Day 278, "on the loop", 7/14/2023

This was the week of LOCKS! After last week's flight of 8, we were moving through them like pros! This week marks our 9th month on the loop!

There are 45 or 46 locks along the Rideau plus two additional locks at the entrance to the Tay Canal. The highest single lift is 26 ft. at Smiths Falls and the lowest lift is 2 ft. at Kilmarnock. Some locks are in flights, meaning you depart one lock and enter another (immediately when exiting a lock).

Ottawa is Canada’s capital, in the east of southern Ontario, near the city of Montréal and the U.S. border. Sitting on the Ottawa River, it has at its centre Parliament Hill, with grand Victorian architecture and museums such as the National Gallery of Canada, with noted collections of indigenous and other Canadian art.

Ottawa is to Canada like Washington, DC is to us in the United States. So much to do and see! If you are looking for a vacation spot, I think you would enjoy this place.

During the summer, members of the Canadian guard perform for townspeople and tourist. Normally, there is a changing of the guard ceremony; however, that is on hold due to the construction being done to the Parliament. Currently, there is a laser light show each night (Thursday - Monday) paying homage to their heritage and the indigenous people before.

Three Gothic Revival-style buildings, located on a 170-foot bluff overlooking the Ottawa River, house the offices of the members of Parliament, the House of Commons and the Senate. The Parliament is under construction and you can see a bit of it behind the marching soldiers. The picture below is the "House of Commons".

The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 members known as members of Parliament (MPs). MPs are elected to represent constituencies by the first-past-the-post system and hold their seats until Parliament is dissolved. Recommendations by the boundary commissions; confirmation by King-in-Council.

Like the Senate, the House of Commons meets on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Commons Chamber is modestly decorated in green, in contrast with the more lavishly furnished red Senate Chamber. The arrangement is similar to the design of the Chamber of the British House of Commons.

The nightly light show at the Parliament (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). The show starts at 10pm, this is 1 hour past Looper midnight. We joke with fellow loopers and claim 9pm is the looper midnight (because we are exhausted from a day of travel, exploring and typical day-to-day stuff).

July 8 -

The previous day (7/7), we were zombie's, exhausted from the long ride and flight of 8. We did manage to see most of the Capital buildings. Side note: This would be an architect's dream place! If I didn't know better, I would think we were in France.

On this day (7/8), we spent the morning walking around Ottawa, had breakfast at The Sterling where I got a Caesar (Canadian version of a Bloody Mary). Side note: Caesars are made with Clamato juice vs. Tomato juice.

Walked around the Market area, it's the typical market stuff; vendors with jewelry, clothing, soaps, produce stands, deli's, bakeries and some cool random handmade items. During these past few stops, we have enjoyed the pastries (and our waist lines are showing it).

Picked up a beaver tail, basically a piece of fried dough, flattened. Breakaway suggested Kahlua Sunrise, so we got that! It was good, just fried dough with a flavor. I think this would be equivalent to our Krispy Kreme's or Dunken Donuts!

Ottawa (like most big cities) has a large homeless population, especially around the canal area, the bridges provide shade (cooling things down on a hot day). No one bothered us; however, one boater reported when they returned from a day trip of exploring, a homeless man was asleep in their cabin (on the couch). Boat owner noticed the homeless man did remove his shoes before entering the cabin and left when asked (no controversy at all). Just unsettling to find a stranger in your living space.

The Rideau is beautiful and in this post, I will do my best to share some of the beauty and history with you.

The Rideau Canal is 125 mile long, the canal links the Ottawa River, at Ottawa, with the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It's 46 locks-raise boats from the Ottawa River 272 feet (83 meters) upstream along the Rideau River to the Rideau Lakes, and from there drop 164 feet (50 meters) downstream along the Cataraqui River to Kingston.Rideau Canal is 125 mile long, the canal links the Ottawa River, at Ottawa, with the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It's 46 locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 272 feet (83 meters) upstream along the Rideau River to the Rideau Lakes, and from there drop 164 feet (50 meters) downstream along the Cataraqui River to Kingston.

