Burntside Adventures: Canada

We finished up the Erie Canal section Friday afternoon by fueling up t Ess-Kay Boatyard and Marina on the west end of Lake Oneida, as we entered the Oneida River, then tied to the wall at the bottom of lock 23. The last time we put on fuel was in Myrtle Beach. The next morning went on down river to its junction with the Oswego River, took a right turn and locked through six locks on the Oswego to the town of Oswego, tied up just above the last lock going into Lake Ontario. We got there about mid day so we could go to Walmart and restock groceries. Had some issues, Cindy's rear tire kept going flat, so I got a new tube at Walmart, and some plumbing fittings for the propane tank at Lowe's. We met some nice folks also doing the loop and had a pleasant happy hour Saturday, then went to a brew pub across the river for a great beer and a very bad burrito. Yesterday morning we locked through the final lock and crossed Lake Ontario. It was delightful and flat. It can get really rough, but we picked a good day. The water temp was 36 degrees out in the middle. Early afternoon we checked in to a small marina on the Canadian side to clear customs by phone. We had concerns about our supplies and liquor being dutied, but the woman on the phone never said a word. Sadly, we pitched the basil plant I had been growing, assuming it would be contraband due to the soil it was growing in. It would not have been an issue. What was an issue is after navigating out of the marina yesterday after checking in, we lost all the detail on the chartplotter. It was my fault for not checking, but the loaded charts didn't cover Canada. Internet access is an issue however. So far Canada is 3rd world in terms of wireless telecom. It is really slow and sporadic. Our internet in the Bahamas was far better, and over a much more remote area. Last night we anchored in a bay about 25 miles from the beginning of the Trent Severn waterway. We had Mute Swans, Loons and Eagles around the boat last night, and loads of frogs croaking. This morning we are enroute to Trent and will lock up the first lock hopefully mid morning.