BB18: Trent-Severn Waterway – Second Half

I cannot believe that my time on the Trent-Severn Waterway has already come and gone. What an amazing experience it has been. When people ask me where my favorite places to travel are, I always answer that my favorite places are the places with the best people…Ireland, Philippines, Antarctica… and now Canada. I have met friendly, helpful, Canadians at every stop. Many are interested in why a solo woman would want to do such a crazy thing. Others want to know how they can help and offer advice on the best places to see, eat, shop, or visit. I am sincerely grateful for their welcoming hospitality.

After lovely Lakefield, Ontario, I traveled to Bobcaygeon, a busy riverfront community. I stopped during a weekend and it was packed with jetskis, pontoons, Le Boat rentals, and houseboats. I was lucky to find space on the wall and once again, the community of loopers helped me squeeze in. That night, I had docktails with Story, Sea Grace, Traveller, and Andreas Fault while Kali had a good romp with her buddy, Dozer.

One night of touristy Bobcaygeon was enough and I was ready to move on. I spent my next two nights in Fenelon Falls parked directly across from Murphy’s Pub and Patio. Home! I had a creamy Guinness with Traveller and Andreas Fault.

I took a long walk with Kali through a neighborhood of upscale homes where she marveled at the black squirrels and I was intrigued by these Greenspoke repair stations. Fenelon Falls supports their cycling community and has these fix-it stations scattered about in case someone needs a repair.

Next to Murphy’s, my favorite part of Fenelon Falls was The Grove outdoor theater. They were playing Spamalot that night and I asked Traveller if they were interested. The three of us had such a cool experience – like the Red Rocks of Fenelon Falls. Ha!

The weather cleared and I was on my way just a short distance to Lock 35 at Rosedale. I was trying to pace myself based on work and weather so that I would be set up well for an uneventful crossing of finicky Lake Simcoe on Friday morning. Rosedale is in a park and a hotspot for recreational boater campers. It is not great for a quite night of sleep but the shower was cold, clean, and fabulous. Kali and I had a short stay and left early the next morning for our final stop before Simcoe.

It was Kirkfield lock day! The Kirkfield lift lock is the opposite of the Peterborough lift lock. It takes you down 49 feet instead of up 65 feet. This is the highest point on the Trent-Severn, so from here on, the locks all descend. Although it is not as high, it is a little unnerving to pull into the “bathtub” in the treetops and watch the ground approaching.

I worked my way to the end of the Trent River and ended up past the last swing bridge at Gamebridge so that I would be set up for an early start for Orillia the next day. No waiting on locks that morning!

The weather reports were accurate and it was a calm, clear morning, a perfect day to traverse Lake Simcoe. The locals say that you have to cross while the lake is still sleeping because she wakes up in the afternoon and she is not happy if you are there.

Well, guess who I found in Orillia! It was my solo buddy on Wade-ing around with his inter-looper brother. We finally found him some Old Speckled Hen! I spent just one night there but it was enough to learn that Gordon Lightfoot is from Orillia. We explored the town a bit and finally tried a butter tart made famous by the Canadians.

I caught up on laundry and filled my fresh water tank while I was in Orillia. I met a friendly guy named Bob while I was doing laundry and he asked me the usual set of questions: “where did you start?”, “where are you going next?”, “did someone start with you and you kicked them off or did you intend to do this alone?”. He offered some advice on places to see and said he was meeting a friend at Waubic, a hidden gem in Coldwater that is only accessible by boat. It is a restaurant but they have limited space for transient overnighters. They had made their reservations a month ago and were excited because the food was excellent and it was a really unique vibe. I was a little jealous but assumed that they would not have availability. It is impossible to hit every cool thing on this trip, so we planned for one of the lock walls along the way instead. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for me, he tracked me down the next morning and said his plans had changed and he had to go home unexpectedly. He said he was going to call and cancel but that there would be space for 2 boats if I was interested. Hell yeah! When the universe drops something in your lap, you have to pay attention. Wade-ing Around and I snatched up his reservations and we were on our way the next day. On the way, we took a quick dip in Sparrow Lake.

WAUBIC! This has now become my favorite experience so far. It is hard to describe but it was similar to visiting a friend’s cottage on the river. Waubic was built in 1913 and has been an important part of the culture of this community since. Two guys walked right out to the dock and helped me tie up. They helped Wade-ing Around tie up and we went in for dinner. We had not yet paid for our mooring and wanted to buy some merch, so the restaurant staff told us to go up the hill to the gift shop and pay for everything at once. Simple, unassuming, friendly, quiet, and lots of loons.

The BEST part though was as we walked back to our boats with bellies full, the same guys that helped us tie up were zipping around on an E-SURF and asked if any of us wanted to try. Ummmm, again….hell yeah! Do not threaten me with a good time! I nailed it, of course, and definitely did not look like a ridiculous 50-something year-old woman on a toy meant for someone younger with athletic abilities. So.Much.Fun. I love Waubic!!!

We had only 1 day left on the Trent-Severn Waterway and the most anticipated lock of them all was next – Lock 44, the Big Chute Marine Railway. It works on an inclined plane to carry boats in slings over land and down about 60 feet into Gloucester Pool below. It is the only marine railway of its kind in North America still in use. The original was finished in 1917 and could carry boats up to 35 feet. This one was finished in 1978 and can carry boats up to 100 feet with a 24 feet beam. A railroad car takes the boats up and out of the water, across a busy road, down a rail like a rollercoaster, and gently drops them into the water on the other side. Nuts.

One last little lock, Lock 45, and I was through the Trent-Severn Waterway and into Georgian Bay, Lake Huron for my next set of adventures. Onward!

“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra

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