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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cheers!

Overnight at Peterborough Marina – Slip B18
44°17’47.7060″N, 78°19’6.2256″W
What3Words: ///viewed.fines.devour

We got up early in the morning and had a leisurely breakfast. The sunrise was spectacular – although I expect that smoke from forest fires in the area had an effect on the deep red colour of the sky. Thankfully the fires are relatively small and under control – at least that’s what we were able to find out through searches on the internet.

The sailor’s old expression is something like “red sky at night, sailor’s delight, red sky in morning, sailor take warning”. Should we be concerned about taking the ride down in the lift lock?

Parks Canada Lock staff came by our boat and asked us if we were ready to go down. We were told that the Kawartha Voyageur would be coming up first and then we could take the next ride down. We were the only boat on the upper level that was going down so that would make navigating into the tank a bit less stressful.

We moved slowly into the tank and tied up on our port side. Once we were inside the tank the view forward was pretty amazing – but still we were essentially staring into open space in front of us with a 65-foot drop to the water below. It was a bit unsettling to think about despite reassurances from the staff.

The descent down was very steady, quiet and smooth and only took a few minutes. Now, that wasn’t so bad after all. One of the Lock staff “Doug” rode down with us – he was standing on the steel structure beside the tank and within easy reach of us. He helped to calm us down by telling us that he had spent the winter before ploughing snow in Yoho National Park, so we chatted with him about his experiences. That was a pretty neat coincidence!

We exited the lift lock to a beautiful canal reminiscent of the tree lined canals we have travelled on in France. Near the end of the canal, we came to a swing bridge in front of Lock 20 – the last lock before Little Lake in front of Peterborough’s downtown area. Lock 20 is also beside Parks Canada’s area operations base and the Canadian Canoe Museum.

We had a reservation at the Peterborough Marina downtown for the night. On the way to the marina we encountered a local tourist boat that gives people the experience of going up and down the lift lock. Looks like a fun job to be driving that boat.

We arrived there at 10:30 and were tied up on our assigned dock space by 11:00 am. We had made plans to meet friends Sue and Peter who live in Peterborough late in the afternoon. They had just got married the week before, so we were looking forward to catching up with them and hearing all about the wedding.

We walked downtown to find the Home Hardware for a replacement pin for the railing passage gate which went plink plunk plonk into the water at the top of the lift lock. I found a suitable replacement that would keep the gate secure for the balance of the season. On the way back to the marina we stopped at a Mr. Sub for lunch and then at the downtown No Frills store to pick up some groceries.

Laundry was free with the marina stay so Catherine did four loads – however, only one washer and dryer! The marina bathroom key pass card required a $100 deposit. Catherine retained control over the pass card so there was no chance of me misplacing this one!

Sue and Peter arrived late afternoon for snacks and cocktails – we toasted their nuptials and have a really nice visit. By coincidence this was “Rib Fest” weekend in Peterborough at the park beside the marina. The whole marina smelled like BBQ ribs backed by various country music live bands that were featured on the entertainment stage. We took a pass on sampling the ribs and the music was plenty loud – even at our dock slip. The live entertainment continued long into the night – but it was country and western music night and we did not bring our Stetsons or plaid shirts, so we went to bed early.

Cheers!