Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Summertime At The Waterfall

The Chaudiere Falls was largely cut off from public view for a century; the best view one could get of it was from the Chaudiere Bridge, seen here. The Portage Bridge stands in the background downstream.


Industry and hydro facilities occupied these islands for that century. The industry is gone, with buildings slowly being dismantled and new development going up. But a viewing platform has also been set up to give good views of the falls, dating to 2017. These views look upstream from the first shot.


Work is still ongoing around these islands, and I'm assuming this Slingshot, parked a short walk away, belonged to one of the workers. 


Here we get a proper view of the falls. They take their name from Samuel de Champlain, who first came up this way in 1613. It had other names for the First Nations peoples who lived here from time immemorial. Today a hydro dam behind the falls regulates its flow. While I was here I chatted with a man who had been out here during the high waters of May. He said that the gates had all been open and that the whole basin was full of swirling water.


A variety of plants can be found along the pathway, both wildflowers and things planted in the soil. The viewing platform has been designed to be accessible, something that might not be apparent in these shots. At present, however, with the roadwork taking place nearby, getting here is something of a challenge, and parking is probably best done at the nearby War Museum.


More views of the falls to finish off today. We'll pick up here tomorrow.

34 comments:

  1. An impressive waterfall, it must have been quite a sight during periods of flood.

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  2. What people often forget is the very foul smell that comes with flooding.
    Glad there are precautions.

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  3. Thanks for sharing this tour with us.

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  4. @John: I must see it in May.

    @Iris: true.

    @Stefan: that it is.

    @David: it is.

    @Marianne: you're welcome.

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  5. It's nice that these are being made accessible once again.

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  6. Water is such an important natural resource. Without it, there is no life. We must protect it at all costs. So glad there is a viewing platform now.

    Janis
    GDP

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  7. Slingshot? What is that? It seems to be missing back wheels. Maybe I just haven't had enough coffee yet. It's early.

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  8. ...that Slingshot costs more than our first house!

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  9. The falls are really magnificent but I can't help but wonder just how much fuel that Slingshot consumes.

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  10. great shots of the water and love the blooms. very cool!! ( ;

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  11. Those falls are great to see, and to know that we can see them again rather than use the power of water falling down so many feet to give energy to various industrial engines...I'm happy to see that.

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  12. It must have been an exciting place when the water was really high. It looks lovely now.

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  13. I'd forgotten about the flooding in this drought!!!!

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  14. I had never even heard of a Slingshot vehicle so I had to look it up! Very interesting indeed.

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  15. Beautiful view of the fall from the platform!

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  16. The flooding tested that place for sure.

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  17. @Francisco: thank you.

    @Anvilcloud: it is, yes.

    @Janis: that's true.

    @Sandi: it's a three wheeler motorbike hybrid.

    @Tom: they'd be worth a mint.

    @Rosemary: a lot, no doubt.

    @Beth: thank you.

    @Barbara: me too.

    @RedPat: I must go next spring when the run off is underway.

    @Maywyn: me too.

    @Jennifer: I noticed yesterday that there are areas where the grass has browned.

    @Sharon: there's the odd one of them around here.

    @Tamago: that it is.

    @Marie: it did, yes.

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  18. It's nice that they are able to viewed more easily now!

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  19. The waterfall is beautiful and it's great that it's accessible once again so people can enjoy the view.

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  20. Beautiful! The high water in May must have been quite a sight. Great photos! That's quite a car!

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  21. Nice that a view of the falls can now be seen.
    I've never heard of a Slingshot.

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  22. A visão das cataratas é deslumbrantes pelo que se pode observar em tuas belas fotos
    Um abraço

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  23. @Jenn: it is indeed.

    @Bill: I enjoy seeing it.

    @Denise: I must come back in May.

    @Happyone: I've seen them before.

    @Gracita: thank you.

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  24. That May view must have been dramatic.

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  25. Incredible captures William. The river still looks pretty fast running even a few months after ✨

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  26. Enjoyable and informative, William

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  27. Lovely summertime falls photos ~ like the bridge shot too!

    Happy Day To You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  28. If that car belongs to a worker, they must pay them well!

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  29. @Joanne: it is.

    @Kay: I can imagine.

    @Grace: it's a swift river there.

    @Cloudia: thank you.

    @Carol: thanks.

    @Jeanie: possibly!

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