The beginnings of Ottawa’s skyline dominate the far distance. Beneath the highrises, the beginnings of the Deschenes rapids turn the river to whitewater. Before it all, Kai Nani.
I have sprinted here, hoping to take advantage of the weather, my good fortune, and the current. I took this picture moments before starting the carry around the rapids. Like the rest of the portages on or near Ontario Power Generation (OPG) land, there is nothing to indicate a portage or any other safe take-out for that matter.
Curious about the lack of signage, given that the bike path that snakes along the river bank is only a few meters away. Once on the path, there are signs for leashing and picking up after your pet, for cyclists to yield to pedestrians, to walk on the right, to not swim, to put garbage in cans and recyclables in blue bins. There are signs forbidding motorized vehicles, fires, and camping. Basically, there are signs enough to fill a barn. Nothing, however, to indicate that here might be a good place to get off the river and save your life. Like I said, curious.
This is the unadvertised and I suppose relatively unknown portage around Chaudierre Falls Generating Station. To get here, I paddled right up to the dam aiming for a spot where I could see a pedestrian/bike path. Plenty of signs warning me of a dam and danger, but no indication of a take out. The dam and spillway are, of course, beyond obvious and signing them is like putting a sign on your face that says here is your nose. My apologies for belaboring a point but I simply can’t get over the lunacy.
Look carefully at the background and you can make out the Parliament buildings.
And finally, the seat of government: