Thursday, July 29, 2010

Kirkfield Lift Lock/ Sky Watch

Clouds over the observation deck at the Kirkfield Lift Lock, Ontario

Last Monday (July 26th) was a lovely sunny day - not too hot and not to cold. We were entertaining family from Upstate New York who had never been to the second highest lift lock in the world, which happens to be less than an hour from our house. Isn't the sky lovely?

Looking easterly again, a view of the lift lock

This view was taken in April when the locks had not yet opened for the boating season (May 15 to October 15). I cannot believe how blue the sky was!

The lift lock mechanism is like a gigantic scale with two chambers that hold water. When one chamber goes up, the other goes down.  The hydraulic lift lock raises boats nearly 15 meters (49 feet).

In the second photo the chambers are at the same level for the non-boating months. But in the NEXT photo the left chamber is up,  full of water and...

 View from above last Monday

 I am up there on the same level as the windows in the first two photos to photograph this lovely reflection as well as the beautiful sky again - but from the opposite direction looking westerly.


To be continued tomorrow....


  To see tons of gorgeous skies from around the world, visit the Sky Watch Website and click on the thumbnail photos: http://skyley.blogspot.com

37 comments:

B SQUARED said...

You certainly had a nice day. The sky is "Carolina Blue."

Unknown said...

Great sky. Lovely pics. I find lift locks fascinating - great to watch them at work. I must admit I have only seen a few.

Janet said...

What an interesting trip to the locks!

Ebie said...

I have never seen a lift lock before, and your photos show they are so interesting. The skies so blue and certainly was a lovely day!

George said...

The sky is gorgeous in your first picture. The locks themselves are interesting. It's hard to imagine a 49-foot lift.

Sylvia K said...

Terrific captures as always! I am fascinated by the lift locks, never seen one. And what wonderful day and what gorgeous skies you had! Enjoy your weekend!

Sylvia

Shammickite said...

Are these locks the same as the ones in peterborough?

Small City Scenes said...

Neat shots and can't wait 'til tomorrow. Lovely sky. Ours has been blue until this morning and it is overcast and even chilly out there. MB

Kathy said...

Being a desert rat, I too have never seen a lock lift. Thanks for giving us some insight to this marvel of the engineering world.

Regina said...

Great clear skies!
Awesome capures.

Happy SWF weekend!
"Regina"

Carver said...

Beautiful sky shots and the lift lock is also very interesting. I've seen several old locks that were restored but I've never seen a more contemporary one like this.

Martha Z said...

Interesting, those are impressive locks. We don't see those here in California.

cieldequimper said...

The first one looks more like a prison to me. :-(

Photo Cache said...

wow, i must say i learned a lot about lift lock here. never seen nor heard about this before. thanks.

www.ewok1993.wordpress.com

Lady Fi said...

Very unusual indeed. Love the composition of that first photo.

Colin Campbell said...

Very interesting.

Al said...

You sound very energetic today! And thanks for sharing information. Have a happy weekend.

Leslie D. said...

Never heard of a lift lock either so that was an education. I was just thinking while driving today how deep blue the sky was. Good to notice these things!

eden said...

Great photos. The lift locks sound interesting. My first time to see lift lock. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I marvel at the inventions of man. Why can't we be that clever all the time??

tinyskillet said...

Nice photos and very interesting post! I love watching locks!

Jama said...

Gorgeous sky! it's raining over here, love the cool weather, not as hot as the usual weather.

gogouci said...

Lovely skies in your neck of the woods.

jabblog said...

That's an incredible lock. Whoever imagined and invented locks must have had terrific vision or perhaps it was an 'Aha!' moment. Beautiful spring skies.

betty-NZ said...

What a great day you had with such great skies!

eileeninmd said...

Looks like a great day with a pretty blue sky!
Happy skywatching!

Kcalpesh said...

The sky looks wonderful in your photos, overall it looks like a beautiful day..

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Gemma Wiseman said...

The lift lock mechanism looks so strongly detailed against the bright blue of the sky and dazzling white of the clouds! Beautiful photos!

SandyCarlson said...

Really interesting perspectives. Thanks for these, my friend.

Gigi Ann said...

Lovely views, and very informative as well. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Darla said...

The locks look so interesting, what a great view.

Darla

MaR said...

Love that blue sky and scenery!!

SWF

Francisca said...

Yes, that is a lovely sky, and you framed it superbly. Another interesting post, EG.

Tracy said...

Lovely day and lovely pictures!

Kim, USA said...

I have seen like this in St.Sault Marie in the upper Michigan. It was my first time to see such kind of mechanic and it awed me. Such a good job they've do. Happy weekend!

SWF~Fiery

Lowell said...

This is all very confusing to me. Just when I think I've got a lock on it, you introduce something new and I've got to go back and start all over! Sheesh!

But you do take purty pitchers.

Rose said...

I would love to see this in real life...

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.