Opened in 1832 for commercial shipping, freight was eventually moved to railways and the St. Lawrence Seaway, and it remains in use today for pleasure boating, operated by Parks Canada (May to October). It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is named for the Rideau River, which was in turn named for the Rideau Falls. Rideau, French for "curtain," is derived from the curtain-like appearance of the falls where they join the Ottawa River. For more information, check it out here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_CanalRideau Falls.

The majority of the Rideau locks are managed by college students and are manual. Check out the pictures below as I do my best to explain the process:

The Rideau canal doesn't use radios; therefore, boaters follow a system by lining up at the blue line (notifies th lock workers the intention to enter lock).

Once you pass through one lock, the lock master calls ahead to the next lock(s) to notify them # of boats traveling in their direction.

The blue lines are short and hold 3 - 4 boats, so boaters sometimes raft up. The lock attendants will motion for the boats on the blue line to enter the lock. Rideau locks can handle 3 - 4 boats our size (40+ in length). They are around 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. We were in some tight spaces at times!

In the picture above, Long Gone 2 is rafted up to Arabella (we are on the wall in front of them). Side note: We do about 7 locks a day. On average, locks are opened based on boat traffic, between the hours of 9am - 7pm daily. On a busy day, a lock could open as many as 20+ times.

A flight of 2: (No it's not a beer or wine tasting!) Lock flights, means you leave one lock and enter another lock immediately upon exiting a lock. The pictures below is a flight of 2, leaving one lock and preparing to enter the next. We have completed flights of 2, 3 and 8.

In the picture below, Long Gone 2 is entering the lock. Chris (on the front) has lines (on her boat) prepared and ready to connect to the cables hanging on the wall. See the black cables handing on the wall.

In the picture below, this lock included a bridge. It had to be opened in order for us to enter the lock. This means the lock master has to coordinate the two (1: stopping road traffic and 2: manage boat traffic).

The lock hands use manual operated gears to open the gates and bridges. They will all have big arm muscles by end of season.

Pictures below show mine and Joel's tasks: In picture 1, I am preparing to grab the cable on the wall (need to leave one cable between us and the boat (Puffin) ahead of us).

Below: Once the cable at front of boat is secure and cleated, then, I walk to the stern (back of boat) and grab the 2nd line. Joel is managing the boat, once I secure the stern line, he will turn the boat motor off to take over the stern line. After this step, I return to front of boat to hold the line until Puffin exits the lock. Side note: First boat in is typically first boat out.

Here Joel has grabbed the stern line, I have returned to the front of the boat. You can also see, we wear headsets. We talk back and forth, he will tell me when the back gate closes and I advise him when the front gate opens... at which time he will pull his lines in and return to the helm to start the engines to exit lock. When he starts the engine, he gives the order for me to release my line.

On the Rideau, we do this about 7 times a day. The lock hands are helpful and will help push the cables to you (if needed).

Below are just random lock pictures:

July 9 (Hurst Marina)

We left Ottawa and started our journey on the Rideau. The Rideau is a narrow canal with beautiful landscapes, waterfront properties and nice quant stops along the way! The wildlife is abundant. We have seen river otters, loons, Canadian geese and sea gulls. It is quiet on the water, you can hear the birds chirping (so pretty!).

At Hurst Marina, we were able to catch up on laundry and get in some pool time!

July 10 (Merrickville)

We arrived in Merrickville mid afternoon and enjoyed walking around the town. Joel and I had lunch at a cafe called "The Yellow Canoe" and then window shopped a bit. The people are super nice and welcoming.

At the last lock, two ladies approached me to ask questions. Their names were Hazel & Carol, they were curious about our boat, what the looper flag meant and what a typical day of living on the boat was like. They were fascinated. Carol is working on a bucket list of her own, she will travel Route 66 route in the very near future. We exchanged cards, who knows, she may reach out if she comes through Missouri!

