Another overnight in Campbellford
44°18’26.2260″N, 77°48’0.5832″W
What3Words: ///crickets.luxurious.lagoon

Catherine writes:

We were up early for coffee and to make our way to “Your #1 Sewing Centre” and to “Dooher’s Bakery” which opened at 9:00 am. Everyone we had met coming through the nearby locks and at the tourist information centre told us we had to go to Dooher’s which is famous for doughnuts and other fabulous baking.

I wanted to go to the sewing store first to see if I could buy a “walking foot” for the sewing machine. The store had a very small front but opened into a huge area with beautiful cotton fabric for quilting and every sewing supply a person could need.

Your #1 Sewing Centre Campbellford – photo copied from their website

I could have spent all day browsing their inventory, but Wally was waiting for me so I planned to come back tomorrow.

Your #1 Sewing Centre Interior – photo copied from their website

Our aunt Betty, a wonderful quilter, would have loved it! Happily, they had the attachment I needed so I bought that and then met Wally at the bakery.

My dad used to say he’d “died and gone to heaven” when he tasted something wonderful. This was pretty much how we felt going into the old-time bakery. The shelves stacked with doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pies, tarts, bread. Very friendly staff helped with decision making.

Wally with a load of goodies from Dooher’s

We had to practice some restraint as bread doesn’t usually keep that well on a boat. We came out of there with cardboard boxes and paper bags full of goodies.

The real deal doughnut – with real whipped cream

Today was granddaughter Zoe’s 20^th birthday. Wow, how did that happen? We called her in Kamloops, sang Happy Birthday to her and had a nice chat.

The weather started to degrade, and it began raining in the early afternoon.  The rain wasn’t too hard but steady and continued into the night.

Mitred corners front and back

I got the sewing machine out and with the help of the internet figured out how to install the walking foot. Further adjustments were needed for the machine tension. Then I had to decipher how to make a mitred corner, which is a way to remove bulk at corners to keep them flat. YouTube videos saved the day! There were a few less than successful attempts but I finally figured out the attachment, the tension and how to sew the mitred corners.

I’m not sure how much more sewing I will be able to get done this year on the boat. It’s best if I can do the cutting and sewing onboard and fit the coverings as I go but that might not be possible. It will be a good winter project. I’ll take photos and measurements of the windows before we go home. Good thing I bought extra fabric!

The rain continued sporadically through the day. Our patience was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow early that evening.

Rainbow over downtown Campbellford

Bye for now!

Overnight at Campbellford Mooring Wall at Municipal Park
44°18’26.2260″N, 77°48’0.5832″W
What3Words: ///crickets.luxurious.lagoon

Catherine writes:

After listening to the wind howling and waves slapping against the hull for most of the night, we awoke to a peaceful sunrise and remarkably calm water.

Sunrise at Harris Boat Works – what a difference a day makes!

We had a long haul (for us) of almost 50 km to get to Campbellford Lock 13. We left at 8:00 am heading northeast towards Hastings which would be Lock 18.

Belisama leaving Harris Boat Works

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with very flat water. Boat traffic had dropped off significantly since leaving Peterborough. There were hardly any rental houseboats on the water anymore and very few large cruisers. Rice Lake is renowned for its fishing so there were a few sports fishers out trying their luck.

Rice Lake heading to Hastings – what a difference a day makes!

Wally was able to take advantage of the wide-open spaces to run the engines at high rpms.
He was pleased at their performance.

Remnants of old factories as we approach Hastings

We arrived at Hastings Lock 18 around noon, waited for the swinging bridge to open, went through the lock and tied up on the low side for a quick lunch. Alongside the lock was a new condominium development fronted along the canal wall by an unusual use for old canoes – very creative and pretty with fall flowers.

Repurposed canoes at Lock 18 Hastings lower level

The next Locks were at Healey Falls – step Locks 17 and 16 which were monsters and dropped 54 feet, then shortly after into Lock 15 which dropped a further 22 feet.

Entering Lock 17 Healey Falls

Look waaay up.

At the bottom of Lock 16

Crowe Bay Lock 14 was next at a mere 26 feet.

On the blue line at Crowe Bay Lock 14

Then it was straight through to Campbellford where we would be staying at the town mooring wall operated by the Chamber of Commerce. Wally had made a reservation for two nights with Karen at the office who had said “look for the sign.” As we came under the bridge into town, we saw a small houseboat tied at the wall and fastened to the railing behind them was a sign “Welcome Belisama.” It was such a lovely personal touch that we have never seen anywhere before!

A special welcome for Belisama!

Karen came out to greet us and give us tourist information about the town (pop 7,800). The mooring wall was beside Old Mill Park which features a bandstand and a giant twoonie coin on a pedestal standing 27 feet tall. The twoonie was designed by a local artist Brent Townsend. The coin has turned out to be a big tourist draw, kind of like the Big Nickel in Sudbury!

We settled in for a quiet night on the boat, tired after all the fresh air and sunshine today.

Bye for now!

Overnight at Harris Boat Works – Gore Landing, Rice Lake
44°7’21.4140″N, 78°14’26.4192″W
What3Words: ///cigar.homemakers.decibel

It started raining lightly shortly after we left Lock 19 around 8:30 am. The air was cooler so we bundled up and Catherine fixed hot tea and coffee in our travel mugs.

Morning tea and coffee to chase the cold away

Most of the over 30 km to Rice Lake and Harris Boat Works was on the Otonabee River. Our progress was slow while observing the 10kmh speed limit.

Travelling down the Otonabee

There were lots of cottages along the riverbanks but most were noticeably much smaller that what we saw north of Peterborough. The cottages were modest and well kept – they would fit right in with our taste and budget. There were plenty of houses along the shoreline in spots as well. It looked like there are many permanent residences, not seasonal cottages.

