Today was by far our shortest travel day by distance, traveling only one mile—across the river and up the Ottawa Flight of eight locks to start the 121-mile Rideau Canal, which connects the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal was built by the British and opened in 1832 as an alternative military supply route, when it was feared that the upstart Americans would cut off access to the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the vital port of Montreal. Ottawa was founded in 1826 as Bytown, named after Lieutenant Colonel John By, the military engineer that supervised the building of the canal. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855 and the city was chosen as Canada’s capital by Queen Victoria in 1857.
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| Source: UNESCO |
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| Looking north towards the Ottawa River |
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| Parliament of Canada |
We were second on the blue line for the 9:00 AM opening of the lock, and transited the eight locks and 80-foot total lift with three other boats, taking almost two hours start to finish. Like the Chambly Canal, the original doors and sluice gate mechanisms are still in use and operated by hand, by friendly Parks Canada staffers. Unlike the Chambly Canal, there was a crowd watching the show, with spectators on the lock walls, bridges and balconies of the adjacent Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel.
Ottawa is a beautiful, vibrant city, and is much more than just the seat of national government.
We explored on foot, then biked along the canal on the outstanding paved bike path, down one side and back on the other. Later, we did something a bit out of character for us and hung out at the nearby Rideau Mall and ate dinner at Chipotle. Back on Dragonfly, we listened to a rooftop concert at the National Art Centre across the water and people-watched as folks strolled along the canal’s busy promenade until after dark.
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| War memorial with live honor guard |
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