Friday

June 30, 2017

We left Peterborough Marina on Thursday.  It was a cold and rainy day.  We traveled 15 miles and through 8 locks.  Figure one half hour per lock and 10 miles an hour of driving.  Not too long of a day, if it weren't for the speed zones and the rain.  Spent the evening at a lock wall inYoungs Point, ON.  A very small town, but they did have a general store with tourist trap items in it.  Of course we bought some trinkets...

Today we left Youngs Point and headed for Bobcaygeon, ON.  This is a really cute small town with everything one might need.  It is supposed to be the busiest town on the Trent-Severn.  We'll be staying two nights to help the Canadians celebrate their 150 year Birthday.  We'll all wear red tomorrow and even Elwood has a Canadian scarf.  We're on a lock wall with many wonderful boaters.  There are a few loopers here too, but we don't know them very well.  Enjoying the company of locals tonight.

We'll think of it as an early 4th of July.  Food, a parade, Ryan Carr Band and Fireworks on Saturday evening.

Just a little bit about why there is a big fountain in the center of the Peterborough bay.

This was so cool!  

After leaving the town of Peterborough we went through the historic Peterborough Lift Lock.  For quite a while it was the highest hydraulic boat lift in the world, built in a time when lifts were usually 7 ft, it raises boats 65ft. There are two identical bathtub-like ship caissons in which vessels ascend and descend.  Both are enclosed at each end by pivoting gates.  The coolest part is there is no external power, the lift functions by gravity alone using the counterweight principle.  One caisson always ascends and the other always descends during each locking cycle.  When one reaches the top it stops 12 inches below the water level of the upper reach and when it is filled to capacity the extra foot. The lock is held in that position until the boats drive out but that extra weight of the one foot of water makes it come down forcing the other tub to ascend and it repeats.

The start of the Lift Lock...

Here we go...

In the U.S. boaters stay in their boats during the locking process.  No one can go anywhere near the locks.  They're all fenced in.  In Canada, people are walking all over the locks literally.  Joell is walking across a lock gate in this picture.  

This picture was taken for Joell's sister.  Mike thought the cartoon characters would help her understand where we are.  Well the picture just won't do... so below is a video of the same map so you all can see a little better of the travels through the Trent-Severn Waterway...

(hope this helps Beth :-)

A little history of Youngs Point.

This is a boat waiting to lock through at Youngs Point.

The Youngs Point dam.

Just a lock between islands called Lovesick.  It only locks us up 4 feet.

Mike thinks this might be a glass home used in a movie called The Lake House.

They call these falls.  We call them rapids.

Mike cleaning the Canadian goose poop off of the sidewalk in front of our boat.  Our new friend Steve looks on.

Bobcaygeon, ON is a very nice stop.  It is noted for its huge Bigley shoe store.  Locals say Canadians come from all over to shop here.  We'll visit the store tomorrow.

Tuesday

June 27, 2017

Hi all!  We'll be staying at the Peterborough Marina in Ontario for the next couple of days.  Staff here is very friendly and especially looper friendly.  The staff gave us a gift package made up for loopers.  They even have a book where loopers sign in and leave their cards.  We paged through last years book and found four loopers we know.  Pretty cool.
We have no phone access while in Canada and only wifi when staying at marinas'. 

We left Trenton, Ontario Saturday June 24 and headed up the Trent-Severn Waterway.

This is Campbellford where we stayed Saturday and Sunday nights.  All the boats in the picture are fellow loopers.  We are way back second from last.

Campbellford is known for it's famous World's Finest Chocolate Factory chocolate.  We walked to the outlet store on Sunday and had to wait for it to open.

Of course Mike made friends with the couple waiting in the car here.  They offered to drive us back to the boat.

After the chocolate outlet store we walked past this beautiful church on the hill.

This old home was across from the church on the hill.

Our boats were parked next to a very nice town park in Campbellford.

Here's a couple videos of a Flight Lock we went through...

Basically, it's two locks connected together.... we even had a single boat in the other side of the lock going the opposite way.  Once both locks were at the same water level the doors opened and the single boat came into our lock...all of us were on the starboard wall and the boat coming into our lock pulled in on our empty port wall...then we 3 boats went into his lock, the doors closed and the water levels either went up or down, depending on which side you were in...

Campbellford also had a great little pub many of us visited.

Myron and Linda at the pub.

We walked next store to to pub and ate at a restaurant called "Capers Tap House" recommended by locals.  It was great.  This is Linda and Joell.

A pretty good beer...

In the Campbellford park next to our boats was this large Canadian 2 dollar piece.  It is called the Toonie.

All tourists take a picture of the Toonie.

We've had more than a few cold nights and after Campbellford we needed to get the quilt that Mikes sister Sue made back on the bed.  Soooooo nice and warm...

After Campbellford, ON we headed to Hastings, ON for one night.  It was a very small town and not much happening, so we moved on.

On our way to Peterborough, ON we saw our first loon sighting since starting the loop.  We really are getting closer to home.

Beautiful farm on the Trent-Severn waterway hillside.

Just about in Peterborough and we passed by this open bridge.  The college kids were jumping off of it and we had to watch out for them.

Then around the corner was the Peterborough Marina and their famous fountain.  

We will be staying in Peterborough for two nights, maybe three, if the weather gets nasty on Thursday.  They are kicking us out on Friday, but we do have reservations at another marina Friday night and Saturday night.  Saturday, June 1st,  is Canada Day.  Similar to our 4th of July.  

Thursday

June 22, 2017

We left Clayton, NY on Wednesday and Headed to Canada.  There was a parade of 6 looper boats with Mikee Likes It in the lead (were quite popular!).  We were all anxious to get customs over with.  We heard stories from multiple sources and were making an inventory of our booze and food etc.  We even sent an email with our names, birthdates and passport numbers to Customs, to expedite the process.  

Crossed the St. Lawrence river and headed up to Kingston, ON.  As the lead boat, Mike was the first captain to call customs.  All other passengers are unable to get off the boat until we are cleared.  Mike went to a special TRC (telephone reporting centre) phone and dialed in.  He was put on hold for a while, then was asked to spell Joell's name and give her birth date.  That was it!   He handed the phone to the next looper and all 6 of us were through the process in minutes.  We figured it was because we had emailed our passport information a few days ahead of time.  That is our story and we are sticking to it.

After spending one night in Kingston (a very nice city), we got up early and boated on to Trent, ON.  Ready to begin our Trent-Severn adventure.  45 more locks, but supposed nice little towns and lots of good anchorages.  We'll see.

We saw this old lighthouse, on the right, and a beautiful new lighthouse on the left.

This is where Mike made the customs phone call.  We are sure the customs agent could see him while he talked.

We were so excited to have gotten through customs easily that we went for a beer at a cute little beer garden.  Larry and Elke had Rouladen.

Mike and Joell had an appetizer of smoked salmon.  Fresh caught from Mike is always best.

We all went to a hardware store and got courtesy flags.

Heading past the 1000 Islands we have to watch out for ferries.  That is the main transportation to and from the islands.  Most of the residents are summer only.  There are a lot of farms on the islands, but they're mostly self-sufficient through the winter.  The St. Lawrence does freeze over, which allows residents to cross by snowmobile.

Joell drove most of the way to Trent, ON.  Mike and Elwood relaxed.  

At Trent we all had docktails in the sun.  Expecting major rains tomorrow.

There is a Canadian Air-force Base nearby.  We will try to catch better pictures of the military planes.  We were so busy with dock-tails, the camera was slow to come out.