July 13, 2012
Day 63 Total miles to date 1189
 |
Brooks (Our Time) had time to catch this guy
while we waited on the Jones Falls Lock |
We completed the 126 mile Rideau Canal system today at
Kingston which we entered on July 4 in Ottawa. It was an interesting trip that twisted
and turned through many small towns proud of their heritage, and many rural
settings. It was often very narrow and very shallow - the perfect place to find
loons, gulls, and the occasional heron. At times the canal turned into rivers
and lakes and we enjoyed the depth of the water and the view with homes, large
and small claiming their place on the waterside. We also went through 49 locks
on the Rideau, and we found the lockmasters and attendants very helpful and
friendly. Many of the lock sites have
converted their old lockmaster’s house into a museum and all of the locks have
a park like setting around them with many trees and picnic tables. Each of the
locks has room on their walls before and after the locks for a few boats to
dock overnight. Most have 30 amp power connections but none have water
hook-ups. Local residents often come just to watch the boats go through the
locks! Colonel John By designed this canal system in 1826 and it was completed
in 1832.
We arrived at the small Rideau Marina on the north side
of Kingston around 1:00. Joyce went into
downtown Kingston by dinghy with Sarah and Brooks on Our Time. The tourist
centre, city hall, lovely Confederation Park, hotels, shops, restaurants, and
street entertainers are on the waterfront.
The city provides free wifi in the park, so while Sarah and Brooks
walked around, Joyce was able to update the blog, etc. Bill stayed on the boat to do some small
repairs. After returning to the boat, we
walked to the grocery store and found a small place for a quick dinner. The grocery store was much farther than
expected so we did not buy anything that needed refrigerating.
Kingston enjoys its position on Lake Ontario, the St.
Lawrence Seaway, and the Cataraqui River (Kingston’s end of the Rideau Canal),
and it is the birthplace of commercial navigation on the Great Lakes. Kingston
is also a “central” point for anyone doing the Loop. We arrived by taking Lake
Champlain north from New York. Other
Loopers followed the Erie Canal to Oswego and arrived here at Kingston as well.
Our route is a longer one, but we were happy not to have missed that part of
Canada.
Tomorrow (Saturday), we will take our dinghy into the
day dock and explore the city.
