September: Parry Sound to Peterborough

 

We left Parry Sound with wonderful weather. We decided to make the best of it and cruise as long as reasonable. It is a pleasure riding in the boat and enjoying the scenery. We made it back to Port Severn for the night.

 Fran was finally able to sample Tiger Tail ice cream. I had been telling her about it being a Canadian specialty but we couldn't find it. The Ice cream boat in Port Severn had it. It is orange sherbet, vanilla ice cream and licorice. Its not my favorite but Fran liked it.

Long term plan I thought about going all the way to Peterborough where there is an historic Lift Lock. But that meant going through 25 locks and long travel days. Fran and I decided we'd just keep on going if the weather allowed.

One concern was timing at Big Chute and another the Kirkfield Lift Lock. Both places were experiencing repairs and some boaters had gotten hung up for a day at both. We did well at Big Chute. We got through relatively quickly so we were able to make it back to Orillia. Orillia is one of my favorite places so we stayed two nights. Actually the weather was a little iffy to cross lake Simcoe, which can be a dangerous and/or very uncomfortable crossing if the waves are broadside.

The forecast called for the winds to pick up in the afternoon the next day. I said "We're good to go if we go early." I woke up thinking, "Let's go". Fran woke up thinking "Breakfast". Breakfast was usually fruit, tea and cookies or pastry for Fran. (Side note: After the second day on the boat Fran informed me that this was the longest time she could remember going a whole day without a cookie! She made certain it didn't happen again as soon as we hit the grocery store.) So I thought, won't take long and chose not to say we should go now.

We were about 90 minutes into a 2 hour cruise and the winds were picking up. Not terrible, but getting uncomfortable. I was definitely thinking, "I know better than to leave later then ideal when winds are forecast!" Fortunately, we made it to a point where we turned more favorably given the waves and although I had to slow down we made it to the entrance to the Trent.

Once in the Trent it's wonderful. No weather nor wave issues. We continued on after getting fuel. It is a long but pleasant cruise to the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  I knew Fran would be impressed with the Lift Lock. We arrived and found it would be a 2&1/2 hour wait due to ongoing repairs. But the good news was we were going to get through in time to get to Coboconk. Fran had no idea how quickly we usually would get through so she was not concerned in the least. In fact, she had ample time to walk around the Lift Lock and read all the information that I just take for granted now.

Kirkfield Lift Lock, one tub is up and the other down

Inside the Lift lock tub, almost at the top

I decided to take a little side trip to the Balsam Lake Fresh Water Summit, Coboconk, Ontario. Balsam Lake is Canada's highest body of fresh water. It is a fun little town up the very scenic Gull River. The town provides free docks and there is a grocery store in easy walking distance. If you zoom in on the graphic you'll find a lot of interesting information. This link shares the history. Coboconk

View from the top of the Lift lock

I thought about going all the way to Peterborough where there is an historic Lift Lock. But that meant going through 25 locks and long travel days. Fran and I decided we'd just keep on going as the weather allowed.

We left Coboconk with beautiful weather, once again, and cruised to Lakefield, Ontario. It has a wonderful town marina, stores and restaurants. Plus many biking trails which I said we could check out on our way back. There are 5 locks on the way to Peterborough. That means a lot of up and down and Fran grabbing cables going into the locks, etc. But all went well and we made it to the Peterborough Lift Lock. Fran was duly impressed! 

We rode our bikes all around Peterborough and enjoyed a lovely night at the Ashburnam Lock. It is a nice place to sty and just outside the city. There are nice bike trails, a butterfly garden and more but I failed to take many pictures. 

We rode to the bottom of the Lift Lock where I did get some pictures. I asked Fran to go ahead and stand at the bottom for a size perspective. She is dressed in black way far ahead.

The next morning we headed back. First stop was to go up in the Lift Lock.

We are in the tub and getting ready to go to the top.

We traveled back up the 5 locks to Lakefield where we wanted to stay. Fran LOVES to bike ride. I told her there was a nice trail that followed the river we just came up. She wanted to go for a long bike ride. I wished her well! Having gone on bike rides with Fran I knew I would just hold her back. She ended up riding roughly to Peterborough and back, roughly 20 miles!

