Going To Gatineau

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Depending upon which side you stand or which language you speak, the river is called the Outaouais (Oo-ta-qua) or the Ottawa (ought-ta-wa). Both sides of the river are in the same country, but the official language is English on the south bank and French on the northern one. Gatineau is the fraternal francophone twin to anglophone Ottawa and since language is the root of culture it should come as no surprise that one feels quite different from the other.

As the capital of Canada, Ottawa gets the international spotlight leaving its twin across the river in relative obscurity. I’m as guilty as the next person, visiting the capital city on an annual basis, but never having been to the other. This time I’m going to Gatineau.

Route 148 runs from Montreal, Quebec to Pembrooke, Ontario and is the primary highway -at least until Autoroute 50 is completed—on the north bank of the river. Between Montreal and Ottawa there is a single bridge crossing the Ottawa River at Hawkesbury, although there are a number of traversiers (ferries) at different points.

Route 148 is a popular highway for motorcyclists and on summer weekends the village of Montebello usually has bikes lining its sidewalks, especially in front of Le Zouk pub. I have a reservation at the Fairmount Chateau Montebello, which happens to be the largest log “cabin” in the world. This five-star luxury hotel has been visited by the Queen of England, numerous U.S. presidents, and statesmen from around the world, but first stop is at the 100-square mile private preserve of forest and lakes known as Kenauk (La Seigneurie de Montebello).

I meet up with Bernadette Henrard of Souveniers Sauvages (Wild Memories), trade the bike for an old truck, and we head into the woods loaded for bear. This preserve is noted for its blond bears, but the first we encounter is a big black female who decides to sit in the middle of the gravel road just ahead of us. She finally allows the truck to continue and when we arrive at the small cottage that serves as a viewing platform another black bear is waiting for us. He gets a bit of bait (a molasses and licorice concoction) and a few apples for his trouble while I get my photos from the safety of the platform. Later in the afternoon I get my opportunity to “shoot” a blond bear—her hair runs from blond to cinnamon - with two black cubs. These are not brown bears, but black bears with a recessive gene for blond hair, much like red hair in humans. After a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon I leave Bernadette and ride to the Chateau.

The next morning I crawl out of my spacious room, boost my reserves with a gourmet breakfast, and walk to the sports center. This morning I’m learning how to drive off-road at the Land Rover Experience driving school, one of only four such schools in North America. My instructor explains the procedure. It sounds straightforward, but when we arrive at the obstacle course I can’t believe that we’re going to run a car - Range Rover or not - through four-foot deep ditches and into sand pits just barely wider and much deeper than the car. We climb over boulders on hills where the road isn’t visible due to the slope, run through stretches of water deeper than the tops of the Range Rover’s tires, and finally climb a rock cliff that’s steeper than 45-degrees and slanted as well. Needless to say, this is a controlled environment and even when one or two wheels are off the ground or the vehicles slides sideways on bare rock cliff it is as it should be. After a couple hours of training and confidence building I’m directed to follow a trail that seems to be a combination of very deep ruts and rather large rocks. It takes over two hours to travel six kilometers (3.7 miles) so this is not Hollywood-style off-roading. Still, it’s the most fun I’ve had behind the wheel of a car in decades.

Gatineau is a mere 75 kilometers from Montebello. Autoroute 50 conveniently loops into the downtown, but I chose to follow Route 148 and then detouring onto the scenic Rue Jacques-Cartier along the river’s edge to reach Boulevard Fournier, which traverses the Lake Learny Ecological Park. Even during a weekday traffic seems light compared to Montreal or Boston and I have no problem navigating to my hotel, the Four Points Sheraton.

Today is scheduled to the hilt, but my first destination is conveniently located across the street from my hotel. I have a private guide and two hours to view the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the most popular and most often visited museum (1.3 million visitors a year) in the country. The first “stop” was the majestic Grand Hall. This expansive room contains the world’s largest indoor collection of totem poles from North Pacific tribes and one entire wall turns out to be the largest color photograph in the world. Among the incredible collection of First Peoples’ (Native American) artifacts I notice three different pipe tomahawks, one of the rarest of early frontier artifacts. Anyone who is interested in Native American history and/or culture should mark this museum as “must-visit” destination. Current special exhibits include Mythic Beasts: Dragons, Unicorns, and Mermaids; Tombs of Eternity: The Afterlife In Ancient Egypt; and Her Majesty’s Stamps. Since this museum now includes the Canadian Postal Museum, the personal stamp collection of Queen Elizabeth seems apropos, but I’m not sure that Egyptian mummies and dragons qualify as having anything to do with Canadian civilization, but hey, they’re fun!

Parc de la Gatineau is a 363-square kilometer (140-square mile) pie-shaped nature reserve that stretches northwest from the center of Gatineau to Lac-des-Loups (Wolf Lake). It contains a mere 32.5 kilometers (20 miles) of pavement, but what a delight they turn out to be. The Champlain Parkway leads pass Pink Lake—which is actually a rich green color-- and finally ends at the Champlain Lookout. This is the southern edge of the Canadian Shield and standing on the escarpment I have a panoramic view of the Ottawa River valley below.

