July 8-9, 2019 – These two stops were ones that we’d heard about for years, and are apparently a couple of the hottest tourist destinations along the Trent Severn waterway. But like Nags Head, Myrtle Beach, Cape May, Ocean City, just because they are popular, they aren’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea.
The canal leading from our anchorage to Bobcaygeon was really pretty, transiting some of the prettiest lakes and locks that we had seen – Burleigh Falls, Lovesick, Buckhorn. The first several miles took us through some tight spots between many small rocky islands; one even had a church, with a long dock for parishioners to arrive by boat!
As we approached Bobcaygeon, the canal narrowed, and the cottages were right at the waters edge, with docks and decks literally a few feet from our boat as we went past.
We needed to get a pumpout, so had to stop at a marina right across from the lock; as we took care of that business, some other boats that we knew stacked up at the lower lock walls, and with the ‘ice creamers’ also taking up space with short term dockage, we were left with nowhere to go. I went back in the marina office, and inquired about whether they would let us stay there – ‘sure, we will just slide you back a few feet’. So in the end, for about the same price as our friends who scored a lock wall with no services, we had a marina dock with ‘hydro’ (electric), bathroooms and showers, and fresh water to fill our tanks. Who laughs last?
We crossed the bridge to walk around, did some shopping, and met our friends on the other side for drinks. We opted to peel off and go to dinner at an Italian place across the street. Unfortunately, their kitchen processes left something to be desired, and despite us asking several times about what was taking a simple pizza so long, they finally admitted they had lost the order. It was good when it finally came, but left us in a cranky mood.
So, Ben finally got to lead the way to the famous Kawartha Dairy store. Kawartha Dairy ice cream was something that we’d been hearing about in Looper lore for years; you knew if you saw a shop advertising that kind, that it’d be good. We even bought a few containers for the freezer, But here we were at the mecca itself, the dairy plant, with a walk-up window with a long line. Yum – best ice cream ever!
The next day we followed the crowd of boats through the lock, and onward to the next popular lock, Fenelon Falls. We’d been told that going down and standing next to the locks to assess ‘style points’ for boats’ locking prowess was the local sport there, but we were on our game. As we came up in the lock, sure enough, there was a crowd hanging over the fence talking to us, so we felt that we’d gotten the experience. Hopefully we could get a spot, to tie up and walk around to see what this place was all about.
Nope. The boat ahead of us had gotten the last spot. So much for that.
On we went, ultimately coming to the first of several passages through the original narrow Trent canals, that were hand-dug out the rock. We waited for another boat to come out, before heading in – clearly you don’t want to squeeze through with another boat. We made a ‘Securite’ call, to advise other oncoming traffic that we were entering the narrow ditch.
You have got to be kidding me! The water was so clear, you could see the jagged edges of the rock just waiting to gouge the side of your boat for a momentary lapse of attention. Out the other side, through the Rosedale Lock – with a park that was one of the prettiest we’d seen to date. Through a somewhat weedy lake to another, longer narrow canal; straight as an arrow, and just as tight. Again, we made a ‘Securite’ call. Silence. So we headed on into the canal. A few minutes in…
Crap! Oncoming boats. Sure would’ve been nice if they’d called a ‘Securite’. Or responded to my call that they were already in the ditch.
We found the widest spot we could (not very), and held station, waiting for them to pass. Whew! Exhale, keep going. Another lake, another long straight ditch – oh wait, this ditch has a bend in the middle. That you can’t see around. And that is only one boat wide!
Finally, we come out on top of a hill, to the Kirkfield Lift Lock. This is the highest point on the canal – it’s all downhill from here. This lock is like Peterborough, but all steel frame construction, rather than concrete.
This time, we drive into the pan that is already at the top, kind of like an infinity pool. It’s very windy, and it was a bit challenging to get tied up, but a few minutes later, we were motoring out the lock, where we had decided to spend the night. A nice, quiet spot, with just one other boat on the opposite wall.
While we relaxed after a very stressful day, we watched as a big snapping turtle crawled out of the woods, tumbled onto the top of the lock wall, and crawled past our boat into the water. And you wonder why Chantale wasn’t keen on me using the SUP that evening…
