mooney's bay beach | outdoors

It's been a scorcher of a summer, no question about it. And though that does mean Ottawa has had to deal with grass fires, droughts and morons leaving their dogs in cars*, we're also all rocking killer tans from our days spent by the water.

I don't think beach is what comes to mind when anyone thinks Ottawa. BUT, we do have some pretty excellent options when you're in the mood to slip on a bikini, lather on the SPF and frolock in the sand.

Here's the lowdown on the city's four public beaches (Brittania, Mooney's, Petrie, Westboro) will be open (read: lifeguard supervised) until August 19th:  http://ottawa.ca/en/rec_culture/park_facility/beaches/index.html 

A few weekends ago, Michele (aka Sista-Sista) and her boyfriend Phil (aka Bad Beef) invited me (aka Queen of the Universe) and my boyfriend (aka Tall Lanky One) to join them at Mooney's Bay. Didn't take any convincing for us to get on board.

You might be wondering, if we were in Orleans (we were) why didn't we go to Petrie Island which is infinitely closer than Mooney's? Good question. I don't know, didn't come up. Mooney's seems more exotic to us vs. Petrie where I have memories of going there for Canada with my kid cousins? For the record, both beaches are generally the same in terms of size, water access, etc.

Getting to Mooney's Bay is fairly simple. If you're taking the Queensway, you just get off at Riverside, go South until you see a beach on your right. Or a large Orthodox Church on your left. Alternatively, you can get there on the 87 bus.

Obviously, we didn't want to pay for parking (cause, you know, it would have been like $1.25 each or something). Easy enough, from Riverside we turned left on Ridgewood and parked on the first street on the right, Dupont.

Luckily, the beach wasn't too busy and we found a spot for our towels without any trouble. Soon we were snacking away on our packed lunch, throwing the Frisbee, reading books, spotting ugly tattoos and playing First Person To See Someone They Know Wins.

First Person To See Someone They Know Wins is a game I came up with (thank you very much). Basically, when I'm in a public place with someone (friend, family, whatever), the first person to see someone they know wins. The rules are: you must say hi to them (not just a polite nod), it can't be someone you're meeting there or someone you would expect to see there (example: if they work at that bar). So far, with Chris, I was 0 - 1. That's insane, I know, since we only play in Ottawa. But I had written the last time off as a fluke.

Except it wasn't.

He won again. He saw someone he went to high school with. IN FERGUS. Urgh, the worst. 0 - 2. I'll never live it down.

Anways. After a while, Chris and I got up and went for a walk to the park. On the river, you could see tons of rowers and kayakers and hear their coaches' whistles. There were tons of ducks and geese waddling on the grass. If you were so inclined, there were also picnic tables and a playground for kids.

 

 Finally, there was a giant taboggan hill that was begging to the climbed. I'm king of the world!

Eventually, the heat was getting to us and it was time to get going. On a beautiful sunny this was the perfect thing to do.

What do you guys do to beat the heat? Anybody ever been to Brittania or Westboro? Are they worth checking out?

xo
OC

*Unfortunately, being a moron in itself isn't illegal, but leaving your dog (or other animal) to suffer inside your oven of a car is. If you see that someone has neglected, abused their pooch or that it's in distress, please call the Ottawa Humane Society at 613-725-3166 ext. 224. More info here.

Luskville Falls | outdoors

Two summers ago, my good friend Gen brought me to the Luskville Falls for a hike. Since then, I’ve been meaning to return so I could make it to the top. When Chris was in town for the Canada Day long weekend, I knew I had to make it happen.

The Luskville Falls are the closest you’ll be to mountain hiking in the Ottawa area (about 1,000 ft elevation).

Directions

Rhonda 

To get there, it’ll take you about 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa.

From the West: Take the 417 to Carling, turn left on Merivale and then left on Island Park Drive.

From the East: Take the 417 to Island Park Drive and stick to the right to head North.

Follow Island Park Drive to cross the Champlain Bridge (make sure to look out for some gorgeous houses along the way). Once on the Quebec side, take the second right on Chemin Ayler, then a quick left on Boulevard Saint-Raymond. Follow signs to get on Boulevard des Allumetieres (Hwy148) going West. You’ll stay on 148 until you’re out of the city. Your next turn will be on Chemin de l’Hotel de Ville where you’ll also see a NCC sign. Turn left to get to the parking lot.

At the parking lot, there’s a lovely grassy area with lots of trees and picnic tables which can be nice if you want to go for a shorter hike and have a lunch. Make sure you to use the facilities before you start if you’re thinking of going all the way up.

As Chris and I started our hike, I quickly became anxious that we were on the wrong path. We weren’t heading up and despite the parking lot being full, we hadn’t crossed anyone yet. After about 10 minutes, we spotted someone coming towards us and before I could ask if we were indeed on our way to the falls, he let us know that he had crossed a bear up ahead. Ok, no dice. But he also confirmed that we were on the wrong path. Needless to say, we doubled back. Once at the parking lot, we noticed that closer to the entrance, there was a large sign and a set of wooden stairs… a much more obvious entrance to the path we wanted.

Take two.

This time, things were drastically different (re: vertical). It doesn’t take long to work up a sweat. About 15-20 minutes in, you reach the falls. Unfortunately, it being mid-summer and 35 degrees and all, they were all but dry, but gorgeous nevertheless.

This first part of the hike was pretty busy both on our way up and down. Not surprising, considering the parking lot was full. Once we continued past the falls, the path started to intertwine large rocks and boulders. It was a good thing we had hiking shoes/old running shoes. My mistake, though, was my attire. A cotton t-shirt and jean shirts were a deadly on a day like that. I would have loved me some Lululemon. Good thing Boyfriend looks good sans t-shirt cause soon enough I was ditching my soaked shortsleeve and rocking his wifebeater.   

An hour after we set out on the right path, we reached the tower at the top. We found some comfy rocks, mowed our lunch and started to head back down. 

On our way (which took about 45 minutes), we made sure to stop at a few pretty amazing lookouts. 

Overall, this was a great hike and a great way to spend an early afternoon. Not to mention, it was a bad ass workout. Definitely more interesting that the regular Gatineau Park trails but not too challenging for amateur hikers. Make to bring water, snacks and some breathable clothes if it's a scorcher. 

As if this is in Ottawa (ish). I love this city.  

xo

OC