A Busy Day Chuteing

The Big Chute

Boats come to a painted blue line on the dock. This tells the dock master that the boat wants to go into the lock.  See the Big Chute in the background.  Boaters are called on a loud speaker and told when and in what order to enter the chute.

Wye Tug entering the chute.

We were called in next to the Chute with Wye Tug, ready to cross!  The boat is lifted into the yellow slings.  The dock masters are very adept at loading the proper size of boats in the chute.  

Blue Moon coming into the lock.

Oh no! I rolled my hair in curlers (don't use electric usually on the boat) so I'd look good for the Big Chute photos.  But, I just realized I forgot to take the curlers out.

This is looking back up the hill we had just come down.

We made it across, now we are waiting for Fruitcakes and Young at Heart to appear.

All four boats enjoyed the ride; everyone thought it was quite an experience.

The Little Chute

The Little Chute comes quickly in the waterway and was quite a surprise of a narrow fast moving current.   Get on and ride it down.  No pictures we were too busy with the boat.

Lots of Locks

We left Fenelon Falls, along with Fruit Cakes, Young at Heart and Wye Tug for a busy day of locking through, including Kirkfield Lift Lock.  This lock is different from the Peterborough Lift Lock.  The structure is not enclosed and there is more of a feeling of hanging out there.  We proceeded into the pan and were suspended about 5 stories in the air.  The pan is then lowered into the canal below.

Looking out from the Lift Lock.  Wye Tug is on the wall below.

Young at Heart beside our boat.

Fruit Cakes in Kirkfield Lift Lock.

Bill and Joyce watching as we go by.  

Small marina and fuel stop along the waterway.

Tranquil waters 

On through six more locks in about as many miles.

We all decided since the weather and wind were good we would continue across Lake Simcoe, a 20 mile long and 16 mile wide lake. Thunderstorms can bring 8 foot waves, which none of us wanted. We happily made the crossing on smooth water and spent the night at a marina in Orillia.

This is a delivery driver! That is a washing machine!

Next stop The Big Chute.

Fenelon Falls

Coming into the town of Fenelon Falls, ON, is another winding narrow channel, with very strong current from the falls.  I'm on the foredeck, getting lines ready for the lock, but King did manage to snap a picture showing the houses that are built along the channels.

We spent two planned days in Fenelon Falls and today it was WINDY, so we decided to stay another day.

Playing Mexican Train with new friends, Glenn & Brenda from Young at Heart, Andy and Julie from Fruit Cakes, and Dick and Phyllis from Wye Tug.  We were back again the next night for a rematch.

But first, we all enjoyed dinner at The Cow and Sow.

We enjoyed a wonderful worship service this morning at Fenelon Falls Baptist Church.  The church is in the middle of a building a new facility although this was certainly a beautiful old building with stained glass windows.

Fenelon Falls has many beautiful flower baskets.

A phone booth?  We see many in Canada, different from the U.S.

We visited with a couple from Midland, Ontario, Bill and Joyce.  Their boat is directly in front of Blue Moon.  

Dusk in Fenelon Falls, finally the wind has slowed down.  

Shoes, Shops and Songs

Bobcaygeon is one of our favorite stops.  The name 'Bobcaygeon' was derived from the Ojibwa words bob cajwin or "narrow place between two rocks where water rushes through".  The name fits because it is narrow, rocky and the current is rushing.  It is also very pretty with lovely homes on the waterway.

Also, the Trent-Severn's first lock was built here in 1833.  We went to a museum of the family of Mossom Boyd, a lumberman, who helped to develop this area in the 1800's.  The old Boyd Co. office building is now the home of the Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce and the Boyd family museum.

Shoes, more shoes, cute shops and ice cream are the main draws for this town in the 21st century.  I am wearing a sweater and it's July.

Bigley's - pretty shops.

Shoes and clothes, outside.

Shoes inside.

More Bigley's.

King gets a phone call from a customer.  They would be surprised to see his "sidewalk office".

Another cute restaurant.

 My Favorite Things, beautiful flowers in a pretty setting.

After looking at the pretty stores, we went into Kawartha Coffee Co.  Really good!

It seemed a bit odd, but Willie Nelson music played in the background of this coffee shop.

Who is looking at you in the mirror?

We are!

A wicket?  That is what Canadian banks call a window.  

We were fortunate to be in Bobcaygeon on a Thursday night, for the Music in the Park.  The Claytones are a Canadian (from Clayton, Ontario) folk rock group that we really enjoyed.  

Blue Moon is parked at the end of the lock wall.  People listened to the singing from both sides of the canal wall.  

It's Island TIme

We sadly left Lakefield, ON with its quaint shops, beautiful flowers and narrow canals.

A Bed & Breakfast, restaurant and pretty flower boxes.

Coffee shop with more pretty flowers.

Christ Church of Lakefield, ON built in 1854, with adjacent cemetery of founding members.

Leaving the Lakefield lock wall, we are in a very narrow gorge with little or no room to pass another boat.  It was pretty and fortunately we did not meet another boat coming toward us. 

Today we entered an area called Kawartha Lakes.  This area is a very popular vacation spot for Canadians and has many lakeside homes, cottages and houseboats.  This area is characterized by a series of lakes joined by locks.  The guide books say that Native Indians traveled these waterways by canoe some 3,000 years ago.

The names of the areas that we boated through today give a hint to the locations:  Clear Lake, Stony Lake, Hells Gate, Burleigh Falls and Lovesick.
Pretty house in town, on the canal.

Many homes on their own island.

Church on its island.

It doesn't show up in the pictures, but there are red and green markers that we follow that mark the channels.  Today we were twisting and turning to avoid rocks and shallow water, but it was pretty and, we thankfully avoided the rocks.

Tonight we are at the town of Buckhorn at Lock 31.  The town got its name because the founder had buck horns mounted on his trading post.  Tonight we went for pizza with Lon and Pat from C.A.R.I.B. II, whom we first met at Solomons, Maryland.  They have two cousins visiting with them, one from Canada and one from the Ukraine.  Topped off dinner with famous Kawartha ice cream.