The End of a Great Adventure

Sunset in Geneva on the Lake

Lake Erie was calm as we departed early from Geneva on the Lake.  We arrived in Huron, unloaded the boat and had a great perch sandwich at the Viking Den before departing for Millersburg.

Summer Home is home

Everything was fine on the home front except for some weeds and some huge tomato worms which were quickly dispatched with the garden scissors.  There is also some major trimming to be done of the clematis which is threatening to take over the side of the screen porch.

























It was a great  four week adventure of 1400 miles and a 1000 gallons of gas ! We meet some colorful people and enjoyed many interesting sights and towns.  We hope you enjoyed our adventure, too !

This will be our last post until we decide on the next destination.

Back in Geneva, Again

Sailboats on the Buffalo Water Front

We departed early from Buffalo to take advantage of the low seas and easterly wind.  Before leaving the inner harbor, the boys in blue decided to pay us a visit.  We were boarded by the Coast Guard for a safety inspection which we passed with flying colors.  Vick forgot to ask if we could take their picture.  :)












The trip across the lake to Geneva was so uneventful that Captain Rick may have dozed off at one point . . .

After an early afternoon dockage and boat cleaning, we visited the beach and enjoyed some sand time.

Sun Bathers on Lake Erie

Sunset on Buffalo Harbor

                                         
                                                       Dinner on the boat tonight, time to clean out the refrigerator!

The End of the Erie Canal

This afternoon we finished the Erie Canal and went through the Federal Lock in Buffalo.  We locked through with a tour boat on the Erie and then was hit with wicked wind in the Federal.  We floated most of the way up before finally being able to catch a couple of ropes.  We thought we were good at this!

The Essentials of Locking - gloves, towel, hand sanitizer and boat hook !
 (note, the boat hook had a run in with a lock wall!)

Tonight, we are at the Erie Basin Marina on the Buffalo waterfront.  What a pleasant surprise, beautiful flower gardens, a long walled walk along the lake, hundreds of boats and people.  We watched 50 plus sailboats leave and return this evening as they took advantage of the windy conditions.

Last Lift Bridge on the Black Rock Canal

We are hoping for the winds to diminish so that we can have an early and smooth trip across Lake Erie.  We'll see what she has in store for us tomorrow!

Last Full Day on the Canal

Today was the last full day on the Erie Canal. No locks but we went under 10 lift bridges.  The day started in Spencerport with some boat washing by Captain Rick and ended just 30 miles down the canal in Medina.  We walked around town and Vick stopped for some retail therapy. 

In it's a small world category, we talked with a couple from Vermillion heading east as we waited for one of the lift bridges.











Before dinner we walked down the tow path to the point where the Oak Orchard Creek, runs under the canal which is as much as 80 feet below the elevation of the canal.

We also passed over Culvert Road, built in 1823, which passes completely beneath the Erie Canal. Can you find the car?

Where Are We and What Are We Going To Eat ?

We have been through and stopped at some interesting towns.  Many of them ending with "port"; we've been through Fairport, Spencerport, Lockport, Middleport, Brockport,and Gasport.  Fairport is a model for the other canal town development with many of them trying to make a comeback.  Most of the old towns remind us of Killbuck and Millersburg with businesses trying to find a niche in a new economy
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We have eaten at a couple of mediocre restaurants and a couple of fine dining establishments.  We've had leg of lamb, lamb shanks, homemade raviolis and rare tuna.  We also have cooked some excellent meals on Summer Home.  It's amazing what you can do with a microwave and a George Forman grill.

The Name Game

We have been collecting unusual and funny names of boats.  We've seen Aquaholic, Cirrhosis of the River, Happy Ours, and  Liquid Therapy. Is there a theme ?  We have passed M.T. Pockets, The Kids' Inheritance, and Liquid Assets, another theme?

We have also seen a replica of the Nina without its masts and the Urger, a restored 150 year old Erie Canal Tug Boat.


There have been lots of boats on the canal and river in the last two days due to the weekend.  Yesterday, at Sylvan Beach the boats were rafted together, 3 and 4 deep just like Put In Bay.  We kept right on going !

                                 We have also had a couple of hitchhikers travel a few miles with us!

The People You Meet

Today marks 3 weeks that we have been traveling from Huron, OH.  We have met some interesting folks along the way.  The lockmasters have been very chatty to ones who just  waved from their control shacks.  There was one who rode his bike from one end of the lock to the other.

The dockmasters at different overnights have been quite colorful.  There was chain smoking Bernie, who not only took us to a  good Italian restaurant at the edge of town, but called in our reservation.  He also arranged for a waitress to bring us back to Summer Home.

Chris, at Little Falls, drove us to the grocery store, waited for us and then stopped and made reservation at an excellent local restaurant. She was back at work the next morning ready to help us untie and push off from the dock.

Tonight at Brewerton, the two dock boys pictured below, pumped our gas and waste tank and then moved the boat to the slip.

