Saturday July 28: Three for the Price of Two - A Winner Again!

The Port of Orillia was definitely a welcome sight Thursday night when we arrived. It was not a very nice evening and being on Lake Simcoe on less than ideal conditions is never great.

When the sun is shining, this lake is incredible - green water like you never thought a lake could be. And clear. Not the afternoon we crossed though. Maybe on the way back ....

But we were tucked in nicely in our dock by the time the sun set - for 3 nights with the 3 nights for the price of 2 special that was offered by the marina. It was early to bed as we were both tired -

I'm not quite sure where yesterday (Friday) went. Much of it I guess went to being on the internet trying to figure out the part number for the temperature sensor in the engine. The temperature guages don't work and with the help of my brother Dick and nephew Joe, we figured out it's the sensor. Success after a LONG time - ordered and being sent to Peter and Cheryl (Surona/DeJa Vu) son who lives in Midland which is where we'll be this weekend. How nice to have friends in high places :-)

Steve spent part of the day working on the electric part of the stove. It is supposed to run on both electric and alcohol but the electric has never worked since??? Michael (previous owner) just remarked that he always used the alcohol burners as he thought someone had disconnected the electric at some point.

One broken wire was repaired and still no go. Finally after tracing all of the wiring in the stove, Steve figured out the little button in the back of the stove had to be pulled up in order for the electric to work! Apparently, the button was the cutoff for the alcohol - which makes sense as you wouldn't want to have alcohol leaking out when you had the electric burner on, right? Mmmmm.....sometimes obvious things (like 'what is that button for?') aren't so obvious :-)

But today was a new day with new projects. First a bike ride to nice restaurant at of all places the Rec Center in Orillia! Great breakfast and great view of Lake Simcoe.

The bonus of going to this restaurant is that it's about a 3 mile round trip ride - much of it along the southern shore of Lake Coochiching. One thing this city has done so right is the public use of what is probably prime real estate right on the lake. Hiking/biking paths, playgrounds, beaches and lots of benches for people! And many folks were out both days walking, jogging, biking, dog walking. Great to see.

Steve even tried out the rollerblade park with his bike. Somehow I don't really think that was the plan for this park!

Enough playing - it's time to work! The project for today was to remove the railing along the back of the boat and replace it with a very comfy seat. Additional modifications will need to be made but we think it's a good addition. Of course the railings are BOLTED on (rather than screwed) so someone has to reach up behind the engine to hold the nuts while Steve turns the bolts from the top.

Of course it's the person who can fit on the engine and has long arms that gets the job. Where are the kids when we need them??!!

 

So under I went with rachet in hand. Everything went well and with only three trips to the hardware store, we managed to get the seat at least mostly installed. There may be a trip to West Marine in Midland to get the additional fittings for the legs but in the meantime we were able to use some plastic pipe and fittings to provide the support to the floor. Good enough for now!

Steve in his new chair.

The day was not without fun as yesterday and today was the sidewalk sale in downtown Orillia. Music, food and sales. Best part of course was the people watching. And I petted the cutest little dog I've ever seen - a 5 week old chihuahua. Sadly I didn't have my camera at the time.

Very well done, Orillia!

One of the funnest things downtown are the chairs along the main street! They are like the guitars in Cleveland, the fish in Baltimore, the buffalo in Buffalo, the bears somewhere along the Hudson River etc. Decorated by local artists and sponsored by local businesses.

Tomorrow we move on. Laundry to do in the morning (I miss our washer/dryer on the trawler :-(  ) and then I think we will head to Big Chief to anchor for the night - all of 3 miles away! It'll be Sunday and I'm sure will be quite crazy with boats but not many will stay the night.

After that? Continue north to Port Severn and Georgian Bay.

