The Rideau Canal - 2014 - 2015

Kingston to Ottawa.

"Better drowned that duffers.  If not duffers, won't drown".

 

We are very, very fortunate; I know it.

About five years ago, we built a Selway Fisher Peterborough in the basement of our cabin in the Laurentians, Quebec.  

Until that launch, neither of us had ever sat in a canoe before.  Time passed, we returned to the UK to get on with the rest of our lives and each visit to Canada somehow found the holiday filled with things to be done to the cottage.  Canoeing was an all-too-rare occurrence.

And even the summer of our retirement - 2012 - was filled with major works.  A very good, canoe-instructor, friend had taken us under his wing in the UK but all of us were busy and trips were all too infrequent.  I managed to grab a brilliant lesson with a much-admired teacher here in Canada, but she could only point me in the right direction in the little time available.

Essentially, when we  took to the start of this trip, we had perhaps 20 sessions of paddling between us.

But, "nothing ventured" as .they say and, knowing that we would be "on our own" for big parts of this trip we set off on what was, for us, a considerable adventure

 

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Take it when you can get it......

.... Wi-Fi that is.

Jones' Falls.

Put in at Upper Brewers lock at about 12.30.  Good paddling - but quite a few power boats needing severe "low brace" paddle position.  Good practise but a bit nervous in the middle of these expansive waters!

(Later edit - This is what we're trying to achieve!)

Upper Brewers to Jones Falls 19k

Started from Upper Brewers.  Massive, fruitless detour to Seeley's Bay.

Already portaged half of the flight of locks, the rest to do in the morning.

Huuuuuge thanks to Ann for taking us to the put in.

See you soon, we hope.

Now at Jones' Falls.  Tent pitched, waiting for supper in the local fishing hotel.

Jones Falls locks seen from the hotel veranda

Thursday, 31 July 2014

Rest day!

We slept well, to about 5.30.  Coffee and collecting thoughts then - it began to rain.  By 11.30 we decided to pack anyway and paddled across the holding pool to portage up above the top lock.  Just as we put in, the frogs started to make a clamour, and the rain stopped!

Jones Falls to Newboro - 19k

Reasonable paddling up to Davis Lock, where we decided not to portage, and took the easy way up.

Across Murphy's bay with a strong cross wind and more speed boats, to Chaffey' s lock and the temptation to stay there overnight. I (Peter) was very low at this point but Ali steered us through the islands on Newboro lake, with forked lightening in the background.

An easy lift off the lake to a pleasant camp spot.  Chunky soup and noodles for supper.  Very, very tired.  Awoke with shoulder capsule pain in the night.  Some drizzle early on; we need a rest.  Lunch in the Sterling hotel in Newboro.  Stubbornly sunny, but we are grateful for the down time, a huge, open water pull tomorrow.

Newboro lock

This is fun - of sorts.  But fun nevertheless.

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Back from the wild

Tuesday.

More, much more later; but for now a quick message to say,  "Yes, we are safe",  "No, we didn't fall in".

But we lost our electronics yesterday evening when  thunderstorm (we were off the water, thankfully - but only just!) flooded all of our plastic-wrapped electronics with 4 inches of water in the bottom of the boat in just 20 minutes.

Great trip!

So - my notebook is not dry (the paper, not the ink!) but I thought that I'd get a few bare essentials down and continue to edit over the next few days....

This has been an extraordinary trip.   The Rideau canal  has loomed large in our imagination for over three years as the paddle route from the Laurentians to Toronto!  One of these days we hope to join up all of the waterways in between but for now, the idea was to "nail" the Rideau. 

So I wrote briefly about day one and day two  and the rest day at Newboro.  This was a lovely stop, a chance to "potter" and read and bask in the sun-shine.

The wild-life was fun too; brightly coloured frogs and beautiful dragonflies.







Here we also met a couple paddling "the other way".  He was Belgian - very keen to chat; she was Quebecer, brought up in Woodstock USA - not so keen.


Friday.

In the morning, as we were packing up, two canoeists also came through, wonderful, open, Christian men who shared their faith and their love of what we were all doing.  This next day envisaged  our hardest challenge with large expanses of water and nowhere to "bail out".

