August 27th: Buckhorn

Cindy called the Buckhorn Lock Saturday morning to find out if there was any chance of getting a spot. The answer, not surprisingly was "No" due to the Rock the Lock celebration going on all day at the lock on Saturday. We had to leave Bobcaygeon because our two night stay was over so we decided to go outside the Buckhorn Lock and anchor.

Enjoying docktails and fishing on the front deck of Margaritaville

I decided to stop on the way and try fishing. Caught some small sun fish and that was all. Randy and Cindy had decided to keep going and get anchored. We were about 30 minutes behind them. By the time we arrived Margaritaville was anchored.

We tied to them and we all enjoyed the nice weather. There was a cottage not too far away but we didn't mind.  That is, until they started blasting very loud rap music. Not our favorite. Oh well, how long would they play it sitting at their small dock. Turned out, too long. Randy decided he'd had it. As we boaters all know, one nice thing about living on a boat is if you don't like your neighbors you can just move :-)

Steam engine powered boat

We found an even nicer little bay not too far away. Very peaceful. Turned out a bonus to moving was we got to see a steam powered boat cruising around the bay in the morning. It was in beautiful shape. We could smell the faint smell of smoke coming from the engine and hear the quite quiet steam engine.

Buckhorn Lock wall

We planned to get up early Sunday morning and watch for boats leaving Buckhorn. We wanted to get any spots that opened up before the locks opened at 9:00 am. People from the bottom could be looking for a spot on top and we needed to get there first. We saw one large cruiser leave so Randy and Cindy headed in and got the spot. They let us know when another spot opened up at the front of the lock so we were both in for the two night stay. The following day Randy moved Margaritaville right next to us.

Adam and Eve Rocks

It was a nice day so I decided to visit one of the Buckhorn tourist attractions, the Adam and Eve Rocks. The "rocks" are about 15 feet tall. Amazing that the glacier just placed them there and there they are today. Of course who was going to move them!

There is an even larger rock in front of the hardware store. The kids had fun sitting on top of it.

My favorite tree on the Trent is the huge pine tree by the Buckhorn Lock Office. It has obviously been there as long as we have been coming to Canada, over 50 years. A couple of times storms had ripped off some branches but it is still doing well. I estimated its current height at over 90 feet.










The Buckhorn lock grounds have  many beautiful trees. We've seen these two grow from being quite small over quite a few years. It's great to see them doing so well.

There are some great maple trees providing shade on hot days. Years ago someone did a great job planting the trees.







On the grounds are two mill grinding stones. They were originally part of the settlement John Hall built in 1830. Beside the historical value the kids have a good time playing on the large very well secured mill stones. Jumping from one to the other seems to be a big draw.

Buckhorn Chimney Swift tower

Once again we found a Chimney Swift tower had been erected.



This site provides additional information. Ontario Chimney Swifts

Chimney Swifts

Channel leaving Buckhorn Sun rise

Monday morning I  woke up around 7:00 am so I went for a walk.  It's always a good idea to let Linda sleep-in in peace. :) The view was gorgeous below the lock looking over the channel leaving Buckhorn.

Ice House Restaurant Porch Breakfast

Randy and Cindy planned to leave us for a while Tuesday morning to go back to Bobcaygeon. Their daughter Erica and 3 year old grand daughter Eve were coming to Canada to visit over Labor Day weekend. We decided Monday morning to do a good bye breakfast at the Ice House Restaurant. It was so nice out that we sat on the porch. Someone has a green thumb, the plants are thriving.

It was pretty windy but a beautiful day. I decided to carry my kayak to the low side of the lock and go for a ride. There is a secluded area that has numerous nooks and crannies to explore. I had to fight the wind to get there but knew it would be great coming back. I spotted several turtles, always fun. I even got a "fuzzy"picture of one before it slipped off the log into the water.





Last Blog's wild flower: Pickerelweed

Pickerelweed is a valuable food source for large variety of aquatic and terrestrial animals. The large leaves and clusters of stems provide an excellent sanctuary for fish, birds, swimming mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Pickerelweed has a dense root system and stems which provide a wave barrier for protecting shoreline sediment from erosion. Pickerelweed forms large colonies along shallow shorelines. The emergent mass of stems and leaves provide wave-buffering protection. Although slow to spread, the root base of this plant thoroughly covers the sediments with a tough vegetative mat. The seed of pickerelweed is eaten by waterfowl. Geese and muskrats will consume the vegetation, while only fish, and to a lesser extent birds and small mammals, utilize flooded foliage for cover. This species is also used extensively in water gardening due to its colorful flowers. Pickerelweed received its name from the pickerel fish, with which this plant is thought to coexist.

This blog's wild flower: