[Written July 25, 2 PM]

We were up, breakfasted, and on the trail by 8AM, hoping to get a few miles under our belt while it remained cool. Plus, jumbo mozzies seemed to materialize at 7:30. Was the sunscreen we were applying counteracting the bug spray? Seemed like too much of a coincidence to dismiss…

The next few miles were filled with expansive views of the lake and the mountains surrounding it. We moved along well and were a the Burton Creek turnoff, near which we planned our second night, by about 10:30!

With visions of ice cream cones before us we decided to continue on, through a landscape of open Jeffrey and fir, with an understory of boulders and Manzanita. The trail winding through the shade was smoothed and banked by many trail bikes, and sure enough we encountered about a dozen throughout the day.

A gentle steady climb brought us to “Painted Rocks”, which is simply a rocky summit with views down the Truckee River Valley from Squaw Valley northward. A long break and a few chapters for “Ella Enchanted”, along with a trail-enhanced lunch of crackers, jerky, cheese and apple, prepared us for the next stretch.

The next landmark is the “Cinder Cone” which is a rocky bald spot – hardly worth a name at all. Here we stop for another significant break – long enough for a catnap in the shade. Just enough breeze to stifle sweat.

From here on out, it’s all downhill – literally. We should be tasting that ice cream, and hopefully swimming in the lake, by late afternoon.

[10 PM]

Indeed, it was downhill from there. The trail wound around the edge of the flat plateau of the Cinder Cone (or environs – there isn’t really enough ‘there’ there to be sure) with stunning view of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, the meadows below them, peaks behind them marking the start of the Granite Chiefs wilderness. The trail became a morass of rocky shards, so sharp that they sounded like breaking glass as we picked our way through them. We dubbed it the “Tinkling Trail.”

By the time we’d carefully picked our paths down to the car, it was almost 6 o’clock. This section is measured at 19.2 miles (6.7 to Watson Lake, 12.5 to Tahoe City), and although my GPS measurements along the first part of the trail indicated that might be inflated by a mile or two, the last couple of miles of denser forest and boulders caused the GPS to spaz – jumping miles in one direction or other, often right down to the lakeshore (which it estimated at an elevation over 20,000 ft.) as if it too was in a hurry to get down.

First action: shoes off! First stop: grocery store for Sobe, Ice Tea, cherries and Haagen Daas. Then we found a spot in a lakeside campground and waded into the refreshing waters of the lake. Showers, tacos, bed.

I’m especially proud of Deanna and Laine for persevering on what was the longest, roughest, heaviest trail section in decades (which for Laine, sets an all-time record.)

Everyone is in good spriits tonight – as I plan to knock off another section (#8) tomorrow, and the girls will enjoy playing support crew, mixed with plenty of beach time.

All in all, a challenging, breathtaking, unforgettable, and completely successful start to the Tahoe Rim Trail 2006 adventure.

One other lesson: plan for flexibility. That includes planning for unexpected blessings like a shower and a meal out. It might not happen every time, but being ready to take full advantage of it when it does is worth a risk of wasted effort. In the future, I’ll pack an “afterward kit,” to help celebrate a completion in whatever style presents itself.

[Mileage: 11.5 | 19.2]

[Written July 24, noon]

We opted to do the Brockway Summit to Tahoe City section counter-clockwise, giving us a 1000ft elevation loss at the end (instead of 1000ft gain off the bat!) The first few miles are through open forest, firs and pines, with sparse underbrush of manzanitas, gooseberries, and other hardy groundcovers. Most of the forest floor is a dusty carpet of old pine needles and silvered branches scribbled backwards and forwards with bark beetle paths.

There is evidence of old logging, and more recent fires (dead wood thinning?) Occasionally we pass through an open spot, filled with mule-ears and other water-hungry species. A creek (now only a swath of damp earth) running through a meadow feeds a wider variety of grasses and wildflowers, of which columbine and paintbrush are the only ones I can name.

The temperature is moderate – hot in the sun but a soft breeze blows and there’s plenty of shade. A few small clouds are growing on the northern horizon, but otherwise the sky is the definition of blue. We may have to keep watch for afternoon thunderstorms over the next couple of days.

As expected, Laine tried to revolt, even before the first mile elapsed, but patience got her moving again, and lively discussion of fire management techniques and the concept of timberline (which we won’t encounter this section) restored her buoyancy, and she joyously began tracking the approach of each waypoint on the GPS.

