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July 24, 2012  Day 74         Douro to Buckhorn      Total miles to date:  1381.70

Today’s travel on the Trent Severn Waterway was a blend of lakes and locks, sun and wind, dodging a myriad of houseboats (vacationers rent them for the week), and keeping in the channel to dodge even more rocks above and below the surface of the water.  All in a day’s boating in Canada! 

We left the Douro #24 Lock wall around 8:00 to be at the next lock when it opened.  We were the only boat in that lock and the next which made it quicker to get through. We stopped at the Young’s Point lock wall and spent over an hour wandering around some of the specialty shops and had lunch at a nearby marina. Then it was back to the boat to continue on our way.

St. Mary's on the Rock

We entered Clear Lake, which is fairly wide and was choppy today because of the wind gusts. That led us to Hells Gate, a narrow, winding passage through rocks and small islands – some large enough to have a house on them.  (Right before Hells Gate, we passed a small church, St. Mary’s on the Rock.)  Just an observation.  Then we arrived at Lovesick Lock – it is on an island! 

Going through Hell's Gate

When we cleared that lock, we were six miles from our destination of Buckhorn Lock.  While we locking through, a space on the wall became available and we were able to stay there for the night.  We shared the lock wall with at least seven houseboats, and several other boats of various types.  After we tied up on the wall, we walked to a grocery store and hardware store to get provisions. On the way back, a man that had we met in Peterborough recognized us and gave us a ride back to the boat. A small, friendly world! Finally, we walked to get a pizza and brought it back to the boat for dinner.   We talked with some of the other boaters and local residents and then prepared for our trip to Bobcaygeon on Wednesday. We will stay at a marina there – time to add water!