Burritts Rapids Aug 2/12

When we got up today, it was very foggy, and the spiders had been at work in the night - they really are amazing creatures, aren't they?  As the sun got hotter, the fog burned away and it was a very hot day.

When we just got through the last locks in Smiths Falls, we came upon a 36 foot trawler from Topeko, Kansas, which had run aground.  The captain waved us down to ask for help - pretty funny when you think about it.  They had been there since yesterday sometime, and had no doubt asked a lot of people for help.  We tried, but of course, we couldn't budge him.  Later today, when we were stopped for the night, the boat came through the lock.  They found someone who helped - put ropes over the top, pulled it over on its side, and floated it off!

There are several old wooden bridges on the Rideau that cross right at the locks.  The lock workers swing them manually.  These are all back roads with little traffic.  Most of the locks on this system are in the middle of nowhere, so you have to be careful about fuel.

One of the beautiful scenes we passed today - oh, the lovely smell of horses!

Holleyhocks blooming at one of the lock stations.  Now THERE'S an old flower you don't see much anymore!

After going through 13 locks today, we stopped at the bottom of Burritts Rapids (one of the locks that has power!), and right across the river from us there is a polo field.  Apparently they only play on Sundays, but they were training some horses there tonight.