After Pembroke, we headed to Deep River where we stopped for the night (more on this experience later…). The following day, the weather was a little bit better, albeit chilly. We drove to Rapides-Des-Joachims, a small village located on an island in the middle of the Ottawa River.

Rapides-Des-Joachims is in Québec… well, kind of–the only paved road link to the village is through Rolphton, Ontario. We took a small one-lane bridge to cross the river and admire the thick boreal forest bordering the water. Somehow, it reminded me of New Zealand. We spotted a few people who just came back from a canoe fishing trip despite the rainy weather.

Yet, I can’t imagine living in this isolated community during the winter months… Although I’m sure getting around by snowmobile can be a lot of fun.

Bridge over the Ottawa River
Watch Out, Slippery!
Ontario Road
Rapides-Des-Joachims Bridge
By The River
The Dam at Rapides-des-Joachims
Snowmobiles Area
Canoe Zone
Fish Hook
Pine Needles
Logs
Coming Back From Fishing
Cold Beers and Worms
The Dam

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12 Comments

  1. Mr. G September 8, 2010 at 10:21 am

    Beautiful pics Zhu, as usual! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. DianeCA September 8, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    Wow! You were totally right! It looks a lot like Norway, the nature is really similar – and apparently the temperature now too 😆

    Reply
  3. Tulsa Gentleman September 8, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    We had rain all day today in Tulsa and about 75*F, cooler than usual. I just posted some rainy photos on my blog and see from my globe that someone is visiting me from Oakville Ontario, I assume that is you. If I knew how I would wave hello.

    Reply
  4. shionge September 8, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    Hey Zhu, you are always ‘on the move’ that’s so wholesome and colourful 😀 Luv it!!

    Reply
  5. Soleil September 8, 2010 at 11:47 pm

    Sometimes I think it sounds cool to live in such isolated, rural places. Then I realize that you would be stuck there, and I think maybe better just for a vacation! I like that it was so gray out when you took the pictures. Adds ambiance.

    Reply
  6. Sidney September 9, 2010 at 7:56 am

    That is the great outdoors ! Looks like there is no pollution there!

    Reply
  7. Em September 9, 2010 at 10:17 am

    Nice pics!
    I don’t know, sometimes I dream to live in really isolated places but then I think that I might go crazy without any social life. I guess it would depend where it is, as long as there’s a pub and nice people frequenting the bar, I think I could be happy.

    Reply
  8. Seraphine September 10, 2010 at 1:00 am

    does that bridge have a steel roadbed? i hate those! i crossed a bridge like that in oregon once, and i could feel my car wheels slip even in dry weather. i can’t imagine the horrible feeling of driving on that bridge in winter, when it is wet or icy. and what is there is a car coming from the opposite direction. ieeeee.

    Reply
  9. Linguist-in-Waiting September 10, 2010 at 9:26 am

    That place looks rather isolated. I agree, I don’t think I can live there during the winter. I prefer my cityscape. But I still think it’s a good idea to visit those rural areas every now and then for a change.

    Reply
  10. Vagabonde September 10, 2010 at 8:16 pm

    Nice pictures. I like isolated areas – for travel, then I like to get back home. It is nice to know that they are there though. I think it all depends about what you are used to. I was brought up in Paris so for me Atlanta is a small town. Mais j’aime bien aller à la campagne – c’est relaxant.

    Reply
  11. Zhu September 13, 2010 at 3:54 pm

    @Mr. G – Gracias!

    @DianeCA – Yes, we are exactly between Summer and Fall. We are having some weird days, weather-wise!

    @Tulsa Gentleman – That was probably me! I find the location is rarely exact, it almost never says Ottawa. So usually, Ontario = me 😉

    @shionge – Gotta take advantage of the long WE!

    @Soleil – I feel exactly the same. It looks cool to me, the city girl, but I like living in bigger cities and I would get bored.

    @Sidney – It’s pretty clean, but I’m afraid there is still some pollution.

    @Em – I guess you can have a social life, people are pretty welcoming. That said, I’m not sure I would like to know everyone within a twenty kilometer radius… I like being anonymous in a crowd.

    @Seraphine – That’s exactly how it felt! And most bridges in Canada are like that. I’m so scared to drive on them during the winter…

    @Linguist-in-Waiting – Something, you do need to escape the city a bit and I’m thankful to be able to drive to the country easily. But I’m still a city girl!

    @Vagabonde – I feel the same! Ottawa is pretty big compared to Nantes but it so spread out the downtown feels pretty small.

    Reply
  12. London Caller September 14, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    OK, I see the dam.
    Where are the beavers? Ha ha…

    Reply

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