The Big Drop at Kirkfield

So at the end of the exciting canal ride you are at the top of the Trent System -- 840 feet above sea level -- and ready to start down to the Georgian Bay which is 578 feet above sea level. The Canadians have a great sense of humor about this. First we are going to go down 49 feet in one fell swoop -- second, you have to drive out into this pan of water suspended in the air -- if you look ahead, you will see no water just the tops of trees. Both Janet and I were fretting about this, but we were the only boat and the lock masters couldn't have been kinder helping with lines and explaining exactly what would happen.
So the last look at the Canal .. and this lock master who stays on the top as we begin our trip down
Janet even got me to come to the bow before we started down ... my fear of heights hasn't kicked in yet
Down we go, surrounded by steel towers and the sky
And, then out the bottom .. note the pan on the right is now at the top awaiting some other innocent soul.

This was followed by several miles through weedy skinny lake water -- well marked but definitely not something that you want to let drift by -- and now we are on the Talbot River at a really nice little marina (Sunset Cove -- pictures in tomorrow's post) where we will celebrate almost completing this leg with steaks on the grill and a nice bottle of wine. Tomorrow, we finish the locks leading to Lake Simcoe (another fifty feet down in five locks) and then through the lake.