Lakefield to Burleigh Falls, Canada

Day 20

Travel Time: ~3 hours

NM today: 12

NM total: 520

Locks today: 2

Locks total: 56

Well I tried to make today an early day by getting up earlier than we have been doing, but by the time we finished all our errands and tasks, it was almost 11:00 before we untied from the lock wall to start today’s travels.  We started the day with a quick bike ride to the local hardware store which was more like a general store that sold hardware.  We found the bug zapper we decided we wanted to get as well as a new fan.  The fan runs on AC not DC and it is clearly not marine grade, so we’ll see how long it lasts.  At least it’s not currently exposed to salt water / air.  It took a while to explore the store, decide which model fan to buy based on how much current / amps used, find the bug zapper which the store clerk said they did not sell, that kind of thing.  I loaded up the backpack and an extra bag with our goodies and gave it all to Clark to carry back to the boat. 

Rock seen on bike ride - looks like a wild boar or bear cub

Sea Moss hiding in the "jungle" of trees along the lock wall in Lakefield

When we got back to the boat, I started putting things away and thought we would be shoving off shortly.  Clark then told me that he wanted to go play guitar with the lock attendant, so off he went with guitar in hand happy as anything.  When he came back a while later, I asked him how it went and he told me that the lock hand did not know B7 chord, but now he does.  

As I said before, we finally pulled away from the lock wall just before 11:00 and headed across the lake to the next lock about 30 minutes away.  I stayed below and organized the salon with my new fan and some other general cleanup.  When I came up top, I asked Clark if I had missed anything.  He said, “we passed Second Island and Third Island right after we passed an island with no name”, so I guess I didn’t miss much.  A lot of the islands here are small, and what I find amazing is that people have built houses on some of these islands that is just about the size of the island.  The only apparent means of getting to the house is by boat.  Talk about secluded?  Wouldn’t it be cool to say you own your own island?  Of course folks would always think you mean somewhere in the Caribbean. 

Remote church on the canal

Tons of little islands

Some portions of this home are definitely only accessible by boat

 After we entered Lock 27 and were waiting for other boats to tie up, we saw Harmony which had docked behind us in Peterborough.  Clark was fascinated by Harmony’s solar panel system and wanted to see the controller on Harmony.  The two captains chatted while waiting for the lock to fill.  By the time we came out of the lock, Clark had agreed that we would follow Harmony to an anchorage, so he could board their boat and take a look.  We followed them a ways until Harmony dropped anchor in Clear Lake.  We then tied up to their boat and went aboard to see the solar panel system. 

As we talked to John and Eunice from Harmony, we found out that they were planning on going into the water to take a look under the boat.  Apparently a momentary distraction was sufficient time for Harmony to hit the rocky bottom, so they wanted to see what the boat bottom looked like and also check their zincs to see if they needed to be replaced.  This gave Clark the wonderful idea that we should go swimming too.  The water temperature is about 74 degrees – brisk but pleasant on a hot day, so over we went. 

The first thing I realized was that the current was taking me away from the boat quickly, so I had Clark tie a line to a float so I could drift away from the boat to play but had something I could be attached to so I wouldn’t drift too far away.  Meanwhile, Clark had his scraper and dive mask and was ‘free diving’ i.e. no tank of air, under the boat to look for fishing line around props and barnacles from NJ still attached to the propeller shaft.  Starboard side looked pretty good but the port side needed extra work.  The port side got less barnacle attention last time because it took so long to get the fishing line off the prop shaft that Clark had no air capacity left to do a complete job on the barnacles.

Clark was so enthused by Harmony’s solar panel arrangement that before we left the anchorage, he pulled out our roll-up, flexible solar panel that has been sitting in the second state room since we left NJ.  He tied it to the top of the Bimini top over the fly bridge, plugged it in by the batteries, and voila we saw that the panel was indeed feeding “juice” to the batteries.  It’s a trivial amount compared to what Harmony gets with his arrangement, but every little bit helps.

After our swim, barnacle scrape, and solar panel install, we pulled up anchor and continued on our way after saying farewell to Harmony.  By then we had been at the anchorage for almost 2 hours, it was just about 3:30.  Locks stop operating at 6:00 on weekdays, so we were running out of time to get to Buckhorn where we had planned on stopping for the night.  A quick change of plans led us to Burleigh Falls to stay on their lock wall for tonight. 

