Overnight at Lower Brewers

44°23′18″ N 76°19′31″ W

Today we traveled approximately 20 kilometers from Jones Falls to the Lower Brewers Lockstation.

Today is also a special day because it is my grandson Levi’s 18th birthday! Happy Birthday Levi!

We called him at his parent’s home in Golden, BC & had a good chat. Nowhere nearly as good as being together but we were glad to catch up with him on this special day.

Last summer Levi & his mom & dad travelled with me on Santosha from Ottawa to Montreal. We had a great time. I hope we can have another adventure together next year.

I took the photo below of Levi last year when we stopped at the marina at the Chateau Montebello. The resort & the dinner were both very impressive!

There are 4 locks at Jones Falls. The upper one is separated from the 3 step locks by a pond/turning basin. The view from the top of the 3 step locks is impressive.

While we were passing through the locks one of the Parks Canada staff was telling me that over the next two winters all of the locks at this location will be entirely rebuilt.

Many of the stones in the lock walls are beginning to break down from age & need to be replaced. Rather than replacing individual blocks the entire lock will be rebuilt using all new stone.

This very challenging project will be further complicated by the fact that it has to be rebuilt following strict material standards in order for Parks Canada to maintain the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.

We arrived at Lower Brewers Lockstation around 1:30 in the afternoon, had a light lunch & then a nap. After our nap Catherine & I walked over to the artisan’s shop on the other side of the canal at took at the things that he & his wife make. She focuses on painting & jewelry & he focuses on metal sculptures. They also have a very nice walking path alongside the canal with lots of interesting exhibits along the way.

Emily made dinner tonight-pasta-her specialty. Very delicious! After dinner Emily & I had a round of Backgammon while Catherine did the dishes & worked on her needlepoint. Life is good!

Tomorrow we will arrive in Kingston in mid afternoon

Cheers

2nd Night at Jones Falls

44°32′49″ N 76°14′20″ W

This is one of our favorite spots on the Rideau System so we decided to spend another night here.

Boat traffic is really slowing down now. There was no one on the dock with us overnight & nobody at the nearby finger docks either.

Today was pretty laid back so I decided to do a thorough clean up of the BBQ. Now its all ready for the next round of delights. Predominantly meat, of course.

After lunch Catherine & I went for a hike over to the lower side of the locks. This took us past the Jones Falls dam & hydroelectric power station.

I’m not sure how often the power station is operated but the dam itself is very impressive, considering it was built almost 200 years ago. I haven’t come across anything about the history of the power generation plant but obviously it has not been here as long as the dam.

Most of the base of the dam is now overgrown with brush & trees but it is still very impressive especially considering that every stone was cut, transported & placed with very basic tools & equipment compared to what we have today.

We are so fortunate to have & be able to use & enjoy this entire system from Kingston to Ottawa. I hope people will still be traveling on it 200 years from now.

Cheers!