Rideau Redux (Heading Back to Kingston)

Our second trip on the Rideau Canal was planned to last for a week - we were trying to set our journey time by framing it with the Kingston LaSalle Causeway openings on Sunday's. Leaving Ottawa, we travelled part of the way through the locks with Peter and Rachel, eventually parting ways as they tied up on a wall outside of the Black Rapids lock. Some photos below of the two Bayliner 4788's in transit at Hartwells Lock, and of paddlers at the Rideau Canoe Club, just past the Hog's Back Lock. Watching the paddlers brought back many memories of previous Sheffer adventures when our own children were younger and paddling competitively at this very site.

Our destination on this day was the town of Manotick, and Hurst Marina, as Greg had made an appointment for some generator repair work. Our generator quit in Ottawa, possibly due to an impeller malfunction. As well, Greg had found a burnt cable on the motor that required immediate repair. A delay in parts delivery and technician availability stretched our stay to four nights (and a disintegration of our initial travel plan). Our stay here gave us time to catch up on laundry, banking, shopping, and catching up on sleep now that we did not have any children to watch over. The Swan (the onsite restaurant) provided welcome sustenance when we grew tired of eating on the boat. The marina offered a courtesy car so we took advantage of this opportunity and drove to Ottawa one afternoon to visit with Greg's cousin, Cheryl.

Given we were not going to meet our Sunday/Kingston deadline, we 'leaned into' the rest of our adventure on the Rideau. It is easy to get caught up on the 'musts' and 'shoulds' of time and forget about the actual journey, missing the beauty that surrounds you every day. Our next stop was Merrickville, where we caught up with Peter and Rachel, and Mark and Cheryl (acquaintances from locking through St. Anne de Bellevue). We stayed 'on the wall' - docking space on canal walls maintained by Parks Canada for boaters wanting to spend a night or two. Unfortunately, our spot did not have a power source so we were generator dependent for the night. Merrickville is a quaint little town with pubs, shops, and a town park and memorial site for community gatherings; on this day there was a wedding group seeking photos. Serendipitously, a country fair was also onsite in Merrickville so a group of us spent time at the fairground listening to the band playing that evening.

We (Mark and Cheryl, Peter and Rachel) moved on the next morning to Smith's Falls (https://www.experiencesmithsfalls.ca). This time, we arrived early in the morning and docked in a choice spot on the wall across the basin from the town marina. We were tucked into a cool, sheltered spot thanks to the many trees in the park. Located amongst the trees were fountains, providing a mild mist and a soothing soundtrack of trickling water. As it was over 30 degrees C and very humid, Cheryl and I called 'Uncle' and took the plunge in the community swimming area, attempting to ignore the geese swimming nearby. What a relief - it cooled us down immensely - and made my day, for sure! We joined Mark and Cheryl for dinner at a family-owned schnitzel house for a great repast, one of the best meals we have had to date! As night fell, it was still so warm out, so Greg and I sat topside enjoying a wee dram while enjoying the dancing lights of the fountains, listening to the water flowing, and watching the new moon cresting in the distance. It truly was magical! Great memories of Smith's Falls - truly a favorite stop of mine on this journey!

As we no longer had wheels, we went walking the next day (it was so hot....). We discovered the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario on the edge of the town. Trains played a large part of the development and maintenance of the many small towns in Ontario; the downsizing of manufacturing that in turn affects rail traffic and overall service has played a large part of the decline of these same towns.

We enjoyed our time in Smith Fall's very much - for many reasons. Our last evening out saw us in a local pub - Matty O'Shea's - sharing space with a local couple (the server said 'just find a spot' but nothing was obvious and these folks offered to share their table with us). They shared their story with us - they were both from the area but lived in BC for most of their working life and then returned to the Smith Falls area to care for elderley parents and operate the family farm. They live near the Beveridge locks and were quite familiar with the Great Loop journey. Just another night meeting fellow Canadians trying to get by!

The next day we resumed our canal journey, navigating to the Lower Beveridge Locks (located off of the Lower Rideau lake) with Mark and Cheryl. Again, we were able to dock on the wall, with full power hookup (makes a huge difference in hot, humid weather when we can power the air conditioning). Wanting to visit the town of Perth (located on the Tay River), we unloaded our dinghies as the Tay canal was too shallow for our boats. Travelling through the Upper Beveridge Lock by dinghy was an experience, but lots of fun.

