What a Weekend and Canada Day Is Tuesday!

We've celebrated the first two days of the long, Canada Day Weekend by cruising from Colonel By Island to Westport on Saturday and from Westport to Brewers Mills Upper Lock on Sunday. It's been a blast! To say that this part of the journey reminds us of home would be an understatement; it feels just like home but with interconnected lakes, rivers and streams that go on forever.

Saturday, we enjoyed a pleasant cruise down Big Rideau Lake and onto Upper Rideau Lake. With only one lock and swing bridge combination, the 10 miles passed quickly

and we arrived in Westport in time for a late lunch at the Tangled Garden. After lunch,

the Admiral dismissed me so that she could shop the shops. I headed back to Katahdin, assembled my bike, and headed out to cruise the surroundings. I think I rode on every sidewalk in and out of town and, without hurrying, was back at the boat doing engine room chores in less than 45 minutes.

Back topsides, I ran into a very pleasant couple, Anthony, Sam, and their dog, Storm. After chatting for a half hour or so about this and that, they divulged that he was Anthony Farnell, Toronto's Global News' Chief Meteorologist and Weatherman. The dog, Storm, is a TV personality in his own right and wife, Sam, was a genuine delight. They had cruised the Trent Severn Waterway on a Le Boat charter last summer and had come back to explore the Rideau. Great people, we ran into them again sitting, by coincidence, at adjacent tables at dinner at the Cove Inn Restaurant. We all enjoyed live music by a group of older musicians who played Dixieland, the Beatles, and a gimish of other music.

Sunday, we left Westport at 08:15 thinking we were headed to Seeley Bay. The first of seven locks today at Newboro marked the end of the height of land between Ottawa and Kingston. Thirty-five locks lifted us 272 feet from the Ottawa River to the lock at the Narrows which we reached just before Westport yesterday. Twelve more locks will lower us 164 feet from Newboro to the elevation of Lake Ontario.

Navigators, please pay attention. We have been following "red, right, returning" since we reached the St. Lawrence River at Sorel. We moved upstream on that river, the Ottawa River, and the Rideau Canal until we reached Newboro. At Newboro, continuing on the same course, we are now headed downstream and out to sea; red is back on the left and we must keep green on the right. We have a handy little gadget on the dash that helps us remember.

Today's cruise was simply beautiful. We cruised down lake after lake interconnected by narrow streams and locks. The hardwood colors still have a hint of spring about them as

their light green leaves morph toward summer's darker color. And the bird life showed signs of successful procreation. We saw flotillas of Canadian geese with countless young and a small number of moms. Several pairs of loons swam with their young including one pair with two chicks. We even observed three different swans, each with a young 'un in tow.

Our last set of locks today was a flight of four that dropped us 15 feet each for a combined 60 feet to the elevation where we will spend the night. We had planned to

stay at Seeley's Bay Harbour. But, weed and algae covered the water around the docks and most of the harbor. In addition to being somewhat unpleasant, the thick week rendered our depth sounder useless. We decided to press on.

And, pressing on paid dividends. We arrived at Brewers Mills Lock to an empty dock and we grabbed the front position behind the blue line (docking on the blue line communicates to the lock staff that you want to lock through). We're secure in a quiet, secluded, gorgeous location. We are thoroughly enjoying the second half of the afternoon and looking forward to a quiet evening and grilling veal chops!