Trent-Severn Canal -- Campbellford

The crew prefers to find a nice anchorage, or in the canals, a lock wall with a park-like setting for overnight stays.  On two occasions along the Trent-Severn, stopping in towns were the best option.  The first town stay was in Campbellford, Ontario.  It was the weekend of Canada Day, the celebration of Canada's independence.  A weekend of heavy boat traffic best avoided, according to all advice received.

Campbellford has a town wall along the canal bordered by a park, with electrical connections and other support for cruising boaters.   In recognition of Canada Day, the mast was extended on Last Dance and a Canadian Flag added.  Sonata, a 42 Grand Banks lies along the wall in front of Last Dance.  Sonata has completed the Loop once and is on her second journey around.

In the middle of the park is a huge Toonie.  The Canadians do not have one-dollar paper currency.  They have copper-colored (that should be "coloured" in Canadian) dollar coins with an image of a Loon. These dollar coins are called Loonies.  The two dollar coin has a copper-colored center surrounded by a nickel-colored ring and is referred to as a Toonie.  The artist who created the polar bear image selected for the coin lives in Campbellford, so the town claims itself as home to the Toonie, and thus the statue.

Canada Day began in the park next to the boat with a Rotary pancake breakfast.  It was a great chance to meet up with some Rotarians for good conversation, help the local club raise some money, and the pancakes were a nice bonus.  The club has a trailer full of equipment for supporting a pancake breakfast, from tables and chairs to one huge frying pan.

One of the projects that Rotary Clubs across Canada have adopted is the building of bicycle trails.  The Rotary Trail in Campbellford runs along the canal in the town and through a Provincial Park along the other side of the canal.  The canal passes Rainey Falls and crosses the Trent River below the falls via a suspension bridge, where the stone commemorating the 100 anniversary of Rotary is located.

The evening of the Canada Day celebration signified the importance of this day in that Elvis showed up to entertain the gathered crowd.





The Rotary Trail along the canal also provided a nice venue for a car show on the second day of the Canada Day celebration.  The car show had more cars and greater quality cars than anticipated.

Mustangs, original 1965 and new Shelby