Following The Path Along The River

A reminder to readers in the area: in a few days, the Chaudiere Falls will be lit up in the evenings through early November as part of the Canada 150 celebrations the city is undertaking this year. Access points are near the War Museum, and yes, I will be taking advantage of the opportunity to photograph those waterfalls.

This large stone house stands at the east end of Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau. Today it is a rest stop, tourist information location, and a place to rent bikes. The bike path carries on beyond it towards Lake Leamy Park. 

The park properly begins with this waterway. This is a secondary outlet for the Gatineau River. Much of the park is an island (or islands, to be more precise, since there are a couple of these secondary channels). The main channel of the river is on the east end of the park. The park, with ecologique as part of its French title, is different from a typical city park- much of it is woodland and meadows for wildlife, interspersed with bike and walking trails. That includes views of the Ottawa River along the way. In response to a question in yesterday's post, the origin of the Gatineau River's name is disputed. On the one hand, it is said that it is named for a fur trader named Nicolas Gatineau who drowned in it in 1683. On the other, the Algonquins who lived here long before white settlement say its origins lie in their language- they called the river Te-nagadino-zibi, which means The River That Stops One's Journey.

At one of the lookouts, we get another perspective of the Rideau Falls on the far shore of the Ottawa River. The French embassy stands east of the falls. 24 Sussex Drive, the residence of the Prime Minister, stands to the east of that embassy. I have added this post to this week's Tuesday's Treasures linkup.