Canada 150 photo: Summer day at Chaffey’s Lock

Disclosure: I visited Chaffey’s Lock as a guest of Rideau Tours, which neither reviewed nor approved this post.

This photo of boats clustered at Chaffey’s Lock on the Rideau Canal comes from a drive I took through the Rideau Valley a few weeks ago. When I snapped the picture, it just struck me as the quintessential Eastern Ontario summer scene, with the canoe, the pleasure boats and the canal stonework. All in all, Chaffey’s Lock is a lovely destination for a road trip.

You can check out the newly renovated Opinicon Resort , a Dirty Dancing-esque collection of nicely appointed cabins and a pretty main lodge on a point overlooking the water. When I was there, a few weeks before the official re-opening, it was already packed with guests, so I’d advise booking well in advance if you want to stay overnight. But even if you’re not a hotel guest, you’re welcome to drop by for a cone from the bustling ice cream shop or a drink from the tiki bar.

For a fun day trip, you can rent bikes, paddleboards, canoes or kayaks from Rideau Tours, which also offers walking tours, pontoon boat tours, and half- and full-day packages that include a gourmet lunch. The lunches, provided by Wendy’s Country Market, are made almost exclusively with local ingredients, including goat cheese, cured meats and fresh greens. The strawberry lemonade, served in big Mason jars, is delicious, and I confess to sneaking a second oatmeal cookie because they were irresistible.

The pontoon boat trip is great fun; Rideau Tours co-owner Anne-Marier Forcier points out everything from a tiny cable-propelled car ferry to a cluster of turtles basking on an island, as her husband Luc pilots the sturdy boat through the Rideau Lakes and chimes in with jokes and further commentary.

And if you want to feel like one of the glitterati, Rideau Tours can even arrange for you to fly to the village by helicopter from Gananoque, enjoy your day of fun, then chopper back to the Gan.

Throughout July and August 2017, I’ll be posting one photo a day that I’ve taken somewhere across Canada, in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary. Want to see more photos in this series?

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As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.