The birdlife on this canal and river was diverse - loons, geese, egrets, herons, swans - to name a few. My pictures do not do justice to the sights we observed travelling back and forth to the town dock in Perth.

Pertth is another lovely small town located between Kingston and Ottawa (https://www.beautifulperth.com/history.html). We spent two days exploring this town, admiring the pre-confederation construction of stone and brick homes and buildings. Of course, some of our time was spent visiting art galleries - my favorite was Studio 87 Fine Art Gallery (https://studio87art.com) - as well as the Perth Museum, shops, and bakeries. An interesting installation was the very large cheese wheel, evoking memories of the cheese entry to the Chicago World Fair in 1893 - all 22,000 lbs. of it (https://www.beautifulperth.com/mammothcheese4.jpg)!

The Studio 87 Fine Art Gallery - my favourite!

After two nights at the Lower Beveridge Lock station, we made the move to Newboro (some photos of moving heavy equipment on Big Rideau Lake). As we travelled, we passed through the Narrows Lock, close to Narrows Bay on Big Rideau Lake. While waiting for the lock to become available for passage, we noted another Bayliner 4788 docked there. Like moths to a flame, the captain and first mate (originally from Quebec) of that vessel came over to speak with us. We compared notes about our boats - what amenities we had added, what we liked, what could be better; ultimately we all agreed we would not change our boats for any other.

Docking on the wall at Newboro Lock, we encountered Denise and their wife (first met them at Smith Falls on our way to Ottawa). They only stayed for one night; we stayed for two, as did Mark and Cheryl. Again, we docked on the wall at the lock - very quiet, peaceful. Parks Canada does a great job maintaining the parks around the locks; they are a very friendly and helpful group of people overall!

A lovely late afternoon picnic of wine, cheese and the company of friends.

Newboro is a very small town, much smaller than Perth. However, it makes much of its pre-confederation history. On the Parks Canada grounds a very old guard tower rests (https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=3896&i=46675). An 1840's soldier's encampment was being set-up there with a couple from Quebec living in the very rustic tent and playing the parts of the soldier and wife. Very interesting!

In the town proper, we found a lovely department store - Kilborn's on the Rideau - where shoes were purchased. We also located a fully stocked deli where we stocked up for a supper picnic by the lock. For our second evening, we had dinner at the Stirling Lodge (https://kilborns.ca), a venue with historical roots as the ancestral home of Colonel John Kilborn, who fought in the War of 1812 and later went on to become a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.

After two nights, we moved on to Jones Falls for our next rest stop. Cruising through the many lakes of this area - Newboro, Indian, Opinicon, Sand - provided a colorful snapshot of cottage life in this part of Ontario. The canal route is well marked - both on charts and with route markers (see below) so we did not lose our way.

Jones Falls is an interesting lock configuration. We waited for an hour at the top of the lock as boats that had entered the locks at the bottom made their way up the system. Then it was our turn. As we waited, we walked through the park that runs alongside the canal and locks - a very warm and dry excursion - but a welcome diversion while we waited.

Eventually, we were allowed to enter the beginning lock; it was a full load going down this time. There are four locks in total at this location - passing through these locks ensures a bonding experience for all involved when it is so full!

We stayed along the wall in front of the Hotel Kenney (https://hotelkenneyrideau.com) at the bottom of the lock flight. Being one of the last groups to pass through these locks, the rest of the evening proved to be quiet, as life on the river has proven during this trip. A historical property, the hotel itself was in the midst of renovation, so the amenities were few. However, the property is beautiful and well worth the visit. They did have a great ice cream shop!!

The next day was Sunday and we were off to Kingston to ensure passage through the LaSalle Causeway. It was a pleasure to share this last week with our boating buddies, Mark and Cheryl and we will be sad to say goodbye. As we passed through the last lock, it was a bittersweet farewell to the Rideau Canal but we are looking forward to what comes next!

The beginning and end of our Rideau Canal travels.