Dear Diary: July 25, 2005

… The neat thing is that the trail I took (Ottawa River Parkway leading to Orléans) was the trail I took 3-4 years ago with the two people from Randonnée Aventure, when we cycled from Ottawa to Montreal.

So I decided to make the trip again for a couple of reasons. First of all, I need to bring my bike back to Montreal and I don’t want to pay the $40 fee to box it on the bus. And second, waypoint LE-6 is on the way. In terms of tracing the Path Map, I need to do the route in order to “connect the dots”. This way I can incorporate the Ottawa trails. Though I have been berating myself for not working very much this summer (on my thesis, on Tongue Rug) things have taken a turn.

… Now that I have the G5, I can actually open very large Photoshop files. So I believe it is now possible to make a to-scale map of Quebec, and have all my paths (in proportions) in the same document. Making the Path Map seems doable now.

Also, I went to the National Gallery on Saturday to see the Renaissance exhibition [Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Renaissance in Florence]. I wasn’t that taken by the show safe for a few gems, but in the permanent collection I found much inspiration. I realized (after seeing some gorgeous plans by Dennis Oppenheim) that the reason the T.R. documentation was stalled was because I was trying to do everything on the computer. I need to get back into drawing, sketches, collage, bricolage. And to do this, I need space.

 

Progress: June 18-19, 2005

Traveled to and documented: LE-1 Legault Waterway, LE-8 Legault Peninsula, and LE-10 Legault Stream (Plaisance, Papineau, Outaouais, Quebec, CA).

LE-1 ( map  l  path )
Plaisance, Papineau, Outaouais, Quebec, CA
Do you have a story about this placename?
Visit other placenames.

Path: LE-1, LE-8, LE-10

YouTube  l  Panorama LE-1 Legault Waterway / Cours d'eau Legault June 18, 2005

DAY 1 - June 18, 2005

Left the house at 8:00 AM and didn’t stop again until I reached Masson-Angers to document a road sign. I had gone straight through for 50 km. I was feeling strong and energized. When I worked for the IBM Software Lab in Kanata, I spent all my weekends acquainting myself with the Ottawa and Gatineau trails instead of working on my thesis like I should have. With all this cycling experience in the Green Belt area, leaving Bell’s Corner was a breeze. I ended up in Quebec on rue Saint-Louis, overlooking the Outaouais. I realized that it was where I went with Pa last summer for the Montgolfières Festival. I remember having really liked the area with its little houses and large yards beside the water. It had character.

After the rush of downtown Gatineau traffic, I took rue Notre-Dame — a quaint, quiet street with rows of old houses. When I reached the highway again (148) there was little traffic and for the most part, I had a wide paved shoulder to bike on. All around me there were fields with cows and horses grazing and on my right were large expanses of wetland. It was nice to see land that was undeveloped and left to the water fowl and fauna. It was like green tongues were licking the river. Far off in the distance I could see the Ontario shore with the occasional steeple.

I stopped at a bank machine and a young man wearing yellow cycling glasses asked me: Comment tu trouves la circulation aujourd’hui? It was nice to meet a fellow cyclist, with the familiar wild gleam in his eye. He was craving the road. I stopped to eat at a casse-croute in Thurso and enjoyed reading a celebrity magazine. (I told myself that if I was improving my French, that it shouldn’t matter what I read.)

I passed Rue Legault on my way to the Parc national de Plaisance. I took a quick look around and went and paid for the campground. I was very impressed with the site. It was basically a long green strip of land that lurched into the Outaouais so that you could see the Quebec shore on one side, and the Ontario shore on the other. There was a lot of bird activity and it was very peaceful. I pitched my tent and ate a bite before setting off to visit two waypoints before night fall. At a crossroads in the park, I startled an animal and I heard a very loud splash. I neared closer and saw a huge beaver. I had never been that close before. I checked my map and went to leave again and I heard another splash. This time the beaver startled me. It sounded like a dog leaping in the water.

 

 

Legault Waterway/Cours d’eau Legault (LE-1) was just a street away, up a hill – Montée Papineau. I passed the cutest little houses, interspersed with old dairy farms. People were mowing their lawns, putting laundry outside to dry and taking care of their properties. It would be amazing to spend a couple of months soaking up the small town life, enjoying the slower pace. As it has often been the case, the river was buried in tall grasses off the road in the field. I could just see a hint of an indentation that suggested its passage. I went down a hill, my feet squishing and sinking in thick mud and came to a sort of foot bridge where water flowed underneath. Because I was so low, I felt like I was surrounded by a sea of green. In the distance I could hear kids crying out to each other on their motorbikes.

