From Trenton to Port Severn

The Trent Severn Waterway:

16 days
240 miles
44 locks
28 bruises (I counted them)
10 bottles of wine
8 wonderful new friends
3 lost fishing lures
2 good size bass
1 bee sting (michele's finger)
millions of wild flowers
billions of stars
AND, countless magical moments--I'll post some of the highlights from the past few days...just too numerous to tell all...

We spent 3 nights in Orillia...right downtown at the port. On Friday we provisioned, did laundry and general cleaning...our Ithaka was sparkling! We had everyone over to our boat for Happy Hour...Chip made us all Caesars..the Canadian equivalent to Bloody Marys (only better!)...it was loads of fun...and he's got everybody saying, "Eh?"It's hilarious! --Up early on Saturday and walked to the Farmer's Market--found a scrumptious store along the way called The Mariposa Market...it was set up like an old fashioned general store with fresh breads, homemade fudge, jams, dips and the best chocolate cake I have ever had in my life!!! Why didn't I buy two!? By noon we were set up in our folding chairs along Centennial Drive waiting for the parade to begin. 25 Scottish Drum and Pipes bands marched by--it was a fantastic show. Afterwards we walked through the park along the water front where dozens of vendors were selling arts and crafts and food and ice cream. Chip bought me a new hat. There were plays going on and jousting, music playing, cloggers dancing...it was a really nice day.

Sunday morning we left the dock early in a thick fog. It rained most of the day, and of course as soon as we approached a lock it came down in buckets. By the time we got to the dock on the top-side of Big Chute we were soaked to the bone. One of the prettiest parts of the cruise was a narrow passage called McDonald's Cut. It is a beautiful, deep gorge...even in the grey mist we enjoyed the pink and orange rocks layered with lichen and velvety ferns...it gave us a taste of what is to come in Georgian Bay.

Once docked, we spent hours walking around the lock at Big Chute observing how it works and preparing ourselves for our big ride the next morning. This is a marine railway lift...and I am told, the only one of its kind in North America. The overall lift is 58', but you actually cover more than 600 feet over dry land from one lake to another. It is spectacular to watch, but to actually take the ride yourself on your very own vessel is unreal. I will attempt to put a few photos on the blog, but I am sure they will pale in comparison to the actual experience.

Anyway, we got up early yesterday morning and were the first at the lock wall. Our 3 other travelling companions lined up behind us...Up and over, the trip takes about 7 minutes and the lock hands are so good at what they do you hardly give a thought to whether or not they have you fastened in securely. Before you know it you're up out of the water and sliding down the other side. We tied up at the public docks on the downside and waited for our buddies. We waited...and waited...a very bad storm blew through just moments after we got off the train and it knocked the power out...4 hours later...still waiting and after walking back over to the other side a few times to check on them, we decided to leave and get to our next stop here in Port Severn. About 4 hours later they pulled in, tired from the crazy day, but with many stories to tell.

This morning Chip took Ithaka over to a local marina to have the oil and filters changed...I stayed behind, here where we are mooring for a couple of days, because they have a nice laundry facilty plus I thought it best to take advantage of the internet while I can...once we head into Georgian Bay we may be a week between ports as we expect to mostly just anchor in quiet bays and coves. Anyway, that was about 6 hours ago and I got word earlier that the mechanic put the oil in the wrong input (I do not know mechanic terms)...all I know is now it will take a week (or so they say) to get a mecahnic up here to Port Severn to get the oil out of the generator that was supposed to go into the engine and we are hoping it did not damage the generator...I have not yet spoken to Chip directly. Captain Guy and Captain Bud went over to the other marina in a dinghy to check on Chip and came back with the news...I'll let you know how this turns out, but not to worry...this is all part of boating. We are fine, we are safe, we have clean clothes and we still have some chocolate cake left. Yahoo!