Back in USA....Westi Country

Well, we finally left Canada and are back in the USA in northern Michigan. Canada was great according to Mom and Dad as for as the cruising goes....I guess it was OK...lots of ducks and geese to bark at!! We finally got through all those locks on the TSW (44!) and as you can see I had to do a lot of the work communicating with the locktenders, handling lines, and holding the boat away from the lock walls....and trying to keep Dad cool during a few tight spots. I just start barking and running around all over the boat to distract him. We got into the Georgian Bay and got to stay 'on the hook' several times...I like that because Mom and I get to kayak a lot. We saw lots of neat rocks above and below the water....again Dad was sweating it through some of the narrow channels. Then on to the North Channel and real wilderness...they kept saying we would see a bear but not this time. We anchored and stayed in marinas there too. Finally we left Gore Bay and made a long, long , long ride to Drummond Island in Michigan where we cleared customs and got a good rest. We are in St. Ignace and I am not very happy now...I have overheard talk about a trip 'home' and 'boarding Willi this time'. They will pay for that!!!

The pics are mostly me in and out of the boat including Dad brushing me and he and I napping a couple of times...I chill out with him from time to time during the day but I like to sleep next to Mom at night even though she freezes me out a lot. There are a couple of other pics of the Big Chute railway lift and a sign we saw on the waterway...guess people dont like you speeding by their houses.

Anyway, we are getting closer to home after going over 4000 miles...be home for good in September...take care and remember Bark More, Growl More!!

The Trent-Severn Waterway

We are still in Canada and completed our transit of  the Trent-Severn Waterway(TSW) . The TSW connects Lake Ontario with the Georgian Bay and runs about 240 miles from Trenton, Ontario to Port Severn on Georgian Bay. It is a series of lakes, rivers, and canals with 44 locks in between. The locks are smaller than the Erie and some are very unique like the ' pan' lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkland and the Big Chute railway lift.  You can google or go to the Canada parks website for more info and history ( system was built over a 90 year period starting back in the early 1800's).  The waterway is beautiful and can be a bit tricky navigating as there are some very narrow channels and most of the bottom is rock not mud. There have been a lot of neat stops and interesting people particualarly the very helpful lock tenders. We veered off the main waterway for three days to a resort called Viamede on Stoney Lake....aptly named by the way. Here we relaxed and went for a long dinghy ride with  our friends Pam and Bob and also fought a very strong storm that came through and almost tore off the dock we were on.

We have been traveling with Mint Julep and Sassy II for the last several weeks with a few days where we have separated but it has been nice having other boaters to travel with. We have also met some other boats from Tennessee and that has been nice as well. We have done well through the locks and Carolyn has done a great job getting us tied up to the lock walls as well as taking most of the pics from the locks. We are finally out of the TSW and through with locks for a while.  We are enjoying Canada but do miss family and friends and look forward to being back on the Tennessee River. Updates a little behind but more to come....have to wait to find free wifi. Enjoy the pics and be safe....