Saturday, July 21, 2018 (Richmond/Ottawa, Ontario)

Today is ride day! It was just after 9:30 when we were all ready to head out.  Andrew and Sherry ready to hop in their side-by-side. The ladies will be doing the driving for the first part...

Debbie and Jeff with their side-by-side. Jeff...you're the passenger...remember!

...and us on our quads. The side-by-sides are getting more popular every year.

And we're off down their long driveway! Of course, Steve had his Go Pro camera on. These are photos captured from video...

We had just over 5 miles of paved road to the trails...

Finally onto the trails...

It's been very dry here so we had to hang back at times to let the dust settle...

The rider ahead always stops at every turn off the trail, until they get confirmation that the rider behind has seen them...usually by a wave of the hand...

Sherry decided to have a little fun by going through this large puddle along the side of the trail...

Sherry and Andrew...going to hit the puddle again!

We didn't want to get muddy as it's much easier to just rinse off the dust...LOL!

Time to stop for a pee break...and some water...whew, it's hot!









And were off again...Jeff and Debbie

For the most part the water puddles on the trails had dried up...this was one exception. That's me going through...so much for not getting muddy...LOL!

Now it's Steve's turn...knees and feet up!

Debbie and Jeff...

Andrew and Sherry's machine is 60" wide and has a tougher time getting through some of the gates and trees...like these two.

Jeff and Debbie's machine is narrower at 50" and had fewer issues navigating the narrow spots. Our quads are 48" wide...

Arriving at the shelter...but first we have a small hill to climb.

Up I go...

Steve's turn...

Debbie and Jeff...

We stopped for a break...

Notice the skis...

All refreshed...

Time to continue....

A bit of a steep hill to climb up (it's actually steeper than it looks)...

Jeff and Debbie...

I don't like being off camber...

As I cross the bridge Sherry heads for the water on the right...

Our destination was Merrickville and a favourite restaurant for lunch. We left the trail and had a bit of street riding to do. This section of road rotates allowing boats passage to one of the many locks on the Rideau Canal...  

Rideau Canal...

Merrickville looks like a cool little spot...

Parking was in the park across the street from the restaurant...

Lets stow our gear and head for lunch!

A couple of very nice rides... a Harley-Davidson in the back and an Indian in the front.

And...here we are...Mainstreet Restaurant and Patio...

Sherry went ahead of everyone and managed to get a great table in the shade on the patio...(Jeff, Debbie, Andrew, Sherry, Steve...and yours-truly)...

After a great lunch we walked across the street, into the park along the Rideau Canal...to take a look at the locks.

Merrickville Lockstation is in the historic village of Merrickville (population 1 000). The locks are located along the south side of the river in an excavated channel, 1 km long. A concrete dam runs the full width of the river, creating a slackwater section to Kilmarnock Lockstation. Two river channels, flowing from the water control weirs in the dam, create an island, which is the site of the Merrickville Industrial Complex.

We were fortunate enough to see the locks in action...

What is the Rideau Canal?
The Rideau Canal is a series of rivers, lakes and connecting locks and canals that form a continuous waterway from Kingston to Ottawa, in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is 202 kilometres (125 miles) long, of which about 19 kilometres (12 miles) is man made (locks and canal cuts), the rest are natural waters. There are 45 locks in 23 lockstations along the main route of the Rideau plus 2 locks that link the Tay Canal to the Rideau. From Lake Ontario at Kingston the canal rises 50.6 metres (166.2 feet) to the summit of Upper Rideau Lake and then descends 83.8 metres (275 feet) to the Ottawa River at Ottawa. For more info check out Rideau Canal.

Can you believe it they operate the lock doors by hand!

Merrickville Blockhouse next to the lock...
Located on the grounds of the Merrickville Lockstation in the heart of the Village of Merrickville, 60km southwest of Ottawa. Built in 1832-33, the blockhouse is the largest and the most impressive of the four blockhouses built along the Rideau Canal for its defense and the second largest blockhouse surviving in Canada.

Constructed for strength with thick masonry walls on the first floor and heavy timbers on the overhanging second floor, the blockhouse retains many of its defence related elements. In the event of war, the blockhouse was intended to be a mustering point for local militia, a supply depot where provisions, munition and arms could be stored, and a strong defensive position for repelling anyone attempting to destroy the Canal structures.

Since 1966, the blockhouse has operated as a museum by the Merrickville and District Historical Society interpreting the history of the Rideau Canal, the blockhouse and the local area.

The lock is open and ready for the pleasure boats to enter. The bridge we rode over is rotating out of the way...

The first boat to enter...

Four are entering...bumpers out...they tie their boats to those long black tubes that easily allow the ropes to move up or down with the changing water levels...

Time to hand crank these lock doors closed...

And up they come...

With these lock doors open they begin to pass by...

Locks intrigue me...I find them fascinating!  But it's time to get back on the trails and head home...

Once back, and before parking the quads, Sherry and Andrew took us for a tour of their farm. They used to farm it and had a 100 head of cattle but now lease the property to others who farm it. Soybeans and sweet corn are the 2 crops grown. Andrew is the third generation on this land which is now up for sale so they too can hit the road!

This is their farm (the green block) from the satellite view on Google maps. We can't remember how many acres it is...

Back towards the house, barns and silos...

Andrew and Sherry's son, Jesse...and a very dirty-faced Jeff. Sign of a good ride! We were all hot and dusty!

So after getting the quads unpacked, we quickly changed into our suits and headed to the pool...Ahhh!

After cooling down with a little pool time and a cold beverage, or two, we all went out to the garage to supervise Andrew in the cooking of dinner. Heating up the oil for some deep-frying...

Chicken wings first...

Followed by sweet potato fries...

And then battered pickles and stuffed jalapenos! Sounds like a nutritious, low calorie dinner...LOL!

But Debbie did make a taco salad...so we did have some "greens". What a feast...time to dig in!

After a delicious dinner, we sat around the table chatting. Such an awesome day! Thanks Andrew and Sherry for the ride and showing us your area! We had a blast!