Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Friday-Saturday, June 29-30. After leaving Westport, the landscape became more and more natural and beautiful. We were hoping to see a few Canadian bears, but they simply weren’t cooperative. Loons, herons, and , yes, cows were much more accommodating. Not sure that I’ve mentioned that many areas in the canal are almost choked with lily pads and long water grass, similar to the milfoil in Guntersville, AL, so we had to watch channel markers closely in the narrow stretches.

We spent a pleasant Friday night in a gorgeous anchorage on Morton Bay with colorful rock cliffs rising above us. We had visions of jumping into the crystal clear lake water, but the biting black flies and the cold, cold water nixed such crazy thoughts. By Saturday afternoon, we had completed our Rideau Canal adventure and congratulated ourselves on taking this delightfully unique and charming route. We’re mighty glad that Jim and Martha shared it with us!

A cool, rainy Saturday night at the expensive Portsmouth Olympic Harbour Marina in Kingston on Lake Ontario was our next stop. Kingston connects three major waterways, the St. Lawrence River, the Rideau Canal, and Lake Ontario. It is a pleasant city with an attractive residential area, and a downtown area near the water.

Tomorrow is Canada Day, so Portsmouth Harbour was the only marina with available space. The marina was built as a site for sailing events for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and it is priced accordingly – translate expensive! What they don’t advertise is that the marina is SURROUNDED by prisons. Yep! We could throw a rock at the Ontario State Penitentiary next to us, and the Women’s Detention Center (euphemism for “the pen”) is just across the street. Yikes!