Next up on the Trent Severn was Fenelon Falls, the “Jewel of the Kawarthas.” This lock offers electric and water so it’s a busy place. Fortunately, we were able to get a spot on the lower lock wall for the evening.
It was a rainy day, so we took shelter at the local brewery for lunch. After lunch the rain abated, and we walked around the downtown area. The town even had a record shop.
Fenelon Falls Brewery
East End Electric Records
The Fenelon Falls lock
Scenes from around town
Balsam Lake
July 30th took us a few hours to Balsam Lake. Since we’ve been in towns for quite a while, we decided it was time to anchor and fish. The sunfish were biting so we had quite a feast.
Bobcaygeon was a gem along the Trent-Severn. The lock staff were super nice and worked to shuffle boats so we all could get wall space. We were super appreciative.
We lucked out and were treated to a free concert at the park right next to where we were set for the night. What a fun time! And, to top it off, we were also treated to cookies from Linda on the boat Faith. Yum!!
Matt was excited to find a Godfather’s Pizza in hopes for a taco pizza. However, this Godfather’s wasn’t quite the same as our Midwest chain though he still enjoyed it.
Can you believe we found more ice cream in Bobcaygeon? And the actual Kawartha creamery to boot! We got some ice cream and cheese curds to go.
One of the stops was the Beer Store. It reminded us of the movie Strange Brew as it has the fun roller belt where the beer comes out. Landshark on queue!
Bobcaygeon had a cute town strip with lots of little shops — many under the same owner. There was also a British-themed shop and local brewery. Just a few random photos to round out the post below.
Tonia was excited to kayak when we’d docked for the evening at Lock 24.
Lakefield
On the 25th, it was Steve’s friend Toni’s birthday! We started the day with pancakes. Steve even made them with smiley faces. Yum!
After breakfast we took a trip short journey thru Locks 25 and 26 and tied up to the lock wall at Lakefield. For lunch, we trekked over the bridge and dined at the Canoe & Paddle and continued the birthday celebration.
When we were done with lunch everyone was slow moving getting out of the restaurant. I ended up outside before everyone and unlocked the bike that Micheal had ridden over. Since no one was out yet, I decided to ride around the block. When Micheal came out, he exclaimed that the bike was gone! The couple at a nearby table told them a man just came up and took it. They frantically looked down the street. I came back a minute later and they saw me and laughed. I couldn’t have planned a prank better if I’d tried!
The rest of the day was spent checking out the shops, seeing the town, and then a nice kayaking trip around the canal area.
Telestrations After Dark
If you haven’t played Telestrations After Dark, you should grab a few friends, drink a few beverages, and get to drawing. You definitely get some great or at least interesting art! Bonus: it’s a blast to see your friends cracking up so hard their faces hurt from laughing!
Buckhorn
Buckhorn held many adventures! We trekked around the tiny town and visited the Boathouse Boutique with the Bikini Beans Cafe coffee shop, hiked to the Adam and Eve Rocks (though it’s a split rock), swam in the warm water, got BIG ice cream (waaay bigger than anticipated!), and kayaked below the lock too.
Early settlers named the Adam and Eve Rocks with legend having it that if two lovers hold hands and each touch one of the rocks, their lives will be blessed. ❤
The trip to Peterborough took two days and we traversed thru 8 locks. Whew! That’s a lot of locks with 6 of them in one day!
We passed the time pretty well. Annette got the bubble machine out for a couple of the locks. Boris had the playlist going and, for the most part, we had a great time.
However, at Lock 19 there was a slight issue. As the lock was coming up one of Saga’s lines caught on a break in the cable and it wasn’t going to come free. The lock masters said they couldn’t drop the lock, so the only option was to cut it free. It was stressful but one of the hazards of locks.
We had one other bit of an issue on the trip. When we anchored the first night it wasn’t really the best anchorage as it was in the middle of a river channel and there were fishermen around. We found a tight spot and rafted up. After dinner, a huge storm system came up and the anchor decided we weren’t in a good spot, and we started dragging. So, out three boats broke up the raft and given the rain and poor visibility we just decided to anchor separately. The one thing we noted as we came in soaking from the rain was that we weren’t cold at all. Ah, summer rain.
Peterborough
The next stop on the tour of the Trent-Severn was Peterborough. It’s a bigger city in comparison to what we’ve experienced since leaving Kingston. Peterborough used to have the nickname “The Electric City” as it was the first in Canada to use electric streetlights.
We spent some time wandering around and did a bit of bar hopping. We were probably one of the last patrons to the Historic Red Dog Tavern. We went because it’s historic of course. When we arrived, it wasn’t open. We stood outside and while discussing why it wasn’t open when it was supposed to be, a guy with a coffee and smoking a cigarette told us it wasn’t open because he hasn’t unlocked the door yet. He told us to go to another bar and come back after a drink or two and it’d be open. When we returned after a drink at Spanky’s, the place was just barely open. He found us a couple lukewarm beers and let us look around. He told us that the manager up and left and took all the staff with them. Sad, since it was in business for 140 years and their stage was host to Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan and the late Jeff Healey, to name just a few. Checked back and looks like the Red Dog is now permanently closed, thus why we may have been some of the last actual patrons.
