June 22-26, 2016; Orillia Ontario, CA

We left Fenelon Falls at 9:15, hoping to catch the 10:00 opening at Lock 35. We waited until they raised the flag, prepared the lock and we entered at 10:15. Jim and Brenda were behind us and the two boats from Wisconsin were in front. We continued on narrow man-made cuts and shallow lakes and crossed Balsam Lake - elevation 840 and the highest point of the trip. All locks are downhill from here  except for a few in Kentucky. Next we hit Lock 36 Kirkfield, and the second of our "Pan Locks". This one has a drop of 49 feet. The channel we were in actually crosses over a road just as you enter the pan! Amazing technology! The actual descent only takes 90 seconds and is so smooth it's easy to miss if you are not paying attention. We passed thru the "Hole in the Wall" bridge (see photo) and stopped at Sunset Cove Mariana for the evening. Beautiful part of the river, gently winding with well kept properties and not much traffic. Stopped here because we needed a pump-out (they did not have the correct adapter) and wanted a shower as it was hot this day  (water was wet but the showers were a little scary). We did okay. They have a great dog here that comes down to the dock, puts his front paws on a ladder beside the dock, and looks at the fish who rush to greet him - I think he favors one or two because he seems to look them in the eye. The owner says that they go swimming together some times. A 48' Sabre was also there from the West River - just south of Annapolis.

Narrow channels.

Loading into the "Pan".

Just crossed over the road!

Leaving the lock.

Once Again passing thru the "Hole in the Wall".

Next morning we were ready for the 10:00 opening at Lock 37. We were joined by the West River folks and the two 45 footers from Wisconsin that we had locked with the day before. We did 5 locks in a row together - closely packed in the lock - in a 2 hour period. The locks were only about 1 mile apart; enough time to catch your breath. Judie and Cathryn did a great job of line handling! We had planned to stop before crossing Lake Simcoe, but the wall was very weedy and in poor shape, and the lake was pretty flat - so we called the marina and moved up our reservation a day and proceeded on. We stopped a the "Narrows" on the north edge of the lake for our pump-out and had forgotten to turn on the generator for the thruster. Quick action by Judie saved the day and we made a successful landing. Arrived at the "Port of Orillia" Mariana 30 minutes later and tied up in a great space. When we visited the office, we found out it was "Christmas in June" weekend and all slips were booked for Friday and Saturday - good to have our reservation. We spent much of the weekend on the flybridge watching people and viewing the decorated boats. Toured town and helped the local restaurant trade. The last night we went to dinner with Jim and Brenda form Once Again, Joe and Karen from Voyageur and Hugh and Isis. The town of Orillia is doing a good job of keeping stores full, promoting street art and welcoming visitors.

Collection of artifacts the represent Orillia in the past.

Fun Art

Old theatre and now City Hall.

Our Neighbor

Just getting started

Time for the lights to come on

Twinkle, Sparkle, Shine!

Santa with an Island theme.

June 20 and 21, 2016; Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Our last morning at Buckhorn Yacht Harbor and the forward head needed a quick re-build. Talked with Peter, the yard owner, for a little advice; and purchased the replacement "O rings" and flap valve. Finished in less than an hour and on our way. (Still working!)

Short cruise of only 17 miles with no locks. Our goal was the laundromat 2 blocks from the Bobcaygeon lock. We passed thru a combination of small lakes and narrow passages with rocks on either side. The clear water allows you to see the rocks below the surface - and it makes for all the more nervous passage. We tied up below the lock to stay out of the wind that was blowing right off the lake above the lock. After a quick lunch at "Water's Edge"; Judie and Cathryn headed to the laundromat while Ger paid the mooring fee and found a bank for more Canadian dollars. Walked around town - very nice with a couple of banks, a good grocery store and many shops/restaurants, especially if you found one of the 40,000 pairs of shoes that called your name. Easy dinner and ran the generator for about an hour to charge IPad and cell phones.

A Ranger Tug and two houseboats. This is houseboat country!

This houseboat had 12 men on it for a "boys week out".

