Paddling the Tay River

 Perth to Beveridge Locks

The Tay river/canal from Perth to Beveridge Locks is a very pretty paddle that I have done numerous times over the years but for some unknown reason have neglected to do a blog post which today I will remedy.    My habitual put-in is Last Duel Park off Craig St. (Hwy 43) in Perth where there is ample free parking and also toilets.

Last Duel boat ramp

Access from the ramp is to the canal or dug portion of the waterway which was completed 1887 with final work deepening the channel done by 1891.  If you paddle to your left, upstream you will reach the basin at rear of stores along Wilson Street and right downstream to the marshes and beyond to Beveridges Locks and entry to the Rideau Canal, the route I take today.  The image below looking downstream from just below the put-in.

Looking downstream

Earlier in the season this area is good for catching sight of song birds which can be found flitting around on the banks, unfortunately many of these species with breeding over will now be starting their southward trek to their wintering grounds.   Around 2.5 km downstream there is a split in the channel with the designated channel to the left, you can go either side but the right side has a lot of shallows and submerged rocks to scrape hulls.  Here I catch sight of a Green heron which flies off denying me a photo op.  As I am stopped I notice a baby turtle all alone and stays long enough for me to take a pic.  He was no more than about 2 1/2" tip to tip.

Baby Painted turtle

Where channel split

Continuing downstream until around the four kilometer mark where the dug channel gives way to open marshes you will pass a lovely example of post canal construction likely built by some of the canal builders.   This cottage lay as a ruin an  empty shell for many a year until someone bought and lovingly restored it.

Cottage

From here on for about the next four kilometers the channel sweeps through extensive marshland.   Early in the year before the marsh weeds are well established  the kayaker can take short cuts by bearing left and cutting the corners as the buoyed channel makes a long sweep to the right.  The marsh is the domain of several species of waterfowl, notably Pied-billed grebe and Common moorhen the former is very much in evidence today, most times I only hear it's strange call,

Pied-billed call

the latter I have only glimpsed occasionally.  There is also a loon with one of this year's offspring.

Pied-billed grebe

Loons

Extensive marshes

Reaching the end of the marsh one again turns into a dug channel that leads to Beveridge locks.  It is roughly 1.3 km to the first lock where I will take out and have lunch.

Last channel to locks

Just after I land a young woman in a kayak reaches the same dock so I lend a hand getting her kayak out of the water.  Turns out she is having lunch here too so we share a table and I have a pleasant lunch having someone there to chat with.   Lunch over I ask her if she wants to accompany me on the return leg as we are both going in the same direction.  She agrees so the return paddle is enhanced with having some good company.   Just another note on birds seen on today's trip, the following species were observed: Northern harrier, Kingfisher, Cedar waxwing, Red-eyed vireo, Eastern kingbird, Eastern phoebe, Great-blue heron, Osprey. A notable exception that I had expected to see was the Black tern which breeds in these marshes but has likely left already as they migrate to the northern coasts of South America.

Paddling companion

Happy paddling!

from

KayakJock

Spring paddle: Newboro to Chaffey's Lock

Newboro to Chaffeys Lock

Newboro to Chaffeys

It's Wednesday May 19 and we are in a hot spell with 29c expected today so a friend and I will paddle from Newboro to Chaffeys Lock via Newboro, Mosquito, Benson and Indian lakes which is the long way round but the most picturesque.  Also this will be the first paddle where I will eschew the cold water gear, ditching the drytop, waterproof pants and boots for a very comfortable T-shirt and shorts, yeah!  We launch from the municipal parking lot at the bottom of Lock Rd, a small fee is collected on the honour system ($3.75).   Heading off roughly SW we do a bit of a dog-leg to reach the cut at the NW tip of Scott island which I often seem to have trouble locating but today I took the trouble to pre-program a route so I would stay on course.  Where we launched is almost next door to the entrance of Newboro locks which we passed first.

Municipal launch Newboro

Mike

Scott island looks more like mainland as what makes it an island is the three small cuts at NW, NE and SE the first of which we now pass through to reach Mosquito lake.   From there we will travel SE for a bit then east to reach Indian lake where we turn again SE towards the cut leading to Chaffeys lock.

