Canada Day is July 1. Celebrating the Canadian Confederation in 1867, Canada was the first independent dominion in the British Empire. 1867 was a very good year for the US as well, do you know why?
Hotel Kenney Rideau, Elgin, Jones Falls
Established in 1877, that’s 10 years after 1867 or 100 years before the birth of Ynot.
The Hotel Kenney is located directly at the base of lock 42 along the Rideau Canal – a UNESCO World Heritage destination. Search for Jones Falls in Southeastern Ontario.
To learn more about Hotel Kenney, click here
We were thrilled to return to Hotel Kenney. Under new ownership, the 20 waterfront cottages were fully booked for the summer, but the dock is plenty long enough to accommodate any boat. The quaint little lodge is magnificent.
The food at this little lodge is glorious. The worldly menu seemed eclectic, with a touch of Greek souvlaki (skewers of meat), Indian (butter chicken curry), and French (brie and of course Poutine) yet everything is 5-star flavor.
Make reservations for dinner when you reserve your slip – and don’t miss the Sunday brunch, the superb buffet is both sweet and savory. Open Wednesday thru Sunday, dinner starts at 5, the kitchen closes at 8pm
Boater’s tip, call 613.359.5500, or better yet, email: info@hotelkenneyrideau.com
Canal Rideau Canal
The French say Canal Rideau, the English say Rideau Canal; the multilingual signs use both.
Sources differ on the count of total locks, Wikipedia says there are 45 locks at 23 stations along the canal, plus two more if you take a detour.
If the locks were a flight (two or more locks connected together) you might see the same workers multiple times, especially if the parc team was shorthanded. Not a typo, in French it’s parc, not park.
North Pacific Rendezvous, Opinicon Lake
It’s fun to throw in a familiar French word here and there, like “rendezvous”!
Coming downstream from the locks was a nice surprise, a familiar NP45! Say hello to Ms. Proost from Cocoa Beach, FL. Traveling the waterways in the opposite direction of Exhale, they are enjoying the Great American Loop, while they wait for the arrival of their new NP49. Congrats Frank and Sandy de Heer!
Westport
Just a few pictures from this location. Introducing Finn the Bear – for Finny.
Spectacular Flowers
Clean air and long days of sunlight = vivid cheerful colors
While in Westport, we recommend dinner at The Cove. This was our view. Thanks Gary and Sharyn Morgan for spoiling us!
Trash on the Locks
Five years ago, traveling with Houlegan Again and Vagabond, we learned to leave trash on the canal walls. First task: Count the green shirts (even better, ask the first worker you encounter for a headcount). Second task: fill a paper bag with goodies to be left behind. In 2018, Maureen made it easy for us, taking charge of that fun task.
Contents back then were a wide variety, lunchbox snacks, packets of cookies, candy, healthy stuff like carrots and raisins, granola bars, trail mix, plus Halloween candy (that was Penny’s favorite) and Gatorade! The smile on the face of the receiving workers is priceless.
While the workers retrieved the “trash” from the lock, masked by the subtle gesture of a warm handshake, Capt. Rick would artfully hand out those little airplane bottles to the lock master, usually rum, whiskey, bourbon or Crown Royal – this one is from Sharyn .
This summer we continued the tradition with Tonto’s Reward, pooling our efforts so that one boat is in charge each day.
On Tonto’s Reward it was Sharyn Morgan’s assigned task, they also added beef sticks (VERY popular), lollipops, and other fun treats to the mix – until she and Gary abandoned us in Smiths Falls.
Smiths Falls
The expression from 5 years ago still rings in my ears, “Welcome to Shit Falls”, yelled the young girl on the lock wall. That was then.
This is now. We were surprised to discover the well-manicured park augmented by an upgrade of Main Street, introducing new retail and eateries.
Merrickville
Capt. Rick visibly cringes at the mention of Merrickville. It’s understandable, given the dramatic memories of where Exhale severely damaged her prop 5 years ago. The short version was Exhale mistakenly backed into a bed of rocks adjacent to the lock wall. Can you hear the metal twisting and crunching?
Attributed to early morning operator error, the crew survey concluded it was an “impaired driver” moment, possibly impacted by a decadent meal, paired with copious quantities of libations from the previous night, participants/witnesses: Craig and MO. We are happy to report the incident was not repeated on this trip.
While in Merrickvile, the Blockhouse Museum is worth the visit!
Hurst Marina, Manotick
Although this is a convenient location by car, the marina is lackluster, at best. Power is a limited and water depth is a bigger challenge.
Hello to Edith and Mike Frazer from SCYC. We had a fabulous meal at Black Dog Bistro in Manotick, ON. Thanks for making the drive! So sorry we did not take pictures.
Canada Day means wearing red, even Buttercup got dressed up!
The Swan was repeatable – the attitude was precious!
Boater’s Tip – depending on the size and draft of your boat, instead of Hurst Marina we suggest you try Manotick Marina, just up the waterway about 2 miles.
Morgan – this unicorn is for you!
1867 Was also a Very Good Year in the US! Why?
March 1, Nebraska became the 37th US State. Go Big Red!
October 18, Alaska was purchased from Russia for two cents an acre by Secretary William H. Seward. Journalists labeled it Seward’s Folly. So wrong. Not only was it a brilliant, lucrative, land purchase – no natives were annihilated in the process. In 1959, another good year, Alaska would become the 49th US State. And in 1977 (a REALLY great year) someone special was born on Sept. 15, 1977, the same year the graduating class of Seward High School equaled 33 students; 23 boys and 10 girls, including this blog writer.
Celebrating Milestones
July 1, Becky Weaver Browne; July 2, our oldest grandson Leo Perez; July 3, Kathy Avanzino; July 7 Reality Rodger Swink; and July 9 Anders Liljequist, Meanders, is 75!
Next up: Ottawa!!!!
Exhale on the Water 