Visiting Narrows Lock on the Rideau Waterway...

[fajrdrako]

This morning I got up early and went for a walk. maaseru and I were staying at a Resort on Big Rideau Lake, about 78 km south of Ottawa, part of the Rideau Waterway system. I got up early this morning and went for a walk, intending only to go as far as the paved highway. But there were interesting hills ahead of me, so I went a little further, and around another turn, and, intrigued, continued till I saw a bridge. Had to cross it, of course, and then there was another bridge ahead - a swing bridge. Worth looking at, especially since it was associated with a historical site - Narrows Lock.

Colonel John By built the Rideau canal system in the 1830s, when Canadians feared that the Americans might invade again, making the St. Lawrence River impassible and cutting off troop movements to Upper Canada. The intent was to make the Rideau River fully navigable by boat. But at this point, the river was too shallow for navigation, and it was impossible to dig to deepen or widen it because there was nothing but rock right below, and time was scarce: workers were falling prey to malaria. So By quickly built another lock, which created two lakes: Upper Rideau Lake to the south, and, four feet below it downstream, the much bigger Big Rideau Lake.

I had come across the lock which divided them.

My photos:

1. Walking along the road at about 8 a.m. At this point, I didn't know what I would find.
   
   
   
   
2. A blackbird perched by the shore.
   
   
   
3. Lakeside flowers.
   
   
   
   
4. Narrows Lock, with Big Rideau Lake in the background.
   
   
   
   
5. A bench by the waterside.
   
   
   
   
6. Another view of the lock.
   
   
   
   
7. The lock with the swing bridge behind it. This picture shows, if you look closely over the gates, that the level of Upper Rideau Lake (on the other side) is four feet higher than that of Big Rideau Lake.
   
   
   
   
8. An array of picnic benches on the dock.
   
   
   
9. The lock and the water levels.
   
   
   
10. Upper Rideau Lake.
    
    
    
11. How Canadian, I thought: beer in the flower barrel. By rights it ought to be Molson.
    
    
    
12. The blockhouse where, for forty-two years, Canadians stood guard in case of American attack from the south.