Again we are at a place with no amenities except what the Canadians call a ‘washroom’, and we in the U.S. call a restroom.  During the late afternoon four guys were in the park-type area around the lock.  They swam, cooked and ate dinner, and lounged in the sun, but they left around 8:00 and then we had the place completely to ourselves.  This is the first time we’ve stayed at a lock wall and there is no one else here with us.  It’s nice and weird at the same time.

Before dinner we walked up the hill and across the street to the local market where we found ice cream yet again and fresh vegetables.  Of course I had to check out the vegetables in search of zucchini.  I thought they had none but Clark found one (only one) hiding behind some Brussel Sprouts.  I snatched it and a couple of yellow squash up in a hurry.  I also saw delicious looking corn on the cob which I just could not resist for myself (Clark doesn’t eat corn).  A tomato here and a box of blueberries there, and all of a sudden I have a very nice selection of tasty treats for us to take home to the boat.

For dinner I heated up my leftover Cornish Pasties and cooked corn in the microwave and used my electric wok to stir fry the zucchini and yellow squash, so we had a little feast.  Clark was concerned that our travels today had not charged up the batteries sufficiently for a night stay without electric, so I was able to go crazy with electricity usage while he ran the generator to charge the batteries for the night ahead.  After dinner, we hurried back up the hill and across the street to The Market for ice cream.  It was 6:50 and they said they close at 7:00. 

When we got there, no one was in the ice cream hut so we went up the The Market and found the door locked.  I guess they saw Clark’s sad face looking in the window because they opened the door and told us we could have ice cream.  We followed them back to the hut, got our ice cream, and then followed them back to the store so we could pay.  Boy, what a close call that was!  Very few establishments here seem to post their hours of operation and it would appear that closing hour even when posted is only an approximation.

We strolled around the area after our treat and saw some pretty rapid water from some pretty scary places.  I'm sure Clark was find with our walk but my heart rate went up considerably as we walked across a narrow sidewalk several feet up and over the dam / spillway.  One false step or attack of vertigo and it's a long way down!  Chasing Clark around can be pretty "hair raising" but I guess it keeps me young.

View from above walking over the dam

Peterborough to Lakefield, Canada

Day 19

Travel Time: ~ 5 hours

NM today: 8

NM total: 508

Locks today: 7

Locks total: 54

Mornings on departure days are always busy and today was no exception.  Clark was out of his allergy medicine so we had to find a pharmacy.  He went out on his bike once, couldn’t find the pharmacy, returned to get more directions from the marina internet, and set out again.  The first pharmacy of course did not carry what he needed but told him the Canadian equivalent brand which he found at a pharmacy a few blocks further on. 

After he came back he filled the water tank – a critical agenda item given our planned next stop has no amenities – no water, electric, showers, or internet.  We stopped over to say hello to the folks on Ariel who just arrived at the marina.  Next to them on their dock was the 1929 wooden boat.  We also talked with them and learned that they were getting ready to pull up their lines and move out for the day.  Clark decided he wanted to travel alongside this old boat, so we turned in our dock keys, hauled in our lines and took off in record time.  

I was incorrect in yesterday’s blog.  The wooden boat itself is called High Tea and the dinghy is named Tea for Two.  We learned by talking to them that they are not the owners but a hired captain and crew to move the vessel for the captain.  The captain explained to us that they were taking it to a port further along in Canada and then the top cabin of the boat would be removed so the boat could be shipped by truck to its ultimate destination.  Looking at the condition of that lovely wood, it is hard to believe someone would be willing to disassemble the boat, but I guess you do what you have to do.  The boat was built in Canada and so the story goes, it is being returned from whence it came – back to its home town or near there.

Top of boat (teak) to be removed for transport

Changing homes - RI to Canada

 We had 7 locks to tackle today including the historic lift lock we had heard about and seen by bicycles.

Sitting in the "cake pan" of water, tied to the railing,
waiting for the lift lock to take us up

I have to say that locking through with the historic boat was more of a pain than a pleasure.  All the lock attendants were concerned for the “old lady” and filled the locks at slow speed.  Grrrr.   Today the sun was out in full force.  Down in the locks there is not even the slightest breeze.  On the bow there is no shade for me to hide in.  I melted all day long – or at least 5 hours of it.  I truly thought I might have heat stroke at one point if I wasn’t careful, so as soon as we pulled out of the lock, I ran for the shade and a liter of water.   In all of 5 hours we only traveled 8 nautical miles.  That’s the equivalent of 9 statute miles.  I'm pretty sure I could have walked it faster!? 

