Orillia

Mary Frances at the Rosedale Marina gas dock:

It's one thing to know the rocks are there right outside the channel, quite another to be able to see them so clearly!

Once again, a pretty waterway with some narrow channels:

Is there something we don't know about fishing?  Is there a new species of game fish that lives in the grass?

Approaching the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  It is the second largest, after Peterborough, but the experience will be different as we'll be going down instead of up.

Whew-it's a long way down!

We were alone in the lock, so able to see the machinery more clearly:

Looking back:

The "Hole in the Wall", 1905.  Hardly looks like there's room for us:

Our dock in Orillia:

Fenelon Falls on a Holiday Weekend

At Buckhorn Lake:

We left Friday morning. Waiting "on the blue line" at Bobcaygeon Lock:

There are many speed limit areas along this waterway.  That's 10 kilometers, not miles.

The bridge swings open to let boats out and us in:

A flying fish?

Fenelon Falls:

Waiting for the lock:

On the lock wall at Fenelon Falls.  We were lucky to find a space with electricity.

This is a 3-day weekend here and the waterway is very busy.  This lock is right in town and provides entertainment for land-based tourists as well as transport for boaters:

John went off for a walk in the evening and brought Mary a sick present:

We plan to move just past the next lock on Sunday.

Halfway Through the Trent-Severn

On our way Wednesday, August 1.  We left Mackinaw City August 1, 2011.  3 boats lock through:

Opening the lock:

We had the same problem riding our bikes through these geese yesterday.  They just do not want to move out of the way:

On our way into the lift lock:

At the bottom:

On our way up:

At the top looking back:

Another lock:

It's a little narrow here:

We are not going into the North Channel this trip, but feel a little taste of it here:

The first time we had to wait for a lock:

Onward from Campellford

While in Campbellford, John took a couple of bike rides.  One was to a pedestrian bridge south of town overlooking this gorge:

Here's the bridge:

John is off to the store:

Our chart cd arrived Monday and we loaded it then went out for  dinner.  Tuesday July 31, we left  Campbellford and headed back out on the waterway:

7 locks today:

We drove to Rice Lake, but could see a rainstorm approaching so went back to Hastings for the night.  We managed a walk before the rain came, then John walked in the rain to return the 1/2 gallon milk jug, which had a 25 cent deposit, as well as some beer bottles.

Wednesday morning, back on the water.  We saw our first loons of this trip while crossing Lake Ontario and hope to spot some each day until we get back to Michigan:

Hitchhikers in the lock:

At this lock, Scott's Mill, not only are the gates hand-operated, so are the fill valves! 6 of the next 7 locks also fill manually and the water gushes in at the bottom of the front doors of the locks, creating turbulence.

Only one lock today and we approach Peterborough and its centennial fountain:

We rode our bikes to see the Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world at 65 feet.  The right chamber in the picture has 4 boats being lowered. A foot more water is added to the upper chamber and that forces it down and the other chamber rises.

The chambers are parallel:

The front wall lowers and the boats drive out.  Our turn tomorrow!

A lift lock was built here instead of having to build 7 flight locks to achieve the same height.

Mary Frances at Peterborough: