Grazing Days

On Saturday, 18 September 2010, Grazing Days is hosting an Open House and Potluck at the farm in Manotick Station. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.

Itinerary:

We have some fun things planned for Saturday afternoon / evening. Please feel free to participate in as much or as little as you would like! This open house is child friendly, although some of the activities are more child friendly than others…

13:00 Bike Tour Leaves Ottawa for the Farm – Corner of Preston, Prince of Whales, and Queen Elizabeth Drive at Dow’s Lake.

Paul, the Grazing Days farmer, rides out to the farm from Ottawa every day. Some people might wish to get the whole Grazing Days experience and join him on this 21km bike ride (one way). There is also a chance to join the group part way for a 10km (one way) bike ride – Click Here for more details…

15:00 Farm Tour and Pasture Walk – 6191 Mitch Owens Drive

Starting at the Grazing Days farm gate a tour will head through the Grazing Days pastures and soon to be pastures. As part of the tour, you’ll get a chance to see how the cattle get moved to fresh grass every day.

17:00 Potluck – 6110 Mitch Owens Drive

We will head to Roots and Shoots Farm and meet up with the Roots and Shoots CSA members for a potluck and good ol’ socializing!

18:00 Tour of the Roots and Shoots Vegetable Gardens – 6110 Mitch Owens Drive

After the potluck, the farmers at Roots and Shoots Farm will be offering a quick tour of their vegetable gardens.

19:00 Campfire at the farm – 6110 Mitch Owens Drive

Please join us for some more socializing and warmth around the farm campfire.

Directions to the Farm

If you are driving to the Farm, you can get directions by clicking on this link: Directions to Grazing Days, clicking on “Directions” in the Grazing Days Balloon and typing in your starting address.

Parking

Parking will be available in along the shoulder of Mitch Owens Road, and limited parking will be available in a Grazing Days field.

What to Bring

General:

All of the activities for the farm open house will be happening outside so please dress accordingly. Currently, the weather forecast is calling temperatures between 6°C and 20°C with a 30% chance of showers.

• Rain gear
• Something warm to wear
• Sun Screen
• Something to cover up against insect bites…
• Camera

Bike Tour:

• Comfortable Bike
• Water
• Snack for along the way
• Lights for the bike ride home (Sunset will be at 19:02 and you may want to bring lights depending on how long you plan to stay at the farm.)

Farm Tour and Pasture Walk:

• Comfortable shoes or rubber boots that you don’t mind getting dirty or wet

Potluck:

• Food dish to share with others
• Something to sit on
• Plate
• Cutlery
• Cup

On Saturday, September 18, 2010 a group of cyclists will leave Ottawa to cycle to the Grazing Days farm in Manotick Station. Please join us for this fantastic bike ride!

There are two options to choose from – the 21 km option (one way) and the 10 km option (one way). It doesn’t matter how fast or how slow you bike, there should be lots of time for you to make it to the farm in time for the Farm Tour and Pasture Walk.

21 Km Option:

Meeting Point: – Corner of Preston, Prince of Whales, and Queen Elizabeth Drive at Dow’s Lake

Departure Time: 13:00 Saturday, September 18^th, 2010

Break: At 11 Km – in the Hilton Garden Inn Parking Lot (2400 Alert Rd) we will wait for the arrival of the people joining us for the last 10 Km of the bike ride. We will most likely have about 15 minutes to drink some water and have a snack. We will continue on at 14:00…

Route: Please see the attached maps

• Start: At the corner of Preston, Prince of Whales and Queen Elizabeth Drive at Dow’s Lake – head south on the NCC bike path on the West side of Dow’s Lake
• 1.47km: Stay left on the path
• 1.63km: Cross the canal over the locks
• 1.67km: Head down the stairs, turn right and continue South on the NCC bike path
• 3.3km: Head through the tunnel and hang a left
• 3.5km: Stay on the South sidewalk of the Hog’s Back Bridge and head East
• 3.6km: Hang a right and follow the NCC bike path South through Mooney’s Bay Park
• 5.0km: Cross Riverside Drive onto Walkley and head East. If the traffic on the road is not your cup of tea, ride on the South sidewalk.
• 5.9km: Turn South onto McCarthy Rd.
• 8.5km: Cross Hunt Club and continue South on Downpatrick
• 9.25km: Turn South onto Uplands Drive
• 11.2km: Turn South onto Alert Road
• 11.4km: Turn into the Hilton Garden Inn Parking Lot 2400 Alert Rd
• 11.4km: Continue South along Alert Road
• 13.8km: Turn left and continue South onto High Road
• 14.5km: Go through the gate and continue South on Bowesville Rd
• 20.6km: Turn right and go West along Mitch Owens Rd
• 21 km: Turn right into the Grazing Days field.

10 Km Option:

Meeting Point: – Hilton Garden Inn Parking Lot (2400 Alert Rd)

Departure Time: 14:00 Saturday, September 18^th, 2010

Getting Here: Bus #s 97 and 99 have bike racks and stop close to this Parking Lot. If you do have a car, there are several parking options around the Hilton Garden Inn…

Route: Please see the attached maps

• Start (11.4km): Hilton Garden Inn Parking Lot (2400 Alert Rd). Turn right and head South along Alert Road
• 2.4km (13.8km): Turn left and continue South onto High Road
• 3.1km (14.5km): Go through the gate and continue South on Bowesville Rd
• 9.2km (20.6km): Turn right and go West along Mitch Owens Rd
• 9.6km (21km): Turn right into the Grazing Days field.

Return Ride:

There is nothing officially planned for the return ride back to the city. Since some people will want to stay at the farm for the potluck and vegetable garden tours, and others will want to head back into the city – people are on their own in getting back to the city. You may want to consider arranging for a ride back into the city so that you don’t get stuck cycling home in the dark…

Route:

Here is some exciting news!

Grazing Days is hosting an Open House in the afternoon on Saturday 18 September.

More details around what is actually going to be happening will appear here on Wednesday 15 September!

Can’t wait to show everyone the farm…