The Great Loop

After a few weeks of prep work we are finally under way and on our adventure. This should be a year long experience up the Atlantic Coast, over the Great Lakes, and down the inland rivers. Read more

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The Great Loop Traveler
Alexandria Bay
July 8, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
A quick trip into town. Cute shops and restaurants along the water.
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The Great Loop Traveler
Clayton
July 8, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Mom and dad spent a few days with us. We explored the historic town of Clayton. There’s lots of little cute shops. We did cheese sampling, distillery tasting, beer tasting, and wine tasting.
TravelerI *love* Clayton and Rat City Rlver Cheese. my best friend and her wife own property on the island just over the toll Bridge between US and Canada.
7/13/23Reply
TravelerI also recommend the Vodka pasta sauce from Clayton Distillery. yummy
7/13/23Reply
TravelerI did not see the vodka sauce at the distillery. Is this the distillery on the historic town or the one outside next to the mini golf course?
7/13/23Reply
TravelerThat’s so cool!! The fried cheese curds were amazing
7/13/23Reply
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The Great Loop Traveler
Kingston ON
July 15, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
Kingston is a neat town with history and lots to see. We toured a tower, penitentiary, Bellevue House, and local sights.
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The Great Loop Traveler
Picton
July 16, 2023 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 70 °F
After a 4 hour day of boating, we anchored outside of the town of Picton. Anchoring in, we found ice cream and enjoyed the sights of the town. Unfortunately we arrived a bit late and most shops were closed. We did manage to find a place for some beveragesRead more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Trenton
July 17, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We’ve entered the Trent Severn waterway. Staying just outside of Trenton, we went through our first lock here and stayed the night on the wall. It was a nice park like area.
Nearby was the Boulder that we jogged to check out.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Frankford
July 18, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We continue our journey through the Trent Severn. Michael helped open each of the five lock doors. After passing through lock 6, we stopped on Frankford and tied up to the wall. This area was lovely and had power. Nearby was an RV park and beach. The kids played at the beach and in the river all day long.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Campbellford
July 19, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Another day full of locks. We went through locks 7-12 with 11 and 12 being tandem, meaning you go through 11 immediately after going through 11. It was quite impressive. We stayed at the municipal marina in town for power and hit the ground running with our exploration. We saw the bakery, giant Tooney, music in the park, and chocolate outlet.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Rice Lake
July 20, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We had a long day of traveling. Hastings was full so we pushed on and anchored in Rice Lake. Unfortunately a storm rolled through in the evening, but the next morning was lovely. Michael enjoyed fishing for a bit before we continued our trip.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Peterborough
July 21, 2023 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 64 °F
We stayed at the marina for a couple of nights to repair the generator, celebrate our anniversary, and explore the town. Classified, a Canadian Rapper was performing in the neighboring green space. Main Street had a bunch of cute boutiques, restaurants, game stores, and pubs.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Petroglyph Provincial Park
July 23, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We took a car to see the Petroglyphs. This is the largest known collection of petroglyphs on the North American continent. We were able to take photos of the actual petroglyphs as it was located on a sacred sight.

Nearby was Lake McGinnis, a Merometric lake where the temperatures don’t mix. It was very pretty.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Peterborough Lift Lock
July 23, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F
The Peterborough lift lock was amazing. Hilt in 1904, it’s like an elevator for boats that takes you up 65 feet. There are two sides: one upper chamber and one lower. The upper chamber is filled with a little more water than the lower and the extra weight causes it to lower causing the lower chamber to rise up.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Otonabee Lock 23 wall
July 24, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
We passed through the lift lock and through a couple more small locks. The water was nice and calm for the journey. One part of the river even went through the middle of Trent University. We decided to stop at the top of lock 23 to relax. Not much to do or see but fish and kayak.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Lakefield
July 25, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
We stopped for the day and tied up to the lock wall in Lakefield. The wall was very close to the small downtown. There, we enjoyed lunch, ice cream, and a stroll.

We spotted little fairy doors around the businesses, visited the Stuff Store, and got chocolate at the Chocolate Rabbit.

The town also had a nice little beach and other cute shops.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Buckhorn Ontario
July 26, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F
We continue our journey in the Trent-Severn Waterway. We arrived at the Buckhorn lock, but the upper portion was full, so we tied up to the lower portion. At the end there was a spot for playing in the water. The town was small, but had a nice vibe. The wall of the lock was park like with tables and fire pits. This is one of the busiest locks.