So, up to Narrows lock where we again met Angus and his friend, shared blessings and laughter, and saw them off on a 50k day! Somehow, meeting these guys reminded us of God's loving care for us.  Everything seemed more certain from then on.

These upper lakes - Upper Rideau Lake, Big Rideau Lake, are crystal clear; there is little weed and the water goes down seemingly forever.  The plan was to keep to the Eastern shore of Upper - to shorten the line and keep out of the main channel - and then keep to the Western shore of Big - expecting wind from the west.

But in the end, although the route was pretty much what we intended, the wind never materialised and we paddled across a mirror for k after k. 

Newborro to Murphy's Point - 21k

I was still pretty nervous in the boat - I don't have Ali's sense of balance - but I had found room for my feet at last and was beginning to feel the movement in a far more relaxed fashion.  Added to which, some time around now, we decided to change navigator, from me to Ali.  This put the steering into the stern and the route-finding into the bow.  And now I began, slowly, to enjoy the physicality of the trip.  The speed-boat wakes still caused us to turn to take them head on, and big wind-shifts would have worried us - but where was everyone? 

This is cottage country in spades.  Canadian shield land with rounded, glaciated rock all the way to the shore and overhanging docks stocked by power-boats.  But the water was relatively quiet; we met one kayaker all day, no canoes.  The western shore of Big Rideau has a number of inlets - we took shelter in one or two to rest backs and bums!







By Murphy's point - announced in the guide-book as a camping opportunity - we really began to enjoy the following "sea" and the swoops and glides that came with it.  Close in to shore we saw a couple in one of the paddle in sites.  They told us that check in was three bays around to the west.





Half an hour later, tired and rather dispirited, we chose a camp-site at random - 411.  On a little island, close down to the water, it seemed a suitable spot and we were so tired.



 





We set up camp - a bit cross because there was such poor signage as to what else we should have done - and cooked our noodles and soup mixture.
The water filter came out for the first time and did a good job.  Certainly the water tasted better than the tap stuff from the last lock!  The boreholes in this area give the water a sulphurous taste.  A bit like Vichy!


 And then - big shock - not one but three canoes and couples turned up - looking for pitches 413, 412 and 414!  Apparently, we should have booked.  I tried to contact the Provincial Park by phone - a huge recorded message and poor reception (Surprise!!) and  finally through to an agent.  And then I got cut off - twice :-(




The couple on 412 sweetly offered us a place for our tent on their plot if anyone came for ours.  Mark (and Gerry) had booked two days ago and been told that his was the last space available.  So we sat around for a while - but no-one ever came.  I tell you - looked after.



Fireflies around the camp, flickering like tiny Christmas decorations; a noisome - or should that be noisy - privy.  But a good night's sleep and a beautiful dawn. 

Saturday.
Awake so early that we could take our time and still be away by nine.











And, as you see, the feared storms had yet to materialise.  So we headed off pretty much in a straight line!

Murphy's Point to Smiths Falls Detached via Rideau Ferry - 22k

At Rideau Ferry, we met up with a kindly elderly gentleman who had been a fishing guide and a paddle guide in the past.  He loved the boat - as have so many people!  We had great food at the "Snack Shack" and loaded up with more water in a 4 litre jug and some tins for supper - in case.













The last of the big water now - Lower Rideau Lake.  And more mill-pond, sunshine and lilies!

The channel  begins to take wide turns - not needed for the canoe!

In Lower Rideau Lake

And then I argued with the Navigator - and we missed the "Mud Cut" - a short cut through the sea of reeds with an entrance about 4 feet wide.  Instead, we tried the next, adjacent entry to what looked like a sea of waterlilies - as described to us by the Belgian - and ended up jammed into wild rice!

Oh dear; I am Sooooo sorry.  It was only a bit of a deviation; but it was a pity to have missed it.

Feeling strong, we pushed on to Poonamalie, a really pretty lock, and then on again to Smith's Falls Detached!

We visited Smiths Falls last year on our way to Toronto.  And now here we are, camping at the very lock that we visited.





We had a very good Chinese take-away, including an excellent General Tso Chicken!  Yum!