We also celebrated Boris and Mayli’s anniversary while in Peterborough by getting mani-pedis! Then Boris cooked steaks for dinner.
Music Metro
Tonia and I thought this Music Metro subway map at Spanky’s showing the intersection of music was pretty neat. Click on it and for more detail.
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
We took a road trip out to the Petroglyphs Provincial Park. It’s a pretty nice park area and the museum was cool to check out (though photos were not allowed of the petroglyphs inside the museum).
Peterborough Lift Lock Recon
From Wikipedia: For many years, the lock’s dual lifts were the highest hydraulic boat lifts in the world, raising boats 65 ft. This was a considerable accomplishment in the first years of the 20th century, when conventional locks usually only had a 7-foot rise. It’s a very cool lock and uses gravity to move the tubs up and down. From the lock sign: “Regardless of the number of boats in the chamber, the weight in the chamber will not change. According to the Archimede’s principle of physics, a boat will displace a quantity of water equivalent to the weight of the boat.”
Timelapse of the lock in motion!
Peterborough Lift Lock Transit – Lock 21
Locking thru the Peterborough Lift Lock was a cool experience. Normally you only get to see the height by the lock walls and doors. Not here! You get the experience by looking out of the tub you’re floating in.
Timelapse of our trip up!
Locks 22-24
The remainder of the day was short in distance though took a couple more hours due to additional lockings.
Day 3 on the Trent was Locks 7 to 11/12. The Lock 11/12 isn’t a typo because it’s a flight lock and you get two locks for the price of one. Plus, the doors are huge!
Ride to Town
Lock 11/12 is about a mile from town. Coda and Lil Sudden decided to stay on the lock wall and walk into town.
Just before we set out for the trek to town Next Chapter locked thru. Cindy and John called out and asked if we wanted a ride. A minute later they pulled over. As soon as they did their dog Peanut jumped off when we were hopping on so we had to wrangle Peanut back on the boat. Then we were off to town.
Campbellford
Campbellford is home of World’s Finest Chocolates. You know that company from every fundraiser you participated in as a kid because they make all the chocolates you sold for your little league team, band, etc. The company is now owned by the larger Blommer Chocolates, which is the largest chocolate-ingredient supplier in North America.
After loading up on a few pounds of chocolate and hot cocoa, we popped across the street to stock up at The Beer Store. Then we wandered around a bit and grabbed some appetizers at 52 North, where we had a drink with Cindy and John from Next Chapter. We followed that with dinner at the Dockside Bistro. Both tasty stops.
The town of Campbellford also boasts to be the home of the toonie. The Royal Canadian Mint proclaimed Campbellford “The Home of the Two Dollar Coin” in 1997. The most famous bear in Canada, the one stamped on toonie, was named after turning 21 in 2017. The metal coin stands 27-ft. tall and 18-ft. in diameter.
Matt, the geese herder!
The next morning, we got out early and explored the Ferris Provincial Park. It has the very cool Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, which is 300-foot-long and 30 feet above the gorge.
And since it was closed the day prior, we had to hit up Dooher’s Bakery. All the lockmasters up the Trent-Severn were happy to see us when we broke out their donuts. We didn’t have to even tell them what we were offering as they all knew the box.
Day 2 of the Trent-Severn took us from the top of lock one thru Lock 6. We wanted to stop at Lock 6 as it has the luxury of having power. There are handful of locks on the Trent-Severn that have power and we wanted to take advantage. Since we started on the top of Lock 1, we were the first group there for the day and got our pick of spots. Bonus.
We even got to see the mini cruise ship transiting thru Lock 6.
Frankford
Lock 6 is located by the town of Frankford, a small little community. We took the opportunity to wander a bit and then stop by the only open restaurant, Dimitri’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, for a bite to eat. How can you go wrong with pizza and Italian?
It was time for more locks! And lots of them to come with the Trent-Severn canal system, which in its 386 km or ~240-mile waterway has 42 locks (Locks 1-45 though a few were combined/removed over the years) connecting Lake Ontario to the Georgian Bay. The locks and grounds that accompany them are all maintained by Canada’s parks system. They hire at least two summer staff members per lock, and they were all super friendly making for a fun and wonderful experience throughout the lock system.
Gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent Severn Lock 1
We arrived at Lock 1 with absolutely no plan. Ok, we had a slight plan. Get there and see if we could stay on the lock wall. We pulled up and tied to the waiting area. At that time the lock called out and told us to go thru. We quickly ran up and chatted with the lockmasters. The plan changed to us going thru and mooring to the upper walls for the night.
Since Coda and Next Chapter (a mini-Coda, 34′ American Tug) were also there, they opted to go thru the first locking and Saga and Lil Sudden would catch the next. This allowed us to get the lay of the land and watch the process from the side, as well as participate! As mentioned above, the lock staff is amazing. We chatted with them, and they let us open the doors, a manual process that they kept for historical designation reasons. It was really fun and easy. You just turn the crank around once all the pressure was off the doors.
