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| The 60' Carillion Lock and the adjoining 750 megawatt hydro power station. |
It's hard to leave the Province of Quebec as there's so much to do here. Today's excuse for not traveling very far was the opportunity to tour the Carillion power station. For three years now Nellie's been locking through dams with power stations but this was our first opportunity to see one up close and personal.
Underway Nellie's alternator produces 1,680 Watts. Compare that to one of Carillion's alternators which produces 53,000,000 Watts! Walking around, and indeed into one of the Carillion behemoths, made me feel Lilliputian.
There's a symbiotic relationship between hydro power generation and river transportation. A dam raises the upstream water level. This both drowns rapids, making boat travel possible, and provides the pressure head necessary for power generation. I must admit, cruising upstream from the Carillion dam was a pleasure as the Ottawa river is wide, deep and slow moving.
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| About halfway up the lock we can finally see the top of the sill plate. |
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| 19 whole miles from Baie-de-Brazeau, Quebec to Hawkesbury, Ontario. |
Tonight we find ourselves tied to the free wall in Hawksbury, Ontario. Quebec is just a stone's throw away as the line dividing the two provinces runs down the middle of the Ottawa River. DBH