Perfect gingerbread house on the Otonabee – even noted in the Ports Cruising Guidebook

Several sections of the Otonabee River were uninhabited and quite wild. We enjoyed watching for wildlife over the water and along the shoreline – Osprey, Herons, Egrets and Mute Swans.

Can you spot the Osprey?

We finally got out on Rice Lake and could see several km across the lake where Harris Boat Works is located. There weren’t any other boats on the water and it was a good distance to each shoreline. This was an opportunity for me to open up the engines and give them a workout.

Finally on Rice Lake headed to Harris Boat Works near Gores Landing

I slowly ran them both up to 2,000 rpm and kept a close eye on the gauges in case there was a problem. The engines ran fine and hummed along like they are loving a chance to sprint for awhile.

As we approached our destination the sky was clouding over and the wind began to pick up. It started to rain lightly as we approached the dock.

Squall approaching Harris Boat Works – where’s the dock?

The wind was pretty strong so the marina sent out a staff member to give us a hand tying up. We were glad he was there to help us! The wind was doing its best to keep us off the dock – we probably would not have been able to tie up without his help. This was most definitely our most challenging docking exercise so far on this trip.

Just as we got our lines secured a squall blew in hard and it began to pour rain. Talk about lucky timing! The squall lasted about 15 minutes and then calmed down, but the rain and the wind continued the rest of the day and into the night. Sure glad we were secure! And that we had hydro so we could heat up some soup for lunch!

Harris Boat Works Marina is small but very well kept. It’s focus is on serving local boaters with mostly small craft for fishing and daily rides. The owner is the grandson of the original founder. The business has been in the family for 3 generations and still going strong.

Area perspective – from Peterborough to Harris Boat Works and next on to Lock 18 in Hastings – click anywhere on the map to enlarge

I talked to one of the mechanics, He told me he started working there when he was 18 and he’s 52 now and never had any desire to go anywhere else. Life is good on the water. I’m envious of the life he has had and his current situation. Something to be said about having deep roots in one spot. Here’s a link to their website: Harris Boat Works

The temperature dropped so it’s hot tea, hot soup and toast for dinner – just right.

I had a chance to do some draft writing for the blog in-between squalls when the boat stopped rocking. Tomorrow, we head up Rice Lake and hope to make it to Campbellford about 35 km away. We will stay there for a few days to catch up on our rest, blog some more and Catherine wants to go to a quilting store there to see if she can get a special “walking foot” for her sewing machine to help her with sewing the Sunbrella window coverings.

Cheers!

Overnight at Peterborough Lock 19 “Scott’s Mills” – Lower Side
44°17’17.3400″N, 78°18’31.4496″W
What3Words: ///consequence.embracing.discussed

We got up early had a light breakfast and worked some more on the blog. Around 10:00 am we walked over to the Canoe Museum Café for specialty coffee and some bakery treats. We lingered there for almost 2 hours while some local showers passed through and then headed back to the boat.

Modified Google Map Showing Area Perspective

I called ahead to the Lockmaster at Lock 19 “Scott’s Mills” to confirm that it was OK for us to stay overnight on the lower side. He said no problem and he was ready for us anytime Shortly after 12:00 noon we moved Belisama about 2 km from Lock 20 to Lock 19. The wind was blowing stiffly, and it was tricky leaving the mooring wall. We waited for boat lock traffic to clear and then got away from the wall without too much difficulty.

Lots of historical photos for Lock 19 on office wall – click anywhere on the photo to enlarge to get a better look.

It was a very slow day at the lock so the staff had time to chat about their work there and the history of this particular lock.

We wanted to stay overnight on the lower side of Lock 19 so we could get an early start in the morning before the locks open at 9:00 am. We will travel about 30 km down the Otonabee River to Harris Boat Works, a small marina on Rice Lake at Gores Landing. We will stay for the night. The trip down the Otonabee will take approximately 3 hours.

Catherine burning the midnight oil (actually 8:30pm oil) to help keep up with the blog

Cheers!

Overnight at Peterborough Lock 20 “Ashburnham” – Lower Side
44°17’55.6620″N, 78°18’16.4520″W
What3Words: ///voicemail.stipulate.hometowns

We were up early in the morning, and Catherine walked 10 minutes to the YMCA for a swim. She reported that she hasn’t forgotten how to swim – and the Peterborough YMCA is a beautiful facility. She appreciated being able to use the membership she bought in Midland long long ago (in July).

We were ready to leave the marina at 11:00am. We turned in our bathroom pass key and recovered our $100 deposit. We also had our wastewater holding tank pumped out before we left. The marina staff here have been very helpful and friendly.

It was only a short 20-minute hop across Little Lake over to the lower side of lock 20 where we stayed overnight beside the Canadian Canoe Museum. It was overcast and cooler but pleasant.

We spent the afternoon and early evening trying to catch up on the blog and some onboard chores like folding four loads of laundry and tidying up. In the afternoon we met a group of 16-18 year old canoeists in three canoes starting out on their trip to Curve Lake First Nation over the next four days organized through the local Rotary International Club.

Canoe group on the blue line at Lock 20

Along with their camping gear and food, they carried a small tree in a pot to plant as a gesture of friendship – very inspiring group.

The canoe group enters Lock 20 – their adventure begins!

Our mooring spot has a very nice view of Little Lake and the Centennial Fountain that is a few hundred meters offshore (in the lake). The fountain was lit up at night with changing colours. Very nice touch.

Illuminated fountain on Peterborough’s Little Lake

Cheers!