July 24 - 26 Bobcaygeon - Fenelon Falls - Portage Lock 39 on the Trent Sev

July 26, 2025

The first night in Bobcaygeon we joined a Loopers docktail gathering with 8 couples. Most were from the US, but the host and hostess were Canadian, Louise and Bill.

We woke up Thursday morning, hopped on our bicycles and visited the Kawartha Settlers Village, Kawartha Dairy - we had ice cream cones for breakfast - and the Bobcaygeon museum - then hot dogs or sausages for lunch. Ended the day with "docktails" with Louise and Bill, a Concert in the Park - Music and Step dance program with fiddles, and then Maggie's Wake, a Canadian roots band.

The region we have been traveling in is known as the Kawartha Lakes region and "Cottage Country." Kawartha was the indigenous tribe that was and is in the area and it means "land of reflections or land of shining waters." Cottage Country reminded Don of the Severn River in the early 60's - cabins for the wealthy "Washington DC elite." We found out that most of the cottages here are owned by Torontonians.

Friday, we motored through lock 33 and docked at Fenelon Falls with Louise & Bill and new to us, Claudette and Ralph who hail from Whidbey Island, WA. We walked the town, went grocery shopping, enjoyed docktails again and then all went for a swim!

Saturday, we went through 5 locks and docked at Lock 39, Portage. A serene country setting - translates to nothing here - except Canadian Geese and wheat fields!

But what a thrill getting there was. We went through the Kirkfield Lift Lock, which is the 2nd highest hydraulic lock in the world - but this time we went down, instead of up (like in the Peterborough lock) - YIKES. It is pretty nerve racking when your boat is in the lock, and you can see down 50 feet to the water below! And to make matters even funnier, while we were in the lock, Bill asked me if I had ever seen the video of when the lock broke! I said NO!!!!

Three days ago, a prop hit a rock in the middle of the lake that was 30 feet deep - minor damage - the blades were evenly trimmed - somewhat imbalanced. Today, instead of shaving the propellor, we shaved the bark off of four different submerged trees - in water less than 6 feet deep. But then, we touched the hard bottom in a 4.5-foot-deep channel we had to go through. Unsure of the damage. Don needs to put on the snorkel and flippers and look around!

Veteran loopers say: "It's not if you hit the bottom, it's when and how hard."

The Joys of Boating continue!