A word about the GPS. After searching fairly fruitlessly for a set of waypoints or downloadable tracks for the Tahoe Rim Trail, I had to mash up my own. I found a Google Earth Community layer tracing the TRT around the lake. By exporting this path as .kml, I was able to manipulate it as XML. A small XSLT converted the .kml to the .loc format emitted by geocaching.com. A utility called gpsbabel converts this format to .wpt (Mapsend waypoint) format, and finally the Magellan Conversion Manager places this on the GPS in .upt format. Surely there is an easier way to do this!  The result is ~850 waypoints marking the zigs and zags of the trail. I'll post the results soon...

[Written July 24, 9PM]

A mile after lunch we reached a jumble of boulders falling away to the south from which we could look southeast out across the lake, our first panoramic view! I snapped a bunch of pictures, of course, while Laine and Deanna sought a bit of shade.

We watched the boats trace their wakes across the water, and I scouted half-heartedly for a geocache – I don’t know if one was about but it was absolutely a perfect spot for one – but with thousands of hiding places among the jumbled rocks I soon abandoned my search I will have to download geocaches located on or near the trail for future segments.

We plowed ahead and after another couple of miles approached Watson Creek. The earth became somewhat moister as evidenced by wildflowers began to proliferate. First fields of mule ears with yellow blooms, not in spaces devoid of trees but flowing between them in a solid carpet. Jeffreys had given way to lodgepole, but the remaining fir trees were in bloom, though at first I thought they were in the grip of some mistletoe-like parasite. A section of the tree, usually close to the ground, held a snarl of branchlets tipped, not in green needles, but in yellow brushes. Very strange indeed!

The trail became a little muddy, though easily navigated and outshined by the profusion of wildflowers on each side of the trail, from 18” spikes of white from a lily-like plant, to gargantuan paintbrush, columbine, and again many more that are to me unnamed. We scattered clouds of tiny blue butterflies from the edges of the mud as we passed.

One more brief uphill stint and we reached Watson Lake. Across the cool water, surrounded still by lodgepole and bristlecone forest, we spied … RVs. Though the map shows logging roads coming near the lake, apparently it omits the fact that you can drive right up and use the boat ramp. Have to say it was a disappointment for all, especially Laine. All that effort and anticipation for this “special destination” and we could have just driven?

So our enthusiasm was curbed a bit, but I have to say the lake was quite scenic. It bears no relation to the arial view I studied on Google Earth, which gave the impression the lake was a muddy depression in a barren landscape dotted with a few stubby pines. Instead, it’s a beautiful mountain lake, ringed with tall and fairly dense forest, with tall bluffs to the west.

After soaking our feet (and in Deanna’s case misjudging her footing and having a premature, and slightly muddy, swim, we circled the lake looking for a suitable camp spot. Though there are few level spots for a tent, we found one near the outflow of the lake (practically dry already) and pitched out tents. We spent the rest of the afternoon in a lazy daze – reading, listening to the “terrible two” up near the RVs, napping, listening to unmufflered ATVs and motorcycles on a nearby 4WD track, playing cards, watching the unattended Doberman exploring near our camp. But all things considered still a place worth being at. I think we’d come back (with horses perhaps?) given the chance, but take the shortcut next time ;-).

As the sun started dropping behind the western treeline a boy trudged into camp. I recognized him from this morning – when we dropped the car off he and his grandfather were preparing to depart. They marched twice as far as we did today, and gained 1000 more feet of elevation to boot. Turns out they’d been trekking for about a week, starting at Echo Lake and heading for Tahoe Meadows. His week-old report still has the north side of Dick’s Pass covered in significant snowfields. Hopefully this week of heat wave (and the next one, or maybe two before we get there) will tame that stretch.

For dinner we tried our Cranberry Chicken Rice and Neopia Couscous (named by Laine), to rave reviews from all. Only thing I’d change is less garlic powder in the rice – it all ended up at the bottom and was a bit intense when licking the bottom of the bag. The portions, which I was afraid would be stingy, were ample. I suspect now I’ve overpacked a bit in the food department.

We retired fairly early to our tents to avoid the mosquitoes, which aren’t very quick or very dense, but a few mozzies go a long way, don’t they? We read Ella Enchanted aloud for a while, but now I’m getting my second wind and staying up writing by headlamp for a bit. Another beautiful night to look up through our netting (no rain flies needed) at the stars. Last night Laine said “see the flower?” The starry sky formed petals between the dark shapes of the towering pines. I think I’ll contemplate that for a while tonight too. Sleep well!

