Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ottawa Ontario

At the Dubliner bar in the Market place district which is apparently the place to be in downtown Ottawa. Found a local hostel downtown known as the Hi Ottawa Jail Hostel because get this, we sleep in cells. Yep, an old jailhouse downtown that’s been converted into a hostel and from the tours they were giving for this place, sounds like it might be haunted. I’ll let you know if there are any strange happenings tonight even if it doesn’t involve the jailhouse.


It was tough leaving Tamworth today because it would have been worth staying one more night after all the fun I’ve already had this week, but figured if I still want to make Sturgis before that’s over next weekend I better hit the road, not only that; today is cleaning day that for some odd reason I’m always missing the clean by a day. Some of the others were already leaving today that even though there were a few more people showing up at Tamworth, I’ll get to see them next time I make the trip. So far, if I haven’t already mentioned it, Tamworth has been a trip for me every other year since my first trip around the states in 2006, finishing North America in 2008, that I really better make South America in 2010 because then Tamworth is always part of the travels.


Got a later start than what I might when on the road, but it still would have been before checkout in most hotels. George the 3rd (senior) suggested a route that would take me into Ontario to avoid Montreal and not only because once in Quebec you better be able to speak French, but it being a weekend I would have been going through there close to rush hour that it’s better to avoid than make. I still got to do the Kancamagus trail so that was really the highlight of the trip because after getting off from 112 (Kancamagus) it was a number of stops to check out the map to make sure I was on the right course...that and asking a number of people for directions which I’ll get to in a bit. Although my ride started hot and humid, it gets cold in these them hills that besides my jacket not staying packed as well as it should, I needed it and for some reason it was windier than most days, must be something with heading North into Canada. The route that George suggested took me across Vermont into New York to the border town of Cornwall, that meant a brain bucket as soon as I crossed into Vermont and being that it’s the Canada trail, that will mean helmet until I make Wisconsin or Minnesota. Still haven’t decided which direction to head home, down the Michigan peninsula or around the North side of lake Superior to through the Duluth area, we’ll have to see where the bike decides to take me.


Once at the border the border patrol lady was really friendly making sure I knew how to get to Ottawa since she wasn’t sure that the info desk was still open. Not a worry since it was, but I already had my directions so the only thing I needed help with was a place to stay and that means, finding one of those Canadian hostels which so many travelers stay at, including me. The info guy was really helpful with 4 of them in the Ottawa area that I started with the one with the highest mark only to find out it was full and thought that most others were also full. Well, from there I figured I might as well start at the top of the list and wouldn’t you know it, the next hostel had just gotten a cancellation that they have a bed for me. It’s in a shared room (cell), but I’ve stayed in a number of them that I have no problems with that, the nice thing would have been if it was a shared coed room.


My directions for the hostel wasn’t very good even with a map that I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times I stopped to ask someone for directions, not only asking, but showing them the map. That eventually put me back on the highway that got me here that I decided to hit the first exit that I found and asked the driver in the car next to me how to get to the hostel I was looking for. Not only was it a good thing that he was from town, but knew exactly where the hostel I was looking for was at that I finally had the directions I needed. And now you might be asking how could one, me, get lost even with a printed out map, well, that’s because up on the printed version wasn’t necessarily according to North and South or maybe even more appropriate, not calibrated for the direction I was coming into Ottawa from.


Well, once I did find the hostel not only was the hostess a great hostess, but I did get to meet one of my cell mates, Brian and he made sure I found the place to be on a weekend in downtown Ottawa, the Market place. Once we walked down to the area he pointed me in a general direction of places to eat that wouldn’t you know it, it was bike night that after eying up a steak place across the road, I figured a good piece of meat would be in order that I might as well ask one of the bikers which place is best, hell, if they don’t know the best, they’d at least know the best hole in the wall that most others would be missing out on. With that, he sent me to the Keg around the corner and No only was it a great suggestion since they have great prime rib, but Shannon and Justin made sure I was well taken care of. I mean well in that Shannon served me a full meal even if I hadn’t ordered it, bread included with the extra cheese butter that it was a great piece of meat. From there I Shannon suggested I check out the Market place pub next door, but with the line and cover charge I figured I’d check out the next pub which plans on having a live band the Dubliner. Time to hang this up and party it up that how’bout I let you know tomorrow what stories there might be had from downtown Ottawa?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home