I’ve noticed that going back from my destination always seems shorter. Plus it was downhill. I decided since it was still relatively early (3:30), that I would go document Legaults’ Peninsula/Presqu’Ile Legault (LE-8) at the Baie Noire section of the park. This was the smaller tongue that made up the park and it had a few weathered sorry barns on it. I looked in one and fought the urge to scavenge – it looked to be an abandoned workshop. It was in grave disrepair with the roof falling in and grass growing on the inside. It reminded me of the boat house at camp.

On the trails, there were turtle nests everywhere with just the telltale shreds of their eggs remaining. I did not see one turtle. In fact, I did not see anyone at first and thought I was alone on the “almost island”. But at one point, my cell rang and it was Paul, wanting to know what I was doing for Canada Day. As I talked to him, a family cycled by and warned me that the ferry back to the campsite was not functional. (I was unaware that this ferry existed.)

 

YouTube  l  Panorama LE-8 Legaults’ Peninsula / Presqu'Île des Legaults June 18, 2005

 

I cycled on anyway, wanting to photograph the tip. It was worth the ride, which in itself was pleasant: pebbly lanes lined with trees with the water on both sides. At the tip there was a small rickety dock, a perfect vantage point. The sky was overcast and threatening to spill itself on the water which was clear but rippling slowly in the breeze.

I arrived back at the camp at around 5:30 and ate supper before setting off for an educational talk on frogs. We learned to discern their calls and then about ten of us piled into a rabaska and hit the water. We visited three small bays filled with lily pads and tried to be silent so that we could document the frog calls. It was a very scientific system. There were children in the boat which hampered our findings. They could not sit still nor could they paddle with rhythm. I nonetheless enjoyed our evening ride.

Jeannette called and then I got a hold of Lucien for a chat and a much needed, good hearty laugh. It was soon dark outside and I had nothing to read (plus the mosquitoes were relentless) so I went to bed early. At around 11:30 my cell rang again and I fumbled around for it in the dark. It was Pa calling from Korea. I laughed. It felt very surreal. We didn't talk long because I was not making any sense in my sleepy state. In the end, I did not sleep well at all because I did not bring a mat and the ground was very cold and humid. It seeped into my bones so that I had to shift positions every 15 minutes. I finally got up at 5:00 AM feeling exhausted.

 

DAY 2 - June 19, 2005

The next morning I decided to take the same route to LE-1 and then veer left to document Legault Stream/Ruisseau Legault (LE-10). This way I could see the Plaisance Falls. I passed a farmhouse where two dogs were barking. I took out my whistle and eyed the big gray dog warily. Turns out it was the smaller poodle type dog which was gutsy. It came at my heels and so I let it have the full whistle blast which eventually deterred its course. In the end, I passed right through the falls because I didn’t want to stop and pay the admission fee. The rest of the way I wound through farmers' fields, but it was uphill the whole way. I had to cycle on the road as well, but there was little traffic. The more I went north, the more I was surrounded by dense forest and rock. It seemed very deserted and lonely. I came to a place that seemed to be the stream but I was not sure. I could have gone further but as I neared a bend, three large dogs ran to the edge of their driveway to growl and bark their warnings. None of them were tied up and I did not want to risk it. Plus it was uphill.

 

YouTube  l  Panorama LE-10 Legault Stream / Ruisseau Legault June 19, 2005

 

I couldn’t even see the stream, the foliage was so thick. But I could hear it trickling. There may have been a small waterfall. This was probably the least striking waypoint up to date. Basically some bush by a highway. No water to be seen.

I ate in Thurso again and actually sat down for breakfast as it was chilly out and I wanted to warm up. The couple beside my table were very friendly and wanted to know more about my trip. The woman had just come back from Switzerland and had been very impressed with that country. They asked me if I had seen the small group walking up the hill. In fact I had smiled at a group of hikers as I passed. A couple of them carried what looked to be staffs. I discovered that it was a group of pelerins (pilgrims) following Le chemin des sanctuaires. They depart from Ottawa and follow the trail bordering the Ontario and Quebec side of the Outaouais all the way to Montreal — 225 km divided into 12 days of about 18 km.

I was fascinated by this concept of time and space. While cycling alone on long trips, I am often left to my own thoughts. I appreciate the relative "slowness" of my travels as it leaves me room to reflect. Also, the physical aspect of it centres me into the present moment. My 20 km an hour average is equivalent to one day of walking. I would like to attempt a walking pelerinage someday to experience that unique relation with time, space and solitude.

