Day 379 – Frankford, Ontario to Old Mill Park, Campbellford, Ontario - July 19, 2012

Today was a great day on the Trent-Severn Waterway.  We traversed six locks just like yesterday, but we traveled twenty-one miles today instead of the six we did yesterday.  Many of our fellow Loopers traveled what we did in these past two days in just one day.  We can’t imagine how tired they had to be after twelve locks and almost thirty miles.  We are happy with our pace and we hope the plan we have put together for the rest of the Trent-Severn will maintain this pace.

Our final two locks for today are the first of two flight locks on the Trent-Severn.  In a flight lock, two conventional locks are joined in a sequence or “flight” of locks to handle a large change in water level.  To traverse this flight lock we enter the first lock, the chamber fills, the doors open and we move directly into the second lock.  Then the second lock fills, the doors open and we exit having been raised 48 feet in a very short distance.  A flight lock is very different looking from a conventional lock – everything seems very large (and a bit intimidating).

After stopping at the Esso station that pumps fuel for cars on one side of their building and for boats on the other side (which means we pay road price instead of marine price for our fuel), we moved to the wall at Old Mill Park.  The wall space at the park is managed by the Chamber of Commerce and our fee for the night includes a place to tie up, power, restrooms and the all important internet access. 
 
            Miles: 21.0      Bridges: 3        Locks: 6

I guess we won't stray outside of the red channel marks here! (yes, that's
a huge rock, just outside the channel!)

Lock #7 empties in preparation for us to lock through - it is amazingly
turbulent just outside the lock doors

at the top of Lock #7 the lock doors open and we wait for the swing bridge
(also operated by the lockmaster) to open

we traveled through the Murray Marsh today where we saw a pair of
swans with their two cygnets (baby swans)

the gates at Lock #9 begin to open

the lower doors of Lock #11, the first lock in the flight of two

inside Lock #11 - the gates are very tall because they are the upper gates for
Lock #11 as well as the lower gates for Lock #12

the gates open between Lock #11 and Lock #12

looking back at the lower doors of Lock #11

looking into Lock #12

at the top of Lock #12 - first the gates will open, then the swing bridge
will swing open - then we can exit the lock chamber

a twenty foot replica of the Canadian $2 coin in Old Mill Park - the artist,
Brent Townsend, who designed the coin is a reside of nearby Trent Hills