This link gives a little history. Peterborough Lift Lock

We traveled back up the 5 locks to Lakefield where we wanted to stay. Fran LOVES to bike ride. I told her there was a nice trail that followed the river we just came up. She wanted to go for a long bike ride. I wished her well! Having gone on bike rides with Fran I knew I would just hold her back. She ended up riding roughly to Peterborough and back, roughly 20 miles! I enjoyed a little R &R.

Fran on her bike at Lakefield

Fran fishing off
the dam at Young's Point

Our next stop was Young's Point. It's a nice lock with a very large Canadian tourist clothes/gifts/souvenirs shop. We enjoyed looking but refrained from buying. Guppy is a small boat and we were both going to be flying home. We fished off the dam which is fun. But no catching!

Buckhorn Lock, Fran relaxing

We wanted to get some more kayaking in so I said we should stay at the Buckhorn Lock. It's a nice lock. I got the solar panels out because there wasn't shore power. We had a very good kayak ride.

We also had time for a nice bike ride to the Adam & Eve rocks. For whatever reason, the glacier decided to deposit these two big rocks along what was formerly who knows what! The size and placement of these giant rocks is quite unusual.

Fran between Adam and Eve rocks

Trudy's Bait shop

While staying at Buckhorn I told Fran she had to see Trudy's Bait shop. It is in the basement of a cottage and has been there for 60+ years. Any and all fishing lures can be found there.

Just outside the bait shop is a lovely waterfall.

Our next and last lock was Bobcaygeon. It was always one of our favorite stops. In particular, there was a bakery that made the best Chelsea Buns ever. I was skeptical we'd find any good ones because the original owner was long gone. But might as well try. And of course Fran was always looking for cookies, pastries, bread, etc. We went to the same bakery that used to make the Chelsea buns but I knew from past experience the new owner didn't put the effort into making them. But they had some that looked promising. They were quite disappointing!

We secured a great spot at the lock that had shore power available. Always nice to have shore power to run the induction burners, water heater, charge the batteries, etc. This was the end of our journey. We would take the boat to Birch Point Marina where they would store it for the winter.

Bobcaygeon, Guppy in the middle

The next day we arranged transportation to Toronto where Fran would fly back to Laguna Beach, California and I would fly to Burlington, VT to visit with my sister Terri's family again.

Sept 19th: Cruising Ontario, Canada on Guppy with Fran

I returned from Ireland to Toronto Friday afternoon and Fran flew in from California. We arranged our schedule so we could travel north to Orillia together. It was a three day weekend and traffic going north would be horrific so we stayed in Toronto Friday and Saturday. The view from my room was spectacular. We walked to a place for dinner and then called it a night. It was a long travel day for both of us.

 

I had anticipated being in Toronto Saturday and had suggested to Fran we attend a matinee performance of the Hamilton musical at the Princess Wales Theatre. She was all in. We took an Uber from our airport hotel downtown which worked very well. We went to breakfast at a wonderful little sidewalk cafe near the theater. We could see the Skypod CN Tower from our table.

The musical was very well done and we enjoyed it. The theater has an interesting history and was almost demolished. Learn more here

After the show we took a very long walk around downtown Toronto. Many interesting buildings and neighborhoods, including Chinatown. We walked through part of Toronto University.

We had a great dinner at a nice little restaurant in Chinatown. It was a long walk back so we called an Uber. The driver got in trouble with the police for where he stopped to pick us up because he was blocking traffic. Fortunately, he just received a stern warning!

Sunday we took an Uber to Orillia. I was very pleased to learn an Uber driver would drive us 90 minutes to Orillia. It was still very crowded on the waterway given the 3 day weekend so my plan was to show Fran around Orillia. We got the bikes off the boat, pumped up the tires and went for a nice ride to the Gordon Lightfoot Sculpture. Gordon Lightfoot is from Orillia and his sculpture is in a wonderful park on the water. Gordon Lightfoot Sculpture 

Fran quickly became comfortable in the v berth while I set up my area in the aft bunk. We spent the next day provisioning and touring.