Rhubarb ice-cream is a local favorite, so of course, we had to try it. (Not bad.)

In the evening, we watched 3 river otters play in the nearby waters. We used our binoculars to see better.

Pictures taken while in Merrickville:

Merrickville Lock pictures:

July 11 & July 12 (Smith Falls)

Loved this town, we are Kingston bound. The marina in Kingston cannot take us until Sunday (7/16) so we took a spot on the wall in Smith Falls (which is covered under our Canada Park Pass).

This town had it all (everything was in walking distance). Several restaurants in the area, nearby drug store, dollar store, hardware store, nail place and so much more! We were able to provision the boat.

Met a couple of honorary loopers: Jonny and Beth (from Boston, traveling with their cousins on Beach side: Diane & Tom), and two new loopers we had not met, yet. Changin' Latitudes (Mike & Allison) and Red Pearl (Steve & Kathy). Red Pearl started their loop in 2018 (and been doing it in bits & pieces, they will probably complete it this year - 5 years).

Yes, we had docktails before dinner on both nights. Our first night there, the winds were fierce, we decided to only have drinks. I had a few colorful peppers filled with cream cheese that didn't last long, the wind picked up and took the tray (so only a few were able to enjoy them). Day 2, was a nice evening for docktails. Check out the spread here: Diane really knows how to entertain!

Night one dinner:

Dinner (night 1): Told this was a good place to eat,

little pub w/ pizzas. I had a shrimp app that was

good.

After docktails (on night 2) we had dinner at the Vault Eatery & Pub. Robin our hostess and waitress was amazing! Prices were good and food was delicious.

July 13 (Rideau Harbor)

Our day started with rain and since you're only allowed 2 days on a wall, we needed to move the boat. We had planned to travel 27 miles and anchor out at Stouts Bay; however, when we reached the 2nd lock we were informed of a tornado warning.

At this point, we started making a bail out plan. Bail out means, going to a Plan B, C or D. After talking to Arabella and LG2, decided to bail out at the next marina (which was 10 miles), Rideau Harbor Marina. Winds started to pick up and storms were headed in our direction. We were all able to dock safely and get secured just a few minutes before the storms hit. We even had time to connect our power.

We stayed on the boat most of the day due to the storms. I cleaned and Joel changed the oil. The storms finally passed. Not much here in this little marina; however, the staff was GREAT and there are showers!

Pic 1: Marina office

Pic 2: Boat Neighbor

Pic 1: Arabella on the far end (can barely see their top) and Long Gone 2 to the left of the boat with the yellow kayak.

Pic 2: Fuel dock

Pic 3: Bridge

Pic 4: View from our boat

July 14 (Friday):

Another day of locks, just a couple more days and we will be on the Trent–Severn Waterway (more on this next week). As mentioned before, we lock through about 7 per day. The water level in the locks on this side of the Rideau is lowered. We enter the locks at the highest level. This means fenders/bumpers have to be at the water level. This makes locking interesting as we are not able to reach the cables. Thank goodness for these college kids! The walls are almost at the bottom of our boat, the boat it lowered down. The kids assist us with getting our lines on the cables (because we can't reach them).

Pic 1: Typical Lock signage - this one is "Narrows Lock"

Pic 2: Block House

Pic 3: You can see here, the water level is near the top of the lock, we enter, grab one of those cables and the water is "lowered".

We anchored on this night in a beautiful cove called Morton's Bay. The scenery is amazing. It reminds Joel of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and Long Gone 2 said it reminds them of Maine.

Some boaters stopped by to say hello.

Maps for the week, stops along the Rideau (Canada) to Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Rideau is a side trip. Most people do a roundtrip cruise of the Rideau but we decided to enter at the Ottawa River and exit at Kingston to rejoin the loop path. Due to narrow canals and water levels, boat captains tend to avoid this area. We draft 3.5, which means we need at least 5 feet of water under the boat. The depth finders in this area can also be off due to the vegetation growing from the bottom of the canals.