Next morning we were in the 10:00 lock opening and headed toward Fenelon Falls. There was a nice breeze in our face all day and the trip was mostly passing thru large lakes where the channel took you far from shore and limited your ability to view the cottages and shoreline development. Still pretty. Another short day of only 15 miles and 2 locks. We stopped above the lock and tied to the wall with hydro (local word for electricity - since it all comes from hydro-electric generation) and water. The lock is right in town and it was "Sr. Ditch Day" at the local high school, so lots of folks out and about in the area. Little or no security - but we had no problems. After lunch, visited the local shops where Ger got some new sandals and Judie a silver "Inukshuk" (a trail marker made of rocks usually in the shape of a person). Ger met with Jim and Brenda  of Once Again to get some local knowledge on the Georgian Bay. Went to store for a few food items before returning to the boat for an easy dinner.

Fenelon Falls.

Old firehouse bell and memorial to those that served as rescue personnel.

There is nice information to explain the way the Hydro plant works.

Lots of pretty flowers all around town.

June 15-19, 2016: Young's Point and Buckhorn, Ontario CA

Left at 9:10 to get a free pump out (because we are loopers) and headed for our first of 8 locks (and 15 miles) today. The lock crew must have had a late night  because things moved a little slow and it took 40 minutes to complete the process. Next we came to Lock 21 - the Peterborough Lift Lock. The lock was completed in 1904 and is an still appears to be in great shape today. The lock is much like an old fashioned scale with two large pans to hold the boats. With one pan up and the other down, they balance each other. When it is time to lower, or raise, a pan; an extra foot of water is added to the upper pan. This extra weight allows the upper pan to push down and raises the lower pan. The two pans are then locked in place, the extra water let out, the boats come and go, and the process is repeated. It feels like you are riding in a large freight elevator.

Peterborough lift lock with one pan up, the other down.

Looking backward near the top, 65 feet high.

At lock 24, Judie's line got caught between a fender and the lock cable. It popped loose and Judie fell backwards to the deck - unharmed except for a few scratches, but proudly proclaimed "  I got the line!" and we continued on. After the first 7 locks we got an hour break and had lunch while cruising past beautiful homes and wilderness. Saw a majestic bald eagle pair and a loon on her nest barely 4" above the lake level. This is beautiful country! We arrived at Young's Point and stayed at the lock wall. Made a quick exit for ice for the coolers, and ice cream for the crew. Returned to the boat for a nap and then dinner.

Next morning it was up and away by 8:15 as we had no locks for about an 1.5 hours (the locks only operate from 10-4 since we are not in the summer season yet). We locked thru our first two locks with a pontoon boat, a small houseboat, and a large houseboat. At the last lock we were spread out a little and went thru by ourselves. We went thru "Hells Gate". a winding narrow passage of about 3 miles where everyone paid close attention to the chart and the buoys. Many, many small islands with cottages or big houses. More crystal clear water and beautiful scenery.

We arrived at Buckhorn Yacht Harbor about 12:30 and immediately met with Luke, the service manager to plan the installation of the new refrigerator. We needed to take one of our doors off the boat to widen the opening: and take doors, shelves and drawers out of the old unit to make removal easier. The replacement went very well and only took a hour and 15 minutes. The crew did  scratch the newly finished floor hatch that goes to the engine compartment - but Peter the Owner, contacted a canoe refinishing guy who was able to repair it by Saturday morning. no harm  - no foul and great service. We moved to a slip near the gas dock and spent the busy weekend watch boats come and go. We did not want to travel on Sat or Sunday as all the weekend warriors from Toronto show up to have fun. Spent the time polishing bright-work, washing the boat, and writing this blog. Borrowed a truck twice - one time to go to dinner the first night and another the next day to get groceries for our new refrigerator.

The little white church on an island.

Peter the owner's house at Buckhorn Yacht Harbor.

Our neighbor - the fuel dock!

June 13-14, 2016: Peterborough Ontario, CA

Up and away from Hastings City Marina early in order to beat the wind. Nice run across Rice Lake and up the river to Peterborough - population 78,000 and the largest city we will see until we reach the state of Michigan back in the USA. Nice marina right on Little Lake and fairly convenient to shopping and restaurants. Visited the Canadian Canoe Museum  - a must see if you like old boats and great history. we spent about 3 hours and learned much about early commerce in Canada and it's dependence on the many different forms/shapes of canoes. We tried to visit St. Peter In Chains Catholic Church - but not open during the week - guess God was on Holiday. Found a great Irish Pub three blocks from the boat and shared a few pints!