We started our cruising Tuesday. We were headed to Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is one of the world's best fresh water cruising destination. Here is a great deal of info about Georgian Bay

Our first overnight stop was the Swift Rapids Lock. It is the deepest lock on the system and only accessible by boat. 

The grounds at the lock are very nice, park-like.

The weather was great and we went for a kayak ride in one of my favorite places.

 The next morning we went down through the lock. Fran did a great job catching the cable and securing us.

We cruised to Big Chute, the marine railway. Our boat would be loaded onto a railroad car and hauled over the top of a large hill. Instead of a series of locks, the system was designed to keep invasive species such as the sea lamprey, from spreading. Nice video of Big Chute

The weather was beautiful for cruising so we covered a lot of water.

We spent the night at Port Severn, the western entrance to the Trent Canal System. By now I was confident that Fran was a very competent boater. She allowed me to tell her what to do as we went into the locks. She commented, "I'm not used to having someone tell me what to do!" I know the feeling but she was great. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant on the water.

We went through the first lock in the morning and headed to an anchorage called Frying Pan Bay.

Picnic Island

A fun place to stop in Georgian Bay is Picnic Island. It provides fuel and has a fairly well equipped grocery store. We picked up some provisions so we could anchor in Frying Pan Bay the next two nights.

Frying pan bay is very popular because the Island is a provincial park. There are walking trails up to Fairy Lake. The entire hike is beautiful. Fran is quite the geologist. She looked up the types of rock we were seeing and we learned it was granite in some areas but Gneiss in others. 

We were not surprised to find there were no spaces at the docks in the bay. I'd boated there many years and knew the first come-first served docks were hard to acquire. But we could anchor and tie the stern to shore close enough to get off the boat.

Fran in Frying Pan Bay

Fran dropped the anchor and I swam to shore with a 100 foot line to tie to a tree. All went well. I came to the bow and we tightened the ropes. Then Fran decided to go swimming. Well sort of. As she was walking to the back of the boat I heard a splash. She slipped over the side and fell in. No harm done. No phone nor wallet in her pockets. She decided since she was already in she might as well swim around a little, despite the fact she had told me she probably wouldn't be getting in the cold water. Good thing she fell in! It was the only time she ever got into the water!

Guppy is the first boat from shore

The next morning Fran told me a boat was leaving from the dock. "Quick!" I said. We need to get it before anyone else grabs the spot. I untied the rope to shore and left it to be picked up later. We got to the dock just in time. Two other boats were already heading to the same spot but we were well ahead of them. Turned out okay for all because the other two boats tied to each other.

We were sitting on the back of the boat when we spotted a beautiful water snake sunning itself on a rock. They are harmless and fun to see. 

It's nice to be at the dock. There are composting toilets and many trails on the island that are much easier to get to rather than being tied to shore. We headed out for what is my favorite hike in Georgian Bay. 

Fran on the Fairy Lake Trail

The rock formations are beautiful and among the oldest exposed rocks on earth. The entire area was formed when the glaciers came through and exposed ancient bedrock.

Many Pictures of the fairy Lake Trail

The area we are boating in is part of the Canadian shield. I've included these 2 links that provide a good summary about the Canadian shield and how it was formed.

The Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield , Georgian Bay

Our goal was to see as much as possible on this trip so we moved on the next day to 12 Mile Bay. It offers a great place to anchor and kayak. Here are a couple pictures.

12 mile bay anchorage

Following a great stay at 12 mile bay, we continued on to Parry Sound. It is a very boater friendly city with good restaurants, stores and sights to see. It was also the closest we would get to Lake Temagami where the Petersons were. They invited Fran and me to come for a few days. I knew Fran would enjoy the island cottage as well as the entire Peterson family. And a major draw was excellent fishing. Fran loves to fish.

The weather was favorable for us to go to Temagami before spending time in Parry Sound. So we reserved a rental car for the next day. Enterprise is the only car rental place but they "Pick you up". I made the reservation on line. I tried calling Monday morning to confirm they would pick us up.  No answer. I knew it was a one man operation and he might be out picking people up. I left several voice mail messages. No response. We really wanted to get to Temagami. Randy and Cindy were prepared to take a boat into town to pick us up.

