Day 125 Lindsay, ON

August 27, 2019

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We left the hotel in Peterborough this morning and rode a bike trail through a park which led to locks on the Trent Canal. The Trent Canal is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which connects Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. The lock at Peterborough was a type we had never seen or heard of before. It is called a "lift lock". We were lucky enough to get to see it operate.

I'm going to try to show you this in pictures.

There are boats in the lower level of the lock.

The whole tank is rising up. (Think of a giant bathtub.)

Next to the tank with the boats is this one raised high and empty.

As the tank with the boats rises, this one lowers and is filled with water. It is quite a waterfall!

In this picture, the two tanks are almost at the same level. You can see bikes on the bow of one of the rising boats.

This is the space where the lock tank was.

We didn't run up the several flights of stair to see the boats exit at the upper level, so I have no pictures of that. It was something to watch!

Our plan for tonight was to stay in a motel in the town of Lindsay. When we stayed at the Dewar's Inn in Prescott with Jacques and Lisa a few days ago, we met a couple from Lindsay, Flo and John. We spoke for a few minutes at breakfast and as soon as she found out that we would be in Lindsay, Flo immediately invited us to stay at their house. I called the motel to be sure that we could cancel, then told Flo we would be happy to accept her invitation. We had a wonderful time with them. They are a terrific couple - warm, friendly and generous. I hope our paths will cross in the future.

And, finally, to our warm, friendly and generous old friend, Curt. We're so sorry we didn't call on your birthday. Happy Birthday, friend!

Kerry here... A travel note about today's ride. If you are ever cycling in the Peterborough area and thinking of taking Route 18 north out of the city, my recommendation is DON'T. This was a very busy hi-speed 2-lane road with only a gravel shoulder (and lots of trucks as an added bonus!). This was the most uncomfortable stretch of highway of our entire trip so far.

Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 4,704 miles (7,570 km)

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Michael and Diane RuddockThe principle of the lift lock is fairly simple. A boat will always displace its weight in water. So, regardless of how many boats are being lifted, or how heavy they are, as long as the water level in both "bathtubs" is equal, they are perfectly counterbalanced. When so, the force required to move the bathtubs up and down is minimal. There's another lift lock in the Trent system at Kirkfield.
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5 years ago

Jeanna & Kerry SmithIt was a very cool operation to watch. I'd love to do it in a boat.
See you next week.
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5 years ago