It's a day of projects: cleaning, baking, laundry, organizing. The blog writer needed a day off.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Dream Chaser is docked at Ess-Kay Yards, a small marina in Brewerton, NY. We have been discovering the area and making use of our rental car by driving to interesting areas including the Adirondack Mountains.
We woke to brilliant sun and temps in the 70’s. Today’s temps are predicted in the 90’s with possible storms this evening. The air conditioning is on which helps with temperature but also humidity. Inside Dream Chaser, it is cool and comfortable!
It was a great morning of completing projects like baking, cleaning out travel information, and organizing. Everything in its place!
At 4pm, we hopped in the Elantra and headed to the Syracuse Airport. Marty Siegel, a good friend from MN, is spending the next five days with us on Dream Chaser as we explore the canal from Brewerton to Rochester, NY.
Dinnertime brought a return to the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse. We had the tried and true: barbecued pulled pork, ribs, and beef brisket with cole slaw, tomato & cucumber salad, green salad, and corn bread. A local had informed us that we had to try the sweet potato pecan pie. So, we shared a piece! An interesting place, great fun, and delicious food! Hadn’t seen the painted horse outside during our previous visit, so here he is!
On our way back to the marina, we passed Sprinkles, a popular ice cream shop in town, where there is always a line of people waiting to be served. Now we know why...Great Ice Cream!
To be ready for our departure in the morning, we moved Dream Chaser to a main dock for gas and a “pump out”. From our dockage, we have a good view of the boat lift system that removes the a boat from the water when it needs repair or storage.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Lines were freed and Dream Chaser slipped from the dock at Ess-Kay Yards, leaving Brewerton. We are ready to be back on the Erie Canal and resume our adventure.
We are motoring through the Middle Section of the Erie Canal.We arrived at Lock E 23 (the first lock on the western side of Oneida Lake) just after it’s opening at 7 am. It has a guard gate to divert flood waters into another channel to protect the lock. Capt. Steve had radioed ahead as to our location and the lock gates were wide open and waiting for us when we arrived. This lock has a seven foot lift. The lock masters have been very friendly and helpful during our trek on the canal.
In the upper helm, there had been early morning nibbling on cherries and pears, but the coffee was ready about 8 am and the fresh cinnamon coffee cake hit the spot!
We are preparing to enter Lock E24 in Baldwinsville, NY with a 11 ft. lift.
Early inhabitants found this area to be a great fording place for going north or south. The Seneca River was a vital link in the waterway system connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. The town was named after Dr. Baldwin who built a community, a dam across the Seneca River, and a private canal. The machinery they built to raise and lower the water in 1910 is still at work. The town was known for agriculture and numerous mills & factories located along the Seneca River. In the 1970‘s Anheuser-Bush built a large brewery to take advantage of the water supplies from Lake Ontario. The town is very popular and hosts many events and concerts during the year. It would be a great place for an overnight option, but we press onward.
We have had light showers on and off, and about noon, we passed Hickory Island, a popular area judging by the numbers of trailers parked waiting for weekend parties. There are a few larger homes, but mostly small, older cabins are scattered along the edge of the canal.
We shared the canal with many groups of ducks, geese, and swans. People were kayaking, fishing, and canoeing here and there along the canal. So fun to see the canal being enjoyed.
At R538 (red marker 538), we saw the remains of the 900 ft. Montezuma (Richmond) Aqueduct where the canal of 1862 crossed the Seneca River. The center section of the aqueduct was removed when the recent Erie Canal was constructed.
North side
Forty miles west of Three Rivers, we came to the junction of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.
After leaving lock 1, we turned towards Seneca Lake. There are 2 low bridges with 16 & 17 ft. clearances and it was an adrenaline rush! The bimini top was very close to touching the bottom of the bridge.
We turned down the canal to experience the once prosperous mill town of Seneca Falls.