Lunch is at the tearoom at the Mackenzie-King estate and my guide, Corey, explains the history of the summer cottage once owned by the former Canadian Prime Minister while we ponder the lunch menu. The tearoom is the downstairs to the cottage; the upstairs is a historical museum. I’m introduced to the chef, Charles, whose smoked salmon (smoked by him) was only exceeded by the grilled salmon fillet topped with a tropical salsa made especially for this entrée. Less than a week prior to my visit, the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited the park and lunched in the tearoom at the estate. This modest dining establishment doesn’t have a Michelin rating - and doesn’t need one.

Rain is predicted for tomorrow so I alter my schedule and head towards Wakefield. White and black rubble make it look like any ordinary mining site, but Morrison’s Quarry has become a Mecca for adventure seekers. SCUBA classes are held here and the spiral decent along the underwater road passes various attractions, including a twin engine plane, a mini submarine, a tug boat, a couple of cars, and even a 40-foot model of a Great White shark that was used as a movie prop. However, there’s another kind of diving that takes place at the quarry and this beckons thrill seekers from all over Canada and even the United States. It’s the Goliath, the biggest commercial bungee jump in North America. From the catwalk to the water it’s a 200-foot drop—about a three-second fall--and the bungee has a 160-foot rebound. Imagine a 200-foot swan dive where you get dipped in the quarry’s spring-fed water!

I haven’t seen a filling station since leaving Gatineau. Asking around I learn that a single pump could be found next to the Chelsea Pub in Old Chelsea, but that there was nothing in Wakefield. It’s Friday evening, the sun is setting, and running low on fuel I make a quick dash back to the city to fill my tank. Retracing my path to Wakefield via routes 105 and 5 I find my lodging at La Grange.

This year I’ve ridden more miles in the rain than in sunshine. Saturday morning the rain is torrential as I slog back to Morrison’s Quarry for a few more jump shots. Despite the weather there’s been no cancellations for the 130 reserved bungee jumps. Despite the weather the SCUBA classes are still taking place. However, I’m not expecting the picnic-and-party crowd to show up today so I head out despite the weather, the only fool rider on the road.

Nightlife is much more vibrant in Gatineau than in Ottawa. Le Twist is a popular eating place known for its retro 50’s décor and French fries. Café Auz Quarte Jeudis rocks on Friday and Saturday nights. I wander over to the newest eating establishment in town: Brasseurs du temps (Brewers of Time) or BDT for short.
BDT inherited a history when they moved into the grey stone building on Brewery Creek. Originally built as a brewery in 1821 it has been brilliantly restored and renovated into a first-class restaurant, cleverly conceived museum, and dynamic microbrewery. Regardless of ambiance, my objective is to sample beer. Seated where I can observe the open kitchen, the copper fermentation tanks, the bar area, and a couple of dining rooms I set about sampling the 13 micro brews being served this evening, including BDT’s pale ale (Et la Lumière Fut), a Weizen (L’Ecume de la Chaudière), a Belgian blond (Carpe Diem), and an amber (L’Allumante). Dominique Gosslin is the master brewer and it turns out that he and I share a appreciation for aged single-malt whiskies and the bar happens to have a bottle of 25-year-old Highland Park. After a thoroughly enjoyable evening I walk back to the Four Points Sheraton.

Sunday morning starts slowly, but I still make it to the station on time (barely). It turns out that I’ve been graced with a first-class ticket. Settling into my wingback chair in the Riviera Club Car and reaching across the linen tablecloth for the waiting flute of mimosa I know that live is good. I’m on the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train. The Irish Bastards are entertaining with guitar and banjo while a continental breakfast is being served by Valerie; the click-clack of the rails is punctuated by the steam whistle of Engine 909 and I find myself in a different world as the scenery along the Gatineau River flows past the window of the antique Pullman car. Engine 909 is a 2-8-0 Swedish steam locomotive built in 1907 and since it was put into service in for the round-trip from Gatineau (Hull sector) to Wakefield it has become one of the major tourist attractions in the region.

The arrival of the train in Wakefield is an event. Crowds gather as the 93-ton locomotive eases onto the manual turntable. It turns out that the four musicians double as muscle to rotate the massive engine 180 degrees in preparation for the return trip. After a two-hour lunch-time stop over in this bucolic village the train chugs back to the main station in Hull.

It’s 4PM in Gatineau and if I’m to reach the cottage in the Laurentian Mountain north of Montreal before dark I’d better mount up and ride.

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Photos

Blond Bear
Blond bears are actually black bears with a recessive gene for blond rather than black hair.

Le Zouk
Montebello on Route 148 is a gathering place for riders on summer weekends.

Great Hall
Totem poles and the largest color photo in the world

Mermaid
The Canadian Museum of Civilization features special exhibitions as well as it permanent collection

Overlook
Overlooking the Ottawa Valley from Gatineau Park.

Going Down
A 200-foot drop; a 160-foot rebound. The highest commercial bungee jump in North America.

Rt. 148
Called the Mountain Road it actually follows the foot of the Laurentians along the edge of the Ottawa River Valley.

3 seconds to water
It take 3 seconds to reach the end of your "rope" and dip into the quarry. Morrison's Quarry.

Local Guys
BDT is popular with the local crowd and when word gets out it will become a major tourist draw.

Engineer
The original meaning of the word lives again.

Wakefield Train
The Chelsea-Wakefield steam train is always something to witness.