This summer Ken and Lynn kayaked portions of the Rideau Canal system that runs from Kingston to Ottawa. Our friend Jim from Prescott planned to kayak the entire 202 Km Rideau Canal system in about 9 days spread over 2 weeks with a short break in between. Jim brought camping gear and camped out at the locks or campgrounds along the way.
Ken and Lynn, opting for the soft approach, either stayed at a hotel or commuted home to Ottawa each night. We had been musing about doing the Rideau for years, especially since we got the sea kayaks. And while we didn't get to do the whole thing this summer, we still managed to meet up with Jim and accompany him on 5 days out of his whole 9-day tour. This is Ken and Lynn's blog of our portion of the trip. Hopefully Jim will also do a blog and his will be more complete and cover his whole trip.
Jim's original start date, Sunday, was postponed one day due to high winds at the edge of Hurricane Irene. We met Jim in-progress on his second day just north of Kingston at the Brass Point swing bridge and we set out from there.
Ken & Jim headed north towards Seeley's Bay while Lynn went exploring in the "Sag Wagon".
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| Ken made daily trip maps with Endomondo, the sports tracking app he runs on his smartphone. |
The first day Ken covered 14Km after joining Jim in progress. They made interesting side trips into Seeley's Bay and Morton Bay.
Ending the day at Jones Falls where Lynn met us and we had a nice gourmet meal with wine at Kenney's Hotel, where Ken and Lynn also stayed the night.
Jim, ever the purist, was doing it right and camping out at the locks. Here managing to secure a choice campsite with a view overlooking the river.
The next morning Lynn went through the locks with Jim.
While Ken checked out the massive stone arch dam; an engineering wonder in its day.
The river is very calm and peaceful in the morning.
After leaving Jones Falls we passed through Davis Lock, Chaffey's Lock, and Newboro Lake. Total for the day was 20 Km including a few scenic detours to go around islands rather than staying in the main channel.
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Finally - we finish the first half of our trip. Arriving at Newboro where we went to a pub for a nice hot meal before Ken & Lynn headed home leaving Jim to complete the run to Smiths Falls by himself over the next two days.
So, after taking a few days off we resumed the trip again for the leg from Smiths Falls to Ottawa. Jim started out at Smiths Falls and Ken and Lynn met up with him at Kilmarnock. The three of us started out together then Ken doubled back to get the car and meet up again at Merrickville.
Lynn joined us for the part between Kilmarnock and Merrickville.
We all had a nice dinner at a local restaurant in Merrickville. Then Ken and Lynn drove back to Ottawa while Jim camped out at the locks.
Jim travelled one day on his own and then camped at Rideau Provincial Park. He liked to get an early start when the morning mist was still on the river.
We met Jim at Baxter Conservation Area and Lynn paddled with him to Kars while Ken drove the car to meet them.
While Ken was waiting at Kars he saw two local fishermen land this lunker; a 20 pound Muskie!
Ken and Jim paddled from Kars to Manotick.
Kelly's Landing is a popular spot with boaters along this section of the river.
There are many nice homes along the river in Manotick.
Most locks are still operated manually as they have been since they were built.
On the final day Ken met Jim and John at Black Rapids and paddled through Ottawa to the end of the Rideau Canal where it connects with the Ottawa River.
The Rideau Canal system is a World Heritage site and passes right through downtown Ottawa.
We had to wait an hour at the last set of locks while the attendants finished their lunch break.
It took nearly an hour to lock through the final long series down to the Ottawa River.
We exit the locks and enter the Ottawa River under the watchful eye of Samuel de Champlain with his Astrolabe.
We leave the Parliament Buildings behind us and cross the mighty Ottawa toward the marina in Jacques Cartier Park on the Quebec side.
While waiting for our rides we noticed the amphibious tour boat Lady Dive coming down the ramp and entering the river with a load of tourists on board. This boat has a tragic history; several years ago she sank and several tourists were drowned.
John is going to visit some local friends for a few days and then continue on with his journey down the Ottawa River toward Montreal.
Ken and Jim's kayaking trip is over. We accomplished what we set out to do and had some fun along the way. The weather co-operated and it was clear and temperate, neither too hot nor too cold, the whole time.
Jim was very pleased with how his journey went and he's already starting to plan his next trip. Now that he's completed one leg of the "Big Triangle" he's starting to think about another side - the St Lawrence River next time, perhaps?
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