The route back was fast because it was now familiar. Once back in Ottawa, I decided to try out some new trails. Baseline. It was a bad idea because I was tired and of course, I kept getting lost when all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. The first day I had done 120 km and the second day, 100 km. It was not the distance that wore me out so much as the lack of sleep. I arrived in Bells Corners at 2:00 PM and promptly took to the couch. I woke up at 9:00 PM when Jane called. It felt very decadent to sleep in the middle of the day.

Day 1 - June 18, 2005

 

Time	Location	Trip Odometer	Moving Time	Stopped	Max Speed	Moving Average
8:05 Stop: 10:55	Bells Corners Masson-Angers	49.9 km	2:31	20 min	85.2k/h?	19.8/h
Stop: 11:55 Depart: 12:25	Thurso N 45°35'786" W 75°14'741" Rue Legault N 45°36'336" W 75°07'385"	67.6 km	3:25	23 min
Arrive: 1:15	Parc N 45°35'943" W 75°06'531"	81.2 km	4:08	31 min + lunch with GPS off
Arrive: 3:25 Depart: 3:35	LE-1 N 45°38'087" W 75°06'945"	91.2 km	4:51	1:19
Arrive: 4:35	LE-8, LE-1 N 45°34'921" W 75°07'190"	102 km	5:27	1:36
Arrive: 5:35	Campsite N 45°36'047" W 75°03'982"	118k + 4k (campsite) = 122 km

 

Day 2 – June 19, 2005

 

Time	Location	Trip Odometer	Moving Time	Stopped	Max Speed	Moving Average
6:15 Arrive: 7:50	LE-10 N 45°41'065'' W 75°12'993''	22.6 km	1:21	15 min	35.8k/h	16.6/h
Stop: 8:30 Depart: 9:10	Thurso
Arrive: 11:20	Lady Aberdeen bridge to cross Rivière Gatineau N 45°27'333'' W 75°42'183''	75.7 km	3:48	31 min	167k/h?	19.9/h
Arrive: 2:00	Bells Corners Took Pinecrest way and got lost. GPS stopped.	97 km	5:01	1:01		19.3/h

 

Dear Diary: June 19, 2005

On the weekend, I actually did work on Tongue Rug, I documented three waypoints. I biked in Gatineau passing through Angers, Thurso and camping in a provincial park – Plaisance. It was an intense weekend. 120 km the first day, and 100 the next. I needed to get away and think after a stressful week.

 

Dear Diary: October 2, 2004

It is comforting to read of other artists’ struggles when I do feel like the walls are closing in:

“The telephone bill unpaid. The net of economic difficulties closing in on me. Everyone around me irresponsible, unconscious of the shipwreck. I did thirty pages of erotica.”
— Anaïs Nin, Diary 1939 – 1944, volume 3

I may have a studio space in Saint-Henry… But can I muster up the $100.00?

 

Progress: September 2004

Started a Masters program in the French department at Concordia University: Littératures francophones et résonances médiatiques. Though I am interested in the literature field, I am also motivated by a desire to improve my French speaking and writing skills and meet more francophones. Perhaps this is a way to develop the Tongue Rug project? A way to research interfaces and language?

Dear Diary: February 23, 2004

… I am frustrated with my Tongue Rug project right now. For the last two weeks I have been working in Photoshop, stitching together the panoramas. Twice now, I worked for a couple of hours on a document, only to have it fail. (I need the ends to match so that I can make a perfect circle.) It is a frustratingly long process, but when it works, what a feeling! I know I just have to stick with it and I will get over these hurdles…

Just as I said, I went back to the computer and kept at it. It was worth ef the effort. I finished the Lac Panache vista. It brought back fond memories, not only of when I took it, but when I was younger and I would hike up with my cousins.

 

Dear Diary: February 5, 2004

… Today I followed through with my plan. I would have to work harder and on my own. I bought a scanner to work with my laptop. I started scanning the lake photos from last summer. It was the push I needed. I have been wanting to scan these for months. They were sitting on my desk at work. At the end of a shift, I had no energy to stay and work on my project into the late hours. I hope this sets the tone for a working routine.

 

Story: Lapalme Lake / Lac Lapalme (LA-1)

View Tongue LA-1 in a larger map

 

Lapalme Lake: 46.816667N -74.583333W

 

A fantastic canoe-camping trip
Francine Gagnon via e-mail
Montreal, October 31, 2003

Six of us forty-somethings went on a canoe-camping trip in that area in May 2003, on the Fête de la Reine 3-day weekend. I think we may have paddled that lake. The weather turned out to be truly fantastic, staying in the mid 20's centigrade, yet there was not a bug in sight.