Clark got chatty with the captain of the old boat as we went through 7 locks with them.  Through the course of conversation, he discovered they have a battery problem on board.  He volunteered to look at the battery to see what he could diagnose in return for a tour of the boat.  As soon as we tied off lines he took off running with his voltage meter to see what he could learn.  I, on the other hand, went and ran water over my head to help me cool down.  I also exchanged one shirt for another to see if it would help with my overheating.  It did - quite nicely.

When Clark returned from High Tea, he said, “they’re all happy”, so I gathered he addressed their problem.  It turned out that they have a bad alternator, which didn’t sound like it would make me happy.  Then Clark explained that he explained to them how they can use their generator to charge the battery until the alternator is fixed.  Then I understood why they were happy – they had a work around solution to their issue.  Clark offered to take me over for a tour of the old boat but I said I’d pass and look at his pictures later.  I have as much interest in seeing the hot insides of that boat right now as Clark has of exploring museums, which in case you can’t tell is about none at all.

I told Captain Clark that I would prefer to get an earlier start in the mornings.  I hate leaving late and then getting into the next town so late that everything has closed for the day by the time we come to explore.  Also, I can’t take this melting heat; an earlier start would allow us to travel some of the time at a cooler part of the day.  Problem is that Clark is a night owl and cannot easily change his life habits.  I guess I’ll just have to start pulling him out of bed earlier whether he likes it or not.

By the time we got on our bikes to explore it was already 6:00, and guess what, all the stores in town were closed.  We found several restaurants including a pub and an ice cream store.  I checked the pub menu and found the steak pie I’ve been longing for this whole trip.  Sadly, it was labeled “steak and mushroom pie” and I am allergic to mushrooms.  Sigh!  I’ll keep looking.  We finished our tour of the town and decided to head home for supper before coming back for ice cream.

WWI, WWII, and Korean War Memorial in Lakefield

Old Church in Lakefield

Store in Lakefield offering Makeovers

Since I have been longing for pub food, I decided to be adventurous in my own kitchen and made makeshift Cornish Pasty for dinner.  I didn’t feel like using the boat oven, so I took a chance on cooking the pastry-wrapped meat / potatoes on the stove top using a skillet as my oven.  It worked as I expected it might.  The Cornish Pasty dinner was surprisingly good.  I wanted to keep eating but knew there was ice cream in the near future so saved some pasty for another meal.

We had one mishap during the dinner-making timeslot.  Clark put the DC fan on for me to blow the heat out of the boat while I cooked.  Part way through the cooking I heard a POP and the fan stopped.  Of course Clark was nowhere to be seen.  Where was he?  Gabbing with the folks on that old boat again.  I yelled down the dock and he came running (expecting dinner to be ready) and I told him the news about the fan.  He proceeded to take it apart as he suspected it was the fuse that had popped.  It was the fuse but the fan has bad bearings and there is no hope for a repair.  Now I have to cook in the heat.  We had one of these fans that lasted for 15 years from one boat to the next but the plastic housing finally dried out and collapsed.  We have had 2 since that didn’t even last 2 years each.  Clark muttered something about Taiwanese motors.  Never one to through anything in the garbage, the fan is now stored on the boat for future consideration – perhaps sometime in 2016 when we are back home.  Gotta love it!

At 8:15 we set off on our bikes to go to the ice cream store which was reasonably close.  Clark said that if we used our bikes we could outrun the bugs which sounded like a great idea.  I just had to remember to bike with my mouth closed as we went along!  That’s one thing I cannot understand.  How can such a northern country have so many bugs!?  I am so glad that we either purchased or made screens for every window and door on the boat.

The ice cream was a nice treat after a long hot day.  After the ice cream treat we biked to Foodland which is open 24 hours to buy vegetables to replenish my stock.  As we waited at the corner for the light to change, the local town cop drove by and slowed down to say something to us.  We both thought he was going to complain about something – probably our lack of lights as it was already dusk. (We had lights in our backpacks but weren’t using them yet.)  Instead he yelled, “Are you boaters?”  We said yes and then he said he could tell by our funny-looking bikes and kept on going. 

