Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Historic Walk Through Perth - A Real Picnic

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

A bit behind schedule on posting the blog.  Yesterday we went to Ottawa for the day.  Fun, fun, fun but I won't share that until tomorrow.  I still need to post about Sunday.

Love homemade blueberry pancakes.  We've had them two weeks in a row.  Pat made them for us last Sunday in Simcoe and now here at Marina's.  Delicious!
 

We got up late on Sunday and we're lucky to have enjoyed Marina's famous blueberry gluten-free pancakes served with fresh fruit, yogurt and maple syrup.  We need to take home some extra as the syrup Mike and Pat gave us in Simcoe is going fast. 

 

After breakfast we read the newspaper and then headed down to Perth for a historic walk through the town.  We were met by people in costume who led us on a walking tour with great acting, telling the story of the city founders and it citizens.   Truly well-done and this group of young actors deserve a big hand.  We learned about the building of the canal through Perth, the corruption charges made against Morris for the misuse of funds and a fatal duel between two law students, Robert Lyon and John Wilson.  Also, the story was told of woman during WWII who put on pants and took to the factories and fields to support the troops while the men were away. 


 
Back at home for a short nap, we loaded up the Westie and off we went to the locks for a picnic.  Now this is something most people don't get to see everyday.   A system of locks set up on the Rideau Canal that runs from Kingston (Ontario) to Ottawa.  It is a UNESCO historic site and once you're there you discover why.  



The series of locks are operated manually by a park ranger and their staff of four persons.  They open the lock, the ships pass in and the lock is closed.   They open the next one and the boat is moved on. 

At the point where we were, there is a swing bridge that is also operated manually.  

 
 
Sunday the winds were very high and boats had docked on one side of the lock hoping and waiting for the waters to calm a bit.   Sure enough, boats decided to take off and we were fortunate enough to watch the process first hand.  It was one of our highlights on this trip.

 
 
We had packed a picnic and had veggie and beef burgers, Dave made a great potato salad, beet salad, and their friend Ann brought bean salad and humus.   We pigged out with a few glasses of wine and it wasn't long before we headed back home.   Too windy but too much fun.

7 comments:

  1. Wow! A fun filled day indeed! A similar lock system is in place on the Trent Severn waterway. You can take your boat from lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. Many people do this trip for a holiday.

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  2. Also, the Welland Canal in Niagara Region. And what, your maple syrup is almost gone??

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  3. Happy to see you having such a grand time. If you come to pick it up in Mazatlan/Isla, I will bring you some maple syrup. Just added it to the list.

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  4. When you're in Ottawa, make sure you get a picture of the view from Wellington St. at the locks leading from the canal down to the Ottawa River. This is the Ottawa end of the Rideau Canal, and it's a popular photo op.

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  5. You have seen more of Canada than most Canadians ever see and there is more to come!

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    1. Thanks for that Croft. We have received a lot of emails about not seeing all of Canada. Hard to do even if you have a year. You were our first landing and it was great. We appreciate all of our Canadian friends, they have treated us all like royalty.

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  6. So much to see and do, I have travelled a few times over the years, coast to coast.
    Particularly love the east coast, which still have yet to see.
    Keep having too much fun.

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