By Fraser Moffatt   Watching late winter icicles drip brings to mind better things than working out on a trainer in the basement. What we’ve all been waiting for are the rides of early spring and full-on summer when the ground is dry enough to keep a bike and its rider from a mud bath. So here’s a selection of four early season trips in and around Ottawa, from a short and flat scenic ride downtown while off-road trails are still wet, to a Gatineau Park ride to ...

Weather-stabilizers can turn your campsite into a luxury resort You've arrived at your campsite and identified where you're going to sleep, eat and enjoy the evening fire. Next step, raise the tarps!   These weather-stabilizers can turn plain campsites into luxurious resorts if set up properly.   On blistering hot days they provide much-needed shade. During rainstorms they allow campers to hang around outside by the fire, playing cards or cooking dinner instead of bei...

  By Brian Cooke My first portage nearly broke me. The canoe paddles, tied from the centre thwart to the bow seat, were pressing down into the flesh covering my shoulder blades. With each gangly step forward I could feel my body collapsing from the strain. The canoe’s tumpline, a device rarely seen on canoes since the advent of lighter, more forgiving boat hulls, only added to my torture. Designed to help support the boat by transferring weight to the carrier’s f...