Zucchini is a main food in our diet, and I am sad to report that it is nearly impossible to buy in this country.  I found it in one store but it was beyond its expiration date before I got there, so I had to pass.  I found it in one store and grabbed some up.  I haven’t seen it since.  I bought broccoli which we haven’t eaten since we left NJ and French-style green beans, and spinach.  The first two aren’t great choices as it is hard to cook broccoli on the boat – too much time to boil water and too much steam, and Clark is not a great fan of green beans.  I’ll sauté the beans in olive oil as he enjoys them cooked that way.  However, my hunt for more zucchini is ongoing!

With no showers, internet, or TV and after a long day of hard work and exercise, I went to bed immediately after finishing the dirty-dishes-cleanup duty.  Clark has been very good about helping with the dishes, so the job goes pretty quickly.  With no hot water heater (we’re not great fans of generators) we had to do the dishes while there was still hot water in the tank from the day’s driving.  (The water in the hot-water tank heats naturally by virtue of being a metal tank in the engine room – so hot in fact that it is near scalding.)  

Peterborough - Little Lake Marina

Day 18
NM Today: 0
NM Total: 500
Locks Today: 0
Locks Total: 47
Travel Time: 0 hrs.

The agenda for today was supposed to be a leisurely kayak ride around the lake here at the marina. However, we decided that the VHF radio, our main communication device with other boats and marinas, needed to be repaired.  The microphone sound quality (volume) was extremely weak.  Also the plastic latch on my clothes closet decided to disintegrate when I closed the door last night.  We hoped the local boat store would be able to provide a latch, but the microphone for the VHF was another story.

The only electronics parts stores we could find online were in Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa.  We found a number of local stores selling electronics, and we decided to take the bikes out to visit the various stores to see what we could find to solve our mike problem.  The stores all appeared to be on Lansdowne Street, so we ended up biking up and down this 4-lane highway (fortunately with sidewalks and crosswalks).

We found a store shortly after reaching Lansdowne Street (about 4 or 5 blocks from the marina) that could sell us a computer mike for $5.  However Clark was not sure it was a compatible part to the one we needed, so we set off in search of other stores to see what they had to offer.  We had called ahead to one store that turned out to be very hard to find. Finally we found it after about 30 to 40 minutes of biking up and down the highway by going into another store and asking them to look it up on internet for us.   We could not find it due to it being located within the Lansdowne Place Mall and not visible from the road.  After all that hunting for the store, the best they could offer was to sell us a computer microphone for $30.  Comparing the $30 option to the $5 option, Clark decided to go for the $5 computer mike and hope for the best.

When we got back to the store, he actually bought the mike and then took it apart in the store to see if it was going to provide the part he needed to fix the VHF radio.  Success!  It was the perfect size and saved us $25 - more than that if you consider what a new VHF radio would cost.  The one we have is no longer manufactured, so buying a new mike for the old radio is probably not an option.

All told we biked over 4 miles between the search for the microphone part and the search for a new latch for my closet.  Although we were very successful with the mike search, we failed on the latch search.  The boat store did not have what we wanted and the hardware store in town only had non-marine products, i.e. candidates for corrosion.  Ah well, we got the important one fixed as Clark was able to take the mike out of the computer microphone and solder it into the VHF radio as an excellent repair job.  We tested it via the boat intercom with very happy results.

Even though we had biked over 4 miles, Clark was still looking for that kayak ride, so we grabbed a snack and went out to explore -- the water this time.  Getting into and out of my kayak is a major challenge for me.  Our swim platform on the 'big' boat is 90% occupied by the dinghy, and my body is too big for the little piece of remaining real estate.  However, we could not find another option for getting into / out of the kayaks as the docks were all very high.  Somehow I managed to plop myself into my kayak, but I knew getting out would be a serious challenge!

The kayak ride was pleasant but a considerable amount of work.  We started the trip by going against the current to have the easier ride back.  I couldn't even stop paddling for a drink of water or I lost ground due to current, so I had to just keep paddling.  We went under railroad bridges and car bridges and over lots of rocks and boulders we could see in the water below us.  The water was clear enough to look down and see the bottom.

Reflection of railroad bridge in lake

Exploring by kayak 

 A few times while going against the current, I got into shallow sections and became concerned about running aground in my kayak.  I could look down and see the rocks and boulders below me getting closer and closer.  Each time, however, I was successful in finding deeper water.  We traveled against current for over a mile before deciding to turn around and go back.  The water was very rapid next to us, and Clark said get into the current and let it take you.