Nearby was the Adam and Eve rock. It’s said if two lovers hold hands and touch the rocks, they will be blessed. Sadly Boris was not with me at the time. The town was formed centered around a mill that had antlers hung around. Thus the name buckhorn.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Bobcaygeon
July 28, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F
The next stop on the waterway is Bobcaygeon. It is the very first lock on the Trent-Severn and the original arch is still around (just moved up a little). The town is known for the Biggleys shopping. It’s a whole block of shops that sell anything from shows to housewares. Karwatha Ice Cream was also started here. It’s delicious! We were able to find spots on the upper half of the lock and just in time for a live music performance in the park. There’s also a beach and swimming area nearby.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Fenelon Falls
July 29, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
We stopped for the night in Fenelon Falls. It’s another popular spot so there wasn’t space on the upper half of the locks but we did manage to find space on the bottom with a great view of the falls. It rained for the day but we were able to get out and explore in the afternoon.

There was a neat old house that was a museum which also acted as a children’s museum. Live music was played and there were a lot of hands on activities.

We stopped at the brewery for a snack to wait out the rain and then saw a few other quaint shops.

My favorite was the record shop. It was all decorated in retro 70s stuff. Loved just browsing around.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Balsam Lake anchorage
July 30, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
We anchored near the sandbar and just before the “ditch”. The water was warm and inviting so we jumped in and swam the day away. It also ended up being a great fishing hole! We caught bass and lots of sunfish.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
To Lock 40
July 31, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
We passed through the ditch, through Kirkfield, and stopped at the wall of lock 40. The ditch was narrow and shallow so it was a slow trip through. You could touch the tree branches from the boat in some areas.

The kirkfield lock is a lift lock and the first lock going down for us. It’s all downhill from here.

The lock wall had a fire pit so we roasted s’mores for the night.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Barrie
August 2, 2023 in Canada
Barrie has a fun water park called Splash On. It’s like a bounce house on the water. You have a 2 hour time slot to start playing but after 1 hour, I was tired. It was a workout just trying to remain standing. The kids loved jumping off the high point and being launched off the catapult.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Orillia
August 3, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
This charming little gem was a fun place to visit. The downtown Main Street has so many neat shops. We enjoyed exploring Mariposa Market which is four shops in one. Their items ranged from delicious baked goods to fudge.

The marina was very nice and we met with a bunch of other Loopers. Right outside the marina was a nice boardwalk leading us to a playground and beach.

Art was also everywhere. The lampposts had guitars decorating them while other pieces sprouted around the streets.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
The Big Chute
August 3, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Lock 44. We are almost done with the Trent-Severn. It was a long day of boating. We left early, but got stuck waiting for a train bridge to open. There were 9 boats waiting (we were second in line) and it took two hours.

When we got to the Big Chute, a storm was coming and we were able to get through just in time. Tying up to the floating dock below, we went up to the restaurant for dinner just in time. The storm came through and the marinas dock came loose, sending it into a barge with a bunch of boats attached. All ended up ok thankfully.

Going through the chute was amazing! We rode on the boat as it lifted out of the water, across a road, down a hill, and back into the water.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Port Severn
August 4, 2023 in Canada
We are at the final lock (45) on the Trent-Severn. We stayed the night on the upper wall to take it easy. It was a mad house with all the boats trying to get through. We enjoyed relaxing and eating ice cream in a cute boat. The town was small with a liquor and general store.

Passing through the lock was bitter sweet. The journey through the Trent has been better than expected. We traveled over 240
Miles through 43 locks in under 3 weeks.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Frying Pan Bay
August 5, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
We are in the Georgian Bay. Surrounded by granite rocks, it’s a windy shallow journey. Opting for the harbor, we proceeded to enter and anchor, stern tying to land. This is our first time attempting it so it took a bit of effort. Tonia got into the kayak to bring the line to shore and tie around a rock. After we settled in, Coda and Puffin came in and tied to us. So we had two anchors down and three lines to shore to prevent swinging.

The anchorage was nice. A part with hiking trails was close by so we took a 2 mile walk around Fairy Lake and Goblin Lake.

We also enjoyed swimming and fishing. Two bass were caught.Read more
Travelerawesome that it is Day 200!
8/8/23Reply
TravelerIt’s flying by. Can’t believe how far we’ve gone
8/8/23Reply
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The Great Loop Traveler
Inner Bay
August 6, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
We decided to move about 10 miles a day and slowly make our way across the Georgian Bay. The next stop was a lovely little anchorage amongst many small islands. It was a wonderful spot to kayak and explore.

The evening was also spent swimming in the warm water and fishing.

Coda departed with Puffin to head further north but we were surprised that Legacy met up with us.Read more
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The Great Loop Traveler
Echo Bay
August 8, 2023 in Canada ⋅ 🌬 61 °F
We all headed to Echo Bay to meet up with Coda and Puffin resulting in a 5 boat raft. Three anchors down and many lines from the stern to shore to prevent swinging. Wind is coming and we want to ensure we stay still.

The anchorage is nice with many boats. It’d a cozy spot with pretty rock formations and a little island.Read more
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