Saturday, 14th.A slower start than we imagined but finally away from home, leaving this lovely treescape.
We stopped on the way to pick up tie down anchors for the bouyancy bags in the boat, which we then glued in in the sunshine of Pam and Noel's front lawn. My, but it's easy to hoist that boat!
It took us longer than we imagined down to Pam and Noel's - expedition HQ for this part of the trip. But we arrived in time for supper at another lovely restauraant in Aylmer - Gin 'n Chips. All of the others had the classic Haddock and but I had Arctic Char. Yummy.
A fairly early night, some slight trepidation but reducing with the approach of the event itself.
Sunday, 15th.
To Parc Plaisance Jacques Cartier in Hull, the same place that we landed at the end of our trip from the Rideau Canal.
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Different boat; different hat (well, one of them!).
The weather all week was spectacular; warm, clear, virtually windless. Much of the middle of the day was too hot - 27 - 28 degrees C. Very smooth water.
But Sunday was noisy; quite a lot of pleasure craft out on the water with wakes to dodge. Roads on each side of the river, planes coming for the airport on the south bank.
We passed the Rideau Falls on the south bank. Very aptly named, just like a curtain. I was worried about battery life in my phone, our ultimate destination finder, so I was turning it off and leaving it connected to my power bank in a sealed bag. Which is why there aren't too many photos of this trip "on the water". My little waterproof camera has lost its backing and Olympus tells me that there are no spares - but that they could give me a discount of 10% on a new one. Hmmmmm.
First stop was a sandy beach about 4.5km downstream. We arrived to an empty beach but three powerboats plus familes arrived very soon afterwards and, water taken on, we headed off downstream and left them to their lunches.
Then it was a hot slog for the rest of the 18km for the day, to Camping des Rives d'Outawais.
We were met by the guardienne with her golf buggy which made unloading a lot easier - although our final pitch was actually close to a side stream and reloading in the morning was a breeze! Supper - the first of the giant noodle pots, with added tinned chicken. Not bad at all.
A comfortable night. Our Exped down-filled mattresses are warm and comfortable; our down bags make an almost luxurious cover as the temperature falls. We have certainly accumulated some wonderful gear down the years.Monday, 16th.
Daylight came with a heavy mist but it soon burned off. Even so, we packed inner and outer (wet) tents separately and made a better start than in previous years.
First item of any note was the Cumberland Ferry. We stopped there for a sleep (honest) in the shade of some waterside trees; then we dodged around the ferry and headed off downstream.A longer slog today - very hot again and 20km in total. It was a lot less populated by watercraft but there were still high levels of background noise - it's a busy river valley with population centres and major roads on both sides. The sounds of nature are sometimes overwhelmed.
Opposite Clarence Rockland - after miles of beautiful trees - miles of them! (don't know what the finger is for) - we made a turn north through reed beds for our ovenight stop.
This was a bit of a puzzle, the really shallow, Goose-populated flats had been fields, flooded by the building of a downstream dam. They were mushy and bubbly green at the edge. But the welcome was splendid - although Jaques had (on his wife's instructions) ignored my two texts telling of our arrival! We had access to the workmen's washroom and canteen, and a very suitable green pitch just by the waterside. More noodles.......
Tuesday 17th
Breakfast - as always this trip and for many - was Alpen (variously augmented) with apple juice instead of milk. That and black filter coffee made on the Trangia - more good gear. It seems to sustain us all day, with the addition of a couple of Sweet and Salty wholefood bars at lunchtime. Oh! And LOTS of water this year. Lots.
Late get away i'm afraid.
I rang the Sepaq booking system for the site ahead and the lady on the phone and I agreed to leave it until we arrivde and then choose a pitch. Some of the pitches were a long way away.
Another indeterminate end to the journey today; the worst heat of the week, some argument about the route finding at the end and a late arrival meant that there was no-one at the reception when we arrived. So I'm afraid that we just pitched the tent and took no images at all. After dark, whacked and changing for bed, a voice and a lamp from the darknees. Security. Oh dear; "maybe", he said, "we would have to move". "Surely not", we responded. "Sepaq encourages adventure. Sometimes in adventure we make mistakes. We have made a mistake and are profoundly sorry." Hmmph - It was an infraction - he would go to speak to his supervisor. He returned. His supervisor had relented. Provided that the tent was down by 08.00 (dawn is at about 06.00) and we paid our fees when the bureau opened at 09.00, although this was an infraction - all would be satisfactory. We set the alarm.
Wednesday, 18th
Pretty achey today - we slept well and rose early, before the mosquitos which had plagued us the evening before had woken. All the gear and the boat were on the pontoon by 08.01 and we made coffee there and ate our cereal. Of course, once our full tale had been recounted in reception at 09.00, there was nothing but sympathy and congratulation. Phew!
So a very early (for us) start on the water which was just as well because. immediately after the little linking canal to the back of the island system, we got lost. The weeds waving in the current quite strongly showed that we should swing left, and then they didn't. And we found ourselves in shallow water with a base of centuries of goose poo. Aaargh. Nothing for it but for me to get out and pull Ali and the boat until we regained the route.
Honestly; if we had tried to find the official camp sites the evening before, we would have had to sleep in the boat in the reeds.
Another long and very hot slog. Lunch was taken curled in the shaddow of river-side trees.
But just past Papineauville a large, white building appeared in the far distance; wasn't there a cheese factory at Montebello? (In fact, it's an hotel) and this vast piece of water between us just melted away at the rate of an ice-berg on the very first day of spring. Slowly, that is!
Off the Chateau Montebello, the sand rose up to meet us and we once again had to swing out towards the right bank! But we followed a St Lawrence Seaways cruiser to its dock (and a further beach) at the Montebello town marina to be met by a charming warden with access to cold, caffienated drinks and a trolley for our luggage! Hero!
An easy pitch - plenty of time. The tent dried well in the early sun. Ali chatted to a couple in an adjacent VW camper. Ten years older than us, they, too, had canoe camped and now kayaked from their camper.
Thursday 19th.
And so off for the fifth - and last day!
Another hot one but now a head wind; lunch on another deserted beach. Ali really feeling it now but somehow, at about this point, as the river widened to well over a mile in width, I felt, "I've got this. I can bring us home". Of course, it was hugely easier with Ali paddling as well but somehow The Boss said, "You can do this now".
A ridiculously large expanse of water and a dead flat calm; we must have cut almost a kilometer out into the bay, time after time. And then the river started playing tricks. A heron (we saw a lot of herons) standing half shank almost 500 metres off shore. A posse of ducks even further. Streams from the north had dumped sand into the river and things became shallower and shallower.
At the last turn into what just HAD to be the mouth of the Rouge, Ali noticed a buoy and I veered hard out to the south again, only to find that the buoy was a boy, standing up to his knees waaay out into the river!.
We sought for a jetty, knowing that most of them were assigned to fifth wheel trailers. In the end we just picked one and I went to find reception. Closed again!
Help was at hand in the shape of Pam and Noel and locals - bless them all. No need for them here.
90km +/- Done.