That sounded like fun until I tried it.  The current caught me and pushed me sideways into a boulder which I ran up on then tipped over sideways.  I squawked "Clark! Help! Help!" Before he was able to turn around and come back, I had managed to maneuver myself off the rock without falling into the water (good kayak!) and try once again to get myself going in the right direction.  Phew!  Yes, I was wearing a life jacket!

As we approached the boat, I asked Clark, "What next?" and he responded that he wanted to go see the fountain.  Getting there was no problem as we were going with the current; however, a boater was out there with a water skier making all sorts of wakes for me to bounce over.  Wheeeee!  Clark took numerous pictures of the fountain, but the ones with the rainbows were the best.

Rainbow over the fountain

 After exploring the fountain and being bounced around, it was finally time to go back to the boat.  Hmmm!  Against current once again I found myself paddling quite hard, and if I stopped paddling, that fountain got closer and closer instead of distancing itself!  Again I couldn't stop for a drink because I'd lose too much ground if I did.

The dreaded 'getting out of the kayak' part came next.  Clark explained that he pulled himself out of the kayak using the boat cleat and recommended I do the same.  That sounded good until I tried it.  From my point of view it was completely backwards, and I knew I'd never be successful.  Before attempting this left-handed method, we had spent several minutes trying to get my kayak turned around, so I could disembark Clark's way (Clark had tied my kayak to the big boat, the current was forcing me into the side of the boat and his tied up kayak, and I had no room to maneuver to turn my boat the required180 degrees.)  With a lot of pulling and splashing I finally got turned around.

After fall that work though I quickly figured out that his way was not an option for me, so I had to turn the boat around again.  This time I told him to untie me and let me turn the boat around without being tethered to the big boat - much better!  However, I was still in the kayak and still needed to exit!!!!  To make this long story a bit shorter, I will say that I did manage to crawl out of the kayak onto the swim platform without going for a swim in the process and without looking too much like a buffoon.

As we were putting away the kayaks, an old wooden boat came into harbor to dock at the marina for the night.  We were told the boat was built c. 1929.  It was a beauty named Tea for Two.  It had a single engine, and with the wind and current, they had a devil of a time getting it docked.  The marina had told them bow in, port tie up.  When all was said and done, several very interesting minutes and multiple docking attempts later, they were tied up stern in, starboard tie up.  The solution the captain used was to get the boat turned around with the current pushing him on the side and let the current push him slowly into the dock.  Cool solution!

Tea for Two Wooden boat c. 1929

 After dinner we were in for a real treat as a free concert was set up in the adjoining park.  We carried over our lawn chairs and sat and listened to a great performance.  It was a nice mix of music.  The band was "tight" meaning together on hitting the notes and the music selection included one of my favorite instruments - the fiddle. Great show by Melissa Payne who is a local artist playing folk pop music.

Walking back to the boat for the night, we noticed that the fountain was glowing in red, green and white coloring.  Spectacular!

Lake Fountain lit for the night

The last agenda item for the day was deciding the next destination.  Looks like we have 7 locks or so tomorrow including the exciting Lift Lock we have been hearing so much about!

Hastings to Peterborough via Rice Lake

Day 17
NM today: 33
NM total: 500
Locks today: 1
Locks total: 47
Travel Time: 5.5 hours

Today, like yesterday, was bright and sunny.  The days warm up but the nights are chilly.  Last night it was 52 degrees.  We have a couple of blankets on the bed, but I guess the sheets are too satiny because I wake up multiple times during the night to yank the covers back up as they seem to want to travel towards the end of the bed.  I guess I need non-skid sheets on the bed.

Just before we planned to leave the vessel Ariel came in to dock behind us as the wall.  They have a Mainship 390 which they have owned for just one year.  We chatted and compared boats and before we knew it time had flown and we were looking at a departure time of 10:15 for our trip through Rice Lake.  Another couple on Palmetto Paradise were concerned with reports of Rice Lake becoming rough in the afternoon, so they departed bright and early.

I prepared the boat as I do when we go out in the ocean - make sure nothing is ready to fall off the counters, close windows in case of spray, etc.  As we traveled across Rice Lake, we saw nothing but smooth waters except when jet skis and speed boats went flying by and made a wake.  In other words, it couldn't have been smoother!  I guess you never know.

