Welland Canal

On Thursday hubby and I picked up the boys and headed toward the Welland Canal. We took the back roads and enjoyed some beautiful scenery on the way.

When we arrived, the lift bridge was up and there was not one, but two ships moving along the canal, one from each direction.

We met a man with this beautiful German Shepherd. He told us she is just a pup. She wasn't all that friendly but did sit to have her picture taken.

The Quebecois was moving along the canal toward Lake Ontario. She was fully loaded.

The crew was spraying her decks to keep them cool. I'm not sure what type of freight she was carrying but she sat very low in the water. In this picture, she is moving under the lift bridge.

Moving further out. The canal water was beautiful and being a hot day, it made you want to go for a dip.

Ships passing in the canal. The Quebecois, as I said was moving out to Lake Ontario. The Gadwall was moving toward the locks. Here she's headed toward the lift bridge. She was empty. You can see the water line on the ship. When she is loaded, you will only see the green.

A picture of the canal. So tranquil and beautiful. The boys enjoyed the view.

The Gadwall coming closer. She was moving fairly quickly. The Quebecois was slower, probably because of the weight she was carrying.

The Gadwall as it moved past us. Both of these ships were huge. The boys couldn't get over how large they were.

The deck of the Gadwall. We didn't see even one crew member on this deck. I guess they were all busy with their duties elsewhere.

She passed us and then made her way under the bridge. She still had a ways to travel before she hit the locks...probably about a mile.

The lift bridge descending so the traffic would make its way across the bridge. I'm glad we arrived when we did. By this time the traffic was lined up for over a mile. An ambulance was caught in the line and had to make a U-turn to take an alternate route.

This is the point where we left and went to get cold drinks for everyone. After that, we made our way through the tunnel under the canal and headed for Niagara Falls. I will post about that in a day or so.