Did I mention that we lost our refrigerator to old age? It died the night before and our first afternoon was spent getting prices, arranging shipment and lining up an installer - in Buckhorn, two days up the Trent-Severn Canal. We actually purchased a unit we had seen and liked at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show a few years back - a  Nova Cool. So we bought a cooler and along with a small soft-sided on for grocery shopping, made it all work out.

Bronze of a canoe fighting the rapids.

Great shop for repairs and construction.

Most interesting!

R Island a the Peterborough Marina

A locked Church!

June 10-12, 2016: Frankford, Campbellford and Hastings Ontario, CA

Frankford: Left Trenton at 9:15 and stopped by the fueling station for 476 liters of Diesel at 1.04 per liter - wow! But when you convert to gallons and adjust for currency valuation it's not too bad actually. Should last quite a while.

We kept to a short day schedule and did 6 locks and 7.3 miles in about 3.5 hours. It takes about 20-30 minutes to transverse a lock and head for the next. We tied to the upper lock wall of Lock 6 in a very nice park-like setting and had electric service and water along with nice restrooms. At lock 3, the stern got caught in the wind and started to swing toward the center of the lock before Cathy could get her line tied, and she yells out "Hey, what about me out here!". Ger used the thrusters and got the boat over and we enjoyed a good laugh.

Our home for the next few weeks!

Our first Canadian Lock

They call anything an Island! Actually an old crib used to tie log flows too.

Campbellford: It was raining when we got up; so we took our time getting ready and it cleared right on schedule so we could dry the boat and head off. Long cold day of 58 degrees, 6 locks and 24 miles. got to the nice town park about 1:30 and after squaring away the boat headed to the Riverside Inn for a so-so late lunch / early dinner. Walked around a little but most shops were closed as season does not start here until July.

Double-high lock gate as we will go directly from one lock to the next. Two 24 foot lifts.

Big 2 Dollar coin!

Nice historical society - only open on Wednesday from 10-2!

Hastings: What can I say?Cold, windy, small marina, untrained staff, too expensive,  everything closed on Sunday. Banjo's restaurant a short walk away at the bridge was a comfort. Vegetarian chili was great.

June 8-9 2016: More Trenton Ontario, CA

Spent a few extra days in Trenton to get a new spring seal for the water pump on the generator. Of course had to get overnight delivery from Toronto and wait till the mechanic could install it after dinner - but all is well that ended well.

Took advantage of the extra day to visit the Royal Canadian Air Force Museum just a 10 minute cab ride away. Very nice indoor exhibits starting with the fist plane Canada had - a float plane for observation in WWI up to the modern day fighter jets. Cathy and Ger were able to climb into a couple of simulators and admire all the gauges - but they were older and not operating. Nice collection of planes and memorials to airmen outside also.

WWII Bomber

Canada's first aircraft!

Cathy getting some fighter training - if she stays awake!

In a Hercules transport trainer.

Judie laughs at the nose!

Judie and a local celebrity whose name we cannot remember.

Trying to stay warm as we dodge icebergs.

May 31 - June 7, 2016: Brewerton NY to Trenton, Ontario CA

Prologue: We left Sun City AZ on May 2 and took the long way around to get to the boat in Brewerton. Chicago area to see our two youngest children, Adam and Carrie, and families; South Bend Indiana to see Ger's sister Chris and husband Bill; Annandale VA to see oldest son Gary and family. Then after getting to Brewerton NY on May 16 and the boat out of winter storage and readied for the season, we drove the car to Homosassa FL to Ger's sister Cathy to leave it while we traveled on R Island. Then rented a one-way car to get back to the boat and brought Cathy back with us to join the first few weeks of cruising. Total actual miles for the 2,400 mile trip - 6,000 miles.

