We departed Len's Cove Marina in Portland, Ontario at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 19th, 2008 and arrived at our first stop - Poonamalie Lock.
Okay...it's not like we got too far, but hey, we're on vacation, what's the rush?
Total locks for the day: 0
Total miles travelled for the day: 26 miles
| Len's Cove Marina - The Galley Restaurant |
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| Portland, Ontario - Photo Denis Rule |
Poonamalie Lock is 26 statute miles from Len's Cove Marina due north-east. Poonamalie Lock is a remote, quiet and
picturesque lock station. Services include washroom and 30 amp power.
| Poonamalie Lock Station |
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| Smith's Falls - Photo Denis Rule |
| Lockmaster's House at Poonamalie |
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| Smith's Falls - Photo Denis Rule |
* * * * * * * * * * * * Wednesday August 20, 2008 *
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Day 2 - Poonamalie Lock to Merrickville Lock
We departed Poonamalie Lock at approximately 8:45 a.m. and arrived in Merrickville at 1:00 p.m.
Our route took us through the lock at Poonamalie, then through Smith's Falls (Detached and Combined Locks), Old
Slys (2 locks), Edmonds, Kilmarnock and finally to our destination, Merrickville.
Total locks for the day: 7
Total miles travelled for the day: 12.8 miles
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| Detached Lock House - Smith's Falls |
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| Old Train Bridge - Smith's Falls |
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| Smith's Falls Water Tower at Victoria Park |
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| Entering top of Combined Lock in Smith's Falls. |
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| Triple locks at Smith's Falls that were replaced by Combined Lock. |
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| Sharing the channel with canoeists. Don't look now Bill, but they are moving faster than you are! |
* * * * * * * * * * * * Thursday August 21, 2008 *
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I write to you on Sunday August 24th about our Thursday.
Thursday August 21st was a very sad day for all four of us - Denis and I had to put our sweet dog Sammy down - he was
16 years old and we have had him since he was born. We miss our little guy so much. I would never have believed
that losing a pet would hurt so much. It has taken me this long to get back to this site - it has been a stressful few
days but we are back. We are still very sad but we know in our hearts that we did the right thing for Sammy.
We spent the night in Merrickville and prepared to continue northbound the next morning.
Total locks for the day: 0
Total miles travelled for the day: 0 miles
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| A shop in the town of Merrickville. |
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| Every inch of space in use within this popular antique shop in Merrickville. |
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| The town of Merrickville. |
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| Window shopping in Merrickville. |
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| A quaint shop in Merrickville. |
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| Enjoying an ice cream in downtown Merrickville. |
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| The Baldachin Inn in Merrickville. |
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| The Merrickville town directory. |
* * * * * * * * * * * * Friday August 22, 2008 *
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Day 4 - Merrickville to Burritt's Rapids
We departed Merrickville at approximately 11:00 a.m. and arrived at Burritt's Rapids at 2:30 p.m.
Our route took us through the locks at Merrickville (3 locks), Clowes, Upper Nicholsons, Lower Nicholsons and Burritts
Rapids.
Although we only travelled 6 miles - the temperatures reached a scorching 30 degrees celsius with a very high humidex
and lack of sleep the previous night - and 7 locks all within a mile of each other made for a very long day. All
four of us were exhausted and called it an early night.
Total locks for the day: 7
Total miles travelled for the day: 6 miles
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| The lock house at Clowes. |
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| Two Rodes Aweigh in Lower Nicholson's Lock. |
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| In the lock at Burritts Rapids |
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| DenMar III docked at Burritts Rapids for the night. |
* * * * * * * * * * * * Saturday August 23, 2008 *
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Day 5 - Burritt's Rapids to Dow's Lake
We departed Burritt's Rapids at 7:00 a.m. and arrived at Dow's Lake at 2:30 p.m.
Our route took us through the Long Reach - this is the longest stretch of the Rideau River without locks and spans for
25,5 miles. The first locks we approached was a triple at Long Island, followed by a single at Black
Rapids and then Hog's Back - where we were overtaken by dragon boats - and finally through the double locks at Hartwell.
Total locks for the day: 7
Total miles travelled for the day: 37 miles
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| Triple locks at Long Island. |
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| Two Rodes Aweigh waiting for the lock at Black Rapids |
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| Denis watching the dragon boat races at Hog's Back. |
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| Dragon Boat Races at Hog's Back |
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| Sharing lunch with the birds at Hog's Back. |
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