And found ourselves to be sharing our camp with a troop of Boy Scouts from Pennsylvania!










They were awake and about at 06.00 and off on he water by 09.00.  With ice in their personal cooler boxes to keep their sandwiches cool........

Great guys - about to make it to Chaffeys ( against the wind!).  They were carrying all of their personal kit - but were to be met each night at their camp stop - and catered for.  This is their "Chuck Wagon".

Which reminds me, thinking of Scouts; not only have we been very blessed and fortunate in the weather and water conditions we have met, but we also had a good teacher at the outset.  Stephen - thanks very much indeed for the instruction, conversation and support throughout.  Anything that might go "wrong" from here on is entirely our fault and responsibility.  You did warn us about double-bagging!

So - the happily inevitable preparations for the departure!

Sun-tan cream!





The plan today was for a long day to Merrickville.  It didn't quite work out that way.

Smiths Falls to Kilmarnock.  9.7 k

Lots of locks today - through SF detached then SF combined (a very deep lock replacing an original flight of three), to Slys and Edmunds and onward to Kilmarnock.

We pulled on to the portage after the lock and were regaled by the dance music - of a very modern variety - emanating from the simply huge boat parked up on the other side.  Not only that, but they had disembarked a full sized barbecue, just for the two of them.  They eventually packed up and locked through - southbound.

We re-embarked and began the paddle north - and then turned around and came back to camp.



We were just tired, as the lock-master had mentioned when we first stopped.  And besides; we weren't aiming for the next lock, but the one after.  So pushing on feeling as we did would have been foolish.













As it was, we had a very pleasant evening eating up the left over Chinese meal - with no ill effects - and gathering strength for the next lap.








At the end of the day, a Dad and his boys came down to fish; the Dad teaching them respect for the caught fish and responsibility for returning it to the water quickly and with a minimum of discomfort.

This transfer of skills should be what this route is about.








Morning; a good night's sleep; an early start and some corner cutting saw us first on the blue line at Merrickville,

when the lockmaster asked us to move to let in the Kawartha Voyager.


So we moved over to the other side of the pool, behind these Voyageur copies.

And then more power-boats filled in the moorings and the lock-master forgot us.





And we had to wait two hours in full sun, not knowing what was going on, in order to start the lock down.

We were cross - and pretty complaining I'm afraid.  Still, the winding nature of the river from here meant that we kept catching up the rest of the boats - eventually gaining a "what kind of motor do you guys have in there?" from one of our fellow-lockers.

So we arrived at the second Nicholson's lock with the sky darkening ever more.  Once through the lock we pulled over to the dock to get our waterproofs on - and the heavens opened!  I mean really opened! 

We sheltered under the lock house overhang and then I went down to check on the boat - to find at least four inches of water in the bottom.

I bailed it out - another ten more minutes' worth topped it back up!  But the rain eventually stopped; we were safe and we paddled on under clearing skies to Burritts Rapids.

But when we pulled the gear out of the boat, we found much wet - including our electronics.

Despite most helpful lock-staff and a wonderful meal at the now-open Restaurant that we had last seen closed in September 2013, it was a rough and sleepless night, full of remorse and recriminations, although the stars were beautiful.






But the dawn  was misty, and wonderful Ann answered our call and drove all the way up to collect us.

Thanks again Ann - and Rosie of course.

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________

Sunday, 17 August 2014

NOT what the forecast suggested!

Saturday we returned to Ontario, to Smiths Falls in fact, to watch some of the K2O - Kingston to Ottawa paddle race.

In the rain; torrential rain; and high wind.

Absolutely dreadful conditions for the first day; very strong winds and driving rain. By Narrows lock (4.00 pm from a staggered 06.00 to 10.00 start), about a third of the teams had dropped out - including two Stand-up paddles (think surfboards and long paddles....) (eh!?).

The two older guys at the bottom of the pictures were having a blast!  (And yes, that is an Osprey!)

By nightfall at Poonamalee lock, the lead team (relay) competitor coming off the water said the last lake (Lower Rideau) had been a white-out. There were some concerns about a 74 year old paddler - I spoke to him later, he had been blown off course and had to edge-hug.

