Ride Around the Harbour - Otter at Quidi Vidi

My rides are getting much shorter as the season winds down, so they`ll be more and more centred around St. John`s. But even a leisurely cruise in the "fog and mist" can be rewarding (see the video below). Today was just a short spin around St. John's Harbour and Quidi Vidi Lake - just over 23 km and very flat, but great for someone who has only a day in the city and would like to ride a bit. With some adaptations it would also be suitable for novice or very young riders.

Domestic Architecture of the South Side

Along the South Side Road you see things like this beautiful domestic architecture juxtaposed with the encrusted hulks of ferries and trawlers hauled up on the drydock for repairs. It`s not everyone`s aesthetic I suppose but personally I find these incongruities fascinating!

Marinoni with The Battery in the Background

This photo of the Marinoni was taken from the Small Boat Basin near Fort Amherst on the South Side Road. The background shows the old neighbourhood known as "The Battery". It's just below Signal Hill on the north side of the harbour. I didn`t go out there today but if you have only one ride in St. John`s you should really include it.

Otter at Quidi Vidi

And this cute little bugger was hanging around the slip in Quidi Vidi gut. Moose, caribou, hawks, eagles - you`ll see them all from your bicycle seat around here, and I have, but this was my very first otter! I'd heard reports before of these fellows along the lower sections of Rennie's River; they must swim up from the Gut, then traverse Quidi Vidi Lake and pass under the bridge at Kings Bridge Road. This one was having a great time hanging out around the stages and boats until a couple of dogs scared him. Here`s some video I took with my Sony Cybershot DSC-S650: