As we are early in the season, locks are operating on a shortened schedule Mon- Thurs. So we slept in and had a leisurely morning, taking off about 10am to go to Frankford. a town further up the Trent Severn Waterway. We traversed three locks ( Locks 4, 5 and 6), rising 54 feet to tie up at the lock wall in Frankford above Lock 6.
Here are some pictures of the locks.
This is one of the original Lock Master's houses
This was an unusually short day for us, holding up for the mechanic put us a bit off schedule. This short day will help us keep reasonable 20-30 mile traveling days from now on. This day is also hazy so pictures aren't that wonderful. Apparently there are forest fires in Quebec and the dust is blowing over our direction.
We locked through the Lock 6 and asked the staff if we could try to help close the gates on the lock. Staff got a big kick out of us doing their work for them. Was not bad pushing the stile to close the gates.
After getting the boat plugged in and settled, we headed into town.
Frankford is a small town with all the essentials. We enjoyed lunch at a local favorite. Bill had a burger and I tried the fish and chips. Was delicious. We then walked to the hardware store and grocery store. Needed to pick up a bit of fresh veggies and fruits.
Had a beautiful sunset.
Below is a map of the middle two thirds of the Trent Severn Waterway so you can see our route and how it follows the rivers and many lakes between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. we will be traveling on this waterway for the next two to three weeks.
Day 17 2nd year June 6. On to Ranney Falls Miles 20 Total 3002
Our trip continues up the Trent Severn Locks 7-12 today. We have another hazy morning, but it will clear up as the wind picks up later in the day.
The waterway winds through small hamlets with homes along the shore, but as we move further north we see good size hills rising just beyond the waterway. We saw our first bald eagle in flight. Too fast for me to catch it on camera. Also shared the waters with lots of small boats, must be good fishing here.
We are cruising with R Turn, a powerboat captained by a couple from Georgian Bay. Last night they shared their favorite spots in their home area. Always good to have local knowledge.
As we travel it is fun to see the rope swings, rafts off shore, docks with slides into the water- all the ways the Canadians enjoy their waterfront.
As we arrived at the next lock, Lock 7,at the hamlet of Glenn Ross, it opened for us and we rose 10 feet.
After the lock the terrain changed to more marsh as we traveled behind Wilson and Hickory Islands.
After 6 miles, we approached Lock 8 at Percy Reach and were informed that a tree had fallen on the electrical line and the lock had no power. Luckily we only had to wait 30 minutes for the hydro to be restored (hydro=electric in Canada). Once power was restored we locked through rising 20 feet. Then on to Lock 9, Meyers, rising 16 feet and Lock 10, Hagues Reach, to rise 24 feet. All through these locks we had double duty, getting ourselves tied up and then helping a sailboat raft to us as we locked through. Then, of course, we had to untie the sailboat from us and let them leave so we could untie and exit the lock.
Another original Lock Master's house.
Our complement of three boats travelled on to Lock 11/12 Ranney Falls. This lock is called a flight lock because once you leave Lock 11 you move immediately to Lock 12. The first doors to Ranney Falls lock are quite impressive because they are the height of the entire 48 foot lift.
Our total left today was 118 feet with 6 locks.
We tied up at the wall at the top of Lock 12 for the night. Plan on exploring the nearby pedestrian suspension bridge and Ferris Provincial Park once we get settled.
With the boat taken care of, we walked across the single car bridge and up to the Ranney Falls Gorge and Pedestrian Suspension Bridge. The bridge has open grating on its footpath. I had to keep looking out and not down as we crossed the gorge and viewed Ranney Falls.
The suspension bridge leads you to Ferris Provincial Park, a large park that follows the gorge to Ranney Falls and encompasses the neighboring valley. The park has lots of campsite and three walking trails. We walked two short forested trails to get great views of the Falls.
Here are the Falls
Photos from our hike
Bill tried being creative on this shot.
Returning to the boat, we checked off a few things on our To Do list and called it a day.
