Finale

 The Laurier Avenue Bridge nicely frames the final stretch of the Rideau Canal.

I've always liked a spiral staircase. This one descends down to the path along the Canal from the bridge above.

I took this shot from beneath the last bridge before the skateway ends- or begins, depending on your perspective- the Mackenzie King Bridge.

The Ottawa Convention Centre looms on the east side. Branding rights being what they are, these days it goes by the Rogers Centre. It is a marvelous, modern building.

On the west side, the National Arts Centre.

A look again to the east side, where the Government Conference Centre stands. These days, it temporarily houses the Senate.

The end of the line, kilometre 0.0. Beyond is Plaza Bridge, and in the distance, Parliament Hill.

I turned back again.

And then once more where I'd been walking to.

I headed off the Canal and up the slope alongside the National Arts Centre, taking this final shot. A fitting ending for another year for Winterlude.

Peaceful

 Picking up where I left off yesterday, I looked back.

And then onward it was.

The last stretch was ahead.

The next bridge, with its distinctive arch, was the Laurier Avenue Bridge.

One last look back towards the Corktown Bridge.

And then I proceeded on. Tomorrow we wrap up my Winterlude series.

Corktown

 Off in the distance from this spot are the 417 freeway and Pretoria Bridges, where I ended my last tour of the skateway.

I turned to return the way I came. The university campus is sprawling, with a mix of architecture in its buildings.

This shot had a dreamy quality.

I continued on, heading towards the Corktown Bridge.

For today, I finish off with a panoramic shot from this spot.

Night Walk

 This was a good year for the Rideau Canal skateway. It opened in late December and closed for the season in early March. On the last weekend of Winterlude, I took this shot from Plaza Bridge.

I took my time heading down to where I was going to go down to join it. The Corktown Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that links Centretown on the west side with the University of Ottawa campus on the east side. I took this shot looking back the way I came as night was descending.

And then the other way. I intended to go as far as the bend in the distance before walking back to the start of the Canal.

The bridge is a graceful design.

Conditions on the ice were ideal for a walk.