Great Loop: Peterborough, ON – Trent-Severn Waterway: Locks 13-24

Days 184-187: July 20-24, 2023

Locking our way to Peterborough

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.