We left Merrickville marina early to catch the first opening of the lock. We expect it to be a very long day through "ditch-like" conditions, but we are partly wrong. It is a very long day but the ride is very nice with water wide enough or better throughout the entire time. The closer we get to Ottawa, the more spectacular the waterfront homes. We are in "pass the Grey Poupon" territory. Almost mega-mansions. We press for 9 hours (including a short tie-up for lunch) and log an astounding 42 miles. Seriously, that's pretty good, especially since we covered eight locks.
At Burrit Rapids, Margie reads in the guide book that you can bribe the lockmaster (with chocolate covered almonds) to force the lock to shoot up a small geyser. After almost 60 locks, we are eager to see something diferent. She tries brownies since we have no almonds. He admits that to accomplish what's known as the "Burrits Burp," you must be southbound (or going upstream.) He's nice enough that we give him the brownies anyway. Again, all the staff at the locks are friendly and go out of their way to help.
Lunch stop on the way to Ottawa
Our constant frustration throughout the day is how discourteous the local boaters are. They throw huge wakes at other boats and rock all the docks along the way. At times, it seems we are the only ones obeying the speed limits. However, in the realm of "no good deed will go unpunished," we are the ones who get a beep from a police boat cautioning us to slow down. At best, we are one knot over the limit. Could it be the stars and stripes flying off our stern?
Approaching Ottawa
Dow Lake Pavilion
We arrive around 5:00 pm at Dow's Lake which is in Ottawa, but on the outskirts of the city by about 4 miles. It is a man-made lake that the British created while building the canal. It had been a marsh that provided fertile grounds for mosquitos and malaria which ultimately killed hundreds of men who were building the Rideau Canal, The marsh was flooded and the lake is now about 5-6 feet deep and has beautiful grounds around it. We are struck by the number of bicyclists we see in Canada. There are literally hundreds of miles of scenic bike paths everywhere and they are well used.
Tomorrow we put our tourist hats on and tackle the big city.
Full set of pictures are at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/golphinut/201107BlueBelle02?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Click on any of the photos above to enlarge them.
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