Slow Speed - No Wake??? I don't think so!!!

Fishermen in rowboats and canoes everywhere

Cottages with docks also everywhere

 Having spent the last few days at lock walls with varying levels of amenities - some with water,  electric, and showers and some with nothing except a washroom. We decided to stay at a marina in Peterborough for two nights.  It is luxury accommodations with all services compared to last night where we had no electric, water supply, or showers.  To top it off, we found they offer an AGLCA discount so we got a reduced rate for our stay here.  Yippee!

Peterborough seems to have a lot to offer, so we decided to explore via bicycle to see what we could find.  We needed a new water hose - ours had sprung multiple leaks so that it generated a fine mist as we used it to fill our water tank.  Once again we arrived in town late in the day, so we didn't expect to find stores still open.  As luck would have it, the hardware store in town didn't close until 8 p.m. so we snuck in and bought a hose - it's one of those "as seen on TV" type hoses that expands under water pressure and collapses back to pocket size when the water is turned off.  We shall see how this works.

We had wandered up the main drag - George Street and down a few side streets and stumbled upon Hunter Street Cafe District during our meanderings.  After scoping out the town and buying our new hose, we decided that we might as well ride our bikes up to see the historic lift lock that everyone has been telling us about.  Apparently the lock has two chambers.  You boat into one and depending if you are going up or down they either add water to the other "bucket" or let water out to raise or lower the partner bucket.  One person referred to the two "buckets" as 'cake pans'.  Whatever you call them, it looks to be an interesting new challenge for us.

Historic Peterborough Lift Lock

The lift lock is on the other side of a hill at the edge of town.  The bike ride up the hill was more than I could manage.  I got about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up and that was it - I had to walk it up the rest of the way.  Of course Clark just kept on going like the "energizer bunny" he is but even he commented on his heart rate at the top of the hill.  The ride down to the lock after cresting the hill was steep and fast.  We explored all over the lock.  The only way we found to look around on top was to climb a very tall set of stairs.  Of course I had to carry my bike up there.

Stairs to top of lift lock

After getting up to the top huffing and puffing, I found the "cake pan" that basically looked like a swimming pool for a boat.  I also found a road back down from the lock ,so I didn' t have to carry it back down the stairs.  At the bottom of the stairs, this same road said "do not enter", "do not enter", but it never said "do not exit" so I figured it was okay to take the road out!

Once we mounted the tremendous hill separating the lock from the town, the ride back into town was a breeze.  After my bike accident last fall, I am more cautious of high speed so I did not take the full advantage of the hill that I might have done in the before-mishap past.  It was nice to coast all the way into town and luckily we got a lot of green lights so not much stopping along the way!

Hunter Street Cafe District in Peterborough

 By the time we finished exploring - a good two hours worth - it was getting on supper time and I needed to find one of those washrooms, so we decided to eat in a restaurant in town.  I wanted to eat at a pub with traditional pub food.  We couldn't fine one.  We found lots of pubs - one with nothing I considered pub food and one with no food at all.  We finally settled on a regular restaurant with outdoor dining where we could have our bikes at the table with us.  It was getting on for 8:30 by the time we finished eating, we had several blocks to go to get back to the boat, and we were starting to get worried about running out of daylight as we had not brought bike lights with us.  In other words, we didn't stay for dessert.

With the exception of George Street which is packed with cars, other streets in town are reasonably quiet and pretty to ride on.  The picture below shows a view of Peterborough late in the day as we were wandering around town.  With the number of restaurants and shops we found, perhaps I should be referring to Peterborough as a city since I expect it qualifies as such.

Street in Peterborough late in day

We're hanging out here one more night - what a treat not to face any locks tomorrow!  The Captain wants to go out in the kayaks tomorrow exploring the waters  of Little Lake, so I expect that's what we'll be doing for some portion of the day.  There is a fountain in the lake visible from the bow of our boat where we are docked here at the marina.  It is quite unusual and very pretty.  If we get too close to it kayaking tomorrow, I guess we'll get a shower.  As we passed it on the boat coming in to dock, I felt the spray from the fountain.

Fountain in Little Lake with Peterborough in background

Campbellford to Hastings, Canada

Day 16

NM today: 16

NM total: 467

Locks today: 6

Locks total: 46

Travel Time: 5 hours

MODIFIED to include pictures and updated text when WiFi became available.

