Now that we have a couple of locks under our belt,
you would think we are becoming old hats at this but you probably know better. After we
departed Lock 42, it was off through a channel and then into Lake Couchiching. The water looks great, but many have warned us
– stay in the channel or beware of the bottom. So many lakes and nowhere to sail. Tobermory was the last time we saw the inside of a grocery store, so we have decided to head
for Orillia to stock up on supplies. This
will be a day spot as we evaluate the pending weather forecast and the “boaters
take warning" Lake Simcoe. We had a wonderful time in Orillia where we saw Door Exhibits and checked out the marina. Winnipeg may have polar bears but Orillia has beautiful sailboats all around their pier. While walking around downtown, we spotted the famed Mariposa which seems to be the only packed store in town. People come from miles around to experience the shopping delights of pastries, fudge, retro candy and Annie's coffee. I bought 'Jamaican Me Crazy' coffee beans. After the land fun was done, we decided to
venture out despite the weather forecast as we felt we had the right window to
do so, given the radar and up to date information on following winds the next
day. It turns out we had the best
motoring experience on the Lake Simcoe with glass-like conditions and hundreds
of birds joining us in the middle of the lake.
I tell you the birds know – we later find out that they were coming from the North where we were and also the forecasted storms. As we left Lake Simcoe and entered the Trent Canal once again, we knew it was inevitable the storm was going to catch us, and
as luck would have it -- the next lock -- our rest stop for the night had a bridge
above. We slipped underneath ten minutes before the storm
hit. Under cover of the bridge, storm above, we barbecued another fine meal.
The next day was no different -- another spectacular round of
sites. Yes, we are getting use to waking up at 7:30 am now given the lock
schedules starting at 9:00 am but somehow, I feel we are missing part of the
day’s adventure as I was also enjoying early starts. We are
at Lock 41 now and while we put on some 32 NM, there was only one lock in that
distance. Today, instead of one lock, our goal is to get to Bob Caygeon which is Lock 32 but we don’t have Lock 33
since that one is a detour. The day
started out with five back-to-back locks within 6 NM, then a 7.6 trek to the
next through a small lake and carved out canal to Kirkfield. Kirkfield - what a wow factor - as we are going
down this narrow canal, I start to wonder, what if we come up to a large
boat in this narrow channel for which we cannot pass, as we proceed we do in fact approach another boat only to find it already tied up. Then, we
saw this magnificent structure in the middle of nowhere. It’s Kirkfield, the tub, the hydraulic lift,
the counter-weighted engineering marvel for which there are only 9 in the world
like it. As we approached, an arrow
directed us to go right and proceed into the staging area and find a place to tie
alongside. As we waited, we noted that
we were actually in the tub and waiting for some vessels at the top of the lift
to similarly prepare for the ride. Now
we’re set and the excitement starts – we are lifted 49 feet straight up into
the air and are now at the tops of trees and above another road. We then navigated into the channel and cross
the street below. Wow again. We stopped
here to take some additional pictures and stretch our legs and then proceeded
onto the balance of the locks.
Additional highlights of the day: reaching our summit in Balsalm Lake
and now the rest of the trip will be descending literally to the ocean; and going
through Fenlan Falls and reaching our destination of Bob Caygeon. Both of these last places are a few of the most popular locks as they are
situated in quaint little towns and offer some great sites and activities. Parking is at a premium at the locks and we
managed to score a space normally reserved as a staging area for the lock
itself. I must say that the Parks Canada
Staff have been very hospitable and always eager to assist in any way. They have given us some great suggestions and
tips all along the way.
Thank you Parks Canada!
Andrew
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