Day 40: Perth to Ottawa

Yesterday morning, Chris made some scrambled eggs for breakfast. After packing up my things, I bid farewell to Chris and got on the road at 7:45 AM.

I cycled about ten miles to downtown Perth then pedaled on the road until I reached Carleton Place, where I got on the gravel bike trail and took it all the way to Ottawa.

The terrain was mostly flat, which I liked. And there weren’t many cars on the road until I reached Ottawa.

I was predicating that I might get hit by a car just like when I was cycling into Toronto so I was extra careful.

Outside of Ottawa, I noticed my rear brakes didn’t work. I stopped to inspect. It turned out the entire brake system was loose. I tightened the bolts and that seemed to have fixed the issue.

I had a bowl of pho for lunch at Pho Viet Taste in Wellington Village, just west of Ottawa, before arriving at my Warmshowers host’s house in Ottawa at 2 PM. I had ridden 60.5 miles.

Bridget and her husband, Charlie, hosted me. Charlie is a retired computer programmer and Bridget works part time as a carpenter.

Shortly after I arrived, Bridget and Charlie had to leave for an errand. I ended up ordering a hair clipper on Amazon.ca so I can cut my own hair and save money on haircuts. It’ll arrive in one day.

After taking a shower, I walked around the neighborhood. Bridget and Charlie’s house is right by Chinatown and Little Italy, the perfect location. I was looking for a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, but most of the restaurants are Vietnamese. I found a Thai restaurant called Phuket Royal and had a Pad Kee Maow, also known as Drunken Noodles.

When I came back to the house, I chatted with Bridget and Charlie while they ate some Pad Thai for dinner. Bridget and Charlie moved from Australia 25 years ago. They like Ottawa because it’s a small city and there’s nature just hours away. They both like ice hockey and enjoy the winter here.

Bridget and Charlie allowed me to stay for two days and three nights since I want to explore Ottawa and visit some museums. I’m very thankful for that.

This morning, I woke up at 6:30. No one is awake right now so I went to Bridgehead Roastery and Coffeehouse nearby to get a cup of coffee. Today, I plan to walk around downtown and visit a museum or two.

Downtown Perth

Beautiful flowers on the roadside

Passed by a big turtle. I think she's laying eggs.

Very nice road with few cars

On the gravel bike trail

Great day for a bike ride

Saw signs like these that indicates planets on the trail with their distances relative to the trail.

Yes to bike lanes!

A fulfilling bowl of pho

Ottawa Chinatown

The arch in Chinatown