While canoeing our 30 km trip, my partner and I spotted the carcass of a huge dead animal with an impressive panache. Its skin had changed colour. It looked like gorgeous thick black leather with colourful dark deep textures and patterns visible on its slippery surface.

There was moss and wild flowers growing on and around it, yet there was no smell, no visible decomposition. Perhaps it was frozen during the winter.

When we talked to the park rangers, they thought it was wounded by a hunter and that it went by the riverside to die. It chose the tip of a beautiful tiny peninsula. We were able to approach on water from 3 sides from approximately 6 feet away.

This may sound gruesome but it was not. What we saw was magnificent and impressed us both. We stayed in silence for a while, in awe of nature's way of dealing with death.

I am an artist and a photographer, yet regrettably I did not have a camera. That image is now embedded in my memory.

 

FORM_LA1	#TONGUE_LA1

 

SEE ALL THE TONGUES

+ ADD YOUR TONGUE

+ ADD YOUR WAYPOINT

 

Path: LA-4

YouTube  l  Panorama LA-4 Lapalme Lake / Lac Lapalme August 9, 2003

 

Now that I was used to camping, I decided to do a quick overnight trip, my destination only 80 km away. Leaving the island through Laval’s suburbs was an experience as it was a very confusing trail system. I encountered many other cyclists as I passed by small villages and farmland. Less than five hours later, I was setting up my tent at Ste-Anne-des-Plaines campground; basically a summer trailer park. It suited my purposes fine: it was cheap, there was a small store to buy groceries, I could take a hot shower and my lot was sheltered by evergreens.

I set off soon after to find my lake. First, I went too far and had to double back. I then spent some time following a trail by a river, circling and lost. I finally emerged from 20 foot high reeds, and thick orange mud into someone’s backyard. I followed another trail and found the road where I started. I soon realized that the lake, almost a large pond, was in fact, accessible from the road. I had been bushwacking for nothing. The lake was out in the open and I was conscious that it was on private property. I hid by a bush to take my photos in the round. There were ducks on the water.

 

 

That night, back at the campsite, I read Thoreau’s Walden. Seemed appropriate. I slept soundly and woke up in the middle of the night in a rain storm. My tent was dry inside but the next morning at 9:00 AM it was still raining. I decided to pack up and go nonetheless. I was soon soaked to the bone with mud on my legs, in my hair, the back of my neck and along my back, even in my teeth. However, it was quite peaceful on the trails and a warm day despite the rain, so I kind of enjoyed the experience. I got into a good cycling rhythm and actually missed the Laval stop, continuing to Boisbriand (I will be going on a similar ride when I document LA-3. The more I gain experience, the less I will get lost). On the way back I took the Parc Linéaire des Basses Laurentides. I believe it leads all the way to Mont Tremblant.

Day 1 – August 1, 2003

 

Time	Location	Trip Odometer	Moving Time	Stopped	Max Speed	Moving Average
8:40 Stop: 10:20 Depart: 10:30	Fruits et legumes, Montée St-François, Laval N 45°37'854" W 73°39'661"	20.2 km	1:08	19 min	40.1k/h	17.7k/h
Stop: 1:00	Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines N 45°45'844" W 73°48'662"	55.8 km	3:00	55 min	43.4k/h	18.6k/h
Depart: 1:15 Arrive: 1:58	Camping Lac des Plaines N 45°45'376" W 73°48'886"	63.3 km	3:28	1:37		18.2k/h
Depart: 3:05 Arrive: 3:45	Got lost. N 45°49'643" W 73°52'377"	74.6 km	4:03	1:51		18.3k/h
Arrive: 4:00	LA-4 N 45°49'891" W 73°49'530"	80.4 km	4:42	2:10		17.1k/h

 

Day 2 – August 2, 2003

 

Time	Location	Trip Odometer	Moving Time	Stopped	Max Speed	Moving Average
9:45 Stop: 10:46	Chemin de la Côte St. Pierre, Parc Linéaire des Basses Laurentides	101 km	5:43	2:17	43.4k/h	17.7k/h
Stop: 11:35 Depart: 12:00	Sainte-Thérèse N 45°39'123" W 75°50'771"
Stop: 1:00	Boisbriand N 45°35'776" W 73°50'440"	129 km	7:11	2:35		17.9k/h
Arrive: 4:30		170 km	9:22			18.1k/h