Saturday, June 09, 2012

We're back! (Part 2)


We arrived in Kingston, Ontario on Friday night and had dinner at their Holiday Inn since we couldn't board the "Kawartha Voyageur" until 8PM anyway. The name "Kawartha" by the way is Indian for "land of the shimmering waters." Now, for me and hubby, this boat was one of the most amazing things about this cruise. First of all, it was designed and built by the family who owns and runs the business ~ The Ackert's. It is the only cruise boat of its' kind and extremely unique at that! We traveled through 33 locks in 6 days and, everytime we had to go underneath a bridge, the nose of the bow lifted up from the front of the boat, the awning atop of the wheelhouse came down, and the wheelhouse itself lowered to about a quarter its' height! How? Well, they are all hydraulically built. Since the passengers were allowed inside the wheelhouse to chat with Captain John Ackert anytime except for when we were heading under a bridge of course, hubby and I were able to see the inside of it while the Captian explained the history of the Rideau (actually pronounced "reed-dow") and very graciously answered any questions we may have had. The wheelhouse has a square opening cut out of the ceiling above the Captain's chair so that when it comes down while going under bridges the captain does not get crushed and can also see outside the boat to navigate. It even has a fail-safe so that if something should happen to go wrong with the primary hydraulics, there will not be a problem. 

This is a view from the top deck where we were allowed to sit and you can see just how close the boat gets to the bridge

Here you can see the opening in the ceiling above the Captain's head in the wheelhouse


We traveled from Kingston to Ottawa, enjoying every tree, native bird, animal, horsefarm, island home, etc. One of the birds which we had gotten the chance to see was the beautiful osprey who like to nest in the bridge structures along the canal ...


We also made a few historical stops and explored the nearby towns of Westport and Merrickville for a bit of sight-seeing and shopping. While strolling along in Merrickville, we saw a couple of "old school" telephone boothes which actually did work. Here's hubby clowning around with them ... LOL!


We were served breakfast at 8AM, lunch at 12, a snack at 3, and dinner at 6 every day. There was no television on the boat except for in the Captian's quarters in the wheelhouse which also had a large bed, a shower, and a desk and computer. There was also a laundry room for the crew, small galley, a mini bar, nice size dining area, a small library, and a communal PC. It rained for the first three days we were there, but we did have a couple of  sunny ones as well ...


We arrived in Ottawa on Wednesday and had some time to walk around until the bus came to take us all back to Kingston. One of the things we enjoyed while in Ottawa was the beautiful "Hogback Falls" ...


 The funny thing about this trip was that it took us 6 days to travel up the Rideau Canal and only two hours to get us back by bus to where we started in Kingston. Talk about taking the long way, eh? LOL!

Ottawa, Ontario

All in all, a very memorable trip and one well worth taking. I would definately recommend this trip to anyone!

13 comments:

  1. What a trip! Wow, so much to see. How nice to have a hole in the roof so one doesn't get crushed...that sounds a little scary for the Captain. Glad you had a great time, and that the weather did improve for you. Great photos, too!

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    1. Thanks, Robin!! We really did have a wonderful time away. Now it is back to reality as they say. LOL!!! ;)

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  2. sounds a wonderful trip! But boy the bridge IS close aye.
    Love Leanne

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    1. Yes Leanne, you would have loved the countryside and nature's scenery! The bridge was close, but rest assured that these guys knew what they were doing. They built the boat as big as they could possibly make it while still keeping it safe. :D

      Blessings, Kim

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  3. Gorgeous photos, Kim!!! What a beautiful trip you shared with your hubby.

    I love that red phone booth!!!

    Big Hugs,
    Jan

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    1. Thanks so much, Jan!! My hubby just couldn't resist the red booth!!! Pretty cool actually!

      Brightest Blessings,

      Kim

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  4. Did you sleep on the boat or stop off along the way. That was what my brother and I wondered. That is a cool boat! I'll be in touch with you.

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    1. Judy, we slept on the boat in a small 2 single bed cabin with a toilet and sink. We took showers at the end of the hallway and there were four of those so we didn't have a wait or anything and we had privacy though. I will have to show you the pics sometime soon!

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  5. Kim ;o) Sorry, I am getting around late to your blog! Your trip sounded like so much fun! I am so happy everyone had a great time! I love all the nature shots and the water is beautiful! The boat is cool! Love the pictures of hubby in the phone booths and I really love the picture of you two ;o) Happy the rain stopped!!! Thanks for sharing everything! You know, this might be something mom and I would be interested in doing ;o) Hugs ;o)

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    1. Stacy ~ I am glad you are feeling better! I think you and your mom would LOVE it! There were a lot of passegners from Ontario aboard with us! All just lovely people!!! Had a great time there.

      Hugs,

      Kim

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  6. Those photos look fabulous! I'm so glad that you both had such a wonderful time!

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    1. Sure did, Lon! I think you and your lovely wife would enjoy it very much!

      Blessings to you, my friend ~

      Kim

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  7. Well it is so rare to go to a blog that makes Ottawa and Kingston magical, I GUESS we're too used to it I live in Quebec/Ottawa, so close that they named it l'Outaouais comprising Aylmer,Hull, Gatineau, Ottawa, Gloucester, Nepean and Kanata For tourism purposes but Quebec/Ontario haven't united....but hey I dig the photos

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