One of the highlights here in Canada has been the friendliness of the lock operators! It's as if we make friends with them at every single lock. They help us push off, they give us advice, they call ahead to the next lock to let them know we're coming, they chat about the day, the weather, anything! Also, they give us their cards. What that means is that the Trent-Severn operators have a total of 50 little environmental cards about different fish, birds, reptiles, geographic phenomenon, and they give you two at each lock. You try to collect all 50, and we're up to about 35. Each lock is a park, just as they were in New York, and the operators also decorate their locks and parks with flowers. In the picture above, there were even flowers directly on the gates as well as a stuffed bear.
This one shows me holding onto the rope that I've wrapped around the cable that runs the length of the lock wall. In two places, there were Step Locks in which two locks are adjacent, and as you leave the first, you are entering the second. I must say I've gotten pretty good at pulling Breaking Away up to the lock wall so that Janet can grab a cable with the boat hook at the stern, and then I grab a second one up near the bow. I then shut off the engine and we hold on for the next 10 minutes or so while the water rises. In strong winds, however, it's not always so easy. Once I could not get the stern close enough and poor Janet dropped the boat hook into the water trying to grab from a long distance (I was able to retrieve it later cuz it floats). Once the strong wind caused her to lose hold of the rope around the cable, and the boat's stern drifted to the opposite lock wall. Luckily we were alone in the lock! I was able to trade places with her and shove off the wall and the stern drifted back to the proper side. Somehow we've managed! Adventure after adventure.
After we went through 17 locks, we arrived at Lock 18 late, after the locks were closed for the night. But this was where we wanted to arrive for Canada Day last Thursday, July 1. The operators had told us that the town of Hastings had THEE BEST fireworks show in Ontario. We tied up at the wall just in front of the lock gates. We have now spent every single night along this canal trip tied to the walls just below or above a lock, since it's so pretty, and you get to use the lock restrooms. There is a cost to do this, either 90 cents per foot per night, or $9.90 per foot for unlimited use along the entire canal. I bought the package and sure enough, we have loved tying up to the walls and making friends with the other boaters here. Plus, you get to make closer friends with the lock operators, and they are so great.
Canada Day!! What a fun day we had! There was music in the park from noon to 4 pm, then the parade, and then the fireworks at dusk (9:30 pm). Thousands descended on Hastings for their big day, almost everyone wearing red and white, the Maple Leaf flag flying or printed everywhere imaginable (cheeks, hats, socks, shoes, clothing, aprons, etc.). The entire crowd sang Oh Canada to kick off the music from the park gazebo at noon. Janet and I carried our plastic chairs to the park and stayed for the whole thing -- fiddlers, country pickers, clog dancers out in the street, line dancers, old-timers on their guitars, each taking their turns in the spotlight. The parade was typical small-town fun. This photo shows the bag pipers who led off, but then came every club, boy/girl scout troops, old cars and farm equipment, the Shriners, and "Happy Canada Day" for all.
The fireworks were indeed fabulous! Matched any 4th of July show. We watched atop the Eschaton, a houseboat also doing the Great Loop, along with our new friends from the Shingebiss and Recovery Room (Loopers as well). All three of these boats and crews we met in Trenton. In fact, before we met them, I had taken their photo at the restaurant Bruce and I were eating at in Trenton. We got to compare trips and plans that evening waiting for the fireworks to begin, and now we've become friends and will try to stay in touch. Sure enough, we met up with them again here in Peterborough, although we are here for three nights so they are two days ahead of us now.
Peterborough has a little lake between Locks 19 and 20, and we have a great spot on the wall below Lock 20 looking out on its fountain that shoots 250 feet into the air. We took the dinghy across the lake to the marina to use their laundramat and to walk the downtown area. We also did some grocery shopping, and I must say, the variety/creativity of Breaking Away's cuisine in the past 6 days has been wonderful and new compared with two old men on board. YUM!
For the past couple weeks, one of the themes of this boat trip has been BUGS. I've gotten a new reputation for wanting to suck them up with the vaccum cleaner. At night they somehow find their way inside even though we have every window screened. Then in the morning, they accumulate on the front windows, and I need to vacuum them there too. Of course they are by the millions outside at night trying to get in, and in the morning thousands of them are lying dead on the fiberglass. I need to hose them down every few days.
Peterborough is famous for Lock 21, the so-called Lift Lock. Built in 1904, it is the highest of its kind, which involves filling two tubs - one upper and one lower - and then the tubs raise and lower together carrying their loads of boats. A little extra water added to the top tub gives it enough extra weight to lower it and raise the equally tremendous weight of the lower tub. This photo shows the boats loaded into the lower tub. A gate comes up from below to seal off the tub, and eventually they begin to move.
This photo shows the two tubs about to cross each other.
Janet and I then hiked to the top of the lock and took this photo as the boats were waiting to exit the tub, after they had risen the 65 feet. This lock was considered an engineering feat in 1904, and is still impressive to see. We will go through it tomorrow morning when we leave here. There is a visitor center there too, to see a show about the entire Trent-Severn Canal, its history, geologies along them way, and cultural wonders. The canal is only for recreational boaters, and Canadians are deservedly proud of it.
A major triathlon event right in our "backyard" this morning! I took a bike ride yesterday and come across dozens of good cyclist to ride with. They were scoping out the bike portion of the race, so I learned all about it and we were ready this morning to watch the swimmers enter the lake from Breaking Away's flybridge. We then walked the short distance to the transition area, and later the run portion went right past us here at Lock 20. Fun!
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