Saying Hi to Bytown

The thing that occurred to me walking around the Parliament buildings is how defensible they are. At least by 19th century standards. All three blocks were open to the street but the back end is basically a sheer cliff down to the water. It would take significant ship-based cannon fire to do any real damage to them. And to do that you'd have to dodge the cannon placements that would undoubtedly be on the riversides. So it's either that or take the whole city first.

This is what I think about when I walk around a place with history.

Ottawa turns out to be a lot nicer as a pedestrian than a driver. I checked out Parliament (though I was too late to grab an inside tour), went to the new Bank of Canada Museum (did you know you're the raindrops in the great wave that is the Canadian economy? Because you are), The National Gallery (which I went into because I happened upon it and ended up spending a ton of time in), and the Canadian Museum of Nature (which was fine but I'd pass on it if you don't have kids).

The city was bustling. I have no frame of reference but the holiday Monday after Canada's 150th birthday seemed like it was a good occasion for people to get out and see the capital. Restaurants were full, the tourist areas saw healthy business, and people were out walking the streets. Then again, it might've just been because it was sunny.

Tomorrow I head for Montreal. Looking at my schedule things might be a little tight on delivering Fusion Dave to Halifax for the 10th. I mean I'll make it for sure, but I will have to cut some things depending on how badly I want to do the Cabot Trail. So I may end up having to bypass Quebec City and/or Charlottetown.

Decisions, decisions.

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Florida in the Key of West

Yesterday was not a pleasant day. 10 hours of driving only to end up at the Best Western in Jacksonville, just so I could stand around waiting for my laundry to finish because the hotel in Key West that I'm staying in for 4 nights had no laundry mentioned on their website. So it's 10:30 at night and I'm sweating on the second floor between the world's loudest dryer and the local ice machine for an hour. And that's following 30 minutes of washing. I even had to hang dry some stuff because even after an hour it still wasn't dry yet. It's times like that that make me question whether or not this trip was even a good idea. It usually happens in the waking moments before sleep when I'm lying in my rented bed in the middle of a town where I know no one. Why am I here? Am I learning anything? Is this just a giant waste of time and money? And then there's times like the Wendy's. I got in too late in Jacksonville and the hotel was far enough

In the Shadow of Honest Abe

The first thing you notice about Washington is that it's short. None of the buildings are over 12 stories max -- something to do with making sure the Capitol Building isn't overshadowed. Coming out of New York it certainly has a different vibe, giving a small city feel to what's a pretty big city. It rained all day today, but I was determined to get some shots of the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument. Mission accomplished. Still, the way the rain was falling the front of my shirt was soaked through by the time I got to ol' Abe. The Lincoln Memorial was, for me, the real object of the trip. Even in a cold wet spring day, the sight of the greatest American President carved out of several tons of white marble perched on his chair and literally larger than life still gives one the feeling of being in the presence of greatness. His words etched on each side of the memorial are still as eloquent as the day he spoke them. After I got

A long time coming but I'm finally here

So I made it to New York. That's the long story made short. Here's the story at longer length: I got out of the house and on the road about an hour later than I expected to, but judging by all the maps I was looking at I would still be able to make it within a reasonable amount of time. The thing about trips though is you always forget something. I knew that once it was too late I would realize I forgot something that I absolutely needed. That's just the way it goes. I was dreading the border most of all, it would have really sucked to have to go through a hassle just cause some border guard is having a bad day. As I was approaching the Queenston/Lewiston crossing I picked a spot with two cars in front of me. The first car got the point. As in please park over there sir so we can ransack your car . The second car also got the point, and now I'm thinking is this the designated point guy for the day?! Am I gonna cavity-searched cause it was his turn to search everybody?

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