Day 333: Saturday, August 3, 2013
Port to Port: Scott Mills (Lock 19) to Burleigh Falls Anchorage (Lock 28)
Underway: 8:43 am Motor Off: 4:15 pm Miles Traveled: 23 Stayed At: Anchor
Mile 89 to Mile 112: Eight locks and 23 miles is a good day on the Trent Severn. We were lucky and got on a good cycle and the locks were usually ready for us when we pulled up. The Peterborough Lock is a special lock. There are two huge pans of water with hinged gates on each end. They lower the front gate and you drive in and tie off along the side. They close the gate and one pan goes up and the other pan goes down sixty- five feet. The piston that each pan sits on has to be 12 feet in diameter. The view from the top is amazing. This lock has special memories from our trip in 2002. One of our favorite pictures from that trip is off Jess and Sarah standing on the bow of Aurora at the very front of the pan right with a panoramic view of the valley below. We are amazingly lucky to be here again.
I am also reminded of what a good job the girls did back then getting us safely into and out of dozens and dozens of locks (and docks) – at age 11 and 13. We have seen many adults having trouble tying off and keeping their boats secure. They were (and still are) the best crew (and the best kids) anyone could hope for.
The scenery is getting better and better if that is possible. We are now in the part of the Trent Severn with mile after mile of little tree covered granite islands – some with cabins and some pristine. It reminds me of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota (except there are power boats here).
We found an amazing secluded anchorage a few minutes from the Burleigh Falls Lock and tied up to Carina for a special dinner on Aurora (yes, Aurora). We set up the cookstove in the cockpit and Cindy cranked out pan after pan of ebleskivers as Kent, Jane and I ate them hot out of the pan. What a treat.
After cleaning up and restowing all the dishes, we untied and moved a little closer to shore into a rock and tree lined cove to anchor for the night. This had to be one of our top five favorite anchorages so far. It will be hard to beat. Sleep will come easy tonight.
