WPSU

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Solenoid Blues



Slow Moving vehicle
Slow-moving vehicle





Uncle Mark asks:  “Whatever happened with the solenoid?”

(For non-gearheads: The solenoid is an essential part of the system that starts the engine.)

When you last saw our intrepid captain, the engine was NOT starting, and he was combing the local auto parts stores for a replacement solenoid.

No solenoid to be had. After much clanging and banging in the engine room--but with the engine still dead in the water—the Captain told the crew “cast off!” and we departed Campbellford under electric power, only to run out of juice four miles upstream.  
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Posted by Cynthia
at 6/29/2010 07:44:00 AM from Hamilton, ON, Canada
Labels: 3 comments

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Where the Lawnmower Has Four Legs


The Trent-Severn Waterway wanders through a number of long, narrow lakes. Last week we cruised the length of Rice Lake, named for the wild rice that used to grow there.

We’ve been looking for businesses that make creative use of sustainable technologies, and we happened to pick up a local magazine that mentioned an “eco-destination” on Grasshopper Island, in the middle of Rice Lake.  We were intrigued.  So, as we cruised by, we shouted, “Ahoy the Island.”

The proprietor, Trudy Jo Chernuck, invited us ashore.  She's a tall, vivacious woman who literally bounds across the landscape, she's so excited about her new project. Formerly the co-owner and manager of one of Canada’s largest (conventional) lakeside resorts, she's pursuing a new business niche.  Her retreat, “Island Spirit” is completely off the grid.
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Posted by Cynthia
at 6/27/2010 07:15:00 AM from Alnwick/Haldimand, ON, Canada
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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Gongoozlers



Top Ten Reasons to Own a Canal Boat (continued): 
In a crowded marina, it’s easy to find your boat.
Duck among swans
Our boat IS distinctive looking. It attracts attention wherever we go.  Most people are friendly and nice. They’re interested in sustainable technology. Or the idea of a year-long boat trip captures their imagination.

People staring at boats
Once in a while, we meet someone not so nice.  Terry Darlington has a word for that: Gongoozlers, or “people who stare at boats.”

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Posted by Cynthia
at 6/26/2010 09:25:00 AM
Labels: 1 comments

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Off the Grid

One part of our quest on this trip is to find businesses and individuals who are doing innovative things with sustainable technologies.  On Rice Lake, we visited Trudy Jo Chernuck, who operates a retreat, Island Spirits, that's completely off the grid.  One of the amenities visitors enjoy is this cypress grotto fitted with a state of the art, Chinese-manufactured solar shower.  Though it had been cloudy and raining for 24 hours, the water in the shower was still steaming hot.

Posted by Cynthia
at 6/24/2010 11:30:00 AM
Labels: 2 comments

Legendary Service


Lock tender at work

The place where I work trains employees to provide “legendary service.”  Parks Canada must do the same with lock tenders, because each one we’ve met has gone above the call of duty 

At last report we'd limped to a mooring at a lock a few miles above Trenton. The diesel engine refused to start, and our solar system was essentially out of juice.  The forecast for the next day: “rain.” 

 Lock 8 is in the wilderness, at the edge of a lake, accessible by a narrow road paved with gravel that runs past derelict farm fields. No town of any size for miles. Coyotes howl at night.

Quite early the next morning, the Captain descended into the engine room.  Loud clanking sounds and loud, frustrated muttering ensued.
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Posted by Cynthia
at 6/24/2010 11:16:00 AM from Campbellford/Seymour,Percy,Hastings, ON, Canada
Labels: 3 comments
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