[Mileage: 6.7 | 6.7]

[Added more photos to the Tahoe Rim Trail: Section 1 set.]

[Written July 23, 10PM]

We’re camping along the Truckee River tonight in a small campground called “Goose Meadows”, which actually does have a small meadow. The meadow is clearly boggy for an extended time in spring, evidenced by the last of the wildflower blooming and the wide variety of grasses are in full head. The ground underneath is now dry and cracked – a good sign that the high country is drying out rapidly.

That’s a good sign on two fronts actually. First, record snowfalls last winter have kept several sections of the trail (west and south sides) closed to non-experts much later than usual this year. Perhaps the heat wave will allow these sections to open soon – in fact there probably are some new trail condition reports being filed as I write from this weekend’s crop of warriors. And after the snow yields, drying of the alpine boggy parts should follow quickly.

Secondly, the record moisture is reported to be breeding record mosquitoes – likely one of our most annoying obstacles this trip. More moisture means more mozzies.  But tonight, at Goose Meadow, there don’t seem to be any pestering me. And I haven’t even build up my natural BO defense shield! Time for that soon enough.

I’m really looking forward to beginning this adventure at last. I’m certain tomorrow will have it’s challenges, but I have a feeling that they won’t be the ones I’ve prepared against. I’m feeling strong and thoughtfully prepared.

Even this afternoon was calming - an unexpected break between tomorrow’s commencement and leaving the to-list at home in as best shape as we can manage. Deanna still seems to be suffering a bit from her exertions in the heat over the last few days, and I can’t honestly say Laine would choose this adventure for herself, but doesn’t seem adverse to having some alone-time with her parents either.

Gen, currently in Germany, also was not terribly disappointed to miss most of this adventure. I guess a child, with few responsibilities and tedious routines, has less need to learn afresh how few the physical necessities of life – food, water, shelter, really are.

For me, this adventure has taken on a certain level of importance. The task is significant but achievable through persistence and patience alone. It represents a challenge to me, against becoming a fat middle-aged couch potato, against the perpetual demands of property and job. The challenges in the rest of my life are small at this point. My job places few new demands on me at present, though I’m not yet ready, or able, to push through to a more challenging career. My creative life, on the other hand, is perhaps too challenging. To exercise creative muscles underused for years, with minimal constraints to guide me through “artist's block”, has so far proven insurmountable – the path is blocked by a schedule already too full of teleconferences and email, church meetings and child chauffeuring, animal and property care. And – let’s admit it – just plain fear of mediocrity is holding me back. I don’t like to start something when I can’t clearly see success at the end.

Well, this trail may just be another distraction, but I also feel it could boost my ability and confidence to take on the next challenge, be it creative or career (or hopefully both). It will help me become accustomed to traversing new terrain, pushing through obstacles, approaching each task in the moment.

Besides, I’ve wanted to do a serious adventure for years. If not this trail, what? If not now, when? Anyway, I’m committed at this point, and it will take something serious to keep me from celebrating the completion of this goal this year. I’m not second guessing my motivation, just trying to self-reflect and grow as much from the experience as possible.

Tomorrow: Day 1. I am really looking forward to it!

[A growing set of images for this section is here.]

[Written June 23.]

I've been spending a lot of time at REI this summer, updating our equipment to enable the lighter, faster, longer hiking and backpacking style that makes significant milestones like the Tahoe Rim Trail achievable by weekend warriors. The changes to the equipment in recent years are truly amazing.

For instance, last year when preparing to visit the Crooked Lakes Basin, I tried to buy a new propane cartridge for my trusty old Bluet stove. We bought this one in Australia on our honeymoon, as a good compromise between a camp stove and a backpacking stove. I was having trouble locating cartridges though, and eventually realized that Bluet's simple puncture method of installing a cartridge was simply too dangerous and the manufacturers had pulled the stove, and the cartridges off the market. When I realized this I was more than happy to spring for the new version, similar in design but squatter and more stable. It has self-sealing cartridges that can be swapped while partially full, or removed for packing.

I'm similarly impressed with advances in the weight, durability, and even packability of today's sleeping bags. Not having a serious sleeping bap upgrade since high school, my wife chose a Big Agnes sleeping bag with extra girth so she can sleep on her side with one knee folded up - IMO one of the most comfortable positions on a hard surface. To keep the weight down the sleeping bag only has down on the top - the bottom is a pouch for a full length air mattress - another wonder of technology that folds into a sack about 4 inches by 8. Dual purpose padding and insulation!  I went with a more traditional design though, to save cost and a little bit of weight (read, comfort) on the pad.

