TIM PATTI RILEY BIG ADVENTURE

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.