10th Anniversary Motorcycle Ride for Dad�s Celebration Tour

National Capital Stage

The National Capital Stage is the third stage of our journey across Canada to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Motorcycle Ride for Dad�s fight against prostate cancer, and to show support for our troops. It begins where the Quebec Stage dropped us off, in the shadow of Parliament Hill, Ottawa.

With almost 3000 Km under our belts already, Ottawa offers the best opportunity to get our bikes serviced before tackling the length of Ontario. So our first day (Monday August 9th) will be set aside for oil changes etc. and some local sight seeing. We have pre-arranged with all the local motorcycle shops to expect you and give priority to your needs. As for the local sights you can ride along Ottawa�s many parkways or cruise the banks of the Rideau Canal (a world heritage site). Another good short ride, is due north into the hills of the Gatineau Park. Tuesday we are back to the Tour.

Ottawa is the home of the Motorcycle Ride for Dad, it all started here in 2000, and the Ottawa Chapter is oldest of our twenty five Chapters, and still hosts the grand-daddy of all the rides every spring, with close to 2000 riders. We will meet many of the Chapter�s organizing committee on Monday night. On Tuesday we will be treated to their Parade route; from the Aviation museum past the Prime Ministers residence and Parliament Hill and unless numbers prohibit a stop at the Canadian War Museum for a ceremony.

The Tour from there takes us north west up the Ottawa Valley to the sprawling CFB base at Camp Petawawa, for a parade and military ceremony. Then back south through the Lanark Highlands to north of the historic Fort City of Kingston. We will parade in to the Limestone city, to CFB Kingston where a ceremony welcomes not only us, but other MRFD rides coming from southern Ontario to join the Tour, for the Highway of Hero Stage that lies before us the next day.

Total Stage Time: 3 days

Total Stage Mileage: 454 km.

Accommodation Required: 3 nights

Stage Start: Ottawa ON

Stage End: Kingston ON

Tolls: none

Events: (3) Parades (2) Military Ceremonies , Assorted dinners and breakfasts

Day.1 Monday August 9^st

Motorcycle service day. We have pre-arranged with all the local motorcycle shops to expect you and give priority to your needs. Lists and directions will be available. The next scheduled service day is in Calgary approximately 4400 km. There is plenty of local sight seeing to be had in Ottawa, Parkways, the Canal, the Gatineau Hills or the downtown hotspot the Byward Market We spend the night in Ottawa.

Distance Traveled : Optional

Day.2 Tuesday August 10^th

Tuesday is a big day. We gather at the National Aviation Museum on the banks of the Ottawa and parade along the magnificent Rockliffe parkway, past the Governor Generals residence, onto Sussex Drive past the PM�s Residence, the External Affairs building, the Embassies of France and Japan, the Royal Mint, Notre Dame Cathedral the National Art Gallery, the Peacekeepers Memorial, and the American Embassy . We then curve past the stately Chateau Laurier, passing the National War Memorial, Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court before rolling down onto the Ottawa River parkway and the National War Museum. Depending on our numbers we may or may not be able to have a brief ceremony there. We then follow the parkway and streets west across the city to Hwy#417.

We take Hwy#417 north-west up the Ottawa valley to Arnprior, where it changes to Hwy#17, we follow that into Pembroke. We re-assembled and parade into CFB Petawawa for a lunch and a ceremony. Afterwards we return to the Pembroke area for accommodations.

We spend the night in Pembroke.

Distance Travelled : 191 km

Some of the towns we will pass through, or close to on Day #2:

Carp, Kanata, Almonte, Arnprior, Braeside, Renfrew, Cobden, Pembroke, Chalk River, Deep River.

If you are out and about, come give us a wave !

Day.3 Wednesday August 11^th

Wednesday is another relatively short riding day, but busy with lots of sightseeing available at the end of the day. We head back down Hwy #17 to Glasgow Station then turn south into the Lanark Highlands on Hwy#508 to Calabogie, then down Hwy#511 to the old town of Perth. At Perth we turn south-west on Hwy#7 to Sharbot Lake, where we swing south again on Hwy#38 to Hwy.#401. At Hwy.#401 we turn back east briefly for the run into Kingston. We reassembled and parade into CFB Kingston.

There we will meet the �Rides to the Tour�. These are MRFD organized rides that have come to Kingston to join the Tour for the events planned for August 12th. Supper media /meeting with the Kingston-Quinte MRFD Chapter members. (Time & Location TBD)

We spend the night in Kingston

Distance Travelled : 273 km

Some of the towns we will pass through, or close to on Day #3:

Cobden, Hayley Station, Renfrew, Glasgow Station, Burnstown, Springtown, Calabogie, Brightside, Hopetown, Peth, Maberly, Sharbot Lake, Tichborne, Verona, Harrowsmith

If you are out and about, come give us a wave !

This wraps up the National Capital Stage of the Motorcycle Ride for Dad Xth Anniversary Tour. Over the last three days we�ve travelled 454Km together and now we look west with great anticipation to the Highway of Heroes Stage of our tour !

Note:

All distances are a best estimate.
Check back often for updates and changes.
To register for the National Capital Stage visit the registration page.
National Capital Stage souvenirs will be available in the web-store.