6-20 – 6-24-17 Oswego Canal to Canada. | scottandkarensgreatloopadventure

6-20 6-24 Oswego Canal to Canada

We had an uneventful finish if the Erie Canal, now onto the Oswego Canal. The Oswego cuts off the Erie and took us to Lake Ontario. We did it in one day. It isn’t very long.

There it is the sign that tell you to continue on the Erie or Take a right to the Oswego. We took a right.

We spent the night at the Oswego Lock 8 wall. We anticipated being there for a while waiting for a weather window to cross Lake Ontario. We got up in the morning realizing the forecast was wrong and it would be a great day to cross, but be had a few crucial things to do before getting into Canada. Scott changed the oil in the engine and we had to get rid of it. If they charge $25 to $50 to pump out our sewer tanks, I can only imagine what they would charge to get rid of used oil. I had phone issues, well I sort of dropped it in the bottom of a lock and had to get a new one.. Oopsie. At Oswego, we jumped on our bikes going separate ways to take care of things. We got back to the boat around noon and some friends came through the lock on Kia Mae. They pulled up to the wall to get a package they had mailed to them. They said they were going to make a break for crossing. We had been gone all morning and hadn’t looked at the weather. It looked like it was going to storm. On investigation, it looked like the lake was going to be calm, but we might get a pop-up rain shower. We both scrambled to do what we had to do and off we went together, with Kia Mae, on the spur of the moment. We had expected to wait close to a week to make the crossing so we were elated. We had perfectly calm seas and one heavy rain shower and some fog at the very end. We were happy!

Scott dove to find my phone. He is my hero! He found it but the water got to it first.

Kia Mae ahead of us going into the open waters of Lake Ontario.

Why are there a million flies out in the middle of Lake Ontario. We didn’t dare open the door. We hosed down the whole boat several times and got rid of the little ankle biting devils. Then the rain started and even more found refuge on our back deck. At least they ended when we got to shore.

We thought we had to go into the marina and use a video phone to check in. We hoisted our quarantine flag, Scott and Jim both dropped their dinghies and headed in with passports etc. in hand. When they got there, they found out they just needed to call in with their cell phones. It was simple to check in with customs. Down comes the quarantine flag and up goes the Canadian Flag.

The next day we had a bit of a trip to the entrance of the Trent Severn Waterway. We arrived and got through three locks before we decided to call it a day. How it works, you can stay on the wall for a nominal fee. We got to lock three and told them we wanted to stay. They sent the guy from lock one down with portable computer and credit card machine and the business was done right there on the lock wall. The lock operators are incredibly friendly and helpful on the Trent Severn. We found it interesting that Lock one is hydraulic, but so far, the rest of the lock doors are open and closed by humans turning cranks. There is obviously some mechanical advantage going on.

Hard to read, but it says “Welcome to the Trent Severn Waterway”

Our first lock left me with dismay. Oh no it’s all metric. I have no idea how far a kilometer is.

Doin business on the dock. They look like they are shooting dice but really, Scott is just paying for our night at the wall. Yup no more free nights on the wall.

The locks don’t open until 9am, so we got up early to go exploring. There is “The Big Rock” a short distance from the wall. It is the largest boulder in Canada and possibly in North America that was moved here by glacier movement. It weighs 2.2 million pounds. I’m not sure how they weighed it but quite sure they mathematically weighed it. The rock is called the Bleasdell Boulder. Reverend Bleasdell discovered it the mid 1800 when he moved here from England. He had an interest in geology. A botanist picked up on it and had Bleasdell show him the rock. He spoke around the world about the rock but gave credit to Bleasdell for his find. It has been the Bleasdell Boulder aka The Big Rock since. In the 1990s Paul and Maria Heissler purchased the land all around The Rock. There are beautiful trails and wood all around it that we hiked on. Glad we took the time to seek it out.

On the way to Bleasdell Rock we came upon this house. The gingerbreading is exquisite! We stopped and looked at it for a long time.

Pretty little creek on the trail to “The Big Rock”

This is a shot of ferns growing out of the moss on the top of the rock.

Last Call at our first stay on the walls of the Trent Severn Waterway in Ontario.

Back to the boat and more canal and locks. We anchored at “The Blue Hole.” However we don’t know if there are any true blue holes in the area. It was quiet and peaceful with the view of a picturesque farm in the distance.