Brewerton to Oswego: Up at 6:00 and we took our time getting ready. Even got out our old checklists to make certain we followed all the steps and our procedures. We traveled thru 8 locks and went 33 miles before settling into the Oswego Marina. Our friends on Why Knot followed us into our slips. It took all 3 of us (Judie, Cathy and Ger) to get the mast up-righted and back to it's normal position after lowering it to clear bridges on the Erie canal. Success! Judie and Cathy went to dinner while Ger worked on charts for the next two legs of the trip. We did not get to see much of Oswego NY, but is was great to be moving again and getting back into the routine.

All is quiet in the early morning.

Cathy doing a great job at her first lock.

Gates opening!

The Oswego lighthouse in the early morning sun.

Kingston, Ontario CA: The trip over from Oswego, 51 miles across lake Ontario and six and a half hours; was pretty exciting as we ran into four foot waves on our nose immediately past the breakwater, and it was that way for the first two hours before gradually tapering off to no waves at all by the time we got to Kingston. Needless to say it took a little time to get things back into the proper places after all the rough seas. Safely into our slip after becoming acquainted with  hundreds of May Flies that joined the crew and stayed for a few days. Luckily the May Flies did not like land and did not follow us into town; but what a pain when at the boat. Had to raise our yellow Quarantine Flag until Ger checked in with Canadian Customs officials and got the boat and crew cleared. This was only a 20 minute process - actually conducted over the phone - and we were given our visitor number to post in the front window of the boat. The rest of the crew could then leave the boat and enjoy the docks.

Kingston was the first capitol of Canada - later moved around to Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City until settling in Ottawa to be safe, far from the Americans. Kingston is located at the junction of Lake Ontario, The St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Rideau Canal, making it a strategic transportation hub in colonial time.Lots of history and a downtown that is doing a good job of transitioning to tourism. The crews of R Island and Why Knot went to dinner together for the last time as Why Knot was headed northeast on the Rideau while we were headed west. Good friends!

Next day we walked around town and toured the City Hall which was originally built as the nation's capitol before it was moved. Also took a 75 minute "Trolley" ride to see the area and plan the next days sightseeing. Last day in town we visited Fort Henry, naturally on the highest point in the city, and had lunch at their bistro. The fort was most unusual in design as it was unlike other forts we have visited that were built in a star configuration. this fort is a broad spear shaped structure with a broad base behind it. Hard to describe but worth looking up on Google. Also visited Bellevue House, one home of Canada's first Prime Minister - Sir John Alexander Macdonald - also responsible for helping to bring the provinces of Canada into a confederation. The Italianate architectural design was a bit unusual for the area, but made for a lovely home. Queens University (first CA university to offer a degree) and the Canadian Penitentiary (the first in CA) were also on our route.

Bad photo of Judie and Cathy at Kingston's transportation Hub.

The original Nation's Capitol, now city Hall.

Cannon were mounted in hear to defend the area.

Fire Arms practice.

Officer's quarters.

View from the fort overlooking the CA Military Academy (their "West Point") and the City of Kingston.

Getting ready to tour the Macdonald house.

Tour Guides at Macdonald home!

Many limestone homes built by Scottish masons who came to build Rideau Canal Locks and the Capitol.

Picton and Trenton. We left Kingston on the third morning and headed for Picton. Our 34 mile journey thru the Adolphus Reach and Bay of Quinte were picture perfect. Mostly sunny day and no waves - Awesome! We stopped at the "Tip of the Bay" marina and instantly all our little maddening May Flies vanished! Heavy rain that evening and we stayed a extra day to wait out more rain the next morning. Went to the "Cheese Festival" in town during the afternoon for some great samples of beer and cheese.

Next morning we headed for Trenton - the beginning of the "Trent-Severn Waterway". the trip was great for the first 2-3 hours and the wind was from behind us and the sun felt warm. then we turned to the SW and the wind picked up and waves grew quickly to 2 feet. the last hour will go down as a low spot in the trip for the crew. But - great new marina with free laundry, a boaters lounge and showers that remind us of home. Stayed an extra day to use the free laundry, grocery shop, do some generator maintenance and write this blogg.

Picton Harbor

A Picton home.

Another Picton Home!

"Rosebud"