Peterborough to Healey Falls

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Saturday,July 18th, was a layover day in the beautiful city of Peterborough. The day was sunny and hot - a welcome change after the grey skies and rainy weather of Friday. The marina is located in the heart of downtown and is surrounded by a lovely park. The main street was closed to traffic Saturday morning for a giant sidewalk sale, buskers, face painting etc. One of the unique attractions was a green space consisting of natural sod brought in by a local pub to enhance the "chill vibe". It attracted quite a crowd and was really pleasant to stroll along and take it all in.

Of course every layover day involves laundry, boat chores and reprovisioning. The boat received a thorough cleaning as we hunted for our stowaway. No luck finding the little critter but we did buy some mousetraps and poison!

In the evening, we took in a free concert in the park. An indie - pop musician,Hannah Georgas, was the performer. We enjoyed her so much we bought the CD!  Peterborough has an amazing "MusicFest" during the summer with free concerts every Wednesday and Saturday evening. The season kicked off with Randy Bachman. The Northern Pikes are on the bill this Wednesday and future concerts feature Sass Jordan and Doc Walker - those are a few I recognize. 

We would have liked to enjoy more of Peterborough but we have to keep moving on...

Today is Sunday, July 19th, and Andrew rejoined us this morning. Upon our departure, Andrew's parents John & Kini transited Lock 19 at Scott's Mills with us. It was a new experience for them and we were happy to have their company. Final goodbyes were said on the other side of the lock as they left for home and we continued onward. The day was sunny and hot with storm clouds building. We reached the next lock late in the afternoon just as a large hailstorm engulfed us. The unsettled weather wasn't finished with us yet as a short time later we anchored mid-channel while  another thunderstorm rolled over us. A very prudent decision!  Thankfully no waterspouts such as Lake Winnipeg experienced this past weekend!!

For birding enthusiasts, blue heron, osprey and bald eagle sightings are common along the waterways. Also, the Canada goose population is alive and thriving in southern Ontario!!

Today we covered 53 nm and transited 2 locks. We tied up alongside Lock 17 at Healey Falls at 7:30 pm, ready for a cocktail and rib dinner. We were treated to a beautiful sunset overlooking the falls. 

P.S. We awoke this morning to discover the peanut butter bait eaten but the trap not tripped. Smart little bugger!!!