R Island: 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.