Brockport

Last night in Lockport, we walked back into town and had dinner at Cousin's Cafe.  We walked in the diner about 5:30, and they immediately turned the open sign around to closed.  There was only one other occupied table, and they were playing cards.  The owner of the place came over and gave us the Friday menu.  Our choices were fried fish, grilled fish, or broiled fish.  We ordered fish.  It was not bad.  I think the owner was the waitress, cook, dishwasher, and cashier.  She even sat in on the card game while we ate.  She did a good job selling us desert, and we carried two pieces of pie back to the boat in the rain. 

At one of our earlier stops, we went into a used book store.  Pam bought a couple of books, and I bought a used copy of "The Hunt for Red October."  We watched it last night.  I just love it when Sean says "One ping only."

I saw this red flag along the canal this morning.  When I first saw it, it was fluttering so I could clearly see what it was--it's an IU flag.

We passed over Culvert Road today.  The only road that goes under the canal.

That red car went under about the same time we went over.  I was standing on the roof of the boat to get the photo, and they honked and waved.

 
In hindsight, I suppose I should have gone on to Tonawanda, and rented a car to drive back and get the truck and trailer.  But on our way West, we leapfrogged the towns, and only stopped at every other one.  So on the way East, we're stopping at the ones we passed.  Today, we stopped in Brockport for the night.  It's a college town--but I'm not sure what the correct name of the college is.  I've seen some students wearing shirts that say "The College in Brockport."  So maybe there's some issue about the correct name. 

The welcome center here is great.  Here's a sculpture down from our boat.  I can't figure out what it is.

Here's a statue of "Old Sal."   You remember the mule in that song............"Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal."

Pam says it's a photo of two jackasses




I mentioned that I bought a gas can.  Here in Brockport, the nearest gas station is about a 1/2 mile from the canal.  I calculated that I should put in at least 15 gallons of gas to be sure to make it back to Seneca Lake, so that was going to be 3 trips to the gas station.  The nice people at the visitor center said they would loan me a wagon.  So me and my little red wagon took off for the gas station.

Across the lift bridge

When I got back with the first 5 gallons, I discovered that my expensive gas can has one of those "safety" spouts that your federal government mandated in another effort to control our lives.  You have to push in on the spout for it to operate, and there is no vent to let air in.  The end result is that it took me longer to pour 5 gallons of gas into the boat than it did for me to walk a mile to buy it.  And, since it goes into a fitting on the side of the boat, I spilled more than if I'd taken the stupid spout off and just poured from the can. 

So, I only bought 10 gallons of gas.  I poured in the first 5, and have the second 5 in the can.  If I can't find a closer place to buy gas at one of our next stops, then I'll try to make it back with what I have.  If we run out, I can pour in the reserve 5 gallons, and start scrambling to find more. I've tried running on only one motor the past few days.  Since I've never done that before, I don't know the fuel mileage is better or worse. 



 

Lockport

Another rainy day.

Lockport is as far west as we're going. It's about 15 miles from Buffalo and Lake Erie.  We stopped between a lift bridge and a lock--both of which close for the night at 5 pm.  So we couldn't leave if we wanted to.  Not really a designated docking area, but it will have to do.

 

Lockport was the last part of the canal to be completed.  There was a 60' elevation difference here that had to be dealt with.  They managed it by building the "flight of five."  It's five locks in line that each lift twelve feet (or drop twelve depending on which direction you were going.)  Back in the early 1800's when these were built, there was no power equipment to move mountains.  There was also no engineering school to teach lock building.  Originally, there were 10 locks.  Five up, five down.  Since then, one set of 5 was replaced by two locks lifting 30' each.

 

 

 

 

I bought a canal chart book / cruising guide when we launched near Seneca Lake.  At that time, I checked the locations of marinas where I could purchase gas.  I figured how far we could go, and located two marinas close to where we are now.  This one is in Gasport.

What I should have done was call to see if the marinas are open.  They're not.
So today I found an old hardware store--a lot like Kirk's in Noblesville, and I bought an expensive 5 gallon gas can.  On our return trip, when we stop in a town with a gas station not too far from the canal, I can make enough trips with my can to buy enough gas to make it back where we started.

Holley, Medina

There aren't many locks in this part of the canal, but there are a lot of lift bridges.  Here's the one at Spencerport.

You call the bridgetender on the VHF radio, and let him know you want to pass.  Several times today, we discovered that the same person operated three bridges that are 3 or 4 miles apart, so when you get to his second and third bridge, he has driven there in his car, and is waiting for us to pass.  They usually ask how far we plan to go, and call ahead to the next few bridges to alert them.  The last one today, asked if we wanted the code to the showers here on the FREE dock in Medina.

We stopped this morning in Holley to walk down a path to look at a waterfall.

 I mentioned that my navigation programs only show a single line for the canal. So I finally figured out that I can get internet access by making my phone a hot spot, and then get Google Earth on my android tablet.  The blue spot is us.

Tonight, we're tied up to the FREE wall in Medina.  The people in the sailboat are from Kentucky and on their way to the Florida Keys.  The people in the canal boat are from Missouri, and are cruising for a week.

