On our path to Ottawa, we needed to wait for several large ships to move through the industrial locks south of Montreal. When it was finally our turn, we rafted with several other pleasure boats so we could all lock through at once.

Our first night was spent in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, a charming, waterside town.

The next day we traveled through the Carillon Lock that raised us 63 feet!

It was windy as we reached Montebello, so we worked with our group to get all boats tied to small finger docks off the main dock. But some finger docks were still under construction and not safely attached so there was the danger of docks breaking free and floating away with our boats still attached. Marina staff installed more cleats on the main dock and we moved a couple of boats there.

Then we felt that we could safely leave the boats and walk the pretty, little town.

Just past the Visitors’ Center and its painted piano, we followed a trail through the woods to the Papineau Manor and walked the grounds and along the water. We ended our day at Le Bistro with a wonderful dinner.

The next day we cruised past small towns and several ferries (many of them running on underwater cables) until we reached Marina de Hull, across the water from Ottawa, where we planned to meet Tyler who was flying in from Denver.

We walked over a bridge to check out the locks we would need to navigate to pass through Ottawa, and to see a bit of the city. Then we returned to the boat and waited for Ty… and waited, and waited all night.

After flight delays and an unexpected overnight in Toronto, Tyler finally joined us and we took our boat through the eight locks that enter Ottawa. It was a great experience for all of us!

We were hoping to find space to dock on the wall above the locks, in the city center. Magically, the very first spot was free, though tight for our 50 foot boat. With some clever maneuvering, Kenton got us into the spot, and from there we explored this very impressive capital city.

Though Ty hadn’t slept much in two days, he hopped us from bar to bar around ByWard Market and we had a fun night!

Next day we continued down the beautiful Rideau Canal, where you pull up to the ‘blue line’ and wait as friendly and helpful Parks Canada workers hand-crank lock doors and swing bridges open so all boats (even canoes!) can pass through.

We cruised and locked for hours, stopping for the night at a small marina and spending some time at The Swan on the Rideau Restaurant. It was laid-back, lovely, and much appreciated by weary travelers.

The weather was perfect as we continued traveling through more of the canal.

A stop in Merrickville was delightful, and we finally tasted butter tarts. They were excellent!

A highlight in Smiths Falls was the amazing Railroad Museum. The story of the dental car was fascinating.

The town was pretty but quiet, until we managed to find a lively local bar with darts and pool tables.

Storms held us up for a day, but then the clouds broke, a rainbow appeared and we continued cruising. Tyler took a shift driving our boat – and then he took over the music we were playing on board!

We docked at the adorable town of Westport and checked out their brewery.

The winding trail of gorgeous-ness continued.

We stopped at Chaffey’s Lock so we could walk to the iconic Opinicon Restaurant for lunch.

We then continued following a very pretty path to a series of locks that brought us to the Hotel Kenney. We tied to the dock there and took a short hike on a nearby trail. It felt good to get out and stretch our legs.

We had traveled with several boats (Tumbleweed, Dog House, Mountain Mermaid) along the canal, often locking through together and tying up at the same places for the night. As we left the last lock of the Rideau Canal we all wished each other “safe travels,” as we seemed to be heading different directions. We hope at some point our paths will cross again!

We headed to Kingston, where we found live music, interesting passageways and clever drinks throughout the city.

And we took a drive out to the MacKinnon Brothers Brewery. It was amazing!

Tyler finally needed to head home, so we dropped him at the Toronto airport (sigh!). It had been fun to have him join us for this part of our trip, and it certainly made it more memorable. We think he had fun!