This was Weirzee Weekend. Planned a year in advance with much hype and anticipation. There were a couple of bumps but in the end we didn't let them slow us down and we managed to turn it around into another van Tol-Weir success story.

Saturday the van Tol clan hit the indoor pitch for 3 games of soccer while Sue's cousin Heather popped by for a visit. By noon it was obvious that Cassie was not going to be up for the planned festivities so Twig hung back while the rest of the gang headed to Dow's Lake for some Winterlude action.




After our tour de Winterlude I took the older kids to Bruce Pit for some toboggan races. Always fun. And this time nobody got hurt which is always a bonus. Click here for a short video.



Outdoor action wrapped up it was time to dig into the famous Twigman's mammoth lasagna. Tasty.

Later that night the "adults" managed to get a second wind before slapping on the axe and hammering out some classic tunes on Guitar Hero. Nice to see I still have it after my 2 year hiatus.


Twig (Feb 2010) and Tripper (Dec 2007)

Sunday was a short day as the Twig-Sue and crew had to leave by noon. That said the kids stayed indoors and did some electronic bonding.




Update... this flu bug is still knocking off attendees of the Weirzee Weekend one by one taking out an additional two last night (one from either side). Let's hope they feel better soon and more importantly let's hope that this is the end of the nasty virus. Fingers crossed.

Labels: Tripper, Twiggy, Winterlude

Posted by Tripper at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments

Gatineau Park: P7 to Huron (13 km)
P7 Kingsmere: N45 32.221 W75 53.968
Huron: N45 30.342 W75 53.980
Click here for a trail map.

We had some out of town company coming for the weekend so I decided to squeeze in some "me time" on the trails. The weather was spot on and even though we still hadn't had any fresh snowfall, the groomers were still able to work their magic. Hats off to them, but seriously, how long can this go on? We need snow!!

With only a small window of opportunity, I chose to ski out from P7 knowing that it would leave me with several hut options for my lunch time break.


The approach is steep but the view is well worth it.

Passing Keogan I noticed that nobody had yet started the fire so I kept on skiing to the lookout before checking in at Huron.



Huron was fire-less (boo) and empty (yea). Rather than spark up the wood stove I decided to test out my new backpacking stove. It worked like a charm and minutes later I was sipping a chicken noodle supreme cup-a-soup with a side of toasted grill cheese on rye.



On the way back I noticed that somebody had started a fire in Keogan so I skied down and stepped inside to enjoy the warmth and a pint. There were two mothers inside with their wee ones enjoying what appeared to be a smorgasbord. All four were enjoying themselves which proves again that Gatineau and the outdoors is for all ages.



Shortly after, we were flooded by a gaggle of grade 7 and 8 students on a day pass. Very busy. Time to go.

Labels: Gatineau Park, Kingsmere, P7, ski, Tripper

Posted by Tripper at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

Another night skating at Ben Franklin. Still cold but not cold enough to scare mom away this time as she donned several layers of fleece and Gortex and joined us for our late night skate.



A fun evening topped off with a round of hot cocoa and a couple of shots of my homemade Dutch licorice vodka (ok that was just for Papa bear).

Note: I googled and discovered that this "Dutch licorice vodka" has already been invented by the Finns in the 90s. They called it "Salmari or Salmiakki Koskenkorva" complete with it's own urban legend about a teenager suffering a heart attack after drinking it. You learn something every day albeit some things are more useful than others (I'll let you decide which category this tidbit falls in).

Cheers... or as the Finns would say, Kippis!

Labels: Ottawa, skate, Tripper

Posted by Tripper at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

Ski: Kanata Nordic Ski Club (ski trail conditions)
Skate: Outdoor ice rinks in Ottawa

The day was forecast to be killer cold. Our original Gatineau ski plan was downgraded to an afternoon on the Kanata Lakes' trails in order to let the morning warm up. Decision made, the kids and I waited until after lunch before heading out and despite a shining sun it didn't warm up a single degree from the early morning. Oh well, we wouldn't be able to call ourselves Canadian if we let a little nip in the air slow us down.

Technically the temperature reached -21°C today, which is cold enough, but it was the strong winds that were the real hazard as they pushed up the wind chill effect to -33. We could feel it slicing through us and gnawing on our exposed faces whenever we found ourselves out in the open skiing across the meadows and along hydro lines. But in the woods we were well protected and it felt more like the warm -21 it was meant to be.


The trick to not only surviving such cold weather but to actually enjoy it is all in the way you dress. Two words, lay and ers - or more specifically, fleece and Gortex. I thank them both along with my LIFA long johns. Unlike the touque-less teens I see standing at the bus stops in cotton hoodies on my way to work, this family knows how to gear up for winter weather.


And if skiing in -33 wasn't foolhardy enough, later in the evening I took the kids for an hour and a half skate on the Ben Franklin ice rink (their idea, not mine). By then it had reached -35 and unlike the ski trails there were no more trees to hide behind.

For the record, we didn't see another soul on the ski trails this afternoon and nobody joined us on the ice later in the evening either. So if you're looking for solitude, let the thermometer be your guide.

Posted by Tripper at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

P15: N45 19.359 W75 43.648
Link to online map of trails in the Greenbelt.

Another weekend with no fresh snow. And to top it off they're calling for rain tomorrow. This is January, is it not?

Between Saturday morning Futsal and Sunday afternoon's OHL game (free tickets eh) our windows of opportunity were small and few. That said, we still managed to get out both Saturday and Sunday for a short ski in the Ottawa Greenbelt. Ok, technically it was to help our daughter put together a short video for her school project on Sara Renner the xc skier who will soon be competing in her third straight Winter Olympics. We had fun (mostly). Check it out...



The trails were icy and fast and with no new snow to freshen them up, they were littered with many small twigs and pine needles. It was nothing to serious though and we remain hopeful that the winter of 2010 is not over yet.




We end this with a message to Mother Nature...



Enough already. BRING ON THE WHITE STUFF!!!

Labels: Greenbelt, Ottawa, Sara Renner, ski, Tripper, winter

Posted by Tripper at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments