Writer Fitness: Ingress Walking – Lap Around the Lake Banner

Last week, I used Ingress to incentivise my walking, completing two banner missions two singles, and 6 of the Canberra Mission Day missions. I was able to stop and take pictures for the first two banners, but the week got a bit busy after that. The first banner mission and pictures taken on the day, are below:

Lap Around the Lake Banner

Designed by Enlightened agent, SuperTuttle, this walk, from the Commonwealth Avenue bridge to the Kings Avenue bridge and back, took about 2 hours to complete. I caught a 300-series bus from the city interchange to the Albert Hall stop (the first stop after the Commonwealth Avenue bridge) and walked back to the bridge and down to the back of Questacon to start, but you could also catch a #3 bus and get off outside the National Library. It just depends on how much of a walk you'd like.

This is only a 6-mission banner, so it takes up the top row of the scanner image below.

It was a windy day, threatening rain. I almost used the weather as an excuse not to walk, but decided to use it as part of the challenge, instead - just how much of the walk could I get done before rain stopped play? (I had completely forgotten the sandwich to put my phone it, so I could keep using it in the rain.) Anyway, I took some photos from both sides of the lake. It truly was a lovely walk. See?

Like I said, the weather was... interesting...

This was the view looking across Commonwealth Avenue, and away from the Australian National Library.

And it didn't get much better...

...no matter which direction you looked.

The weather didn't let up on the lake side, either. This is the International Flag Display.

And some trees framed by flagpoles.

Even the buildings on the other side of the lake looked like mysterious castles when viewed in this light. You can see the Merchant Sailors Memorial in the bottom right by the lake.

I followed this path past the Australian National Gallery.

And saw the sculpture "Virginia" by Clement Meadmoore.

The trees were highlighted in the low light.

By this time, I was nearing the Kings Avenue bridge,

through the trees.

The path passed under the road leading back into the Parliamentary Triangle.

This is the National Carillon, as seen from the Kings Avenue bridge.

And here is the city.

That's Russell Offices and the Australian-American Memorial in the background; a group of walking mothers is in the foreground. There was room enough for all of us on the bridge footpath; it's not as crowded as it looked.

It was not a great day for being out on the lake, but there was this very colourful ferry...

Looking back the other way, I could see where the Old Bus Depot Markets is held every Sunday.

Even the National Carillon managed to look sombre.

Perhaps not as sombre as the National Library. Note the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge in the background. That's we're we'll be going to.

Here is a closer look at the Commonwealth Bridge. I'd walked past the Carillon by this stage, and was over half-way there!

Maybe... it still looked like a fair hike, and the weather was threatening to do more than merely try to blow me away. 

Another shot of the National Library (on the right), and the National Art Gallery (the white building on the left). The International Flag Display and Reconciliation Place are in between.

The birds were out. These two red-rumped parrots were feeding by the path-side. 

And this pair of swans was a mated pair - as the walker off-screen to the right was about to discover, when male swan started running towards him, wings spread wide.

This staid gentleman is the statue of Sir Robert Menzies, one of our prime ministers, and a famed figure around here.

This is the view back towards Floriade.

There was a seat placed so people could look out over the lake, and enjoy Captain Cook Fountain - when it's running.

 Soon afterwards, I was approaching the city end of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, and the last portal for the mission covering this leg. The next mission in the series started across the lake at the other end of the bridge. 

I couldn't help looking back at the Kings Avenue bridge. My, wasn't that a long way off.

The National Library looks quite forbidding... or, is that imposing... across the lake.

I climbed these stairs and headed back across the bridge for the last few portals of the mission series, before catching a #3 bus back to the city from outside the Australian National Library.

 

 It didn't start to rain, until after I'd reached the city and made it onto the bus home.