Knox Landing on the Ottawa River, QC

The day before my last chemo treatment (Apr 22nd), I needed a distraction.  So I decided to enjoy a kayak paddle at one of my favourite sections of the Ottawa River. I wanted to go to Black Bay or Braeside, but both locations require paddling across the Ottawa River to get to the more interesting Quebec shoreline. I decided to take the Quyon ferry and drive to the Knox Landing access site on the Ottawa River's Quebec side. The Quebec side of the Ottawa River from Braeside ramp to Norway Bay is full of isolated islands, inlets, swamps, and channels. This makes it one of my favourite locations for a paddle close to home (Dunrobin).

It was my first time driving to this launch site. The ferry is pretty efficient and excellent service at $8.75. The access road (Chemin de Knox Landing) was flooded in many places but luckily only by a few inches.

After launching the Widgeon, I paddled downriver, following the shoreline into all the bays and inlets. I was heading 2-3 km to a deep channel that I know from previous trips. I mostly wanted to explore the long meandering stream/swamp that flows into the deep channel. Once I got there, I realize that I would have to portage over a large beaver dam to get into the swamp/wetland area. I decided to have a late lunch overlooking the wetlands, and I would explore on another day. After lunch, I spent a few minutes cleaning the area of shotgun shells and beer cans.

The paddle back to the Knox Landing access point was much faster since I was going downwind and did not detour into all the bays and inlets. I did manage to get a few photos of a good-size Northern Map Turtle sunny itself on a submerged log.

Northern Map Turtle

I'll use this launch site again for the same paddle downriver or upriver towards Norway Bay. The nearby no-name islands and rocks are always a reliable place for smallmouth bass fishing!

The Mississippi at Appleton

Since I was going to be in Almonte for an early coffee meeting (Equator), I decided to bring my Widgeon kayak and go for a paddle on the Mississippi River at Appleton. Just below the waterfall, on River Road (CR11), there’s a boat ramp and parking lot (no charge). Below Appleton, there’s a wetland area of about 4km down the Mississippi River. The wetland area makes this part of the Mississippi River secluded and usually pretty quiet.  

On this morning paddle, I stayed on the east side of the river, going downstream and return on the same side. The wetland area is wider on the east side and further from any development and roads. The wildlife that I mostly saw were small black & white ducks (buffleheads?), a few Canada Geese, and either beavers or muskrats swimming in a few places. The east bank is lined with deciduous trees (soft maples, TBD), and many were dying.

On the way back to Appleton, I went closer to the dam to better look at the fast-moving water. But not too close; the water is still freezing cold (i.e. it’s April).

Paddling the Mississippi at Appleton is not too exciting, but it’s convenient and a reasonably quiet place to get some fresh-air exercise!

Fitzroy Harbour to check-up on the turtles

On Sunday, the temperature would hit 20C or more, so it was an excellent excuse to go for a paddle around Fitzroy Harbour and check-up on the painted turtles. When I got to the Harbour, there were already many people enjoying the fine weather (fishing, boating). After launching my Widgeon kayak, I headed to the Syne rocky channel looking for turtles, but I only saw a few small ones. I guess the turtles need a few more hot days before emerging in larger numbers.

I still had a great paddle (Widgeon kayak) around Fitzroy Harbour's islands and up the Carp River. The Fitzroy dam overflow outlets were running at medium volume and rate. There wasn't a great abundance of wildlife to be seen – a few birds, ducks and Canada Geese.

At the mouth of the Carp River, it was a fishing festival! There were many people on both banks of the river, fishing and enjoying the warm weather. I then paddled back to the Harbour with a stop at the provincial park for a snack and rest break.

Constance Creek - First paddle of 2016

With the ice out for a week now and finally some warm days, it was time for a first paddle (April 15). Last year, my first paddle was on April 19. After lunch, I assembled my gear and loaded up the Widgeon kayak. For a comfortable and safe first paddle, I headed to Constance Bay to the Baillie Avenue beach launch point. It's only a 10-minute paddle along the shore to Constance Creek's mouth/entrance from the beach access point.

  

Another reason for an early-season kayak outing was to try my new West Greenland paddles that I carved over the winter. They worked and felt great! I also was trying some brand-new neoprene gloves from MEC.  They are tight to put on, but they did keep my fingers from freezing in the cold spring waters. 

About halfway to Eagle Creek, I found some high ground on the north bank that was ideal for a rest/bio stop. The creek is still quite flooded, and it's fun to paddle amongst the trees in some areas. There weren't many wildlife to observe except a few Canada Geese and some small black & white ducks (Buffleheads?). 

After turning around at the golf course (Eagle Creek), I paddled downstream back to the Ottawa River. I turned down a wooded side channel to check out the thickness of the ice that was still on the surface. The ice was still thick enough to bring the Widgeon to a complete stop!