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This marina even has fresh herbs on the dock for picking, The fresh basil was great in our salads!  They also have two courtesy cars with the keys in them, just put in a little gas on the way back from your errands.

The other boaters have been very friendly.  Rick had an extensive, if not difficult, conversation with a man from Quebec.   Mrs. Irving's French classes did not come back to him but would have been helpful!

Across Rural New York

Today we traveled through rural New York often with  I-90 on one side and train tracks on the other.  We even saw an Amish buggy crossing a bridge as we motored underneath.   The water was calm and the scenery serene.

Is that a VW on a smoke stack ?!

This is where you'd be if you made a wrong turn at Little Falls !

Tonight we experienced Little Falls,NY with an excellent dinner and then music at the ice cream palor/antique mall.

In the "Day" 2525 or 25 Miles on the Champlain plus 25 Miles on the Erie

Today began foggy with guests taking up residence on the bow of the boat.

We finished the  final 4 locks of the Champlain Waterway and turned west into the Erie Canal.  The first 5 locks on the Erie, know as the Waterford Flight, raises the boat 169 feet in elevation in less than 2 miles.  Vick stayed on the bow of the boat  for the 1 hour and 40 minute trip (tired butt, sunburned shoulders!).  We did a total of 11 locks which is a record for us.

There was a lot of activity on the Canal which runs with the Mohawk River.  We saw kayaks, barges, sailboats, fishing boats, tubers and water skiers. 

Can you find the water skier?  Or is this like Vick's pictures of the dolphins?

On The Road Again, But Wait That's Water !

After a fun filled week on Lake Champlain with Claire, Alan and friends, we left the marina this morning with a fullly stocked boat.  Will we see things we missed on the way?  How can you miss anything at 10 miles an hour ?

We did get a better view of Fort Ticonderoga as we passed.  The fort was built in 1755 by the French; captured in 1775 by the English taken in 1776 by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys and then retaken in 1777 by the British.

As we passed through Whitehall which is known as the birthplace of the US Navy, we noticed a mansion on the hill.  See picture below.  A short distance further we found the "fixer up" also pictured.  

Are We There, Yet

Today was our last day of traveling as we entered Lake Champlain and followed the narrow passage way to the wide open waters near Fort Ticonderoga.  Over the past 300 years, Lake Champlain has served as a highway and battleground for the armies and navies of several wars.  There were four French and Indian Wars,the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

After passing beside the Champlain Bridge which is under construction, docking, and unloading all of our needed junk ( i.e. golf clubs, dirty clothes), Claire picked us up and we settled in at the Ayer Camp.

For the next week we'll be playing golf, going to parades, eating too much and watching for Champ, the Lake Champlain monster !

We won't be posting until after the 4th when we plan to make the return trip to Huron, OH.

Orange Barrels in the Hudson

Even summer on the Hudson River/Champlain Waterway means orange barrels.  We encountered  dredging, tree trimming and barges as we motored between locks 6 and 8 today.  We were not delayed but had to slow to 5 miles per hour through the construction zones.

We finished the last of the locks today. The canal was frequently higher than the surrounding countryside and provided panoramic views.  We were attacked by biting flies that seemed to enjoy the smell and taste of Coleman 40 percent deet insect repellant!

We are in Whitehall tonight and had a wonderful dinner at the Finch and Chubb Inn where the dockmaster is also the chief.  (pump gas, saute the veal, handle dock lines, pour the wine. . . .)

Tomorrow we head for Champlain Bridge Marine and will be off the boat for a few days with friends, Claire and Alan. Boating will become golfing!





Admiral Vick at her post in the last lock!

The Ups and Downs of Locking

As we left Schenectady we prepared for the Flight of 5 locks which are in quick succession (1.5 miles) and would take us to the end of the Erie Canal in Waterford, NY. The total drop was 170 feet and took an hour and a half to complete.

At Waterford we turned north on the Hudson River on our way to the Champlain Waterway.  We saw no other cruising boats going in either direction on this section of the trip.  The lockmasters were pleased to see us, as they could do their job, instead of mowing the grass!  

This afternoon we stopped at Schuylerville, NY and will continue to Whitehall, and the end of the Champlain Canal.  We did a total of 10 locks today. . .   It's easier every time !

Captain Rick planning for the next day.

Water over the dam!

"On the Road Again" or the Canal is Open!

We pulled out of St. Johnsville this morning at 8:30 and by 4:00 pm we had passed through 8 locks and dropped  91 feet.  Many of the dams had flood gates open so there were strong currents and lots of debris after each lock.  Captain Rick did an excellent job of steering and no loud thumps or dings occurred!

It was a gray overcast day with the sun breaking through in the early evening as we sat at the dock in Schenectady.

For the past 15 years we've driven along the canal on I-90 now we're on the canal looking at I-90.

Some of the debris along the canal.