The red blocks noted in the maps below are locks. Remember, some locks have flights. With the exception on 7/13, which was s short travel day due to storms, we locked through about 7 locks per day. See 7/9, indicates we did 6 locks, one of those locks was a flight of 2.

7/9

Ottawa Wall (shortly after the Flight of 8), off the Ottawa River to Hurst Marina, Ontario, Canada

7/10

Hurst Marina to Merrickville (on the wall) - (Ontario, Canada)

7/11 (2 nights)

Merrickville (on the wall) to Smith Falls (on the wall) - (Ontario, Canada)

7/13

Smith falls (on the wall)R to Rideau Harbor Marina (Ontario, Canada)

7/14

Rideau Harbor Marina (Ontario, Canada) to Morton's Bay (anchorage)

Random Information & Other Stuff

Rideau Locks:

The Rideau Canal uses a lock system that is still fully functioning. The gates that let boats in and out of the locks last approximately 12–15 years. When the canal was constructed, the gates were made at the lock sites by carpenters and blacksmiths, but presently they are made in Smiths Falls, Ontario, and sometimes it takes up to two months to build a set of gates. The gates used on the Rideau Canal are made of Douglas Fir and are mitre-shaped to ensure a tight seal due to water pressure.

Blockhouses:

Four blockhouses were built from 1826 to 1832 to provide protection for the canal which was under the control of the British Forces:

• Merrickville Blockhouse – used briefly during 1837 Rebellion, it became a residence for the lockmaster, upper floor removed in 1909 and restored in 1960 as a museum.

• Kingston Mills Blockhouse – used in 1837–1838, then enlarged to use as a residence, more alterations made in 1909 and restored to 1830 layout in the 1960s.

• Newboro Blockhouse – built by the British Ordnance Department, it was also used briefly for its intended military role in the 1830s and then converted to home for lockmaster; restored in 1960s to original blockhouse configuration.

• Rideau Narrows Blockhouse – built by William H. Tett it was also altered in the 19th century to become lockmaster's residence and restored from 1967 to 1970 to its original layout.

A fifth blockhouse at Burritts Rapids was partially built in 1832 before work was stopped with only the foundation and walls completed, then rebuilt in 1914–1915 and finally demolished to be replaced by the current lock station in 1969.

Black Squirrels (Saw one in Smith Falls):

Black squirrels are a melanistic subgroup of squirrels with black coloration on their fur. The phenomenon occurs with several species of squirrels, although it is most frequent with the eastern gray squirrel and the fox squirrel. Black morphs of the eastern gray and fox squirrels are the result of a variant pigment gene. Several theories have surfaced as to why the black morph occurs, with some suggesting that the black morph is a selective advantage for squirrels inhabiting the northern ranges of the species, with the black fur providing a thermal advantage over its non-melanistic counterpart.

It is feasible that a black squirrel has a higher likely hood of surviving harsh winter than the grey. A more likely explanation for the rise of black squirrels is the mutant pigment gene that gives the squirrel its color is dominant.

Black squirrels in Western cultures are said to be a sign of good luck. They represent prosperity, fertility, and change. Black squirrels are often seen as a sign of good luck for young couples trying to conceive.

Basin:

See the body of water? It is right at the land line. This is a small basin which you may find in between locks.

Fishing in the Rideau:

The lakes and rivers of the Rideau Waterway offer great fishing opportunities. Species caught along the length of the Rideau Waterway include Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, Muskellunge, and Walleye.

Walleye, the general minimum length is 13.8 inches ( 35 cm ), but there are a number of lakes in the Corridor with slot limits. Better read the Ontario Sport Fishing Regulations carefully. By the way, there's some excellent fishing in Dow's Lake right in downtown Ottawa.

Still looking for Walleye on the menu. Hope to have it soon!

I hope you enjoyed this week's blog! Although the locks were challenging at times and exhausting (when we did 7 a day), I really did enjoy them. The kids were very helpful. Joel did a great job of getting close to the wall for me to grab the cables.

Have a great week!