Day 2.....Playing Tourist

So,still getting the kinks worked out on the new tablet. Apparently, need to buy the different download cable to get pics all done.

Spent the morning playing tourista. The first stop was the mint. The mint in Ottawa has outgrown its capacity, and being a castle you aren't exactly expanding the walls.

You might not know, but during one of the World Wars, Canada went to protect Holland. A gesture of kindness, they sent Tulips to Ottawa. Every May, the tulips are in full bloom, and there is a festival. With the late weather, you can't not trip over all the colors of tulips here

Can you find the Bruce Tulip?

This location does the high touch labor such as the calibrated troy ounces used by banking and also collector coins. They also did the 1,014 each Olympic medals. At the time, they were 1 lb medals and largest. Each medal was the same stamping, however, the design is each different. They are laser engraved. If you had all 1,014 medals, they would make an orca whale.

"The Vancouver 2010 medals are based on two large master artworks of an orca whale (Olympic) and raven (Paralympic) by Corrine Hunt, a Canadian designer/artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage based in Vancouver, BC. Canadian industrial designer and architect Omer Arbel, also of Vancouver, used his extensive knowledge of materials and fabrication processes to create the innovative undulating design of the medals, which are struck nine times each to achieve the distinctive look as part of the 30-step medal fabrication process. Each medal has a unique, hand-cropped section of the art, making it a one-of-a-kind treasure. A silk scarf printed with the master artwork will be presented to each medallist along with their medal, enabling them to see how their medal connects with those awarded to other athletes at the Games to make the whole design."

For a mint, this is the closest I came to an armed guard. I tell you, you'd never have this much freedom to roam around in a US mint.

Canada only started minting their money in 1931. Now using automated German machines, Canada mints money for over 40 countries. The tour concludes with a bar of gold. If only that would fit on the bike! If you've never realized how dense Gold is, it really is heavy to its' size

Next,we booked over to the war museum. It had a really nice collection of tanks and even some nice ww2 memorbilia.

They have nice re-enactment exhibits. This one of WWI trench warfare

Bruce picked one of these up while in Afghanistan. He never realized what the button was for. Seems it holds on a secondary steel plate for additional protection.

Hilter's Mercedes

Depth Charge to annihilate submarines. You knew it was successful, when debris and/or oil raised to the surface

Nice idea for your dinning room chandelier

Lots of restored tanks

And one in battle condition

Over to check in by 1440. We have some time, so lets see what everyone has 'brung.
Honda XR650R

We are certainly in KTM country. This one is brand spankin' new with 60KMS on the clock

Roaming Rally Masters Sled: Deadly99

What amazed me is how well prepared the bikes look. Nary a bike that doesn't have new skins and looks to be very mechanically good. I guess it's really no fun to get stuck in the Canadian wilderness...or is it?

A few hours later, Zedd wanders over. Seems Keith was leaving his rig over the weekend, so they gave him the spot that floods. That will be good fun to pull him out, don't ya think. Nonetheless, the inflatable BMW sport tent is erected on the "high-ground"

Ours looks so diminutive comparatively

The theme this trip will be fritas (e.g Fries and Hockey). We usually do extraordinarily well on food. This trip, every menu has at least 1/2 page of fry offerings.

The rider meeting is purportedly starting between 19-2000, after the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While most of the Canadians don't seem to ordinarily want to claim the "Havs" as theirs, there is a certain excitement in the air. Even more, when the Havs win the game!

Meanwhile we all go over to the chow hall at the campsite. Not too shabby at all.

Zedd shows his hockey spirit! This a what a puck looks like 48 hrs after. He says it's the beer league, but that sure looks every bit of a professional hit!

While hockey has most of the teams distracted, our team is plotting the big escape. We've decided to lighten our loads to survivalist only, and make this a "glamping" trip. With that, Keith is booking us accommodations in Val-d'Or. Shussh, this is our little secret:) As the evening wears on, the best I can do is get the readers digest version of the riders meeting. Remember kids, this is not a race, so don't leave anyone behind.