Sat July 29: Bonus Day in Orillia

Rick here: I finally went fishing!!! (Mel here: As our faithful readers know, Rick, who claims to like to fish and has ample fishing gear on the boat, has not really fished at all during our YEARS on the boat). In my defense, it has been a combination of passing through multiple jurisdictions all requiring a different fishing license, and a need to focus on operating the boat and navigating to our destinations.  In any case everything combined to keep me from  fishing (I think I’ve had my fishing pole out once or twice).  

Well, no more!  My goal this year was to fish in the Georgian Bay, as everyone says it is an angler's wonderland.  So, to get an idea of how to fish in these northern climates, for my birthday Melanie found a fishing guide - SR Fishing (Steve Rothbottom) - based in Orillia.  Steve came right to our dock on Saturday morning at 7 am and took me out for a half day fishing in Lake Couchiching.  (Mel: I got to sleep in, and eat a cookie for breakfast!)

It was a rainy, gloomy day but, as they say, a bad day fishing is better than a good day doing anything else.  Melanie got her dream day - sleeping late with rain pattering on the boat roof (Mel: and then I got to clean the bathroom and do laundry) We started by trolling for Pike, but didn’t have any luck.  We then changed over to plastic worms and had great luck with Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass.  We also caught a few small lake Perch and even a small Rock Bass.  The lakes up here have many different species of fish - Muskellunge, Pike, Walleye, Bass, Perch, and lots of different types of small minnows that are food for the predator fish. The area is also well known for ice fishing in the winter when Whitefish is what everyone wants to catch. 

Largemouth Bass

Steve caught a 4 pounder

Another Largemouth 

Smallmouth bass

Oddly enough, we were using the same type of rubber worms that I use to fish in Georgia!  So no real mystery on how to fish, I guess.   Steve gave me some tips on how to fish for Walleye in Georgian Bay.  I’m looking forward to fishing lots more and the nice thing about it in this area is that I only had to buy one fishing license - for Ontario, Canada.  It was a terrific morning, thanks to Melanie for arranging and my mom for funding!

Back at the marina the weather had cleared up and EVERYONE had gotten in the Mardis Gras mood (the town had declared this Mardi Gras weekend, as a good excuse for everyone to act like Canadians in summer).

We walked around the town for a bit and then came back to the docks to find the partying had stepped up a notch, even though it had seemed to be a 10 out of 10 when we left.  During the night they even went to 11.  It was a bit hard to sleep, but we do understand the urge to get Nauty when the sun shines!

Fri July 28: Thorah Lock 40 to Port of Orillia Marina

It was on track to be HUMID, so I decided to go for an early run to just get the sweaty thing going right away.  It’s like jumping into the water instead of slipping in a bit at a time.  In fact, I was so sweaty toward the end that I didn’t even notice it was raining. 

I arrived back to the boat to find this ‘improvement’ going on. Rick is sanding and repainting the window frames.  Someday it will look great.  Right now, along with the mis-matched bumpers, we just look like trailer trash.  Trawler Trash!!

In our locking group today we had this delightful passenger! She had the look of a movie star who has rolled down the window of her limo-ostensibly to see who is out there, but really to be seen. 🤩

Lots of channels to get through today.

I had to take a Bonine to get across big Lake Simcoe.  There was quiet a bit of wind, and we were running sideways to the waves for long enough that I had to lie down. Then, on the approach to the Port of Orillia Marina, there was a confusing switch from red buoys on the left to red-right-returning - with no warning, and in the middle of a super shallow bit of water.  Fortunately Rick was ready for it, thanks to detailed instructions from Dave/Nicole on C’renity.

Docking went smoothly, and the marina was clean and well run.  Although it did seem to be a marina only for sleek black and white boats.  So our trashy selves stood out a little too much….

Right next to us were ducks-swimming in salad.  I’d like to swim in chocolate.

Orillia is a good size city, so I went for a quick walk with Missy while Rick worked on his window project. 

The waterfront is nicely redone, and was very busy (see Canadian Summer Maddness in other posts…).

We got sucked into the destination bakery/store/sugar vortex called Mariposa and accidentally bought a bunch of baked goods and fudge (on SALE! it would have been criminal not to buy it!) 

I guess we are the only people who didn’t know that Gordon Lightfoot was born in Orillia, and died in May of this year. He is celebrated on each of the (two) main streets. Let us have a moment of respectful silence for the beloved (and also often voted worst song ever written) Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald…..