Two seemingly very experienced guys in an open - no buoyancy bags, just the canoe - said that they had been surfing 1.5 foot waves (I think they actually said 1.5 metres - surely not?) and had at one point been slammed straight down after taking to the air.



I think that these were probably the open canoe leaders at the end of play.......

 So - the race was pulled at nightfall. Everyone accounted for. Lessons to be learned for sure but such fantastic spirit. All ages, both genders. Brilliant!

Monday, 18 August 2014

Back to the beginning - Kingston to Upper Brewers'

Well - very tired now - 26 k today!




Here's a piece we didn't do earlier - never mind, we've done it now!

Couldn't have asked for better weather mind.  A light northerly to start with - on the nose - and then calmer and calmer through the day.  Sunshine and mild to warm; lovely countryside and a curry at the end.

More of of all that another time.

Right now - bed calls!

Sunday - yesterday in terms of the chronology of this account - we left Smiths Falls and the motel of Mr Patel and his lovely wife.

Last year  when we stayed there I asked him where I could get a good Indian meal in Smiths Falls - and he offered to dig a butter chicken out of the freezer for us!  I told him that he should start a restaurant instead!

We declined on that occasion but I reminded him of our chat when I rang to make the booking this time.  He said he still hadn't opened a restaurant, but would we like them to cook some Indian food for us when we came?

Well, the embarrassment  is that were out and about for most of the evening - but I asked him to make us a meal for four - to take on to Ann.  And he and his wife did just that! 

We wandered down via lunch at Newboro again and a bit of a trip down memory lane.  But the extraordinary part is that from the roads, you would never suspect the beauty and the scale of the lakes that are hidden "just over there"!

Monday morning early we went with Ann to be put in at Kingston, about 200 yards up from the bascule bridge which really marks the start of the Rideau.

Although we had a bit of a Northerly to start with, once through Kingston Mills locks (we arrived in perfect timing for this flight of three then one), the wind gradually eased and we had perfect paddling all the way up Colonel By lake and into the River Styx (originally Sticks because of all the flooded trees).  A long pull, and a little breather two thirds of the way up before meeting the famed apple trees growing wild beside the river and then Lower Brewers, Upper Brewers and the original put in.

 

Ann met us ten minutes after we arrived - and then home to that curry.

 

Yum!

Absolutely shattered, we slept on our mats in the Sun-room (from choice; Ann offered other accommodation!)  We woke just once in the night, to be surrounded by stars shining through the windows.  Wonderful indeed,

This is the end of the Rideau for this year.  It would not have been possible in this way without Ann's help and Stevie's shared welcome.

Thank you both - and Rosie of course!  :-)

Wednesday, 20 August 2014

Back home.

Well,

A lovely drive up from Ann's outside Kingston.  We came along the 401  and then up the 416 to Ottawa - to be lead by a most compliant Sat-Nav (Emily)  to the crossing at Mason.

This really is the most remarkable ferry.  It operates 24 hours a day and I think 365 days a year.  It's run by Traversiers Bourbonnais under the slogan "Five minutes of relaxation - to avoid the stress of the circulation (traffic)".

We were needing some lunch by now and Ali eschewed the offer of Chinese food for a "Casse croute" (literally "break crust").  A really nice but toothless gentleman who told us that he had recently bought the business ( a way-side shack) using a bequest his mother had left him.  He was proud of his own smoked-meat; his own sausages and his little business.  He waited gently whilst we said grace and wished us "God Bless" as we left.  We hope that he does well.  I'm sure that we shall find an opportunity to visit him again.

Home to wash the boat (the Station de lavage (essentially the local garage) declined the opportunity to wash it for us, saying that his jet-wash would undoubtedly blow a hole in the boat!).  But it's serious stuff.  There are zebra mussels and other invasive species in the Rideau - which former eat the beneficial plankton and let the mats of green stuff flourish.  We do not want those here, thank you!

A bit of a fractious day - delayed weariness I suspect........

Saturday, 5th September, 2015.

"So, where have you guys come from?"

"From Kingston, Ontario". 

"How long has it taken you?"

"Just over a year!"

