Day 31 - Thursday July 1 - Renfrew to Rockland via Ottawa (147 km)

"Oh Canada, Our Home"

Today was a beautiful day for a ride! It was sunny, a bit on the cooler side, and with a tailwind for the most part. WE went east via Hwy 1 (vs Hwy 17) to enjoy the view along the Ottawa River, and Aunt Trish stopped at a store to pick up some Canadian flags in celebration of Canada Day! She hung one on the side of the truck camper, and stuck the other in my handlebar bag where it could billow freely. Such an amazing feeling of Canadian pride to be biking across the country, through the nation's capital, on Canada Day!

As we were passing through the small town of Carp, we met up with my sister Amanda and brother-in-law Bob on the road! They were driving to Emo Ontario to visit Bob's family, and we'd coordinated routes so as to catch each other on the road. SO awesome to see them! Amanda is pregnant (due in August) and has changed so much in the month since I last saw her (you look fabulous!). We had a great roadside visit before going our separate ways. (Thanks again for the visit and chocolate milk you two! Have a great trip, be safe, and have fun!). Aunt Trish and I continued on, through Kanata and then Ottawa. As exciting as it was to be going through Ottawa on Canada Day, I was also a bit apprehensive as this was likely to mean much more traffic. In actuality, the ride was great - our chosen route was far enough away from the downtown festivities to avoid excessive traffic, the roads were great, and many of the streets had actual bike lanes (awesome!). Everywhere, people were decked out in red and white and were toting flags. Aunt Trish and I stopped at a shawarma place for lunch (just for you Ruth!) and it was great. The goal was to make it through the city today so that we can have a quicker get-away post-rest day tomorrow, and the kilometers seemed to fly by despite the numerous stops for red lights. We made it to the highway and then to Rockland by 2:30, loaded up Foxy, and drove back to my Aunt Wendy's in Stittsville where we'll be staying for the next two nights. Pulling into her subdivision we saw that familiar red and white flutter of waving flags - Aunt Wendy and my Mom greeting us on the road! (My Mom came out from Napanee for a visit since we'll be here for a bit - it's like a mini family reunion today!). Inside were even more Canada decorations - a map of Canada with the riding route highlighted and captioned "Dreaming Big 2010", flanked by flags (so nice!). I hadn't looked at a map of the country as a whole since starting out, and seeing it with the route highlighted I can't believe how far it looks from Vancouver to Ottawa! My Aunt Wendy is the Queen of pampering, and before long Aunt Trish and I were cleaned up and our laundry was done. We had a delicious dinner - one of Aunt Wendy's specialties (Hunan Orange Turkey with Kismis Plump Raisin Rice), and my Mom's homemade Queen Elizabeth Cake to celebrate the holiday and the Queen's visit to Canada. Aunt Wendy's is an absolute sanctuary. Heading out shortly with some friends to see the fireworks at Parliament Hill.... Happy Canada Day Everyone!!!