TIM PATTI RILEY BIG ADVENTURE: July 2018

Monday, July 16, 2018

We docked in Newark, NY on Tuesday 7/3/2018. Finally able to secure a FREE dock! Tim was so excited, one would have thought we won the lottery!! It was a very nice park like setting with trees & picnic tables. In addition, the laundry was free. Only downside, 1 washer & 1 dryer. A wash load lasted 54 minutes. People were using it when we arrived. No problem. I'm up early & planned to start my laundry at 6am the next morning. The people that were using it kept it going into the night & started the next day at 5am! They eventually finished around 2 that afternoon. I was beginning to wonder, if they were taking in laundry as a side job.

The trip from Baldwinsville to Newark was almost 7 hours. We had to traverse 5 locks. It averages about 30 minutes per lock. The long day was made worse by the heat & the hordes of biting flies. We each had a fly swatter, which we never quit swinging & we shared a hand held vacuum to sweep up the bodies.

Our plan was not to travel on the holiday & that was a good choice. Unfortunately, no fireworks display.

We went to Fairport, NY on Thursday 7/5. Very nice town that caters to boaters, but it was so miserably hot, I could not get out to walk around. We did go out to dinner, but spent most of the time in the air conditioned boat.

Friday 7/6 found us in Spencerport, NY. , with plans to stay 2 nights. Another nice small town with the added bonus of a break in the weather after some major thunderstorms. We were once again able to get out & walk around the town & Riley got his morning walks on the tow path.

We have seen more & more rental canal barges the further west we go. The other traffic that is increasing is bikes on the tow path. It appears to be a destination for serious bikers. They are equipped with saddlebags & back packs & often camp out along the way.

Can't remember if I mentioned this before, but the canal is flanked by the Rail Road on one side & Highway on the other. At one point an Amtrak train was so close to the canal, the engineer honked & waved to us.

Not everyone on the loop can go thru the western portion of the Erie due to all the low bridges. Tim was a little concerned, but so far no problems. We did talk to another looper that we have met on & off along the way. His air draft (how tall his boat is) is at least a foot taller than ours. He has been able to get under the bridges so far. He walked himself thru one by pushing on the underside of the bridge!

Sunday 7/8 found us in Medina, NY. Medina's claim to fame is the "Largest Railroad & Toy Train Museum in NY state". Of course we visited. We were treated to a 2 hour concert by THE FOOLZ. They performed in the park right outside of our boat & we enjoyed them. The town was hosting the annual bike ride from Buffalo to Albany. At least 700 bikes along the tow path. Now I know why the bike traffic is increasing.

The trip along this section of the canal is mostly farmland, woods. lift bridges (10) & locks. There also birdhouses all along.

Monday 7/9 docked in Tonawanda. Almost home. It was a long day. Reduced speed limits, lift bridges & locks. We also saw many kayaks & pedal boats. Tobermory, a boat from our home marina, passed us going in the other direction.

We were told we were lucky to get a dock here. July 15th starts canal days, & the locals start docking the week before. When we left it was obvious people got there early. There was not an empty wall space. Next they will start rafting at least 4 deep.

We left Tonawanda on 7/10. One more lock & bridge to traverse before Lake Erie. The lock & bridge were on a schedule & not on demand. We timed our leaving to arrive for the opening perfectly. Unfortunately the lock was having some difficulties. We had to tie to the lock wall & wait for the lock valve to be fixed. We were very close to a light post & soon found the aft of the boat covered with bird droppings. That was a mess that did not make the captain happy. Once the lock was operational, we were on our way to a fuel stop before crossing Lake Erie. The stop was in Buffalo, NY. It was the most expensive fuel on the entire trip. And that even includes NYC! Even the guy on the dock told us, "If you don't need fuel now, wait until you get to Erie, PA." We took on 100 gallons to be safe.

Four hours after leaving Tonawanda, we were finally on the lake. It was another 4.5 hours on a choppy lake. Not one of my favorite days. Even Riley could not get comfortable. I finally risked life & limb to go below & get one of his beds to bring up on deck. That helped him a little.

We arrived Erie Yacht Club & fueled again & docked for the night. It was $1.00/gal cheaper! The winds & lake not much better in the AM, so the decision was made to stay another day.

On 7/12 we reached Vermilion, OH, our home port. We officially "crossed our wake". It was a 7.5 hour run across Lake Erie. The lake was much nicer than the Buffalo to Erie crossing. We did see lots of fish nets & fishermen, but had no problems.

And so ends Our Year of Living Dangerously.

ONE OF MANY BIRDHOUSES ON THE CANAL

BRIDGES ON THE CANAL

WAKE CROSSED!