Later we had dinner with Missy and The Judge at ‘must try’ restaurant Studabakers, known for their ‘smash’ burger. I had gotten sucked into the ‘must try’ mentality, so I made us go there even tho I don’t really like ground red meat. Once we got there reality resurfaced and there was nothing I wanted to eat.  Other than fried pickles. Next time someone else needs to choose the restaurant…

After dinner Greg (The Judge) taught us to play Cribbage.  I’ve been wanting to learn; I even went so far as to buy a board, but it’s complicated and it was great to have a pro teach us.

The boaters were gearing up for a two-night binge, so it was time for us to go to bed.  Fortunately, the AC was loud enough that we heard no noise and slept well. 

The sky is peaceful- but not the docks!

Those crazy Canadians are committed to Makin Waves. As usual…

Thurs July 27: Fenelon Falls to Thorah Lock #40 upper wall

Sarcasm ahead alert, in case that's a trigger for anyone..

I LOVE IT when the day starts with a really long, narrow channel that requires you to announce a 'Securite' at the beginning to alert other boats you have entered the channel since it's impossible to pass another boat because the SHALLOW channel has ROCK WALLS ON EITHER SIDE VERY CLOSE TO YOU- I'm still recovering from the narrow roads in Ireland and now THIS?

Rick wanted to talk about how hard is must have been to been to dig a channel through this ground, but I had no bandwidth for that.  All I could think about was HOW CLOSE and UNFORGIVING the walls were.  Can you see them extending down into the water here??  As a super bonus, the water is clear so you can see, with alarming clarity, what you MIGHT HIT AT ANY MOMENT...

We kept saying 'go into the light' to each other, as a way of staying the in middle of the channel and not giving into the weird vertigo that we were drifting left.

Just follow the line of light!

A completely UNNECESSARY speed limit sign - we are barely moving, we are so nervous.

Finally ... we emerged out into the open at the top of the second lift-lock, Kirkfield. It's good we arrived calm and collected -- just in time to drive into the pan which, because this lift is the headed down, the pan is extended out INTO EMPTY SPACE!  This lock is operating on only one pan, while they fix the other piston for the first time since 1904 (when it was built).  That means it is terribly slow, and we anticipated a 1.5 hour wait.  So, while it was unnerving to be the first boat in the pan and, therefore, 5' from the edge, we didn't have to wait.  So, um .... hooray?!

Off our bow - looking over the 50 ft drop! Very strange to be in a boat this  high up.

The video would be more fun, but we can't figure out how to load it onto the blog.  So please enjoy the view as we approach and arrive at the bottom.  Unlike the other lift-lock, it was a VERY slow descent, due to the mechanical issues.  Which was fine.  Better slow then a 10-second drop to the bottom, eay?

Welp-it’s all down hill from here… no really-it is. Rosedale is the last of the Trent Severn locks to take us up.  Starting with the Kirfield Lock we begin locking downward to the Georgian Bay.

Through the 'Hole-in-the-wall' bridge with our entourage.  No point in anyone going fast, the next few locks know we are coming (Kirkfield will have radioed them how many boats to expect) and will hold the lock until all 4 of us arrive. Two of the boats are little Quebecois boats, the other is our friend C'renity.  They kindly offered us a slip at their home marina for tonight, but we plan to stay on a wall at the Thorah Lock, #40 (we are cheap and wanted to be out alone away from the crazy marina life).

The final stretch of locks was on this canal, which is very different than earlier today.  Gravel banks, wildflowers and farm land remind us very much of the Richelieu River we took to Lake Champlain last year.  At least the threatening walls are gone.

We enjoyed a peaceful evening, once the Devil's Anvil of a sun went down... A couple of other boats joined us, but it still felt solitary and quiet...

Wed July 26: Bonus Day in Fenelon Falls

 Sorry to get so behind in writing- the days just seem to keep on coming!

First thing on the agenda today was a 14-mile bike ride, along a gravel trail called the Victoria Rail Trail (that is unimportant, and will not be on the test).  It seems our knees might hurt from bike seats being too low, so we adjusted and had a good ride.  Will see about knee health tomorrow...

These are the 'falls' of Fenelon Falls - I think they would be much more appealing without all the DANGER signs.  So I have taken those out of the second picture - you're welcome...

It is JAMMED in Fenelon Falls.  We forgot that Quebec gets a 2-week Construction Holiday, and this year it runs from July 23 - Aug 6.  So some of this traffic is Loopers, much of it is local, and some is from those giddy Quebecois celebrating freedom, while construction projects all across Quebec lie fallow!

We feel lucky to have a spot on the wall with power.

Our friends, Missy and The Judge, took this pic.  She insisted on it.  He does actually have a name (Greg), but we think it's funnier to think of them like sitcom characters in the well-loved old show 'Missy and The Judge'.

