ssloop: Peterborough-Bobcaygeon

Monday morning we left Peterborough Marina in time to catch the first morning opening of the lock just north of the marina. It was a beautiful sunny day to travel 34 miles and through 11 locks. That was a personal record for us. The 2nd lock of the day was the Peterborough Lift Lock. We entered the lock by pulling the boat into a large rectangular pan holding 330,000 gallons of water (1,500 tons). Once the boat was secure, they closed and sealed the door behind us. At this point they allowed the upper pan which contains an extra foot of water (130 tons) to begin to drop. This force through massive hydraulic cylinders lifted our pan straight up a concrete wall 65 feet. Once at the top, our pan was sealed against the concrete wall and the doors opened to allow us to drive out the other end. Wow! Between locks we crossed 3 beautiful lakes, Clear Lake, Stony Lake and Lovesick Lake. We spent the night on the wall at Buckhorn Lock where we cooked out and enjoyed a campfire.

Our destination on Tuesady was Bobcaygeon. While in Key West this winter we met and became friends with John & Sherry aboard Loafer's Paradise. While they keep their boat in Ft. Lauderdale, their home is in Bobcaygeon. As we entered the Bobcaygeon River John came out on his runabout boat and escorted us to a private slip at their friends home across the river. This put us in a beautiful location where we could easily take the dinghy across the river to John & Sherry's or upstream to the fun town of Bobcaygeon. They were planning to host us at their home but due to their son's upcoming wedding, they had built a platform over their slip for the wedding ceremony and festivities. That evening we enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner at John & Sherry's lovely home.

Wednesday, July 1 was Canada Day! O CANADA! We took the dinghy to town for the parade and later in the day we shared a hamburger cookout at John & Sherry's with John's mom & dad and their kids. John's mom treated us to her homemade Butter Tarts. Yum! After dark, we enjoyed watching the local fireworks from the back of the Pura Vida.

On Thursday we went for a long bike ride through the pretty neighborhoods in Bobcaygeon. In the afternoon we took a dinghy ride to explore a local lake. In the evening John & Sherry picked us up with their runabout and went to the cottage of Rob & Lori (who had also been in Key West) for dinner. While there, we saw several beavers swimming by and a mink running along the shore. No more dolphins, but still seeing wildlife!

Friday morning shortly after leaving the slip we went through the lock in downtown Bobcaygeon. We tied up to the upper lock wall so the first mate could hit the huge sale at Bigley Shoes and Clothing. What a great store!

It was so fun spending time with our Canadian friends. Our time in Bobcaygeon will be remembered as a highlight of our trip. Thanks John & Sherry!

Peterborough Lift Lock.