My sister and Expedition Manager, Barbara Hansen Edington joined us along with my niece, Lauran Edington for a few days during our week-long layover in Ottawa on the way to the Arctic, so we did the tourist thing and really enjoyed walking around the Parliament buildings and market areas downtown. Really beautiful city and we particularly liked the Rideau Canal, which had a series of locks whereupon the gates were operated by hand cranks. From here, Barbara and Lauran will drive my truck back to Texas, while Rebekah, Jeff and I cool our heels in a hotel in Ottawa while we wait for our flights to Pond Inlet next Monday.
After all the activity to prep for the expedition, having a forced respite feels quite odd for us all. Jeff and Rebekah went to a yoga class yesterday while I did some grocery shopping and got a haircut. We’ll be without the truck after Barbara and Lauran depart, so we’ll just Uber around or take long walks.
Mooney’s Bay is a great place for paddling, which leads to Dows Lake, then onto the canal. Along Rideau Canal are beautiful hike/bike/running trails, quaint cafes and really nice houses along a heavily treed greenbelt. Ottawa residents quite obviously care for their city, as there is extremely little trash on the ground anywhere. It is such a lovely place to be. 
