TIM PATTI RILEY BIG ADVENTURE

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.