NW cut through Scott Island

It really is a beautiful day and the lake is a flat calm, only one power boat so far so very pleasant and peaceful.  Below is a view south down Benson lake as we pass along its northern limit.

Benson lake

Heading up the cut to Chaffeys we pass under the railway bridge before arriving at the locks where we will land and have a leisurely lunch.

Chaffeys Lock

The locks are not yet open and will not be until June 2nd at earliest due to current Ontario covid lockdown.  Not many folks around today so a quiet lunch, the Opinicon Lodge is probably closed for the season which is very tied to canal operations.   After lunch I suggest a visit to the old cemetery which dates to the days of canal construction and is a short walk up Chaffeys Lock road.   This is the last resting place of many a canal worker, mostly Irish who succumbed to malaria a disease we tend to think of as tropical but ran rampant in the mosquito infested swamps of the Rideau at the time of canal construction.

Samuel Chaffeys wife's grave

Graves of Irish labourers

Samuel Chaffey who had mills at this site was one of the first victims of this disease and is buried in this cemetery as is is wife.  A plaque commemorates this but the labourers are all in unmarked graves just a number of natural stones mark the spot.

After our little history lesson it is time to get back in the yaks and head for Newboro; this time we will be following the buoyed channel up Indian lake to the SE cut through Scott island.  Walking back to the boats I stop and take a pic of the newly renovated Opinicon which I understand now has a trendy restaurant, currently closed!

Opinicon Lodge

The SE cut of Scott island is about 40' wide and has a small ferry which can transport a car onto the island the only road access open to cottagers.   From here we turn NW across Clear lake for one kilometer to reach Elbow channel, the NW cut of Scott island and then we are back in Lake Newboro.

SE cut ferry

From Elbow channel we make a small diversion around Bishop islands and Shadow island before turning almost north for our last leg up to Newboro and home.

Newboro ramp

Happy paddling!

KayakJock

Fall Colours from Rock Dunder

Jones Falls to Morton Bay - Rock Dunder

Jones Falls - Morton Bay

With Thanksgiving weekend coming up my thoughts turn to Fall colours and a return visit to hike up Rock Dunder at the head of Morton Bay, at 172m above sea level unsurpassed for its magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. This has almost become an annual pilgrimage for me and this October 10th being a glorious day was the perfect day to do it, so a friend and I met at the old Kenney Hotel at Jones Falls to paddle the almost 5 km to a landing in Morton Bay near the trail which will take us to the summit of Rock Dunder.

Kenney Hotel put-in

Jones Falls locks

Sadly the Kenney Hotel is now closed and is up for sale having been in business for 142 years it comes with a lot of history and hopefully a new buyer might restore it to its former glory.   This past summer extensive work was done on the Rideau Canal structures at Jones Falls, mainly replacement of the causeway which connects the hotel area with the locks as well as improvements to the blueline mooring.   Heading up Whitefish Lake it is only a few kms to where we can turn left into Morton Bay.

Whitefish Lake

Entrance to Morton Bay

This is the second time I have been in this area within a week, last Saturday on a paddle from Seeley's Bay to Jones Falls we side-tracked into Morton Bay to have a look at Dunder and counted at least 30 people on the summit so the trail would have been very busy then.  This time of year it is best to avoid weekends or the Thanksgiving holiday as it tends to be overrun with visitors. Today we can see just a few individuals on the summit.

Rock Dunder

On reaching our landing, not a particularly easy one, we haul the boats up to high ground and I lock mine to a tree.  This landing is not too close to the main trail so gets few visitors but we take any valuables with us and change our footwear before starting the hike; 2 km to the summit.  I bring a backpack to carry any valuables and lunch and a jacket if needed.

Landing

Getting ready to hike

From here the trail wends along Morton Bay at a steady incline before turning more inland and getting steeper as you progress.   There are two cabins that you will pass along the way, merely shells but could provide shelter in inclement weather.   This is not a groomed trail and in a few spots you may be on all fours, it can be tricky after wet weather.