No Internet at Hastings so I'm sitting in a parking lot using free WiFi from Subway sandwich shop.

We went through 6 locks again today as we traveled 16 more miles of the Trent - Severn Waterway.  

Before starting out for the day, we had a few errands to run.

First we wanted to visit the pedestrian suspension bridge over the raging water.  We rode our bikes back to the previous lock to get there.  I'd guess about a mile or two from the boat.  

View from suspension bridge

Then we rode back to town via the chocolate factory in town.   Clark went into the factory outlet store to look around while I stayed outside to watch the bikes.  Neither of us eat chocolate so he didn't buy anything.   He came back with the report that it smelled divine in the store.

Chocolate Factory Outlet Store

We then went further into town in search of the post office so that we could mail an urgent letter back to the U.S.  Next we hit Dooher's Bakery which is the most happening place in the whole town.  Apparently folks come from miles around to buy their goodies.  

Here Clark watched the bikes while I shopped.   I bought tea biscuits for me and oatmeal cookies and raspberry pie for Clark.

By this time it was around 10:30 by the time we got back  op the boat.   Other than one boat that was staying an extra night, all the others were gone.

We still had some tasks to take care of before leaving, so it turned out to be 12:15 before we pulled in our lines and were on our way.

On the way to Hastings we entered "cottage country"as all along the spite on both sides there was one cottage after another.  Some were decorated in interesting ways.   One place had a fixed dock painted as an image of the Canadian flag.  Another had a dock that was painted to look exactly like a lock with a boat leaving.   At that same cottage there was a sign that said "Bite My Bass ".

Boat house 

We passed numerous islands on this stretch with some interesting names including Dark Island, Haunted Island, Slaughter Island, Spook Island, Steam Island, West Sugar Island, Cow Island, Long Island, Sunken Island, and Grasshopper Island (to name a few).  One island of interest was called "Clarks Island" which was quite close to "Mud Lake".  Clearly Canadians have a sense of humor and pride in their country and what it has to offer.

Part of today's trip took us through a double lock where a 2nd one starts immediately after the first completes.  We were raised up to the bottom of the blue doors, they opened, we moved into the 2nd half of the double lock, and we were raised up the rest of the way to exit.

Lock 16/17 Double Lock

After tying up in Hastings we walked the town to see what we could find.   Due to our late start, the stores were mostly closed.  We did discover the free WiFi at Subway obviously.  We found a dollar store that charged more than a dollar for items in the store - like $8.99  (I'm not sure how it rates as a dollar store), 3 or 4 convenience stores within a 2 block radius, the beer store, and the LCBO - liquor control board of Ontario liquor store.  Since we don't drink alcohol, we did not check the last 2 out on the inside.  

Since we are on a tight budget and we had food in the fridge, we went back to the boat for a home-cooked dinner.

Mediterranean Tilapia over Sauteed Spinach with Yukon Gold Potatoes

Besides the free WiFi at Subway, we found a great ice cream place, so after dinner we walked back to make use of the WiFi and get ourselves a delicious treat after a hard day.  Clark couldn't decide between the rainbow sherbet and the cookies and cream ice cream, so he had both.  We then headed back to the boat to relax.

Frankford to Campbellford, Canada

Stats: Day 15

Travel Time: 5 hours

NM today: 20

NM total: 451

Locks today: 6

Locks total: 40

Today was another soggy day though not as soggy as yesterday.  We only got poured on during one locking through; otherwise, it rained between locks which is much more preferable.  We seem to have caught up with other "loopers" finally plus made some more non-looper Canadian friends.  If you see the boat in the picture below, it is not our Mainship but it sure looks like it.  The big difference is that the one below has green canvas and we have navy blue.

Mainship 390 - Canadian Owners Doug and Nicole

 Clark was excited to meet Doug with the Mainship 390.  They talked and talked this morning before we left dock.  Clark got a tour of Doug's boat and then reciprocated with a tour of ours; they each compared the improvements and modifications made to the original boats.  Finally at 9:30 we all decided to start on our way north to Campbellford.  Doug and Nicole left shortly after us, and we traveled and locked through all 6 locks today together.

At one of the locks the road bridge had to be opened to allow us to exit the lock after the lock was filled with water.  The picture below shows the swing bridge in mid-opening.

Swing bridge opening after lock filled

 Doug and Nicole have a very friendly, patient dog who helped with the locking through.  His name is Kitz.

