Otonabee River

The Otonabee River is a quiet stream that winds for 20 miles through swampland and rolling hills, past cottages and farms.

We pass the Kawartha Voyageur, a cruise line that does the local waterway and locks. It has a re-tractable bow that comes up in order to fit into the locks.

We pass by the Hiawatha Indian Reserve on the eastern shore on our way towards the city of Peterborough.

We turn into Little Lake and see the city's 250-foot Centennial Fountain geyser.

But the real thing that Peterborough is famous for is the world's highest hydraulic lift lock. It is a major waterway attraction. We will "float" up the 65-foot vertical lift. When it opened in 1904, the lock was an engineering marvel. Even today, more than 105 years later, it is still a remarkable operation to watch.

Boats float into what is like a giant cake pan and you gradually move up.

Going Up!

The Trent Canal is a land cut through the Canadian Shield, a geological feature that covers half the country. Vessels are restricted to 6 feet of draft. The width is also limited here and you do not exceed 5 mph.

We go through the Hole in the Wall Bridge, constructed in 1905, as we head towards the second highest lift in North America, the Kirkfield Hydraulic Lift Lock.

The Kirkfield Lock has a 49 foot vertical drop. For those heading north and cruising into the front of the pan, you will feel like you are hanging in mid-air.

Going Down!

Now we are headed to Port Severn and the last of the 44 locks on the Trent-Severn Waterway, the breathtaking Big Chute!

We line up on the wall, waiting for morning to enter the Big Chute.

 At the Big Chute, water rushes down a long granite chute between the Upper Severn River and Gloucester Pool. The Big Chute railway portages your vessel across land and down the chute on twin tracks.

This is a fascinating operation to watch and photograph our friends, Michelle and Marc, on Marc's Arc.

And down they go!

Now it's our turn. I am taking this picture from the flybridge looking at the part of the railway that I can see before it goes over the hill and drops to the water level.

It was like a slow rollercoaster ride.

  

We head out into the open waters of the Georgian Bay.