Day 2-236 car trip to the Welland Canal in Canada

We extended the rent car for an extra day to go into Canada. After crossing the US-Canada boarder, our first destination was the Welland Canal. The Welland is the lock system for large ocean and lake freighters passing between Lakes Ontario and Erie. The elevation difference between the two lakes is about 326 feet, and this rise/fall between the two lakes is accomplished via 8 locks. The Welland Canal is also used by pleasure craft, especially ones that are too tall for the western Erie Canal. We have done 50 locks on the Erie (and Oswego) Canal, and we were a little curious what it would feel like looking into a really large lock. We started at Lock 7, which had very good viewing angles. The first photo (above right) shows a 700+ foot lake freighter entering the lock from the Lake Ontario (down) side.

The entry/exit is quite slow since many of the ships are only 2 feet narrower than the lock by design. Yes, I was impressed by the size, but at the same time I thought that everything about the lock also looked familiar. I really do not think that we would be intimidated by the thought of going through these locks. Now, all we have to do is win the lottery so that we can get a boat where we would have to go through here  ha, ha. The second photo shows the freighter all of the way into the lock. Once the boat is securely tied up, the lock gate is closed behind the ship.

I did not time it, but it seemed like only about 10 or 15 minutes elapsed before the ship was all of the way up and ready to exit the lock. The picture at the right shows the freighter all of the way up and the gate to the lock is open. Just like the entry, the ship moved very slowly out of the lock.

The picture at the left shows the lock empty, full of water and gate open as the ship has just exited. The lock is now ready for a ship going in the other direction to enter and go down.

As the ship exits, the walls on either side open away from the lock. Thus, as the channel gradually widens the ship can pick up speed, and in this case the ship has one more lock to pass through before it enters Lake Erie.
     I suppose that it is for security after 9-11, but most of the parking lots for observation at the locks have been fenced off and are no longer accessible. There was one large information, viewing center with a museum, but otherwise, I was disappointed that we could not see more at the other locks.

There was a small information center adjacent to this lock, and just outside is.... Kissing Rock. Well, you are supposed to sit on the rock and kiss. I will leave it to your imagination as to whether or not the Admiral and I did that.


We had a lovely lunch at a Panini restaurant in the small town next to the lock. I had a roast beef sandwich instead of a Panini (always a rebel).



After lunch, we drove along the canal toward Lock 1 and Lake Ontario. Then we drove a short distance along the lake toward the Niagara River. The city of Niagara-on-the-Lake is located at the junction of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. It is a beautiful old town, but the downtown area was so crowded that we did not stop to walk around the many shops. Instead, we drove along the Niagara Parkway, which follows along the Canadian side of the river. We went up river past Niagara Falls and toward Lake Erie. The Admiral said that it would be fun to come back some other time and ride the bike trail. I told her that I would meet her at the other end...

 Just before we reached the lake we crossed the Peace Bridge across the river and back into the US. This was a beautiful drive, and there is also a wonderful bike/pedestrian path as well. While driving along the lake and the river, we passed one small winery after another. Almost all of them had elaborate facilities for wine tasting, parties, etc.