Beginning of The Trent Severn Waterway

I finally got a good picture of a lock being opened by hand.

The Trent Severn Waterway connects Lake Ontario with Lake Huron and it's 240 miles long. We've been working our way north on the lower section of it for the last four days passing through rural areas of farms and small cottages and about 6 locks per day. Most of the locks on this section have, like the ones back on the Chambly Canal, been hand operated by friendly, chatty lock keepers and their student assistants.

Biking along the lower Trent on the Trans Canada Trail.

Sometimes, we spend the night tied up to the lock walls either above or below the lock. The locks are operated by Parks Canada and there are always bathrooms at each lock, usually in the old lock keeper's house, and sometimes electricity, but nothing else. These peaceful nights are a nice change from the marinas and town walls where we spend most nights.

Tying up for the night on an isolated lock wall.

Lock masters house built in 1912 for $4,500 with a 2-year old $45,000 new shake roof..

We've passed lots of bass fishermen and some interesting vessels (oh those wild and crazy Canadians!).

Replica of a Toonie," the Canadian $2.00 coin designed by a  local artist. This picture was taken at Old Mill Park in Campbellford and our boat was tied to the town wall behind the trees to the right of the coin.

Tomorrow, we arrive in Peterborough where the character of the waterway, the locks and the pace of life will change radically.

Boldt Castle

While staying in The Thousand Islands at Gananoque (Gan Nan Ahk Way), we boarded a tour boat (because we needed more time on the water) that took us to Boldt Castle. The castle, which occupies all of Heart Island, was never finished because Mrs. Boldt, for whom Mr. Boldt was building the place, died at age 45 in 1904, a year before it was finished. Mr. Boldt, broken hearted, called the 300 or so workers, told them to stop, and the castle went unfinished, and open to the weather and vandals for the next 75 years.

Now the castle belongs to the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and they have been slowly restoring it since the early 1980's following the Stanford White plans drawn up for sad Mr. Boldt.

Childrens' playhouse.

A guest room awaiting restoration.

If you're wondering, Mr. Boldt was a Russian immigrant who made it big in the hotel business in NYC and Philadelphia and was buds with John Astor who died when the Titanic sank.

Thousands Of Islands

Located in the Saint Lawrence Seaway, are The Thousand Islands. In reality, there are 1,800, give or take a few, islands in The Thousand Islands. Many have mansions on them and there are even a couple with castles on them. But the ones we like best, are the ones with just one house that takes up most of the island.

Montreal and Saint Lawrence Seaway Locks

Montreal is very cool, especially Old Port.

Because French is spoken almost exclusively, and there's old world architecture everywhere, you really feel like you are in Europe. We were lucky, and got a slip for two nights at the Montreal Yacht Club, which is right in downtown Old Port, but much more private and nice, than the public marina almost next door.

The definition of tourists, we took a Grey Line tour on a red, double decker bus and walked miles and miles gawking all the way. It was great fun and a foodie's heaven. We will return to this special city some day.

On a cobblestone street in Old Port

Pleasure boats are definitely second class citizens on the Saint Lawrence Seaway. At the second lock after Montreal, we had to wait 1 1/2 hours for a HUGE ship to go through the lock before us. It barely fit from side to side and bow to stern in the lock.

The big guy ahead of us.

While waiting for Mr. Big to lock through ahead of us, and sipping the coffee we'd just made, we heard a loud sound, and a gigantic Canadian Coast Guard hover craft elevated from the parking lot next to us. We had to quickly scramble down from our "porch" on the Humbug's roof into the cabin, so we wouldn't get soaked by the immense spray the thing kicked out behind it as it took off.

Pop Up Hover Craft

Floating bollard on lock holding us to wall.

When our turn arrived, we had the whole lock to our minuscule selves.

Toward the beginning of the lock.

Looking at the back of the lock.