The canal here is above the surrounding countryside.  We have been looking over the embankment at rooftops of nearby homes, and the tops of trees.  Across from where we are tonight the canal is 80 feet above a stream that runs underneath the canal.  It comes out and over a waterfall.  This photo was taken from the canal trail, just above the surface of the canal.

There is a railroad museum in Medina that has a very large model train layout.  The guy is one of those whacky retired firemen, so in addition to the train stuff, he has a couple hundert fire helments.
I took too many photos.  You can see the museum online at www.RailroadMuseum.net

 

Spencerport

There's a 10 mph speed limit on the canal.  Through towns or locks it's 5 mph.  So you can't go a long distance each day. The other problem is that the locks and lift bridges only operate until 5 pm.  We bought a cruising guide for the canal (a good thing because both my laptop and android tablet with Navionics only show a single line for the canal.)  The guide is just that--only a guide.  The lock numbers are not always right, and the distances shown are only sometimes close to being right. 

The Fall foliage is in full force here--if you like looking at dead leaves.  If the sun ever comes out, I'm sure it would be bueatiful.

The old path where the mules walked to tow the flatboats follows alongside the canal.  It's now the Canalway Trail.  A bike and walking trail that goes from Buffalo to Albany--365 miles.

 This part of the canal appears to be cut out of the rock.

There are lots of bridges over the canal.  These are close to Rochester.

There's also lots of guard gates.  These things lower down into the water to prevent the entire canal from draining in the event of a break in the wall.  Such an event happened a couple of months ago west of here.  They shut these gates, and repaired the damaged walls without loosing all the water in the entire canal.

We're staying in Spencerport tonight at the FREE wall with FREE electric and FREE water and FREE showers.  Here's the view from the bridge.

The rental canal boat came in shortly after us.  You can see the guy in the red shirt on the boat.  Imagine my surprise when I got closer and saw his shirt.
My new best friend Stan.

We have been curious about these boats, so they let us peek inside.  It has a small diesel engine.  Travels a little over 5 mph.  They steer with a tiller on the transom.  Pretty spacious.

Stan and his wife, Dawn are on the canal boat for a week.  They are from East Lansing, Michigan. 

Clyde, Lyons, Newark

Pam says she doesn't like going through locks.  Today, we passed through eight locks.  Two were joined--the lower gate of one was the upper gate of the next.

The lockmasters on the canal are more helpful than those on the Midwest rivers.  Here, they ask how far you plan to go today, then call ahead to let the next lockmaster know you're on the way.  At several locks today, the gates were open and the green light was on, ready for us to enter.  These locks are much smaller than those on the Ohio or Mississippi, and they are able to fill and empty them faster.


There's a whole lot of nothing for quite a few miles on this part of the canal.

 

Everywhere we've been in New York, the seems to be a railroad nearby.  I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep when I return home without the occasional sound of the locomotives and whistles.  We've got a couple of those sound machines that our grandchildren use for "white noise" when they sleep at our house.  Maybe there's a freight train setting.

  

We traveled about 35 miles today and only saw one other boat.  It was one of the rental canal boats.

So this sign didn't come into play.

It rained most of the day again today.  It's rained most of this trip.  We've just about worn out our windshield wipers.  I spent most of my life as a sailor, but I'm happy now to be inside out of the weather. 


We stopped along the FREE wall in Newark.  We hooked up to the FREE electric and FREE water.  They have a nice new welcome center with showers and a FREE laundry.  That's us on the left wall.

There are murals painted on the bridge next to the welcome center.

I have to admit that I was a little concerned when I went into the welcome center bathroom.  Considering recent events, I was worried about setting off that alarm.

Seneca Falls

Saturday night, we slept under a bridge in Waterford, NY.  Sunday night, we slept in the Walmart parking lot in Kingston, NY.  Tonight, we're sleeping in a city park in Seneca Falls, NY.  Pam says she always knew it would come to this.


This is where the Erie Canal joins the Hudson River.  You can charter one of these canal boats.

Here's yet another Hudson River lighthouse.

The Cats Kill mountains are there somewhere.

 Back at Kingston, NY.

We left Waterford, NY and the Eastern end of the Erie Canal in the rain Sunday, and motored south through thunderstorms to Kingston.  By the time we loaded the boat on the trailer, it was almost 7 pm, and we were too tired to drive very far, so we went to Walmart, and parked there overnight.

We cruised the Eastern half of the Erie Canal at 65 mph.  It parallels I-90.  I read that the Western half of the canal is a better cruise than the Eastern half, and since we have limited time, and a trailer, and a dependable Chevy truck....................

Launched again in the Seneca Canal on the north side of Seneca Lake--one of New York's Finger Lakes.  We started up the Seneca Canal towards the Erie Canal.  Got through one lock, and asked the lockmaster how late the locks were open.  He told us the last locking today would be 4:30.  So we decided to stop in Seneca Falls.  It's a FREE wall, with FREE electricity, FREE water, and FREE showers.  Quite a change from New York City.