Friday July 27: Port of Orillia

After a quick ride on the walking/bike path that runs along Cameron Lake, it was time to head out. Most of the boats had already cleared out as it was again a beautiful day - a good day to be on the water :-)

After the short crossing of Cameron Lake, Rosedale was the next (and only) lock we needed to go through for the day. We were headed for Coboconk for the night. It's a very small town that is off of the main channel of the Trent. Most memorable thing about this town: the bakery that was there many years ago (like 40!). We had bought some bread but didn't taste it until we were on the way out of town (this is with my parents and brothers - 7 of us on the 21 ft Lone Star). It was so good that we turned around, went back to the bakery and bought some more!

On the way there, we passed the small island on Balsam Lake where we stayed once or twice when we traveled with my parents. The kids LOVED to stay at islands and there was always the distraction of sending them off to find firewood :-)

We pulled in on "our" dock for the night. It's across from the main city docks and is very quiet - with the occasional fisherperson. Two boats from New Jersey were parked on the city docks. We meet them at breakfast the next morning (there is only one breakfast place in town!).

Steve of course had the grill out and was cooking salmon. This is the kind of place that is made for grilling even though there isn't a table.

The only thing that has changed since the picture at the left was taken (probably early 80's) is everyone is younger and thinner :-) And the old wooden dock has been replaced by a concrete dock. But the grilling was taking place even then by Steve and my dad. Becky is standing on our boat fishing - trying for the pickeral that you could see in the water as it was very clear (and still is).

Wednesday was overcast but a nice travel day as much of the way was a speed limit of 6 mph. Lots of canal travel. One lock again this day - the lift lock at Kirkfield. It's the same as the one at Peterborough but not quite as high. We intended to stop here for the night but it's was pretty crowded already so we moved on down the system. Balsam Lake is the summit of the Trent-Severn system so now all of the locks will be lowering us back down to the level of Georgian Bay (same level as Lake Erie).

The 'hole in the wall' bridge is still there on Canal Lake. I half expect it to be replaced on one of these trips - as I recall it was built in 1905. Maybe I'm just making that up in my mind though :)

We also passed the golf course that my mom would longingly look at as we passed it by! There has been very little rain up here as you can see by the dry, brown grass.

Finally, we were docked after a longer day than usual lately - all of 20 miles! This is the first of 5 locks that leads us down to Lake Simcoe. All are totally hand operated so it's usually a long process even though the distance to the lake is not more than a few miles. Rain was in the forecast for tomorrow so this was a nice place to be.

The best thing? A cleaner that was AMAZING on the flybridge seating. Mean Green - what great stuff. I would never have believed that this would have cleaned up so well. I am going to bring it back to see if it will clean up the furniture on the trawler. Haven't found anything yet but I have high hopes!

Meanwhile, Steve was off fishing from the dam. Apparently though he should not have been down on the steps as the lockmaster came over and chased him off. Back behind the fence. Gee, wonder why there was a fence there in the first place!

The rain came in that night as predicted - and stayed and stayed. Off and on most of the day. Finally about 4 pm it looked like it was finished. Should we go or not? The winds were down, the next day was supposed to be much worse. Off we went, arriving at the entrance to Simcoe shortly after 6 pm. The lake was looking good!

By the time we were most of the way across, the sky was threatening off to the left of us. Let's hear it for cruising at 20 mph :-) The distance from the Trent to Orillia is about 17 miles so it took less than an hour for us to scoot across. Finally, the bridge at the Narrows was spotted.

In and tied up at the city docks by 7:45. Will stay here for 3 night (another one of those 'stay 2 and the 3rd is free that we can't pass up).

A few projects to complete .......

Monday July 23: Fenelon Falls

Saturday morning, Steve found a fresh produce stand across from the hardware store and couldn't resist the giant radishes! And the cauliflower was on sale – and the peppers just looked good :-)

We left early from Bobcaygeon Sunday and headed north on Sturgeon Lake. To port would take us to Lindsay (perhaps on the trip back?), starboard would take us to Fenelon Falls. Weather is again perfect although it's getting hot again during the day. No rain – it's much needed with water levels near record lows. On the way into Fenelon, we passed the big pickeral which has been above this marina for ??? many years – somethings really DON'T change!