Chambly Canal, Richelieu River to Montreal

The Chambly Canal, which connects Lake Champlain with the Richelieu River, is very narrow and beautiful winding through rural Canadian farmland and past tidy waterside houses. The locks are tiny in comparison to the Champlain Canal  locks (our boat completely filled most of them), and they are hand operated. The Richelieu River took us from the Chambly to the large and commercial Saint Lawrence Seaway which we followed to Montreal arriving there on June 16. 

Tiny lock on the Chambly Canal

Lock Master cranking doors open by hand.

Pulling into Montreal in the rain.

Burlington's A Blast!

Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Burlington, Vermont is a great town full of college kids and lots to do. We stayed for three nights right in downtown at The Burlington Community Dock where we picked up our first Fed-Ex shipment of mail from my sister, Barbara. After going through our mail, we explored the town visiting the very first Ben & Jerry's, and the Champlain Aquarium and Science Center where we arrived right in time to see them feed live crickets to their exotic frogs. The next day, we went to The Shelburne Museum which is kind of like Sturbridge Village but with an emphasis on art and collections. It sprawls over 45 acres and has all kinds of old buildings brought there from all over New England - there's even the Ticonderoga, a walking beam, steam-powered, side paddle wheeler.

Ticonderoga in her land-locked berth.

Riding part of circus collection.

At Ben & Jerry's

With friends at Shelburne Museum.

We took the bus to and from Shelburne, an interesting experience hanging out with the common man, that reminded us of how lucky and privileged we are.

Champlain Continued

Lock opening onto Lake Champlain

I forgot to mention in my last post, that we had to go through 12 locks to get to Lake Champlain - 9 lifted us up into the Adirondack Mountains, and 3 lowered us down to the lake.

5 O' Clock on Lake Champlain

Mary Beth and Tom Hodson met us part way up the lake at Basin Harbor Club. Tom grew up in the summers there and was a great tour guide for the next two days. We visited the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, which is on the grounds of Basin Harbor Club, then cruised up the lake to beautiful and secluded Button Bay where we anchored for the night.

Lake Champlain is amazing. It is over 120 miles long and deep - our depth meter read over 400 feet several times. It is also unusually beautiful because it's bounded by the Adirondack Mountains on one side, and the  Green Mountains on the other. There's supposed to be a monster named "Champ" living in it, but we didn't see him.

                 

Loon on Button Bay

Tom is nuts - 46 degree water!

Tom took a post breakfast swim, then we departed for the 7-mile trip up the Otter Creek to Vergennes, VT. Vergennes is a lovely town with a beautiful water fall, great restaurants and a free dock for boaters, but the Otter River is a lot like the river in the movie Deliverance.

Vergennes Falls & Free Dock

                               

Troy, NY to Lake Champlain

Troy, NY to Lake Champlain

After Federal Lock, we spent the night at Waterford, NY which has a free dock ($10 if you want electricity). There is a farmers market right at the dock each Sunday and the local super market will let you take their carts to the dock (they collect them once a week). Waterford is where the Erie Canal begins.

The next morning,instead of heading to the first lock on the Erie Canal, we went back to the Hudson and headed north to the Champlain Canal.

On the wall in Waterford, NY.

Carol, Neil and Pete on top of Erie Canal Lock 1

Left to the Erie or right to the Champlain

Neil waiting to get his gloves all slimy from a lock rope.

 We said goodbye to Carol and Neil in Orwell, VT at Chipman Point Marina. And today, we are sitting in the rain at Westport Marina, on the New York side of the lake, doing laundry and catching up on this blog.

Chipman Point Marina

Catching up on this blog.

Doing laundry.

   

Hudson River to first lock.

On our way up the Hudson, we toured West Point Military Academy and had dinner at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Federal Lock, in Troy, NY, was our first lock.

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West Point

Civil War monument at West Point

CIA

Light house on the Hudson River

Approaching Federal Lock

In Federal Lock (Carol Dempsey in window)