We would like to have stayed in Ottawa
longer, but also wanted to see more of the Rideau Canal,
so we embarked on a day which included eight locks and some interesting countryside. The canal through Ottawa and its suburbs winds under low
bridges and is bordered by walking and biking trails which a surprising number
of people were taking advantage of this morning.
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| Rideau Canal leaving Ottawa |
Three other boats joined
us in the first lock and stayed with us throughout. These locks are narrow and
short, and it took a shoehorn to get us all in each time. One of the captains
was having trouble despite having headsets for communication with his Admiral.
She was having difficulty getting the line on the bow attached to the side wall
fixed ropes, and by the last lock she was quite tired and ready to quit. These
are times we so much appreciate our boat with the easy access pilot house doors
and cockpit. Anne can get around very quickly as needed.
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| Four boats shoehorned into the lock |
In one of the locks we spotted a frog between the wall and
our boat’s fender, swimming with great energy to make headway against the water
rushing into the lock. He tried so hard, but never got far. Anne wanted to
scoop him up and help him along, but we did not have a net to do so.
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| Frog between the fender and the lock wall swimming upstream |
There continue to be float planes along the river, some just
tied up to a dock or pulled a short way up a ramp, and one taxied out and
waited to take off until we passed by. We made it to Burritts Rapids and tied
up on the wall to enjoy the sun and one of the coolest days in weeks, as the
wind had turned out of the north. The dock was next to a park, and we had shade in
the evening. One couple came by in a rare Amphicar, built by the Germans during the 60s, and which I remember reading about as a youth in Popular Science magazine. You can drive it on the road or down a ramp
into the water! Only about 4,000 of these were ever built.
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| Float plane ready to take off |
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| Enjoying the sun deck |
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Rare Amphicar |
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