Narrow Waterway
You get a good sense for how steep the surrounding terrain is based on the spacing of the locks. Today it took six locks to go eight miles. That's pretty steep terrain and the route is mostly through narrow, man made cuts. There's usually some rapidly flowing water too. This creates currents which makes steering a challenge. Tomorrow we'll go 35 miles before reaching lock 18. That's pretty flat terrain. We can expect more open waterways and some lakes too. I much prefer this.
Lock 21 Peterborough Lift Lock--Think Big Bathtub that Goes Up and Down
A highlight of the Trent-Severn is Peterborough's 65' lift lock. It's like the Kirkfield lock we went through 3 days ago, only 16' higher. Nellie entered on the upstream side so the tub's far side looked like an infinity pool. I wanted to get close to the front edge but my imagination was working overtime wondering what would happen if Nellie couldn't stop. On the approach I put Nellie in reverse and thought, transmission please don't fail me now!
Yikes, 65' Up!
Going Down with Two of Us in the Tub
Looking Back at the Lift Lock
The Weather Turns Ugly Leaving Lock 20
The Trent-Severn Cruise So Far
Part of the reason for the slow trip was weather related. Just as we were entering Lock 19 there was a nearby lightening strike. The lock operators waved us back and we waited on the blue line for the storm to abate. We eventually got through but the unsettled weather convinced us to go no farther. Tonight we're safely tied to the wall at Lock 19. DBH
