What's on your agenda this summer... if summer ever gets here according to the weather not the calendar.  It's been raining pretty much all day here in Orillia, ON Canada but the weather man is promising a hot sunny day tomorrow, the first official day of summer also known this year as Father's Day.

What we were going to suggest as a day outing this summer, is to make your way to what is known as Lock 44.

Lock 44 is the second last lock in the Trent-Severn Waterway and is almost 233 miles by boat from the City of Trenton.  By the way, if you entered the Trent-Severn Waterway at Port Severn, Lock 44 would be your second stop.

So, why Lock 44?  Well, Lock 44 is also known as The Big Chute. It is the only marine railway of it's kind in North America, it will amaze you. 

Picture yourself boating along, into a lock... now if you were coming from Trenton, you had some practice because you have been through 43 other locks.  The difference here is, there is usually a line up no matter what way you are going. 

Your boat will be guided onto a giant traveling carriage somewhat like a flat railway car.  You will be portaged over a roadway and down a steep hill and plunked back into the river.  Your trip took 7 minutes and you went a mere 600 feet.

This is truly amazing to watch and is well worth the one and half hours to get there from Toronto if you are going to visit by car.  Look for directions on MapQuest from Toronto to Coldwater, ON and then follow the signs to the Big Chute.

Al & Peggy Cunningham
http://www.TheHousePeople.com