Last year I bought a REI Quarter Dome UL, a sweet little pup tent with two crossed poles, mostly mosquito netting, with a separate rain fly that keeps moisture off but also has ample room on both sides for packs and shoes away from the dew. Every detail has been considered from the symmetric curved doors (virtually impossible to snag the zipper) to the pup-up vent with Velcro adjustment flap which provides just the right amount of ventilation, to the perfectly placed ties for holding doors open. Thanks to the clever combination of ultra-light ripstop nylon, velcro, bungees, and grommets, the whole contraption weights in at about 4 pounds.

This year we added to that an MSR Hubba Hubba, again a mosquito-net shell with a rain fly. This one has a spine with three "ribs" which holds the base square and forms a ribcage onto which clips the netting. This is one of the easiest tents to raise I've ever seen. Also in the 4 pound range.

Each of these tents is slightly asymmetric lengthwise to allow more width and height at the head, giving them a pleasing shape.  I love them both!

I even at last splurged on polyethylene clothing to protect against moisture retention and it's resulting over- or under-heating. Amazing how light and comfortable this clothing is! I think I'm hooked - I've started wearing it around the house...

Meals

Our meals are a selection of recipes (often modified beyond recognition) from freezerbagcooking.com. A dinner weighs in (sans water) at 1/2 pound per person. Our dinner menu for the first leg consists of:

• Cranberry Chicken Rice
• Moroccan Couscous
• Garlic, sour cream and onion mashed potatoes
• Ramen with baby clams and alfredo sauce
• Creole Tuna with Rice

We'll stick with the obligatory instant oatmeal and coca for breakfast, and crackers, cheese, jerky, and fruit for lunch. Plenty of nuts, dried fruit, and power bars for snacks. I think (except for that first fresh lunch), we've pretty well on track to meet my rule-of-thumb of no more than one pound food weight per person per day.

I'd ideally like to keep my pack to 25 pounds (one-sixth of my body weight) but with Laine carrying just her own clothing, I expect to be well over that, but hopefully not over 35! I brought my bathroom scale along to get a final measurement as we leave civilization behind.

The plan

For our first leg we chose a fairly easy stretch that could be accomplished by a 9-year old (and non-acclimated parents!) in manageable chunks. It's known as Section 1: Tahoe City to Brockway.  We'll start at Brockway Summit, near the backside of Northstar Ski Area, and work our way over three days along the ridgeline overlooking Tahoe (to the south), Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows (to the west), and Mount Rose (to the east). Each day should be a modest 7 miles, with the elevations starting at around 7000 feet, climbing only to a max of about 7800, and ending with a long downhill to lake level (6300 feet).

This gentle start should allow us to acclimate, see what the trail conditions offer (this section is reportedly clear of snow), and what the weather will be like. We leave Auburn at a sweltering 111 degrees - even the pool is too hot to offer much refreshment. While it is almost 20 degrees cooler at the lake, it still might be warm enough to affect our pace.

Tonight we travel to Tahoe, and start fresh in the morning!

At last my Point Reyes photos are all online (probably too many but I'm starting to use Flickr to archive them rather than just share the highlights.)  See the new Point Reyes set.

I used the audio recording feature on my camera to capture the following entries, then transcribed and minor editing when I got home.

[12:30PM June 28th.]

It's about 12:30PM on Wednesday.  I've just come up a series of looping switchbacks up from Wildcat camp, where we spent the night.

Early this morning there was a little bit of drizzle that woke me up and so I was out and about down the beach by about 6:30.  The tide was very low, and there were lots of newly-washed up agates and polished quartz lying among the pebbles on the beach.  I collected rocks and photos for a while.

I came back to camp and encouraged the rest of the family to get up and get out on the beach while the tide was low because far down the beach to the South we could see Allsmere falls, which is a cataract of maybe 30 or 40 feet height coming right off the cliff, crashing down onto the beach and immediately into the ocean.  We could see that from our camp so we decided we would walk down the beach while the tide was still out and we could get by the cliffs which are sometimes reached by waves at high tide.

We had a lovely walk down there to the falls.  There were harbor seals; right by the falls there were dozens of pelicans and seagulls.  Lots of tidepools among shiny, striated rocks.  I climbed up the crevasse next to the falls to get to the top, to find a few more stepped falls with flowers everywhere.  It was beautiful!