ERIE, PA SUNSET

HOME PORT

PEACE BRIDGE

RIVER BARGE RENTAL

BRIDGE AT FAIRPORT

RR BRIDGE TONAWANDA

DOCK AT TONAWANDA

MEDINA, NY

RR MUSEUM

ROAD GOES UNDER THE CANAL

APPROACHING LOCK

LOCK WALL WITH MESSY BIRDS

Monday, July 2, 2018

7/2/2018

Sunday 6/24/18 we docked in Waterford, NY. It is the welcome center for the Erie Canal System. Tim & the boat finally stopped crying. Why? because we are officially back in fresh water! No more salt. The downside, for me anyway, fresh water means spiders & all sorts of bugs.

There was a farmers market open when we landed. Tim managed to get free chili from a vendor. The guy dumped the first cup all down the front of him & I guess felt obligated to not charge😋

The Corning Glass barge was touring the canal & we first saw it in Waterford. It is a little open air theater with movie screen & live demo of glass blowing. We had to get moving or compete for dock space along the way. We did see them once more & had to move off the dock out of their way.

Monday 6/25 we went to Amsterdam, NY. Had to go thru 8 locks. The locks on the Erie all have lines tied to the sides, which you must grab & hold till the water goes up or down anywhere from 7' to 35'. The lines are slimy from being in the water. Tim was kind enough to buy me some gloves. (See picture). Lock E8, (27' up) was very difficult to hold with turbulence & wind. I was a sight to behold! I was in my best squat position (to better use all the muscle I have) & holding on for dear life. A picture flashed before my eyes, of me being pulled off the boat & slamming into the wall & slowly sliding down into the canal. It came to me that sometimes you just have to know when to let go & now was the time. Tim was able to control the boat & get me close enough to again grab the line & this time I didn't let go & we got thru it. The lock master did tell me I did better than the last guy!

Wednesday 6/27 found us in St Johnsville. Not a bad stop. Anywhere would have been good as the rain was never ending. Standing out on the bow holding the lines in the lock in the rain is not my favorite pastime.

We did have a little excitement in St Johnsville on Thursday. The rain stopped & the sun came out & we were asked to leave our boat. It seems a barrel was pulled out of the water in front of us & the city workers reported a foul smell & not feeling well. First the police showed. Next was EMS & Fire, & last but not least a Hazmat team. We were off the boat 4 hours, but at a least there was a nice gazebo on the hill overlooking the activities. It was determined the barrel contained unknown animal remains. They hauled it to the garbage.

Friday 6/29 docked in Utica, NY. The scenery continues to be awesome. The locks just continue. Nothing like E8 & E9, thankfully.

Saturday 6/30 we crossed Lake Oneida, the largest body of water on the Erie Canal. We were able to run on plane & we crossed in an hour.

We docked at EES-KAY after fueling. Nice people & a courtesy car for provisioning.

A continuing intermittent problem: The port engine does not always want to start. Tim did replace the starter switch & no problem for awhile, but it would not start after fueling. Seems it does not like to start when warm. Keeping our fingers crossed it starts when needed till we get home.

A new (to me) biting fly creature is harassing us. They come in swarms. Another site to behold, Tim & I swinging fly swatters & Riley biting & turning in circles all the while cruising the canal.

Sunday 7/1 Baldwinsville, NY. Nice town dock on the wall right after a lock. We were lucky & got the last open spot. There are many free docks along the canal, but they are usually full. We thought once we got past the Oswego cut, space would improve. Most loop boats are taller than we are & cannot make the bridge clearance on the Western Erie. That is true, but now we are competing with the locals. The docks without power hookups are usually available, but with the heat & no power & no air, Riley & I would surely expire.😓. The locals come because they can swim off their boats here & not at their marinas. Another issue is the holiday week. Not sure where we will go next. There are not many options. Stay tuned.

There is a huge cemetery right here by the dock. As much as I love to wander cemeteries, it is just too hot. The locals use this cemetery to let their dogs run.

Random thoughts:

We are in upstate NY & dying from the heat. 90's but feels like the 100's. While in FL we wore hoodies. Can anyone explain that??

The locals are quick to remind you of no wake zones, but feel free to wake all marinas & boats. Guess it only applies to certain people. I did spend some time using my bull horn to send yelping noise & telling them to slow down. I saw quite a few middle fingers, but I had fun.

Still wish I had a 007 camera so I could take pictures surreptitiously. Oh the things you would see😀

We saw the Mother & Child sculpture & were lucky enough to meet the artist, Dimitar Lukanov, as he was working on another sculpture. My pictures in no way do the sculpture justice. Different parts were hi lighted as the sun moved & the detail was beyond words. He said it took him 87 days, start to finish.