Trent Severn Waterway

It is beautiful along the canals of the Trent River, but much to our surprise the heat found us. I know everyone in Texas and Kansas has been hot, and yesterday was the hottest day of the year here in southern Ontario. With the humidity it feels like 105. I wonder how it is over in Quebec City, where Mark and Gayle are for the weekend. Hot too there I think.

We entered the Trent Severn Waterway at Trenton, Ontario. The first day we negotiated 17 locks with the average lift of each one around 24 ft. The middle photo is the double locks 12 and 13 where you go up 48 ft with the two locks combined. So we are now about 700 ft. above sea level and headed higher.

The Canadians love their short summer season so they are all out on the water. The canal is lined with fish camps which remind me of all the lodges and small houses along Table Rock Lake. Every once in a while you see a new beautiful home, but it is rare. Most of small little cottages with a dock.

We are headed to Lake Simcoe this weekend, where we will anchor out and watch the locals go crazy with their small boats and houseboats. I don't need to compete with lock space with these guys. The photos to come of the upcoming locks will be incredible. Our second one today will be the engineering marvel bathtub locks. One tub is at the upper level and the other on the low end. Boats drive into each tub. Then the staff adds one ft of extra water into the upper tub and down it comes while raising the other tub up to the higher level. It will be cool.

Our friends, Carla and Roger, have come into Peterborough by Greyhound bus, and will be on Rock Chalk for a couple of days to experience the boating life. Probably only take them a couple of days, and they will want the heat of Kansas back.

As you know, we are in a technological black hole. Once we crossed the border we hd to shut off our Verizon Mi-Fi as it was waay to expensive. So we are relying on hot spots at a marina or coffee shop. My email and text on my Blackberry is shut off. The phone works up here but it is very rural. Signals are hard to find. So if you do not see as frequent of blog updates, no worries. I just cannot connect. We'll save the photos which I think the next 6 weeks will be incredible. The best of the long journey. Hope so. Marc