Kitz watching the locking through proceedings

We arrived in Campbellford just around 2:45 and found Jim and Paula whom we had also met at Frankford.  They got a much earlier start than we did and arrived here about 2 hours before us.  I hadn't noticed yesterday, but Jim and Paula also own a Mainship.  After mooring for the night we discovered that many of the other boats lined up on the wall with us are also Mainships.  The Mainship trawlers are excellent travel boats, and as such, are extremely popular with loopers.

Mainships lined up on wall in Campbellford, Canada

Tonight Campbellford has special celebrations for Canada Day right here at the Old Mill Park where we are tied up for the night.  There is musical entertainment, and as I sit here typing this entry, many folks are walking across the park carrying lawn chairs and getting settled in to enjoy the show of a rock / country mix which has just started now that it is 6:00 p.m.

Campbellford park with Canada Day celebrations

Belleville to Frankford, Canada

Stats: Day 14

Travel Time: ~ 4.5 hours

NM today: 16

NM total: 431

Locks today: 6

Locks total: 34

Before leaving Belleville we decided we needed to replenish some of our food supplies.  We biked into town to an independent grocery store.  We took 2 backpacks to carry the goodies back to the boat.  Someone at the yacht club told us that to avoid traffic, we could take a bike trail along the water to get to the store.  I don’t have an odometer on my bike, but based on time taken to and fro and an idea of my max speed, my guess is about 2.5 miles each way.  It would have been a pleasant trip if it were experiencing better weather.  We had a lot of cloud cover, and it rained on and off, so we had a soggy ride.  We got back to the boat just before 10:30, stored our supplies, and decided that we should proceed on our trip to our next stop despite the rain.

We said goodbye to our new Canadian friends and left Belleville around 11:00 to head up the Trent-Severn canal.  Our soggy bike ride was nothing compared to our locking through as we experienced constant rain for several hours.  There is nothing so wonderful as standing out in the pouring rain to lock through.  I soaked through my first coat and pair of pants, so in between locks I ran into the cabin to put on dry clothes and a better layer of rain gear including rain pants. 

poor visibility today - no windshield wiper on the canvas cover

lock attendants working the lock doors manually

We locked through 5 locks in the steady rain.  It stopped raining just before our last lock of the day, so at least we could tie up for the night without being drenched while we did it.  At the fifth lock the attendant came out and gave us a small Canadian flag and pin to help us celebrate Canada Day on 1^st July.  Clark took a picture of dripping wet me holding our new little flag.

Happy Canada Day!!

We heard from one of the lock masters that there is a laundromat in Frankford.  We decided that with nothing better to do and a bag full of laundry just begging to be dealt with, we might as well take advantage.  Again I am only guessing, but the walk to and from town to the laundromat was probably just over a mile round trip – not bad except for the fact we were dragging our laundry behind us, or rather, Clark was dragging the laundry.  The town is all torn up due to some roadwork being done.  The streets are all mud, so Clark ended up carrying the laundry bag for a portion of the trip even though the bag has wheels.

As we locked through the 6 locks today, we got a chance to chat with a couple also traveling through to Frankford.  They noticed our AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruising Assoc) burgee / flag right away as they too are doing the loop.  They are from South Carolina and have been on the loop since April 11^th, so they have a full 2 months more time on this trip than we do.  We moored behind them for the night on the lock wall after completing Lock 6.

stop for the night with electric – woohoo!

After mooring and check-in was completed, we performed the ritual of the boat card exchange with the SC couple.  Boat cards are like business cards but give name, contact information, and size and name of vessel.  Most serious boaters carry boat cards with them, and I made up a batch before leaving Rumson to make sure we had plenty to share around on our trip.  I made sure to include my blog address on our cards.

After returning from our laundry trip, Clark got into a long chat with the captain from the SC boat while I made dinner.  After dinner Clark turned on the TV.  We have a digital converter box.  The TV channel search found 1 analog and 3 digital stations which translated into basically one choice - watching reruns of NCIS all night long. 

The SC folks say they will be on their way before 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, so we won’t be locking through with them.  We may well find them again further up the Trent.  The next place we are both going to has no electric or other amenities, so Captain Clark sees no reason to rush to get there.  The only concern is has much boat traffic will we experience with July 1^st being Canada’s Confederation Day, which when asked, we were told is the Canadian equivalent to the U.S. July 4^th Independence Day.