Friday, 4th September.  Aylmer, Quebec; been in about 3 hours now.  A shower, a beer (and a cup of tea!) and a quick catch up with the post and here we are.

On Sunday last, the 30th, we travelled to Arundel for church.  The previous, warm welcome, lovely people, and then away to Aylmer to stay with P and N overnight at their house there.  Warm; the air heavy with the scent of a transient skunk.  A delicious supper; slightly distracted by the prospect ahead.

Isn't it strange how phrases get in to your head?  On an open canoe chat-room, there was a long-running conversation regarding additional buoyancy in canoes.  I (meaning to be ironical) said that we were off to finish paddling the Rideau "with air-bags fitted".   I was challenged by a subscriber:  "Sorry, but if you're using air-bags on the Rideau Canal, PLEASE don't go north and paddle the backcountry. Really."

Those words haunted me for two whole days.  Had I been too foolhardy last year and put us at real risk?  Was I overcompensating this year?  And, drat it!,  who's trip was it anyway?  But the words went around and around my head - until Long Island Locks - where I met a Canadian who put it all in context.

Monday, 31st August.  A leisurely start to the day; some commissions at Jean Cocteau then with P and N to Burritts' Rapids - the scene of our bail-out last year.  Our aim, Ottawa; our route, day one.....  to Rideau Hill Camp.

We pitched tent on the road side of the lock this year - last year we limped in to the river side.

And then we headed over to the restaurant  for a light something or other before P and N left us.  A stroll along the island between cut and river and these views...

.... before coming back to the restaurant for supper, a good night's sleep (despite the all-night generator at the cafe and the occasional car passing along the road), and a very misty start.

Tuesday, 1st September.  Pinch, punch!  Where did August go?

I have a clear memory of early anglers in the fog before sunrise, and then time to pack and off we go!

The countryside here is low, flat fields shielded by screens of trees.  It was good to be back on the river, in our own world of me and her; just paddling; letting the yards go by.

We stopped at Beckett's Landing for a drink, a snack and a rest.  Nobody came, and nobody went.  And some of us perhaps snored - briefly!

The Long Reach - Burritts to Black Rapids - is rightly named.  There was no way that we could have paddled it all in one day.

Further on it began to be populated by large houses - with sweeping lawns.  Impressive enough (but nothing compared with what we would come across later!)

So we had reconnoitred during the Fall and contacted the United Church regarding the possibility of spending our first night at their Kids' Camp at Rideau Hill, just North of the Baxter Park;  a long haul this; and then!  And then perhaps the most incongruous, welcome sight of the whole trip - a floating ice-cream - Float!  There, in the middle of the river, was a converted pontoon boat - selling ice-cream.....  I mean; how can you resist?

Fortified by two cones (how do you eat a cone in the middle of a river, vaguely trying to stabilise a canoe?) we pressed on the last klick or so to the camp-site.

A delightful, if rather mosquito-favoured - haven at the end of a long day.  A  new ritual developed at this point; cups of tea - lemon or Earl Grey, depending - once the tent was up and before the main meal was prepared.  Just so!

It was really buggy here - and not just mosquitoes!  But it was a welcome haven and, we were grateful for the offer, for the lights left on at the loos and for the warm water at the showers by the pool.  Thanks! 21.4 k.

Wednesday, 2nd September.

After another foggy dawn, today, the rest of the run to Long Island Locks; a two stops day.

First, to an improbable marina on the west bank at or after (we never did find the settlement) Kars.

Met by a man who could only have come out of an Evelyn Waugh novel, faced across the river by a re-incarnation of the African Queen, this delightful, spotless, piratically themed rest-stop offered cold drinks, a freezer full of B-B-Q food, a double shower (!), seating and a very "shiver me timbers" welcome.  Another time, I think we'd stop here, if only for the fun of it!

The river-sides became lined with grander and grander houses; if anyone asked me what the prevailing sound of the Rideau Canal was, I'd have to say lawn-mowers.  Some of these houses had lawns of well over an acre - all trimmed within an inch of their lives!  I stopped taking pictures of mansions - they were VAST.  Think Thames-side on steroids - and then some.

