Day 100 - Sun 5 Jul 2015
Docked - Ottawa, ON

[photo: Diva Di on the canal wall in Ottawa as taken from the tour bus]

Our overnight was very peaceful and comfortable. We awoke to another gorgeous morning and watched one of the women from a shoreside home get into the water wearing a wetsuit and googles for quite a long swim. She did not stay to one side of the creek, but went straight up and back in the middle. I guess she figured it was too early for most boat traffic (what about the fishermen?) and that they could easily see an avoid her.

We enjoyed the rest of the artisan bread we had bought as French toast and agreed that we should be careful not to buy good bread too often. Yesterday we had some for a snack with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, had some with the lasagna for supper, had another piece as a bedtime snack, and then finished the loaf for breakfast as French toast.

We weighed anchor just about 0830 and motored slowly out of the anchorage and back up the Rideau to the first flight of locks for the day. Everything went smoothly for all 8 locks we negotiated, and once again, our boat, starting point (FL) and intended travels were quite the talk amongst the lockmasters and especially the lock visitors.

The scenery for this last 16 mile stretch was different, but nice. There were homes of all sizes lining the waterway, most with little docks and boats. While none of the homes were palatial like you find in Ft Lauderdale or West Palm Beach, there were plenty of very large and attractive estates to see, plus many smaller homes, with a common theme that most took great pride in their landscaping and flower gardens.

At the last lock, the lockmaster asked us how far we were going and when I said we were going to overnight at the canal wall just S of the last flight of 8 locks in Ottawa, he strongly recommended that we did not. The location is almost ideal; you are right in the heart of the city where a half-mile walk in several directions takes you to incredible sights. He said that he wanted to be sure we enjoyed Ottawa's hospitality and not the seedier side that can often inhabit that downtown area at night.

When he walked away to attend to lock matters, a bicycling couple standing very nearby spoke up. He was a retired police officer from Ottawa and said he would have no hesitation staying on a boat at the canal wall. The worst you would see are a few homeless people sleeping on the benches near the wall since it is a parklike setting. We decided to keep an open mind.

Once we left that lock, the scenery soon changed again into something almost magical in the man-made sense. The natural shoreline gave way to handsome concrete with attractive pillars forming a fence to separate the bicycle lanes from the canal. The area on both sides was grassy with pretty trees, and because it was Sun morning, even the 2-lane road had been closed so that bicyclists could enjoy it. In our several miles run along this gorgeous park, we must have seen well over a thousand bikers, plus numerous walkers and joggers.

When we got to the wall for docking, there were several larger boats there and we asked the owners how it was. They had been there for over a week and said it was absolutely fine. We decided to stay and picked a spot. One boater helped us tie up and during the conversation made a point of how his wife does all the boat driving and he just handles the lines. Well, as I was tying up our boat properly, they took off and all of a sudden I heard a loud crunch and pop. I thought they had smashed into the dock, and perhaps they did, but what happened was he forgot to untie one of the lines and as she pulled away, it jerked the boat in a direction she didn't intend and the line actually snapped. I guess we know why he is not the boat driver.

After settling in and having a bite of lunch, we got dressed for an exploratory tour of the immediate area. We walked up the steps to the street level to see the Parliament buildings and famous hotel in plain view and then went to the flight of 8 Ottawa locks to buy our overnight mooring and electricity usage pass. For $33 US per night, we get a nice place to tie up and have electricity, but no nearby baths/showers, laundry, or other amenities.

Next, we walked around the Parliament, which like so many government buildings here, is undergoing restoration and maintenance, so the cranes and scaffolding definitely mar the otherwise stunning visuals. These buildings are a treasure and need to be maintained for sure. It is also an election year as the locals keep reminding us, so there is a lot of money being spent.

We passed on a guided tour of the Parliament, but decided to spring for a 24-hour pass on the Gray Line double-decker tour bus. We selected seats up top to get the breeze in this suddenly very hot day, as well as have better chances for photos without an intervening window. Well, without earphones to plug in, we could barely hear the guide over the wind and road noise, plus there were overhanging branches that we literally had to duck. Toward the end of the tour, Diane and I both got smacked fairly hard, but our hats kept us from getting scratched.

The tour itself, despite missing a lot of the narrative in some spots, was very worthwhile. Taking it late in the day (as far as bus schedule was concerned) was good in that we stayed on the whole time and got a good orientation. Tomorrow we can use the pass to hop on/off as we wish until 1500 when the pass expires. When we were dropped off at the starting point, our walk back took us past a gorgeously decorated pub where some ale was calling our names. At the bar we met a former American soldier who is now a civilian contractor in upstate NY, just 2 hours from here by car. He told us how his travels had taken him to many Middle Eastern nations, which his passport revealed, and the fact that he was black meant he got a lot of scrutiny when crossing into Canada.

Just as we arrived back at the boat, 2 Parks Canada staffers were walking the docks checking boats. We were in the middle of a conversation (half French, half English) with a boating couple from Quebec, but quickly pulled out our receipts. They already had our name in their little notebook and that made perfect sense. What if we had not returned yet?

For supper, I shaved the last piece of beef we brought from home and made a very delicious open cheesesteak sandwich with peppers and onions. We will surely eat at least 1 or 2 meals here in Ottawa, but there was no need to start last night. It stayed somewhat light until after 2130 and there were still plenty of people jogging, walking, or biking along the walkway adjacent to the dock. We had a number of conversations with people, again, mostly those amazed that we had boated here from FL.

Diane took Clyde on the dock for a bit and he was good about it. We hit the sack around 2200 and slept very soundly.