Saturday 4 May 2019

Walkies in Mer Bleue

It was a long way to go for walkies. Nearly 100 km, and an hour and 20 minutes! It was on the way into the city, first a walk, then getting out motel keys, and then to pick up the grandies, and then Talent Show.

North Gower



We were going into the city to see Caitlin's  performance. It's an annual fundraiser. Extra food for the cats. Hotel reservation (on points). The plan was to pick the girls up at day care, then take them to the pub. Then, a walk Friday morning before going home. Saturday looks good! 

JB wanted to go to Mer Bleue Bog 

The Mer Bleue Conservation Area is a 33.43 km² protected area east of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Its main feature is a sphagnum bog that is situated in an ancient channel of the Ottawa River and is a remarkable boreal-like ecosystem normally not found this far south.
The weather looked frightful. Rather than walking Friday, we drove in early Thursday, and went to the bog. We thought. We made a mistake and parked at the wrong spot: the red dot on the map. We should have kept driving. Little did we know. 


I took my old GPS and only found out later where we were. It didn't have up0to-date maps. It's a dinosaur.

We did a fair walk!

It was cold, wet, and quite a mess. We'd both worn boots, happily. The bog boardwalk is only a couple of KMs around. You can do 7 km, but I knew my tenosynovitis wouldn't take it. It got quite sore after awhile. Fortunately, we went back. 

It was good exercise, I'll say that. 
Lots walk their dogs. You can see the tracks. They are supposed to be on a leash. We met a couple on the way back with a beagle, I think. As he approached me, the woman said, "Oh, he only wants to smell you!" I guess I didn't have a say in the matter. 
There was lots of coyote scat. Many birds, too. None that we could really see. 
There are a lot of huge trees, especially beech. You can smell the poplars, with lots of leaves underfoot. 


Bob'll Know ID'd the bird for us. Despite being a trained vocalist, my ear for birds is horrid!
birds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Next stop, the hotel, and to pick up the girls!
Here is our trip from the bog (east) to the motel.

6 comments:

Nancy J said...

Still looking wet there,but a grand outing.Waiting for the nest instalment.

Christine said...

wish the sun would come out, maybe tomorrow.

DUTA said...

I like the word 'walkie' and its counterpart in hebrew 'halicha':)
I also like the things displayed in your photos: houses, roads, pond, fields, etc...
Hope your weather improves, and enables you to be more in the outdoors.

Kay said...

Gosh... That looks very cold and damp. I can never tell what the bird calls are.

Anvilcloud said...

You have a phone now, with Google Maps or whatever. It works well and should be up to date.

William Kendall said...

The Mer looks quite moody in the mist. It's been years since I've been there.