Sunday, May 27

Centennial Fountain geyser  at Peterborough - C.L. needs one

Low water at Healey Falls

From Campbellford to Peterborough we traveled 59 miles and went through 7 locks.
 Chatting with one of the lock tenders we were told that the water levels were extremely low and without more rain in the next two months the Trent- Severn Waterway might have to shut down.   At the Healey Falls Locks 15, 16 & 17 this was very evident.  The guide book recommends taking a short walk to Healey Falls for a photo op........ here we could see first hand just how low the water levels really are, making us think of the parallel situation in North Iowa. 
We left the Trent River and entered Rice Lake -  20 miles long and three miles wide, it is the second largest of the many interconnecting lakes on the Trent system.  The lake was a giant granary in Indian times and was named for the wild rice that once grew around its shores.
Next we traveled  20 miles on the Otonabee River to Peterborough.  Most of the people on the water were fishing and the locks had little to no traffic.......... by now we thought that the boat traffic would be picking up but it seems we are still ahead of the pack.  By July the Trent will be so busy that often there is a wait of 1 - 1 1/2 hours at each lock.  Today we locked through by ourselves, except for the pair of ducks that joined us.

2 ducks - our only lock companions

So far we are not terribly impressed with the Trent-Severn Waterway, which does not yet have the True North appeal of the Rideau.  We have been told the best is yet to come.