Second stop - luxury this - Kelley's Landing for a late lunch; with ladies who lunch - obviously often!  A very, very nicely cooked yellow-fin-tuna steak on a Salade Nicoise, and an accessory dish of panko crumbed calamari - with copious lemonade - went down a surprising treat!  (as did a hot lobster, crab and shrimp dip followed by a Caesar Salad).  Fine dining with your boat at the dock!

But simpler fare followed; a charming, peaceful lay-over at  Long Island locks; balm to the soul - and a chorus of cigales so intense that it sounded like a gas-leak.  19.3 k.

A magnificent thunderstorm, drifting south from Ottawa, couldn't keep us awake, or break through the tent.  Hooray for Vango!

Thursday,  3rd September.  Long Island Locks to Hartwell's lock.

A very damp start; foggy first thing and then clearing.  We discovered that using a tea-towel to wipe both the inside and the outside of the tent optimised drying.  Simple for some but new to us!  Things have changed since being afraid of disturbing the proofing by touching the inside of a wet tent......

In fact, the day cleared to bright, bright sun, fortunately with a change of wind to the North - right on the nose but very welcome.

In the lock, one of the staff chatted to us, knowledgeably, about stitch and tape boats - which ours is.  We spoke of our designer, Paul Fisher, of his helpfulness to us on a number of occasions, and then of our thoughts for further trips.

But above all, he said, "you might need a bigger boat for the Trent-Severn;  its a working waterway".  This is only 32" wide" I replied, "Tippy," he said, "but the romance of the whole thing; You have built your own boat and paddled - or will have paddled - the Rideau.  My Congratulations to you."

In one phrase, I was justified!  Justified in my continuing instability in our lovely boat; justified in our pride at what we had done.  Justified in believing that Canada is a country that not only makes such trips possible, it makes them understandable.

We paddled right under the flight path for Ottawa airport; and right under all the mid-day arrivals!  Lunch-time at a really laid-back Black-Rapids lock was met with advice to avoid camping at Hog's Back - because of the noise - and to go on to Hartwells' instead.  Seemed reasonable.

At Hog's Back we found and paid due deference to the  Rideau Canoe Club-house at the entrance to Hog's Back locks.  I don't know that anyone noticed....

And so we pressed on to Hartwell's Lock.  We'd left the river now and were completely in engineered water.  But it was remarkably pleasant with cyclists and pedestrians and roller-bladers skimming along Colonel By drive, and no-one else on the water.

Hartwell's Lock is right adjacent to Carleton University campus; it was Fresher's' week.  There were many barbecues on our side of the water, but first year students in Canada are 17 - unable to drink alcohol - so events were much quieter than they might have been and only the discotheque kept us awake after dark.

The canal was warm and clear to rinse tired feet in.

The lock wash-rooms were accidentally closed, so we pretended to be students and used the facilities in the Canal building of the University!   16.3k

Friday, 4th September.  Hartwell's Lock to Parc Plaisance Jaques Cartier - Quebec.

Such a glorious day. suntan cream on; a northerly wind to keep us cool, cyclists, pedestrians and joggers to greet and salute us like a welcome party.  Canadians just seem to be friendly people.

And then at last, the view we have looked forward to for such a long time; Fairmont Chateau Laurier and the bridges to the Ottawa flight of locks.  There was a catch in the voice of each of us, I'll tell you.

The step down was a long-drawn, contemplative pattern of latch on, cast off, paddle, latch on, cast off....

And then we were free.  Released from the stricture of the water-way, welcome and reassuring as it had been, to face the new frisson of the Ottawa River.

Well, we had had wonderful advice from Stephen, Max, Beckie, the Lock-Masters and others.  We struck out for the far shore, following at first the boat we had come down with.  A river-trip boat appeared; we rode the wake.  A power-boat arrived, hurrying to catch the lock behind us and trailing a real wake; we got wet!  For the first time since Murphy's Bay - a year and a long way ago, we had water on board!

We pulled then for the North Shore, bounced and pushed through the wind against (very little) tide chop and made landing at the slipway at Parc Jaques Cartier.

Job done.

Big smiles.

Hartwell's to Parc Jacques Cartier - 7.5 k

Kingston to Ottawa - 203km