Played on the sand for a while, then we came back to camp and it was still only noon.  I was hoping the family would come out with me to hike up north to Arch Rock, about three or three and a half miles up, but they declined with the drizzle and the lure of the beach.

So I'm going to climb Fir Top alone, and see if I can get above the fog.  It's a mountain about 1394 feet above sea level.  So I set off with my water bottle and a camera, and I'll see how far I get.

[12:50 PM June 28th]

So within 10 minutes of leaving Wildcat Camp, the camp was lost in the fog below.  Wildcat camp is a large, flat grassy area on the bluffs immediately before the beach.  There's a small creek that runs through the meadow and down over the bluffs into the sea.  It's a beautiful spot for a camp.

There's a lot of wildlife.  Last night we saw a white deer (elk really) close in by camp, and I tried to creep close to take a picture which scared him off, along with three other deer that were nearby, two of them with nice racks.  Later on the white deer came back.

We also saw skunks lurking around.

And this morning Deanna surprised a bobcat on the way to the restroom, a large male munching on something by the side of the trail.  Deanna got very close but the bobcat wasn't budging.  Eventually she had to shoo it off so she could get through.

This morning there were harbor seals, a dozen of them or so, down along the shoreline, slowly cruising the surf zone.

Of course the meadow is filled with birds as well - red-winged blackbirds and little finches of all kinds.  We saw an eagle (or something like) carrying a fish home for dinner last night as well.  And of course sand-pipers, pelicans, seagulls, turkey vultures cruising the edges of the bluffs, catching the updrafts.

Quite a wild spot.

But now I'm up in the fog, leaving the coastal chaparral behind and starting to enter denser woodland as I head inland.  I'm hoping at Fir Top I'll be able to see above the fog.

[2:00PM June 28th]

Well as I climbed the gently winding road up from Wildcat Camp, it didn't seem I would rise above the mist. In fact the fog got heavier, and as the fir trees grew larger each one scraped the mist from the sky and deposited a mini rainstorm underneath it.

But I persisted all the way to the top of Fir Top, which is a tree-covered hill with a little meadow in the middle of it.  No view to speak of.  There is a bit of sunshine - I can see mostly blue sky.  So I'm just above the fog, but no view to accompany it.

Each day here brings new appreciation for the natural world we're immersed in.  It take a few days to clear your mind of the clutter of everyday life, and to really see the treasures that surround us - from the cliffs of twisted rock and the vast ocean, to the microscopic grains of agate on the beach.  Each pebble can be a masterpiece, and each flower filled with a humble glory.

The longer I stay, the more I see, both large and small.  I guess that's the purpose of seeking the wilderness.

As I prepare for my own adventure, I am following the progress of other adventurers of my acquantence.

My good friend Kenny is travelling through the far east this summer, returning to some of the places, and memories, he knew from the Vietnam war.  Still trying to make sense of that waste I suppose.

Bobby, camp director for the Adventure Unlimited ranches in Colorado, at which we attended family camp a few years ago, has taken his family including 13 and 14 year-old daughters and two burros, and set off for six months traversing the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico.

See if that doesn't whet your appetite for adventure!

In know it's most fun to read blogs that are current to the minute, but when summer gets busy sometimes it takes a week or even two to sort through and post photos or jot a few sentences on what's going on.  I'm still catching up on our recent backpacking trip to Point Reyes two weeks ago. But I plan to finish it up today and tomorrow and get it all posted.  Anyway, here's the start of the story...

This summer I really wanted to go to Italy.  But to be with the people we wanted to be with, and see the people we wanted to see, at the optimum season and price, in the time frame we had availble simply wasn't working out.  As the difficulties mounted for a consolation prize I chose hiking the entire 164 mile Tahoe Rim Trail, which has also been on my list for a long time.  Committing to that adventure set a lot in motion!

To prepare for such a trip requires that your equipment (not to mention your body) be in good shape.  And with a fast pace, a reasonable set of gear including plenty of ultra-light items, is essential.  So we've spent a fair bit of time at REI this year, with a new backpack for Deanna, new sleeping bags for everyone, a second two-man tent, polypropelene clothing, and so forth.

With all this untried equipment, a couple of trial runs is a necessity!  The first small step was a simple two-night campout, only a hundred yards from the car, for which we chose the secluded Steep Ravine camp.  That proved our equipment to be largely successful and helped us pare down our clothing and other items (and in some cases beef it up - Tiva's are worth their weight when you're going near tidepools!)