1 of 2 cabins

part of trail

As we progress upward only a couple of other hikers are encountered so we have the hill to ourselves this time which is so much more pleasant. On reaching the top the view is spectacular and you can literally see for miles or kilometres if you prefer. For example looking to the SE a careful scan of the horizon can detect the 1000 Islands Tower  on Hill island once known as the Skydeck, at an approx distance of 28 kms.

1000 Island Tower (centre)

To the south is Morton Bay and Whitefish Lake going towards Seeley's Bay and NW is Jones Falls.

Lunch overlooking Morton Bay

With lunch over it is time to head back down to the boats and paddle back to Jones Falls.  To vary our course a little as we travel north on Whitefish Lake we will pass to the right of Hog island rather than taking the main channel on its left.  It is more shallow and a bit weedy but quite navigable for a kayak.

Exit Morton Bay

This has been a perfect day for paddling and enjoying the Fall foliage which must be at its peak, this is truly a beautiful part of the Rideau Canal.  In no time we are again in sight of the Hotel Kenney and with the new causeway it is even easier now to paddle under to the little jetty where we put in.   I should mention that if you plan to visit by road the Rideau Trust which owns and manages Dunder now charges an entrance fee of $10 per vehicle which goes towards maintaining the property which in recent years has suffered some from overuse.

Hotel Kenney

Happy paddling!

KayakJock

Rideau Canal - A Day's Locking

Merrickville to Muldoon Road

Merrickville-Muldoon Rd 19km

For those paddlers wanting to spend a day on the canal and get some experience using the locks this paddle could be for you.   If like me you have a season lock pass it's a no brainer, alternately you can pay for a day's locking at $1.60/ft and it would cost you around $27 for a 17' kayak  letting you travel through 7 locks and as you are travelling downstream you get a very smooth ride.  Going upstream can get a bit bumpy so always stay towards the rear of the lock.

Put-in by library

So in order to catch all three Merrickville locks we put in by the beach just west of the library after first dropping my vehicle at Muldoon road and transferring my yak to George's car.  A short distance downstream we enter the first of three locks.  We are informed that the Voyageur Kawartha cruise ship is coming up and that we will need to wait in the basin for her to pass us.    This takes about 20 mins for the second chamber to fill to our level and the Kawartha passes by.

Kawartha Voyageur

We slip into the second chamber only to be told we will be doing it again with a couple of cruisers coming out of the third and last lock.   The Kawartha has a hinged bow which when up allows it to fit in the locks.

Last of three

We're off again!(credit George)

Clear of the locks we paddle off towards Clowes lock at about 3.5 km distance passing first under the CPR bridge.   From now on all locks will just be single chamber.   Clowes is over towards the left shore as there is an open dam across most of the river indicated by the red and white balls strung across the river warning of the danger.

Approach to Clowes

From here it is a little over a 1/2 km to Upper Nicholson and then about the same again to Lower Nicholson.   The one lane Andrewsville bridge crosses Upper Nicholson and is seasonal being closed for most of the winter months.

Andrewsville Bridge

Lower Nicholson (credit George)

We now have about 5 km of clear sailing before reaching our next and last lock of the day at Burritts Rapids where we plan on stopping to eat lunch.  From there we will have slightly over 8 km left to paddle to arrive at our destination Muldoon road. On reaching Burritts we decide to land before locking through as there is a large floating raft to port which makes for an easy exit and then haul the kayaks up onto the raft where they can remain while we have lunch.   On the downstream side of the locks they have a floating dock which is much higher and often has people fishing from it so more problematic.

Easy exit (credit George)

With lunch over we catch our last lock which has just released several cruisers so there is no waiting and in less than ten minutes we are paddling towards Muldoon road.

Last leg

Afternoons tend to have a lot more traffic and the closer you get to Ottawa the more yahoos you come across, the kind who don't slow down and often get too close as they race by madly waving erroneously thinking we are pleased to see them as we bounce over their bow wave.  By the time Muldoon road appears we are rather thankful to be getting out of the stupid zone but all in all it has been another good paddle, now we just have to retrieve George's car from Merrickville and we are done.

Muldoon Road

Happy paddling!

KayakJock