Sunday, June 9, 2019

A Meeting Of Two Rivers

Green Island is the spot where the Rideau River splits into two branches and meets the Ottawa River. Part of the island, as well as land on either shore, is given over to parkland. There's a bed of tulips here, but first I passed by this formidable citizen of the country resting. There was no sign of a nest.


Here we have the tulips, which weren't quite out yet when I was here. The building in the background is the headquarters for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.


As you can see, only a few tulips were out and about. A week later would have made a substantial difference.


Here we have the view looking out across the Ottawa River to the Gatineau shore. I was headed that way, which I'll show starting tomorrow.


And another reason to come. The Rideau River meets the Ottawa River in two splendid waterfalls called the Rideau Falls.  This is the east branch.


I crossed the walkway over the dam. The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge is seen in the background, which is the route I took to cross over to Gatineau.


Here we have a view of the east branch from the Green Island observation area.


The park is the setting for a number of military monuments. One of them is this sculpture of the Canadian soldier, doctor, and poet John McCrae, who wrote the poem In Flanders Fields during the First World War and was fated not to survive the war. It is a recent addition to the island, created by Ruth Abernethy, the artist who did the Oscar Peterson sculpture outside the National Arts Centre.


I finish with this view of the west branch of the Rideau Falls, taken from a platform on the grounds of the National Research Council.

34 comments:

  1. Wonderful post.
    I feel sorry that your one citizen who is all alone. I remember you showing the meeting of two rivers before, so much water.
    Most of all I like the monument of John McCrae with the red poppies.
    parsnip

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  2. Well our Oker is called a river, too, but in comparison it´s just a wee bit of water! Sad there aren´t many tulips anymore.

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  3. ...and thanks so much for generously sharing your formidable citizen of the country. He and many more have overstayed their visas gown here.

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  4. The Canada Goose appears so content. Neat photos

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  5. Great post. Love the waterfalls and the statue!

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  6. Hello, I love the views of the river. The sculpture and tulips are wonderful too. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

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  7. I am reminded of the joy I felt when seeing first blooms as they opened, which is repeated at a different level when the full bed appears in bloom. That is more ecstasy! I like how the waterfalls are controlled by sluice gates, which gives a sense of the power of the rivers as well as a bit of man-created guidance.

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  8. There's a lot of water flowing over the falls William!

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  9. I can't help wondering if the goose is related to any of he geese that winter here on the golf course.

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  10. Well that's quite a scene! Usually the confluences of rivers are rather low-key affairs but not so this one with its impressive falls.

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  11. Oh the Canada Honkers---must be the universal Goose---they are everywhere even on my yesterday's blog. LOL
    MB

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  12. The water looks really forceful - I guess because of the high levels of it.

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  13. Another great post that is incentivizing me to visit the city again.

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  14. Nice tour of an area that I haven't seen personally.

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  15. Nice waterfalls. I've been chased by some of those geese and would have given it a wide berth. :-)

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  16. You do so well doing these tours for your faithful fans!

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  17. I like the sculpture. The waterfalls are fantastic!

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  18. The sound of the waterfalls must be impressive!

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  19. @Parsnip: the falls are different in each season.

    @Iris: this pair are quite something in terms of rivers, especially the Ottawa, which is a big one.

    @Jan: thank you!

    @Tom: you're welcome.

    @Maywyn: it seemed at ease.

    @Marie: thank you!

    @Eileen: thanks!

    @Barbara: I agree.

    @Grace: yes there is.

    @Sharon: or the same ones! I wonder how far south our local ones go for the winter.

    @John: it's a lovely pair of waterfalls.

    @MB: yes, they get around.

    @RedPat: this spring the waters have been high, and they have to release some of it.

    @Catarina: thank you!

    @Anvilcloud: you should.

    @DJan: this one was okay.

    @Jennifer: thank you.

    @Jeanie: thanks!

    @Marleen: it is.

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  20. Pretty...I can almost hear the crashing of the water.

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  21. The waterfalls are my favourite. Nice captures!

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  22. A miniature version of the Monongahela and Susquehanna?

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  23. The falls are looking lively and vigorous.

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  24. I like the falls and the lovely statue.

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  25. Beautiful river and fall shots ~ lovely tulips too.

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  26. The Canadian goose couldn't be missing! ;)

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  27. gorgeous falls. so awesome. i think mr. goose enjoy the pic u did take. ( :

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  28. @Janey: it's quite a locale.

    @Bill: thank you.

    @Joanna: I had to look those two rivers up. The Ottawa River is a bigger one.

    @Kay: they are definitely running well. I've seen them at other times of the year when the flow of the falls is lesser.

    @Sami: I agree.

    @Carol: thanks!

    @Italiafinlandia: the goose is boss.

    @Beth: he or she was certainly keeping an eye on me.

    @Francisco: thank you.

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  29. Loved your photographs of the waterfalls.

    All the best Jan

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  30. Wonderful pictures of waterfalls.

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