Turning the last corner, the docks below the locks are now evident. Looks like a full house – guess folks aren't moving out very fast to head home. Guess we'll go through to the top and see how the new docks look.

The waterfalls are the same as they have been since we first saw them in 1958 although I'm sure there has been receding of some kind. Plus an electric power plant was added a number of years ago so sometimes the right hand side of the falls doesn't have any water!

Once through the lock, we found plenty of room at the new concrete docks – complete with power and water. This is one of two locks with power and the only one with water. Both at the bargain price of $12.80! Guess we'll stay a couple of nights – it's a nice town.

We moved further along docks and now ended up with a great view of Cameron Lake. Kids still jump off of the old bridge! Nice breeze (supplemented by our fan since we have power to spare!). It is cooling off at night to the mid to low 60's so very pleasant for sleeping.

Oh no! It's the Happy Days houseboat 'Steel A Way' with the 6 guys that carried on until 4 am at Bobcaygeon Friday night – pulling in almost across from us. Yikes!!! But we were saved another night of no sleep as apparently they had been causing havoc for the two nights they had the houseboat so the Happy Days people were going to kick them off of the boat. The lockmasters were on alert to let Happy Days management know when they were spotted so they could come and get the boat back. It's nice to know civility reigns sometimes :-)

The ice cream store is still next to the lock. The kids had their first experience with Tiger Tail at this place – guess we'll have to make a sacrifice and see if they still have it … or maybe something better!

It wouldn't be a day on the boat if there wasn't a project. Steve found a new thermostat which will let the engine run hotter (better for the engine) – done. Might as well replace the faucet while the tools are out. The old one had a slight leak and the mixer part of the faucet was messed up and didn't let any hot water through. Three trips to the hardware store (let's hear it for the bikes!) and that project is done. Fortunately, our battery powered multi-tool made enlarging the center hole very easy and Michael (former owner) had given us a new 'old' faucet before we left NY.

And how some things HAVE changed! Countless time was spent in this phone booth calling home as we traveled in the years before cell phones. Actually, I'm surprised this is still here giving the prolific use of cell phones these days. Before it was calling cards or carrying a lot of change :-)

Saturday July 21: Bobcaygeon, ON

Dinner overlooking Lower Buckhorn Lake was very peaceful It's SO quiet – except for the racoons! Trash was taken to the restrooms and all food stuffs that might interest them are put into the cooler. Guess if they can smell food, they are going to get it! Sure enough, I woke up to a noise and there looking in the door screen was a masked bandit – cute but not welcome for sure! A flashlight in it's eyes and off it went. Perhaps on to the next boat?

We were off fairly early and arrived at Buckhorn Lock early on Thursday morning. It was a whole 8 miles if you meander around a bit. I can get used to these short travel days :-) Part of the day was spent below the lock (in the shade) and then later in the day we moved to the top of the lock. Both are nice places to stay.

There is a hardware store here so it's a good place for a project. When there is a project, the v-berth gets opened up as that's where all of the tools are stored. Using the crawl in bunk under the dinette for our sleeping berth has really worked out well.

Steve's project was to move the engine thermostat back into the engine proper. It had been moved to permit installation of a water heater (which was fine) but the engine didn't seem to be running hot enough – at least by looking at the dash gauge for engine temperature.

The junk store was next on our list. It's just a fun place that is totally filled with what might really be considered junk! Mmmm...this place has been cleaned up. Apparently the old owner sold out and the new owner cleaned house. Steve found a new wallet so he was very happy. Now if he would just get rid of some of that stuff he carries (that annoyingly I need occasionally :-))

Buckhorn for the most part is pretty much the same. Still very busy with boat traffic and the sunset was really nice. Steve framed the Buckhorn “Buck” with the setting sun.

On to Bobcaygeon for the weekend. It's one of our favorite stops (seems like I say this every place we go!) and the weekends here are just crazy with boat traffic. So the idea is to get in early and spend a couple of days enjoying people/boat watching. Of course we didn't count on the houseboat with 6 guys arriving at about 10 pm. They are truly on holiday – partying until 4 am! I'm getting too old for this. We now have earplugs and a number for the police if there is another rowdy bunch :-) I mean really - midnight, 1 am - ok no problem. But 4 in the morning???