Immediately afterwards, we headed north the few miles to Point Reyes, where we headed in from Palomarin Beach trailhead in the south end along the coast and hiked in a modest 5 miles and spent another couple of nights.  That gave us more opportunity, especially to try out some lightweight dinner ideas.

The weather was cool and foggy, a welcome change from the central valley heat wave, where temperatures of 108 were forecast.  Perfect hiking weather, and although fairly flat light isn't the best for taking pictures, there are occasions when you can use it to your advantage.

Anyway, photos and transcripts of a few audio notes (recorded onto my camera while hiking) to follow.

One of the main features of Toronto seems to be - that it doesn't have a lot of main features.  There's the CN Tower, at which we dined last time we were in the city.  And there's the waterfront, which we visited this time.  But otherwise the topography is pretty flat (at least to the eyes of this westerner.)

But an hour and a bit away is a pretty amazing feature - the gigantic Niagra Falls.  We scooted down there after WSDL Interop work one evening and enjoyed watching dusk and then night drop slowly over the falls.  We kept to the WSDL tower theme by eating dinner in the revolving restaurant in a nearby miniature (but still quite impressive) of the CN Tower.  Photos here.

What impressed me from the dry west, is the sheer volume of water (202,000 ft³/sec) plunging over the precipice.  The only comparable river out west is probably the Columbia (262,000 ft³/sec).  Even the Colorado (70,000 ft³/sec mean) which sustains half the West Coast is pretty modest in comparison.

Just back this morning from a productive W3C WSDL 2.0 Interop event in Toronto.  When I arrived on Wed, I joined my colleagues for a stroll along the Toronto waterfront, followed by dinner.  Of greatest interest to me are the ones of reflections of boats and buildings on the harbor water.  Hope you enjoy Reflections on Toronto!

Deanna's latest gallery showing opens tomorrow at the 2257 Gallery.  In anticipation, I've updated her web site with photos of a number of pieces from the Wrapped in Light series.  These eight works were done in collaboration with abstract expressionist painter Sondra Hersh, and incorporate metal, fused glass, and acrylic painting in a way that I've never seen before, breaking the boundaries of a rectangular canvas in three dimensions.

If you are in the area and missed The Spark Expanded at the Artisan Galley in June, this show features many of the same pieces, and the gallery is open 7 to 5 Mon-Fri.  Worth a visit, maybe between 6pm-10pm on July 15th, when there is an artist's reception.  See you there!

At right is one of my favorites, entitled Intent.

Probably the last thing you'd be interested in, but after finding Paul's nice shot of me kayaking, I made it easier to find photos of me (as opposed to by me) on Flickr by adding the AuburnMarshes tag to many of other folk's, especially Paul's, photos tagged as Marsh, Jonathan, Jonathan Marsh, and so forth.  Nice that you can add tags to photos (at least to most peoples - don't know why someone would turn off this feature.)

I guess I'm not too vain though, considering my favorite pictures of myself are rather self-effacing (credit Paul for these.)

Just uploaded a few snaps during a wonderfully cool (compared with 108F at home) foggy day on the bridges and beaches of San Francisco.  Not a lot of interest there unless you've got friend permissions - the waves-chasing-kids shots are my favorites here.

I spent a few days in Ottawa this week, at the WS-I Plenary meeting.  Besides a bit of geocaching, we did a fair bit of walking around, biking, and even some kayaking along the canal.  The light seemed quite odd to me, at last I realized that the air was so clear because there was essentially zero air pollution.  Worth celebrating with some photos!

I had a hard time capturing some of the vistas of parliment, the river, and so forth in a single shot, and ended up taking more panoramas then usual.  But as usual, I used Microsoft Digital Image Pro to stitch them - I still love the ragged edges on some shots- somehow it counteracts some of the wide-angle distortion and gives you a better sense that you are looking at the view then a cropped panorama can.

Ottawa is a fine city, clean and friendly with an extensive and varied restaurant district.  Great pedestrian access (and hardly any traffic).  There are also bronze statues or plaques about every 100 yards, commemorating some historic event or other, but not really pushing the boundaries of commemorative statues very much.  I dreamed of satirizing this plaque-o-mania with a multi-stage cache which visited like 50 plaques within a 3 block radius of downtown, but alas my trip was to short and full...

Also caught some amazing molten-copper reflections off of Lake Michigan from the plane.  Had to turn the saturation down to make them believable (even though less accurate.)

[Update 7/2 - found more photos on another SD card - now added to the Ottawa set.]