The journey up the Ottawa River from Montebello (the Loop's northernmost point) to Gatineau – the town just across the bridge from Ottawa – was uneventful, and stunningly beautiful and calm.

It is hard to capture the beauty and peacefulness of this river in two-dimensional images.  This stretch of the river had no bridges, no locks and no obstacles for Salty.  As we approached Gatineau-Ottawa, we rode past the Rideau Falls, where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa River.   

The skyline of Ottawa came into view with its Disneyesque spires perched on dramatically steep green hills as we approached the McDonald-Cartier Bridge.

From the Hull de Marina (Hull Marina or formerly known as the Port de Plaisance), we could spy the next phase of our journey – the Grand Staircase or the Ottawa Locks Nos. 1-8.