Sunday, June 7, 2020

The Cauldron Upon The River

One day in late April I decided to go out to the Chaudiere Falls, where the Ottawa River passes amid a group of islands, and the main channel is funneled through the waterfalls. A hydro dam today rings around the back of the falls. Much of the older buildings around the islands are slowly being removed. This first view looks downstream at the Chaudiere Bridge, with the Portage Bridge beyond it, and Parliament Hill in the distance.


Turning around gives us a view of the falls, a cascade that has a drop of fifteen metres. Chaudiere means cauldron or kettle, given to the place by Champlain, but the falls have a much older history in terms of interaction with First Nations peoples. It has only recently been re-opened to the public, hidden away from clear sight by industry. 


I was at one platform area, but decided to get out to the main platform. That area was locked off, as it is during the winter, since it's closer to the falls and freezes up. I came back to the platform, and passed by a rather cranky Canada goose hissing at me from this grassy spot on the other side of a fence. I didn't see a nest; perhaps it just didn't like the look of me, and so hissing was involved.


I moved on, and the goose strutted around like it owned the place.


I came back for more views, and I'll show you more of that in the next two days.

29 comments:

  1. The water looks very agitated !

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  2. Hello,

    The water does look powerful! Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

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  3. Swirling waters are scary. Nice photos of an iteresting place
    No doubt the Canada goose is claiming territory.

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  4. Incredibly impressive sight William, the cranky goose made me smile 😊

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  5. I wonder if the industry was getting power from the falls...or why would it have been placed there in the first place. Certainly not for river transportation!

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  6. You can see the power in that moving water. Those geese hide their nest very well.

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  7. The sound of the water must be quite something!

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  8. Impressive sights, William !

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  9. That churning water is really something! I can almost hear it in my mind. :-)

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  10. Water us so powerful ~ even more so when 'harnessed.' Great photos too ~ Love the goose ^_^

    Be Safe, Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  11. That does look like a cauldron!

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  12. A lot of powerful raging water.

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  13. The water is so powerful, nice capture!

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  14. The water seems very wild. Nice captures William.

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  15. @Gattina: it does.

    @Tom: very much so.

    @Eileen: thank you.

    @Jennifer: thanks!

    @Maywyn: likely.

    @Grace: I apologized to the goose and ceded the high ground to him or her.

    @Barbara: I imagine some of what was here would have been mills. The hydro works are still a part of the whole place, but some of the islands are being opened to development.

    @Sharon: I think it might well have been down below.

    @Marie: it is, but it can be quite soothing.

    @Agnieszka: thank you!

    @Karl: definitely.

    @DJan: it has that effect.

    @Carol: thanks!

    @RedPat: it really does.

    @Pat: indeed.

    @Bill: thanks!

    @Marleen: thank you.

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  16. A river you would not want to fall into by the looks, very turbulent.

    Cute goose.

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  17. Yes, that water looks very nasty. If I was you, I wouldn't go in for a swim.

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  18. Never turn your back on a hissing goose who thinks he owns the place. Thank goodness for the fence.

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  19. Wow very cool. I hope you hissed back at the Goose. LOL
    Spokane,Wa. has a river going right through downtown area with several huge water falls
    https://www.visitspokane.com/things-to-do/recreation/spokanefalls/.
    MB

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  20. "Cauldron" is a good name for those falls.
    Good thing the goose was behind a fence. I've not had a Canada goose hiss at me but I'd be inclined to take it seriously.

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  21. The water does look very powerful.

    All the best Jan

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