It's critically important to try all the unfamiliar candy bars.  I made the local convenience store lady walk through the candy isle with me and point out anything 'very Canadian'! We will report back.

For dinner we split pizza (we had it ordered to the boat, which I thought was super fun) with Missy and The Judge, and ate up on our deck.  We are feeling lucky that it cools off at night...

Tues July 25: Bobcaygeon to Fenelon Falls upper lock wall

To help heal my knees Rick brought us donuts from the Canadian version of Dunkin - Tim Hortons.  He's is evil!

That perked me right up, so we went for a stroll over to the destination stop the town is famous for - Bigley's Shoe and Clothing store.  It has over 40,000 pairs of shoes - def the biggest shoe store I have ever seen.  Sadly, we didn't need shoes!!

In our haste to get into the lock we cut off a big boat, C’renity.  Of course we all fit into the lock so there was no need for a Zero-Sun game attitude….but this many people tends to make one fall into that mentality. Fenlon Falls, our destination, is so popular, and there are only so many power poles, that we had to obsess for awhile that C’renity would take the last spot on the wall.  Which they did.  But that is not the end of that story…read on.

We are now deep in cottage country, and the houses, er…..cottages, get fancier and fancier.  This one is a whole island.

This one is all vintage signs-that’s fun!

When we got to Fenelon Falls the walls were jammed, and there was some dithering and some words were exchanged. We locked up and cruised past all the walls, and then back.  Suddenly there was a giant group effort, lead by our new friends Missy and The Judge (on boat Motion Denied) AND …. C-renity.  They opened up a space about 44’ long-we are about 42’.  And Rick just slid us in there, it was amazing, while about 12 other boat people helped.  It was a real community feel, and a reminder that negative thinking doesn’t change anything and just makes us feel grumpy… 

Then momma duck brought her babies over, and Rick fed them bran flakes, so that was cheery (the ducks didn’t like bran flakes!).

 

Fenelon Falls now seems like a lovely place, thanks to the kindness of strangers. 

Good night!

Mon July 24: Lakefield Lock to Bobcaygeon lower lock wall

I had this idea I would go for a run this morning, but the downpour put an end to that.  Back to bed…oh darn!  The rain reminded us of what we heard someone's granddaughter say recently, when she was swimming - 'this is really watery'!

Once again we were crammed into the locks like sardines - this time with a different group.  One of the lock masters told us she had once put 13 boats in a lock!  She said that every year the Bobcaygeon lock tries to see how many canoes & kayaks they can put in at one time-their record is 100.  Oh, those crazy Canadians!

"What you lookin' at, punk?"

The whole time we were in the lock this little dog stared fixedly at Rick.  All Rick could hear in his mind was the Taco Bell dog - 'Yo quiero Taco Bell'...

FINALLY - SOME SCENERY!!!  Up until now we’ve basically been stuck in a channel.  But the Trent Severn is a waterway that connects the many natural lakes in the area with small stretches of canal, and we finally got to ‘Cottage Country’-the most beautiful bit of the waterway.

Look how much water there is!

It’s a cultural thing, in this part of Canada, to have a summer house on the water, or on an island, a ‘cottage’.  And many are still that.  But many have ‘improved’ their cottages far beyond their humble roots!  The lakes are made from glacier scoured granite shield, and look much like the 1,000 Islands.  It’s a delight to boat through them.

This famous little church can only be reached by boat.

We are so happy to see loons again.

Look-a toaster!

Of course, because it’s super rocky, we are already terrified-and then they throw in a narrow passage way…

Just your average cottage-with a lower ‘garage’ for boats and other toys.

This cottager has a boat that is bigger then their cottage.  It’s WAY too big for these waters, so either they are ostentatious Canadians (which seems like an oxymoron) or they do big water somewhere else.  Or they are Americans…

How cute is this place?!  When there isn’t much summer- you should squeeze all the joy you can, while its warm!  That will be our new motto.

Well….who says we can’t be spontaneous?! We ended up changing our minds, twice, and now we are where we planned to be tomorrow. The uber-popular Bobcaygeon (pronounced Bob Cajun). 

The usual Goose Brigade greeted us, as did the goose poop. They always have a sentinel goose on duty-this one is on the right.  You can see he has the goose-equivalent of hands-on-hips going on. (the guy on the next boat over asked if we've ever eaten goose - "delicious" he said while kissing his finger tips.)

It’s a cute little town, but my knees are killing me, for some reason, so I just stayed on the bloat and felt sorry for myself… 🙄

Good night!

PS: Hey Linda & Mike - thanks for the rec, we are listening to This Tender Land!