Peterborough to Bobcaygeon

Sunday morning we left Peterborough headed to the Peterborough Lift Lock.  

Moving into the left basin after the boat in front of us was tied.  

Still moving into place.

Roxie supervising. 

The left tub slowly moved up like we were in an elevator, while the right tub slowly moved down.  

Here we are at the top looking back to where we started below!

More views from the top.

Here we at the top, moving out of the basin. 

 

Looking back into the tub as we were leaving. 

Now headed to the Lakefield (Lock 26).  The plan was to stay above lock 26 however it was full so we made our way to Lakefield Marina....which was good because it was about time for a pumpout!   We had dinner in town and to bed early.  

Monday morning we left Lakefield Marina headed the Bobcaygeon Lock 32.  Had a little cloudy start, but the sun came out and it is 83 degrees!   This area is so pretty!  Lots of small islands and cottages.  Very much a vacation destination. 

This is St. Peter's on-the-Rock church, located on an island.  The first service here was in 1914 and the only way to get to it is by boat.  Services are held here during the summer months.  

As we were making our way across Pigeon Lake with a pretty good storm headed our way, an alarm started going off letting us know the engine was getting overheated.  Bill investigated and found that we had picked up some weeds in our strainer and he was able to clear most of them out with a good back flushing.   We made it to Bobcaygeon with normal engine temperature and the storm passed us by without a drop of rain.   

Once in Bobcaygeon, we found that the lock walls were full both below and above the lock.  We found a slip available in Gordon Yacht Harbor.

Tuesday morning, July 4th we went through Lock 32 and tied up so that I could take advantage of the shopping Bobcaygeon had to offer, including the very popular Bigley Shoes and Clothing store.  There are actually several Bigley stores in town.  I managed to find my very first pair of Birkenstocks! 

  

Canada Day in Petersborough

July 1st is Canada Day, which celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867.  It's similar to our Independence Day, celebrated with parades, picnics, live music and fireworks....and of course cold beverages!   The Peterborough City Marina is adjacent to the city park where the parade, concert and fireworks were held.  

Getting into the marina was not easy.  There is a river that basically runs right into the marina and the current was so strong that our bow thruster could hardly work against it.  Luckily we had been assigned a slip at the end of a T dock and the current just pushed us right into it.....a little to fast for our liking but dockhands and captains from other boats help catch us as we were pushed in by the current!

The fenders were working hard the entire time we were in Petersborough!

We went to dinner at The Riverside Grill, which had cold beer, good food and live music.  Fun night! 

Saturday morning we road our bikes to the Peterborough Lift Lock to get a peek at what to expect Sunday Morning.  This will be the first time we have traversed through a Hydraulic Lift Lock!  It was great to be able to see this from land before doing the lift.

Here's the details on the the hydraulic lock. 

Being that today is Canada Day, the park was bustling with people and activities.  It was a fun day.  That evening there was a concert in the park that brought a large crowd, not to mention the fireworks that were to go off after the concert.  We were very lucky to time our visit to Petersborough with their big holiday. 

 

Starting the Trent-Severn Waterway!

 Happy to be starting on journey through the Trent-Severn Waterway!

The bridge is the gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway. 

The first of 42 locks!   Waiting our turn on the "Blue Line".   All the locks have a place to tie up to wait while the lock is busy with other boats.

Here we are in the lock after filling, lifting us up 18 feet.  This pic if from the boat looking back down to the water before we entered the lock.   

Roxie making her rounds insuring everything is going smoothly.  

There are parts of the Trent that are really tight!

We landed at the top of Lock 6 just before a pretty good storm.   It was in a remote location and we had dinner on the boat.

This morning (Tues 6/27) we left Lock 6 long after the rush of the other boats headed out.  We like letting the pack head out before us since we move slower than others and we just like the tranquility of being out here by ourselves.  

Just beautiful....sun, clouds, mountains, water, narrow passages and wide open spaces.  

Heading into the next lock!

We made it to Campbelford and stayed here for two nights.  

Road our bikes to the Suspension bridge over the waterway.  You can see through the grates. Very cool!

View of the waterway from the bridge.

Monument of the Canadian 2 dollar coin. 

Concert in the Park!

On the wall with fellow loopers!

Thursday morning 6/29 we headed out to Hastings.  Went through 6 locks...it was a long day!  

We made it to the Hastings lock but unfortunately there was no space above the lock for us to tie up.  We really wanted to be above the lock so that we could get an early start on Rice lake.  The lockmaster offered to allow us to tie up on the blue line above lock if we were willing to wait until the last lock through!  Yes!

Tied up on the blue line!  

Leaving Hastings Friday morning the charts showed we needed to go between the green square and the red triangle.  Really?!?

As we got closer we could see that it was just an optical illusion.  We could get through there!

Coming into Petersborough the kids are celebrating their first day of summer break and the start of the  Canadian holiday weekend!