Still at Lock 34 Fenelon Falls

Date               July 29, 2011

Day                31

Departure     No travel today

Arrival           

Miles                 0

Cumulative  748.5

It is raining hard this morning, so we decided to stay another day in Fenelon Falls.  By late morning the rain had stopped and we made good use of this lay day.  The lock is in the center of town, with restaurants, shopping, liquor store and grocery store nearby.  Lynda made up the grocery list and headed off to restock.  Bob headed off to the liquor store to purchase some beer.  There is no traffic in the lock today, seems something in the gate needs to be welded, so unfortunately boats are not able to come up or go down through the lock.  The lock walls are beginning to fill with boats due to the lock being closed.  There are over a dozen boats at the bottom of the lock and another dozen above the lock!

This is the start of a long, 3-day holiday weekend in Canada.  Tomorrow we will get an early start in hopes of obtaining space on the lock wall at the Kirkfield Lift for the night.

Old wooden canal type boat at Fenelon Falls

Fenelon Falls sunset

Another shot of the sunset at Fenelon Falls

Lock #27 Young’s Point, Ontario to Lock #34 Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Date               July 28, 2011

Day                30

Departure     Lock #27 Young’s Point, Ontario  8:50 am

Arrival            Lock #34 Fenelon Falls, Ontario 5:00 pm

Miles               42

Cumulative  748.5

Today was a long, overcast day.  Rain spritzed a couple of times during the day but it stayed dry most of the time.  Our travels today took us through “Hells Gate”.  Quite different from Hell Gate in New York.  This Hells Gate is a channel that was narrow and winding and rocks on either side, waiting to take a bite out of your propeller if you ventured out of the channel!  Lock 30, Lovesick Lock, is a unique lock in that it can only be accessed by boat.  It is also known to have raccoons that WILL come onto your boat at night.  In speaking with the lockmaster, I also learned that there is a bear who also lives on the island.  I don’t think we will be staying here tonight, even though it is extremely pretty, we will travel on!  Now, being from Long Island, we are not used to encountering waterways that are only 5 to 7 feet deep.  We have traveled in more shallow water on this trip than we have ever encountered in all the years we have been boating, but that is the way of the waterway here!  We stopped for the night at Lock 34, Fenelon Falls.  Fenelon Falls has a newer lock wall with water and electric available, but only at the top of the lock.  We stopped at the bottom of the lock before going through and found there was no space available at the top, but some boats may be leaving soon.  We took the dogs for a walk to the top and lucky us, two boats were just leaving!  We hightailed it back to the boat, cast off the lines and made our way to the blue line to await the lock opening.  Once through the lock, we were directed to our space on the lock wall and connected  to electric and water.  Ahhh, a nice long shower onboard tonight!

Church is accessible only by water

Going through Hells Gate

Loons

Left side of Burleigh Falls

Right side of Burleigh Falls

Blue line at the bottom of Fenelon Falls

Lock #19 Scotts Mills-Peterborough, Ontario to Lock #27 Young’s Point, Ontario

Date               July 27, 2011

Day                29

Departure     Lock #19 Scotts Mills-Peterborough, Ontario  8:50 am

Arrival            Lock #27 Young’s Point, Ontario  2:45 pm

Miles               12.5

Cumulative  706.5

Our journey today took us through the greatest number of locks so far in one day, 8; but we only traveled 12.5 miles!  After going through the first lock of the day, we came to the Peterborough Lift Lock.  This lock was completed in 1904 and was considered an engineering marvel at that time.  Each of the two pans weighs 1300 tons when filled.  With one pan up and the other down the two balance each other.  It does not matter how many boats are in either pan.  A boat displaces its own weight in water.  When it is time to lower one pan and raise the other, one extra foot of water (130 tons) is allowed to enter the upper pan.  This extra weight allows the upper pan to push down and raise the lower pan to the top level.  The two pans are locked in place and the extra water is let out of the lower pan.  Boats enter and exit the upper and lower pans and the process is repeated!

Peterborough Lift lock #1

#2

#3

#4

Looking off the stern as we go up

Inside the lock

Looking off the stern from the top

We made it, now we can leave!

As we traveled the waterway, we saw many people out enjoying the day

Canoeing on the river

Enlarge the picture to see the rower

and came upon the first houseboat we have seen on the river.  These houseboats are rented by families so they too, can enjoy the waterway.

The first houseboat we have seen

After Lock 26 in Lakefield, Skipper Bob’s guide cautions on a very narrow gorge, with little room to pass another vessel.  He wasn’t kidding!  I hope we don’t meet anyone coming the other way!!

Doesn't look like anyone is coming!

Seaplanes seem to be another mode of transportation in this area

Boys having fun and cooling off in the wash below the dam at Lock 27

Our destination for tonight, Lock 27 Young’s Point lock wall.  Right at the lock is the Lockside Trading Co. which provides gifts and unique shopping as well as ice cream.  The Old Bridge Inn provides pies, French fries, pizza etc. and there is also a post office and general grocery store nearby.

Hastings Village Marina, Ontario to Lock #19 Scotts Mills-Peterborough, Ontario

Date               July 26, 2011

Day                28

Departure     Hastings Village Marina, Ontario  8:30 am

Arrival            Lock #19 Scotts Mills-Peterborough, Ontario 2:15 pm

Miles               35

Cumulative  694

When we left this morning, the sky was partly sunny with a slight breeze.  As we traveled along, we listened to the weather on the VHF radio.  It predicted possible thunder showers and winds to 30 kilometers per hour.  Should we have left; should we keep going?  We checked the Waterway Guide and Skipper Bob for places to stay should the weather get bad.  OK, now Plan B is in place, let’s keep an eye on the sky but keep going.  Luck was with us, we made it through Rice Lake and on to the Otonabee River and finally through our one and only lock today.  We are safely tied to the lock wall above Lock #19, Scotts Mills in Peterborough, Ontario.  Tomorrow we will experience the Peterborough Lift Lock, stay tuned!! 

This is the way most of the Otonabee River looks, very rural and narrow, except for the occasional home along the river bank.

Dam at Scotts Mills Lock

We learned today that the main function of the dams at the locks is to maintain the depth of the river below the dam.  The gates on the dam are used to release the water slowly, or more quickly, depending on the rainfall.  Today, the water is being released quickly as you can see by the turbulence below the dam.

Erika Lin tied to the lock wall above Lock 19 and adjacent to the dam

Still at Hastings Village Marina, Ontario

Date            Monday July 25, 2011
Day             27
Depart         No travel today
Arrive                
Distance        
Cumulative   659 Miles


Rainy weather, decided to stay at the marina where we have electricity!!
As the sun sets, it looks like the bad weather has passed; we will be on our way in the morning,
 

Lock #12 Ranney Falls, Ontario to Hastings Village Marina, Ontario

Date            Sunday July 24, 2011
Day             26
Depart         Lock #12 Ranney Falls, Ontario 8:20 am
Arrive          Hastings Village Marina, Ontario  1:15 pm      
Distance         19
Cumulative   659 Miles

Note:  You can double click on any picture to view a larger image!

Finally the morning is cool!  Sleeping last night was difficult due to the heat and no electricity, which means no AC on the boat!  Today we traveled through another 6 locks, we are really getting good at this locking thing.  Today's journey took us through a lake, Seymore Lake.  The channel curved left and right through the lake.  There were many cottages along the sides of the lake with people enjoying the day on their beaches and jet skiis.  At times, we felt very large and out of place on this lake!  Some of the channel markers were very interesting...

They were a cement platform with either a black square (for green) or a red triangle (for red).

The Canadian coins are interesting and somewhat difficult to get used to.  There is a Loonie ($1.00 coin) which is gold colored and larger than a quarter and a Toonie ( $2.00 coin) which is silver with a gold colored center and just a bit larger than the Loonie.  You can have a pocketful of coins and have $20.00 in your pocket!  Above is a monument of the Toonie that is located in a park in Campbellford.

Bob manning the lock lines at the stern of the boat

Inside and at the bottom of the start of the flight lock

Leaving the first and entering the second lock in the flight

Seymore Lake

Cottages on Seymore Lake

The dam at Hastings Lock, Erika Lin is at the end of the dock

Depending on the weather tomorrow, we may stay here another day as rain is forecasted.  If the weather is good, we will head out to our first lift lock, the Peterborough Lift!

Lock #6 Frankford Ontario to Lock #12 Ranney Falls, Ontario

Date            Saturday July 23, 2011
Day             25
Depart         Lock #6 Frankford, Ontario 9:00 am
Arrive          Lock #12 Ranney Falls, Ontario 2:55 pm      
Distance         20
Cumulative   640 Miles

Note:  You can double click on any picture to view a larger image!

Today, we are traveling with another couple,  Bev and Joe Paige on Wish Granted from Peterborough, Ontario.  The day is extremely hot (mid 90's) and we have traveled through 7 locks.  Two of the locks are a "flight" lock.  This means that you enter the first lock, it brings you up and as you exit this lock, you are entering the next lock.  A "flight" lock is used where a large lift must be achieved in a short distance.  Wish Granted left us at Lock 12 and continued on.  We stopped for the night and walked to see the nearby suspension bridge across Ranney Gorge.

Bev on "Wish Granted" manning her lock line and trying to stay cool

Ranney Falls

 

Bob carried Tucker and Willow over the suspension bridge.  The floor grid was too large, their feet would fall through!