Boris and Matt opening the right-hand lock door for Coda. They let Michael take that on for future locks hoping to wear him out!
Bleasdell Boulder
The next morning, we decided to stretch the legs and jog over to the Bleasdell Boulder. The boulder boasts to be the largest known glacial erratic in North America, estimated to have been deposited 2.3 billion years old.
After we left Kingston, we boated for about five hours, anchoring outside of Picton, Ontario.
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Boris & Mayli and the two of us dinghied in to take Flash to shore and go for a walk. We first came upon the Macaulay Heritage Park. The Macaulay House was closed though we were able to walk around the grounds of The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, which was surrounded by a cemetery. It was fascinating to check out the old gravestones. The church, home, and grounds were acquired and restored by the County of Prince Edward.
Our next stop was, you guessed it, for ice cream! As you see, it was quite a popular location, out in the middle of nowhere, yet with a long line for yummy cones and shakes.
We made our way to town and found the 555 Brewery for a “second dessert” beverage.
Around the corner from the brewery, we caught the Picton United Church at sunset. It was pretty and its clocktower was grandiose.
This post brings us across the border into Canada!
First glimpses coming into Kingston
To get into the marina we had to wait for a bridge that only opened on the hour. It gave us a bit of time to float around and enjoy the scenery.
Fully up and running
After 14 days of troubleshooting, the port engine is fixed and ready to go. We had a fuel pump delivered the day before in Clayton and I was able to swap it out. I also found that the cutoff solenoid was not getting proper voltage to open completely. Between the two, the engine was not getting the proper fuel flow. Phew! There was still a minor leak that I introduced at the fuel pump while messing with the hoses. Nothing a new bolt and washer couldn’t resolve.
BeaverTails
First, we hit up BeaverTails, what may be a Canadian tradition? It’s a popular Canadian pastry that is shaped like a beaver’s tail. Imagine that. However, we opted for the Beaver Bites so we could try out multiple flavors.
Kingston Penitentiary
What’s the next thing you do in Canada? Go to prison of course. Ok. It’s a tour. I’ve toured Alcatraz so why not one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world at the time of its closure in 2013. The Kingston Penitentiary was in use between 1835 and 2013. The prison is famous for its riots. One lasted for 4 days because the inmates thought they were going to be moved to a newer prison with worse conditions. And, ultimately, they were moved there because of their actions and damage they did.
Murney Tower
After the museum we took a stroll down the waterfront to the Murney Tower Museum. The tower is a Martello tower. It was built as a defense of Kingston Harbour during the Oregon Crises, a dispute over the border of British North America and the United States in 1840.
Bellevue House
Another stop on the walking tour was the Bellevue House, the home of Canada’s first Prime Minister Sir John Alexander Macdonald. While it wasn’t open for tours due to renovations, we were able to check out the museum and walk around the grounds.
Kingston
And the final entry is a variety of images from walking around Kingston. We had fun taking a group photo with the cool Kingston sign and train.
After spending two nights at the Thousand Island Club, it was time to head over to Clayton for a couple days. Mayli’s parents were visiting and let Boris and I borrow their car. So, we headed to the local golf course for a quick round. It was a pretty good time. It had been a long time since I swung a club.
Clayton
Clayton was a busy little town that had many cool things to see. When we arrived, the Saga crew met up with Mayli’s parents to spend time with them so Steve, Barbara, and us set out to get a bite to eat and ended up sidetracked at the Saint Lawrence Spirits Tasting room, which Steve really enjoyed, so Barbara bought him a beverage souvenir.
After that, we found ourselves at the Coyote Moon Winery tasting room. There we met Mac. She is definitely a fun character. Great conversation ensued along with some pretty tasty samples. The wine was a bit on the sweet side so Tonia and Barbara definitely approved, though we both found a few bottles to take back.
We also found the long-anticipated River Rat Cheese, which lived up to the hype! We resupplied with cheese curds that could nearly rival Wisconsin, though not quite as squeaky. 😉
Mac was great fun for our spontaneous wine tasting!
We got a nice sunset walk in through town all the way to the Antique Boat Museum, which has the Boldt family’s 106′ houseboat La Duchesse. It was built in 1903, when Mrs. Boldt was still alive, and was donated by the last owners to the museum.
Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs!
However, these signs contributed nicely to the scenery and ambiance of the town.
Clayton was a fun town to walk around and take in the sights from all the signage to cool old houses and gargoyles to random other things along the way.
We even found a house sporting a Swedish flag so, of course, had to take a pic for our Swedish friends!
Once we were resupplied in Clayton, we hit up a couple nearby anchorages again.
Saga and Coda on the Clayton Marina dock.
We had some last fun at anchorage before we left, with the boys getting some fishing in and sparkly fruity drinks courtesy of Barbara.
Sudden Inspiration 