Fall Colours And Jack O'Lanterns

Here we have the path leading to the portion of the Mackenzie King Estate named Kingswood. It is a combination for the name of the lake- Kingsmere Lake- and the childhood home of Mackenzie King- Woodside.

Another quote by the man along the path.

Kingswood has more of a cottage sensibility to it, with two main cottages and a carriage house.

This is the guest cottage. As King's career progressed and he would find himself entertaining guests, it made sense for a second place on the property. At this time of year the cottages are closed down for the season.

A look to the left shows the main house at Kingswood. In style very much like its counterparts. We'll carry on here tomorrow.

But before I go, this being Hallowe'en, I can't let the occasion go by unmentioned. Some days after this visit to the Gatineau Hills, I paid a visit to the grounds of Rideau Hall to see the fall colours. This jack o'lantern was on display.

My Hallowe'en selfies.

And this display was in the Glebe one night. I've photographed this house before. It's a bit different from last year.

The Estate Of A Prime Minister

My next stop in this trip into the Gatineau Hills was at the Mackenzie King Estate. One of our greatest prime ministers, William Lyon Mackenzie King, had this place as his retreat for fifty years, starting in 1903, and willed it to the country.

At the entrance are several information plates about the estate and about Mackenzie King. There are three named homes on the property, one of which is The Farm, the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons. The other two can be visited by the public: Kingswood and Moorside.

Mackenzie King spent the bulk of his adult life in politics, with a few years in the 1910s working as a consultant for the Rockefellers, and over time developed the property into a true home with a unique vision- a mix of old fashioned Scottish sensibility and sentiment. From the start, when he bought up land along Kingsmere Lake (the name preceded him), he wanted a place he could get away from it all.

One last look at the parking lot, with some bright fall colours.

Here and there on the estate are quotes by Mackenzie King, in French and in English.

On The High Ground

 Carrying on where I left off yesterday, this close view looks down towards a small village in the Les Collines-des-l'Outaouais municipality- which also contains much of Gatineau Park. The road below leads towards the Ottawa River itself.

There are a series of interpretive panels which look at the geological history of the Gatineau Hills and the Eardley Escarpment.

The beginning of the trail that descends down through the wooded slopes.

And here are some last looks at the view from the Champlain Lookout.

Champlain Lookout

 My next destination was the end of the line on one of the parkways in Gatineau Park. There are three lookout points along this stretch, in close succession. The last is the Champlain Lookout, which offers stunning views. This area is also called the Eardley Escarpment, the southern flank of the Gatineau Hills. The steep slope descends to the valley floor, with farms and small villages between here and the Ottawa River. On the Ontario side of the river is the most extreme northwestern portion of Ottawa's city limits, centred around a village called Constance Bay. The last time I was here the lower section had been open to walk among, but was now fenced off, leaving access only for the hiking trail that descends the slope.

I decided to take a couple of panorama shots for good measure.

But mostly I just photographed the view. I couldn't have asked for a better day to be up here.

This close up of the slope off to the west- it would make one hell of a five thousand piece jigsaw puzzle.

Two more shots to round out the day. More from here tomorrow.