The Sally W: #14 Rideau Reflections

Wait! We haven't said enough about the experiences of the past few days.

We loved Ottawa.

You can guess by the familiar strains of the Colonel Bogey March that it was selected for the daily audience of sightseers who come to view the trooping of the colors in front of Parliament.

And this is the quintessential gendarme whose friendly but persuasive crowd control methods were in perfect sync with the festive atmosphere.

This officious gentleman stood ever-vigilant on the sidelines during the exercise. We were disappointed to see that he frequently checked his Blackberry. But don't judge a book by its cover.

Take a closer look.

It's always good to see women included in a prestigious ceremony.

The memorial to Canada's wartime efforts was very moving.

We happened to be there on the day when these two legendary Canadian Olympians announced the selection of the flag bearer for the Canadian Olympic team in London, just two weeks away. Even we felt proud for them.

Judging by the number of fit people in just this city, Canada should have a very strong team.

Recalling the phrase, "It's all about the journey" brought back images of the wonderful people we'd met. This is Mr. "Click it or ticket," the PR guy who invented that phrase while working for MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

The lock tenders were fabulous! Well-trained, helpful, well-dressed.

This guys gets our vote for our favorite. He had a soft-spot for tugs and knew the LNVT.

This sweet little boy watched as we disappeared down the lock wall and his dad explained that the water was leaving like it does in a bathtub.

This gentleman gave us a wave with one of his two canes. It would have been fun to scoop him up and take him for a ride down river.

Our time with Bob and Catherine was too short. We took a nice hike on the Tip to Tip Trail in Buritt's Rapids, and marveled at the diversity of trees.

Bob never likes to miss a minute of each day. He rose early and captured the sunrise at the lock.

And also supervised in the galley.

We would have stayed longer in Ottawa, but the forecast for continued hot weather made us decide to move onto the next portion of the trip, one with a bucolic destination that HAD to be cooler.

On Friday morning, we moved to the blue line to wait for the 8:30 opening of the flight of eight locks.

This is view is in the same location, just on the opposite side of the wall. It's a pedestrian area (bikers included) which is under the street leading to Parliament. Nice to see the canal's heritage preserved.

We'd read that it can take 2-3 hours to lock down, but actually it took one.

By ten we were in the Ottawa River, heading downstream 90 miles to Montreal. Our destination for the day was half way, in Montebello, at the famous Chateau Montebello where land Rover has a driving school. Nice to be on the move again. Our preferences for boating style are crystallizing. But the slower pace allowed us to enjoy the experience, meet people, relax and listen to loons.

The six-hour trip was quite a contrast to those of the last few weeks. Quebec on the left, Ontario on the right. The river was wide and navigating was not difficult, ...