Days 324 and 325 - Hell's Gate

Miles cruised 13, locks transited 3, lift 41', fuel purchased $0, slip fee $62, daily high temperature 92°fWe cast off from McCraken's Marina on Stony Lake at 10 am. We passed through a section of the waterway called Hell's Gate. It is narrow and very rocky outside the channel but easy to navigate if you just follow the channel markers. We passed Burleigh Falls on our way to the Burleigh Falls Lock. Given the drought conditions in Canada Burleigh Falls looks more like Barely Falls.As we approached the lock we saw a houseboat entering. We had been warned that there are over 300 rental houseboats on this section of the waterway. The other Looper's advice is to let the houseboats go first so they can bounce off both sides of the lock walls before they tie up instead of bouncing off of us.The Burleigh lock was full when we arrived so we tied up to the wall and waited for the next opening. One houseboat arrived and we waved him in. He was headed for the left side of the lock but when he was finally tied up he was on the right side. This lock was a 24' lift.The next two locks had houseboats tied up all around them. The locks charge 90 cents a foot for overnight dockage with no electric or hydro (water).Upon arrival at the Buckhorn Yacht Harbour we were directed into a covered slip. You know what that means, no satellite TV. Dale had arranged for the mechanic to do an oil change. He was unable to do the work when we arrived so he will come first thing on Thursday morning.Rolf the mechanic arrived at 8:30 am and did a very professional job of changing our oil. CL has an automatic oil change pump for the two engines and the generator. Bring an empty five gallon can, stick the hose in it and press the "pump out the old oil"  button. Next put the hose in the new five gallon can of oil and press the "new oil fill" button and then haul the old oil away. It is an elegant system.We cast off from the Buckhorn Yacht Harbour at 10:30 am and cruised 12 miles up Buckhorn Lake on glass flat water. The scenery continues to be spectacular. The Canadians love water sports and every mile we cruse we see jet skis, fishermen, boats pulling wake boarders and tubes, and people swimming off their boats and from shore. We respect the 10 kilometer per hour (6 mph) speed limit so we do not throw a large wake and rock the other boats. Not all Canadians are as polite as we are. We have been rocked several times by larger boats blasting past us in close quarters. They have not broken any of our liquor bottles yet but they have tried.The scenery along the Trent is breathtakingly beautiful.We spotted a lovely harbor on Big Island on our way to Bobcaygeon. We dropped anchor, had lunch, went swimming and took a dingy ride in our perfectly running dingy. Mid afternoon we hauled anchor and cruised the final 4 miles to Gordon's Marina. We receive a rate of $1.00 per foot if we stay for two nights - deal! This is the home of Bigley's shoe store with 40,000 pairs of shoes.At Gordon's Yacht Harbour Marina we helped a house boat tie up at the gas dock. The couple and their two daughters have been on the houseboat for six days. The wife was rambling on about how rude other house boaters are in the locks because they are always yelling at her husband. Then she said she could not believe the houseboat company would rent to her husband because he does not know how to drive a boat. They were returning to the houseboat rental Marina a day early because she could not stand it any more. At least they do not have to transit any more locks.We walked into downtown Bobcaygeon and were immediately greeted by the sight we had been seeking for a week - Bigley's shoe store. It is everything we heard it would be. Priscilla is the proud owner of two new pairs of walking shoes. We will be here for one more day so the shoe count could increase.After dinner at the "Just for the Halibut" fish and chips restaurant I went fishing off the dock at the marina. Melanie Allen's son-in-law gave me some suggestions for the correct fishing tackle to use to catch bass in Canada. His advice was very good and I caught and released a half dozen fish.Bonus photoWe will spend two nights in Bobcaygeon. The heat wave will be over soon so we may spend a night on the Fenalon Falls lock wall on Saturday.Carl (Chef) Wooden - quote of the day.“I'd like to be a sailor - a sailor bold and bluff, Calling out, 'Ship ahoy!' in manly tones and gruff. I'd learn to box the compass, and to reef and tack and luff; I'd sniff and sniff the briny breeze and never get enough. Perhaps I'd chew tobacco, or an old black pipe I'd puff, But I wouldn't be a sailor if The sea was very rough.C J DennisClarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, (7 September 1876 – 22 June 1938) was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1916 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history.Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets.When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the "Australian Robert Burns".