Sunday, July 31, 2016

Wed. July 27 to Sat. July 30: Penetanguishene to Frying Pan Island/San Souci... Henry’s Fish Camp; Josephine Islands Anchorage, Hang Dog Reef and Channel to Byng Inlet/ Britt. M-m-m... the Georgian Bay, at last!




One of the driving forces for us to want to do The Great Loop was to experience the Georgian Bay cruising waters. Words cannot describe the raw beauty that surrounds us every day. Hopefully our photos will fill the gap. 
The channel can be narrow at times





Penetanguishene 





Room for one boat only

Phew! Made it!



Had to experience world famous Henry's

Walk through the woods to find ice cream!


Can only get to Henry's by boat or plane





Pointe Au Baril lighthouse

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The 1%ers are around but mostly just small cottages



Hangdog Channel was tight and rocky but really beautiful

If you by-pass Hangdog you have open lake for 3 hours


Bing Inlet light

Bing Inlet


Wright's Marina with all the amenities of home


Created by Darcy O Campbell

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Tues. July 26 and Wed. July 27: Making peace with the Marine Railway’s Big Chute




Along with the Peterborough and the Kirkfield Liftlocks, another oddity of moving from one level to another on the Trent-Severn Waterway is the railway lift called The Big Chute. In order for us to study how this contraption worked, we spent an afternoon and overnight on a Parks Canada dock and watched boats get transferred from the Trent River down to the Severn River. Early the next morning, Summertime, with us aboard, was strapped into the partly submerged railroad car, balanced with straps, trundled on tracks out of the water, across a roadway, rolled down a hillside amd placed “nice as you please” into the waters of the Severn River.  The entire operation, an engineering marvel for sure, took less than fifteen minutes! 
The marine railway awaiting a days work
The railway submerged awaiting our arrival

Slings awaiting

Summertime sitting high and dry on her keel 

The Admiral on watch

Almost back into the water


On the water again!

Created by Darcy O.Campbell

Monday, July 18-Monday, July 25: Off the waterway and onto the roadway.

On Sunday evening July 17, we learned of the death of a distant family member back in Maine. Jean was Wally’s 2nd cousin; he was one of the few of her living relatives. After she struggled six years ago with a complicated series of health issues, Wally and I began taking responsibility for her welfare. Now at her death at age 88, it fell to Wally and I to put her estate affairs in order. We arranged for Summertime to spend a week or two at Ontario’s Port of Orillia Marina. By Monday night we were in a hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That drive along the St. Lawrence River Valley had lifted our spirits. Handsome farmhouses, barns and multiple silos dotted the landscape while rolling fields of ripening grains created a quilted pattern as far as the eye could see. After clearing customs on the Vermont border, we found ourselves surrounded by the breathtaking granite and evergreen peaks of the Green Mountains, soon followed by the equally stunning peaks of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. By Tuesday noon we arrived at Jean’s home in central Maine. Thankfully Wally’s sister made her nearby cottage at the lake available to us for overnight accomodations. By Friday we had taken care of all that Jean’s situation would allow us to do. With a long week-end ahead of us, we drove north to visit as many friends and family members as we could squeeze into three days. “Nan and Pop... promise us you will never go away in the summer again!!” rang in our ears. Getting back to Bottle Lake and our sweet Emily and Bailey was on the top of the list. How can a six and nine year old grow so fast? We relaxed and enjoyed watching Erin and Brett ably taking care of camp upkeep. It seems that we are passing on the torch... hurrah!

Fellow Cruisers Tricia and Rob
Competitive game of UNO


Erin and Bailey---Brett and Emily

Created by Darcy O Campbell