We just had two days in the Ottawa which Lyn reported on yesterday. It was a wonderful contrast to our experience during the past 3 weeks. That experience was of full blown Spring in Canadas Cottage Country. There was a lake the name of which I don’t recall but clearly should have been named Swan Lake for the hundreds or possibly thousands of swans and their signets. In New England we often see two swans or two pair. I have never seen anything like this amount of swans in the same place at the same time.
The Canada geese are equally prolific. Quite literally everyday we would see groups of geese with their goslings. Lot’s of goslings!! I mean I don’t know what the first year survival rate for goslings is, but if most of those we saw survive and fly south, the golf courses of New England are in for a goose S*itfest it has never seen before.
The flora of spring are no less active. Every waterway we passed through was covered with a blanket of pollen. A Yellow/green mat of dust in water creating an ooze of potential never to be fulfilled. One wonders where all that biomass ends up. I guess that is the silt found at the bottom of lakes and rivers.
Speaking of which, as we traveled from the wall in Merrickville to the blue line ( which is the entrance to the lock) I had several depth readings of 3.9 ft. Parc Canada which manages the Rideau is responsible for providing 5 ft, and we draw ~ 4′. I say approximately because the boat is stated as having a 3’8″ draft. I assume that is without the weight of 160 gallons of water, 600 gallons of diesel and 60 gallons of that which will not be mentioned…. on the order of 6000 lbs and thus more draft… So it’s interesting/important to know if that reduction in depth is silt or (heaven forbid) rock or perhaps weed growth which does frequently cause false depth readings.
Photos and videos still being uploaded…..
Aisling goes Looping 