We left Port of Orillia Marina at 8:00 and entered Lake Couchiching, eager to test out our freshly cleaned exhaust system. We accelerated to a mid-range cruising speed which had been problematic with overheating since we bought Crossroads. To our delight, exhaust temperatures were lower than we had ever seen. Problem solved ... finally.
There was not much to see in the lake. We passed a few "bird islands" where too may birds and too much bird poop have killed the trees making it look spooky and haunted. We quickly passed through Lock No. 42 and picked up a few small traveling companions upon exiting. These small boats sped right through the Railroad Swing Bridge. We had to slow and request a bridge opening by blowing our horn three times. Our horn makes an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak. We'd love to replace it with one that sounds more respectable -- like a deep fog horn.
Once across the lake we entered a narrow river channel which was dotted with rock hazards, granite walls, and blind turns. Houses lined both sides of the water, each one having a dock and an assortment of water toys -- both powered and inflatable. Lock No. 43 at Swift Rapids is the largest single lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway, with a lift of 47 feet. Sorry, I have no photos of its massive doors because I forgot to take the camera to the stern with me.
Our last "lock" of the day was No. 44, The Big Chute. Its not really a lock, but a marine railway that loads boats into a carriage and transports them up and over a massive mound of granite, part of the Canadian Shield. It was deemed easier to take boats over than to blast through the rock. This is a remarkable process and we stopped to watch several passages before we got in line to make the trip. Boats quickly load in, go up and over, float way, and immediately the process starts again, going back in the opposite direction. Parks Canada has a nice video showing the whole process -- check out this link.
So here's my attempt at photo documentation of our trip across. My arms aren't long enough to capture a proper selfie. I would loved to have seen the underside of Crossroads to check out the condition of the bottom paint. We floated into the back of the carriage. The floor rose to meet the bottom of the boat as straps were tightened to secure us. We moved along the tracks. The photo on the right is Barry's view from the summit.
My view from the stern was not as exciting, but shows the height and incline traveled. Once our load had exited, the boats heading in the opposite direction loaded in the empty chamber.
Following The Big Chute, we still had an hour to go until we called it a day. The preferred channel meandered between small islands and across open stretches. The sky turned a dark gray and the weather radar was showing yellow and red spots heading our way. We tied up in a heavy downpour, but without difficulty. It was a long day and baked chicken and salad for dinner was a nice reward. A chance of storms still exists this evening and overnight, but those clouds also produced a nice sunset.
We are tied up less than 50 yards from Lock No. 45, Port Severn. It is the terminus of the Trent-Severn Waterway and we will pass through it first thing tomorrow and enter Georgian Bay. This is a remote section of waterway and we're not sure what our cell and internet connectivity will be. If you don't hear from us, don't freak out.
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