The bakery is still here – along with the wonderful chelsea rolls. I think I ate most of them myself – just too good.

Steve's all time favorite place for breakfast on the Trent system is here in Bobcaygeon at the Full Cup. Pemeal bacon (cured salted pork with cornmeal on the outside) breakfast as only they can make it! He told the lady cooking that he had been waiting for two years to be able to come back and have breakfast there – not sure if she thought he was crazy or not :-) Time for laundry today (it was my turn) – same coin laundry that we have been going to for 20 years – kind of surprised it's still there.

Lastly, the sign in the restaurant this morning. I've seen similar but I hadn't seen one like this. It was fun :-) Tomorrow, it's off to Fenelon Falls, another big travel day of about 15 miles :-) (after breakfast at the full cup, I'm sure!)`

Wednesday July 18: Lovesick Lock

After breakfast and some last minute shopping, we shoved off from Lakefield headed a short 6 miles upsteam to Young's Point. A loon with 2 young ones were right in the channel next to us – it's always fun to see the loons up here. The loons summer colors are so much better than the all grey winter colors when they migrate south.

Very hot …..but also very windy. We found a spot under the shade of the main highway passing just south of the lock at Young's Point. Noisy but much cooler. It was finally time to hook up the extra battery we had been carrying since NY and just hadn't gotten around to adding it to our house bank. So now 2 batteries for frig and electronics, 1 battery for the engine. It's still questionable as to whether or not we can keep the house batteries charged – especially when we go such short distances every day!

Once the work was done, it was time to relax. Fortunately it cooled off some at night and should be cooler the rest of the week.  

We crossed over the old bridge – kids still jump off of the top into the river!) for a short ride to, of course, breakfast and headed through the lock toward Stony Lake.

The store next door to the lock is still doing well and may be even bigger. And they still sell ice cream cones but at 9 am, it seemed a bit much! Besides, it wasn't even open yet …

We needed ice so we though we'd take a short side trip to McCracken's Landing but sadly – but not really surprising – the store is gone. We did pass Juniper Island on the way to McCracken's and it hasn't changed in the least. Lots of kids in for lessons – sailing and canoeing. We didn't stop as the docks were packed!

The next lock was Burleigh Falls – a double lock replaced by one single lock – with it's distinctive, very loud “booooom” as the doors close behind you. Always reminded me of a dungeon door closing!

We were on our way to one of our favorite locks: Lovesick. There is no road access to this island lock and for that reason is very quiet and peaceful. Steve always fishes from the dam here and today is no exception. He is there now trying to catch a nice pickeral for dinner!

The rock 'cliffs' are still there that I remember as a kid. My youngest brother wasn't allowed to climb up them with the rest of us (parents were afraid he'd fall - guess they didn't care if the other 4 of us did!). Definitely brings back memories.

But first the kayaks finally made it into the water. The area above (and below) is ideal for a paddle around mostly shallow areas. Lots of seaweed but very clear water – it is actually possible to see the fish is the water surface is calm. Steve even spotted a racoon with two young ones walking along the waterline of one of the small islands we paddled around.

We have now traveled 275 miles from Pirates Cove on the Erie Canal with most of it being a leisurely 8 mph with the occasional cruise at 20 mph to keep the spark plugs cleaned off. The "motto" of the Trent System is "Memories Run Deep" and it's so true. As we travel these waters - again - it serves to remind us of the many, many trips and people we traveled with on our own boat and/or rental houseboats. 

Went past the island today where Josh fell out of the 'penthouse' on the houseboat in the middle of the night. Dr. Tom was on hand to check him out and gave him the ok. Donna and Lawrence were with Pat and Becky (with Anna and Josh) on the houseboat as well as Tom. The red line on the map above shows where we have traveled. Today we are at Buckhorn - tomorrow Bobcaygeon!