Fran is very energetic and likes to get exercise so I suggested we just walk the 3 miles to Enterprise. She was all for it. We arrived at Enterprise and the guy said he was trying to call me all morning to tell me he had no cars. He tried calling me right there and the call would not come through. But it all worked out for the best. He had just gotten a cancellation for a tiny little Chevy Spark and we could have it if we were okay with the small car. Absolutely! So we drove off in what we started calling our Clown Car. It was actually fine for our needs.

Randy, Cindy and Fran

We made it to Temagami and the Petersons picked us up for the 30 minute cruise to the island.

We wasted no time. Fran got settled in to the Lake guest house.

 I moved back into the Bunky.

The Bunky

The Bunky, my place
to sleep

Then it was time to fish! I took Fran to the dock armed with a good fishing pole and worms. She quickly caught a couple very nice bass. Success!

Docktails on the deck are a daily ritual. The view is amazing and the company is all about having fun! 

View from the front deck
 of the guest house

 

Polish beet soup,
with sour cream!

I knew Fran and the Petersons would enjoy each other. Fran and Cindy are both Polish so there was a lot of childhood reminiscing. I had purchased some fresh beets to cook on Guppy but didn't get to it, so I brought them along. Cindy and Fran decided to make beet soup! Borscht Polish style. It was wonderful.

The Andrews family, Nick, Nicky, Liam and Mea came up for the weekend. We had a great time and enjoyed a lot of "Catching" not just "Fishing." And Cindy has perfected frying the fish.

Fran with her catch!

Nick took us up to an inland lake that is a bit of a hike but the fishing was wonderful!

Because we had the car I wanted to take Fran to climb the fire tower. It is truly amazing.

The view from the top is incredible.

Also the view looking down! 

There were also nice grounds with a lot of fun plants. One was a a pink lily pad. I had told Fran I thought they were all white. Who knew!

Pond below the fire tower

Top of the fire tower

Fran said she'd like to see as much as possible on this trip so we had an ambitious cruising schedule. But first we enjoyed Parry Sound.

We went for a long bike ride and hike. The forest and terrain were beautiful and very peaceful.

The hike enabled me to show Fran the geological wonder of Georgian Bay. The rock formations, the trees and the clear blue waters are amazing. Fran is into geology so she found the striated rocks are gneiss, granite, quartz and maybe some other substances, compressed for millions of years, and then exposed by the glaciers during the Ice Age. 

The next day our plans changed. Rain was forecast all day. Georgian Bay is not a place to be in a boat in bad weather. Fran said she loves walking in the Rain. She never gets to do that in Southern California. (She grew up in Syracuse, NY and misses the change of seasons, especially snow!)

So we went for a long walk in our rain gear. Fortunately it wasn't too cold because we both ended up fairly soaked but had a good time.

I showed Fran the train trestle that runs through Parry Sound. It has an interesting history. Parry Sound Train Trestle History

The weather became favorable to travel on Georgian Bay so away we went. We planned to cruise to Peterborough. That meant going through 25 locks, Big Chute, the Kirkfield Lift Lock and the Peterborough Lift Lock. This link will allow you so see our entire route. Find our northern most point, Parry Sound in Georgian Bay and notice the hundreds of granite and Gneiss rock islands Georgian Bay is known for. You can also notice it is a very large body of water and weather needs to be considered carefully for crossings.  You can zoom in and out to get a good overall perspective and also zoom in for detailed views. We started at Orillia and travelled to our northern most destination, Parry Sound. After our Temagami visit we headed back and cruised to the southeastern end of our cruising. We then needed to head back to Bobcaygeon where Guppy is stored. Map of our cruising

This blog has been a long time coming. When I left Canada in September I travelled to Burlington, Vermont to spend 2 weeks with my sister Terri's family. Then I spent 5 days in Cleveland with my other sister Julie and brother-in-law Jim. I returned to California September 16th and started to catch up on the blog. I'll cover the last couple months in future blogs. I decided to post this part of the trip and will start a new one for Parry Sound to Peterborough.