back in time

A few months ago, October 21, to be exact, my guy & I drove over to the Chapman Mills Conservation Area about an hour before dusk to take a quick walk. The CMCA is only a few minutes away. (I would have suggested that we cycle there, but James didn't discover the whereabouts of my bike helmet until November. I may have forgiven, but I haven't forgotten.) There's no gate, but a sign at the entrance advises visitors to avoid the paths after dark--probably because nobody wants to be liable if anyone falls off the boardwalk into the Rideau River.

We made it in and out in the nick of time: you can see a yellow moon a-risin' in the background. Really, it was no small feat, because instead of walking the trail north and then heading back south along Prince of Wales Drive to where we'd left the vehicle, we had to turn around very close to what we had expected would be the end of the road, all because of a broken bridge. Made it out before coyotes came a-callin' or skunks came a-sprayin'.

This little getaway spot was already in place the last time we lived in Ottawa, but it's undergone development. For instance, the map at the link above advertises the "stonedust pathway," which was not in place previously--and which I think lends a touch of romance to the place. (I mean it's easier to focus on your significant other when you're not concerned that there may be roots and branches waiting to trip you up.) I'm not quite sure what the promoters mean when they write "a passive recreational area." Did they mean placid? I really don't think "passive" is the right word; come to think of it, "placid" might not be it either. I can still picture the time about 5 years ago when Nicole and I stopped on the boardwalk to admire the sweet ducklings paddling about, and the ferocious mother duckie burst out of the reeds and rushes to defend her vulnerable babies! Nothing placid or passive about that experience.