few errands this morning with Rebecca before dropping her of and heading to Mooney's Bay Park and Hog's Back Falls. We walked through the park along the beach first before heading over to the falls. The park is awesome! I'm not a city person at all but this place has the perfect mix of natural features (the falls, the bay, a marshy area) mixed in stuff like the Terry Fox Stadium, multiple playgrounds, a few beachfront food venues made to look like tiki bars all surrounded by a cityscape of buildings including some cool looking churches. I realize that the bay is man made and not natural but it was nice and made for a great afternoon. There were several walking paths along both sides of the falls as throughout the park and by the time we got back to the bus we were hot and exhausted. There were perfect hammock hanging trees in sight of the bus but when I mentioned it Michael thought I was joking. We ended up driving along Island drive and across the Ottawa River back to Quebec and after gas and grocery stops headed back to Gatineau National Park. Even though we were only minutes away it took us forever to get there because I was navigating from my phone (that didn't show the park roads) rather than the paper map I have neatly tucked away in a drawer. It was like a mini adventure except that the longer it took and the crappier the road surface the more frustrated Michael became. Oops! By the time we got here I think we were both frustrated, it was almost dark and we still needed to take the dogs out. We did it though and managed to be back at the bus before it was too dark. It is so gorgeous here that we decided to stay!

The Capital

Six years ago my son and I travelled to the East Coast on our motorcycles and I remember taking a scenic route that avoided the big highways. Today I am going to attempt to remember how to get to that route. I pulled away from Renfrew heading towards the Ottawa River promising the dogs we would stop soon at a nice spot. I found the road I wanted and soon we were at a big hydro dam. Last time I had been here it was sunny and the water was calm. Today was overcast and the water was ferocious and wild! I pulled over on the other side of the dam to try to get a few pictures but there were no trespassing and danger signs everywhere. We had made it to Quebec though and our first stop was the quiet town of Portage-du-fort. We parked by the swollen river and had breakfast and another coffee before heading towards Hull. When we came to Gatineau National park we decided to check it out. I immediately decided I wanted to come back and try to stay here but while we were on a short walk with the dogs my daughter called and asked where we were. So back to the bus to Head for downtown Ottawa. Rebecca had an agenda that involved a women's rights protest at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights. I knew Micheal wouldn't be that interested so he decided to check out a park with Cooper. He offered to come bail us out if necessary. The monument is actually the first to acknowledge universal human rights and its meant to symbolize Canada's commitment to live in peace. It's really too bad I couldn't get a better picture of it, although I did get a great picture of Melkie at the monument. It reads "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." It also has the words equality, dignity and rights in the 73 original native languages. It was a fitting place for a protest. We came back to the apartment to look for Michael but he was nowhere to be found and we couldn't wait around for him inside because Rebecca has bunnies and Melkie likes to eat bunnies. We headed back outside and headed for the parliament buildings and then ended up at Byward Market for a drink and a Beaver Tail. Back on Rebecca's street we found the bus but still no Michael we decided we could look for him easier up on the roof and sure enough we spotted him about a block away. After snacks in the bus we decided to call it a night. I had a quick shower while Michael pulled the bus around back to a more discreet spot for the night.

The adventure finally begins!

The most important reason we were hanging around rather than travelling was that we were expecting a new granddaughter and she has finally arrived! Everything went well and mom and baby are both back at home healthy and happy! We have spent our time between the grandkids finishing up projects and preparing the bus for long distance travel and I think we are finally ready! It seems anti climatic to say that we are leaving today. I am excited but to be honest, living on the bus is so normal to me now that it doesn't seem like a big deal to be travelling on it. The bus is my home and wherever I park my bus is where my home is. Don't get me wrong, I am totally looking forward to the adventure and seeing as much of Canada as I can! It just doesn't seem as huge or daunting as it did two and a half years ago when we first came up with the idea. We have learned a lot in those two and a half years! Not just about buses or tiny spaces or where to park discreetly but we have learned so much about ourselves and each other. We know more about who we really are and what our personal limits or boundaries are. We realize how much of who we were was based of our culture (or society's idea of normal) and not what we actually believe should be normal. EOur daily decisions (what we buy, our food choices and where we buy things) have drastically changed in that we are so much more aware of our waste, our energy consumption and who our purchases are helping. In no way am I claiming to be better than anyone else (we are also very aware of our shortcomings) but changing how we live has been a huge eye opener of how ignorant we were choosing to be. I remember when I first got back from hiking the Appalachian Trail how overwhelmed I was by all the choices or options I had in department stores and how most of the "normal" house routines seemed so ridiculous to me after living out of a backpack. Now after living on the bus for almost a year Michael often makes comments resembling the exact thoughts I had then. Living a simple, slower lifestyle has forced us to rethink how we want to live and make intentional choices rather than just going. With the flow of society.
Anyway, we are leaving today! We had the back windows tinted this morning and took the bus to a car wash. I went out for my last breakfast with a friend for awhile and made promises to meet again when we were lighter (we both need to lose some weight). Michael is just saying goodbye to his kids and we will be off soon. The adventure finally begins!

It's Finally Spring!

Say hello to spring! The warmer weather has been awesome! We've been out on the TransCanada Trail every single day! Last week we were walking on snow and ice now it's actual trail and it's beautiful! The dogs have been loving it and have both gone for their first swim of the year. Cooper actually got chased out of the water by trumpeter swans! Back on the bus we are getting closer to leaving by the minute! As we cross off each project on our list (Michael hates the list because it always involves him) we have been reflecting/ improving on past projects. We both realize that we don't need to take this much stuff with us and have really started downsizing the amount of stuff on the bus. We took out the big flat screen television. We don't need it, we barely use it and if we want to watch anything we can use a laptop. We have both drastically downsized our wardrobes again (all of my clothes fit in a small drawer). The only areas I don't seem to be shrinking is my kitchen. We both like to cook and by having everything we need it actually saves us money by minimizing the number of times we eat out and it also allows us to eat healthier less processed meals. Or at least that is what I am telling myself in order to justify how much space kitchen stuff takes up in this bus. Michael is going to be blogging about this trip from (what he thinks is) the dogs perspective, while I will continue with a human point of view. I will post his website details soon!