"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in
its net of wonder forever."—Jacques Cousteau

Aug. 4 – Ottawa, ON

We’re Having a Heat Wave
Downtown Dock

This morning started out as a beautiful day, but we knew it would be very hot by the afternoon, so we took advantage of the nice morning and went for another bike ride. This time we rode along the Ottawa River past Parliament Hill. After our ride we spent a little time at the Canal Fest that was taking place by the locks. It’s the 180th anniversary of the Rideau Canal. It was built for military purposes and then used commercially for a short time, but mainly it has been used for recreational purposes. Starting in the 1880s excursion steamers brought travelers and sightseers along the length of the canal and into the lakes. The festival had lots of booths set up explaining how the Rideau Canal was made and how the locks work…and of course lots of entertainment.

As predicted it was extremely hot this afternoon, with a heat index near 100 degrees. It was a good day to stay inside. Stan decided to go to the Canadian Museum of Cultivation. It’s located across the river in Gatineau. He spent about three hours at the museum and said it was wonderful. I was a little lazier…I stayed on the boat working on my pictures and then I went to the mall. Hot days are good days to go shopping! This evening was still very warm so we hibernated inside eating dinner and watching a movie. Hopefully tomorrow's front will cool us off a little.

Views from the bike trail
Canal Fest - Stone Cravers at work
Explanation of how the lock doors are made
Wonderful music
A little more entertainment
Canadian Museum of Civilization
 
View of Ottawa from the museum

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