Seneca Falls is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region on the northern shore of Cayuga Lake. Founded in the 1790’s, Seneca Falls has a mile long series of rapids with a drop of 49 ft.
Dream Chaser slid up to the city river wall, lines were secured, and our dockage was set for the night.
A significant reform community emerged in this area in the 1830’s and 1840’s and many were abolitionists. Next on the list of reforms was to demand rights for women. Among this women’s rights movement were numerous members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, who lived in the area. In 1848, the First Women’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls in which women demanded full and equal rights with men. More than 300 men and women attended the convention in which the “Declaration of Sentiments” was stated that demanded specific equal rights for women. Seventy-two years later, in 1920, the 19th Amendment, nicknamed the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” was ratified, extending voting rights to women throughout the United States.
We visited the restored Wesleyan Chapel, below, which was was where the conference was held to protest the laws and customs that discriminate against women. Oh, if these walls could talk, what stories they could tell!
After a walk through town, we heard singing nearby and discovered an outdoor church service by the Calvary Chapel Church staff at the city park. Great music and great message! Steve invited pastor Ray Torrey and his wife, Kathy, to stop by Dream Chaser after the service. Always fun to talk with locals and learn a bit about their story.
Many people walked by Dream Chaser along the river wall, and some stopped and chatted! Besides the occasional boat that passes by, the canal is busy with young geese, ducks, and swans.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Happy Birthday Steve!
Our destination for tonight is Ithaca, NY where Cornell University is located. Our friend Marty graduated from Cornell University back in the 70‘s.
Seneca Falls is located between Lake Seneca and Lake Cayuga. If we would have
continued on past Seneca Falls we would have come into Seneca Lake.
This is the Finger Lakes region where the lakes are long and narrow and run north and south resembling fingers. These two lakes are about 40 miles long were created by glacial movement. Wineries are abundant, and the two oldest wineries in the country are located within this area. The dotted black line is our path from Syracuse to Seneca Falls to Ithaca.
As we motored down the river, there is fruit, coffee, and coffee cake in the upper helm.
We entered Cayuga Lake cruising with care (due to massive amounts of weeds) and cross to the south end of the lake about 36 miles. There are several fishing boats scattered along the way hoping for a good catch. The seagulls are waiting around perched on the green and red markers. There are a few clouds and a 30-60% chance of rain today until about 6 pm. We are hoping the weather remains good for the scheduled fireworks tonight in Ithaca. In spite of the mist, we see the rooftops of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
Our plan was to take a taxi to Cornell University, one of the eight Ivy League Universities, and then downtown, but within 20 minutes, the downpour began! We called and canceled the taxi because it was a deluge. On both sides of us, boats were docking in the pouring rain, and the boaters were soaked to the bone!
Marty has a Cornell University Fraternity brother who lives in NYC, but also has a house nearby in Ithaca, so he gave him a call. Buck, William Buckley Briggs, is one of the top lawyers for the NFL (National Football League) and just happened to be on the way to his house in Ithaca. Buck knew Marty was coming to Ithaca on our boat, so he parked his two-seater Porsche and drove his dad’s sedan in case he needed to drive us around. Buck is a Great Guy!
After the end of the French and Indian War, officers in command were given tracts of land as payment for their service. Nathaniel Davenport built a log cabin on the Lot 87 of the Military Tract in 1791, but later it was replaced by a larger log and stone house. The lot extended south and east to the corner of Cayuga Lake with Williams Brook running through it. Most of the land was forest and needed to be cleared. The Indians had made a path through it to a salt lick at the corner of the lake. The second house burned and then a house built of stone known as "The Old Stone Heap" was built in 1820. For awhile the building was known as Davenport’s Tavern.
The historic marker in front of the house states that Abner Treman stayed here. Abner Treman was a commander in the Continental Army, received land in the area, and was the patriarch of a clan that would dominate the commercial life of Ithaca for most of the 19th and 20th centuries.
In 1837, the house was purchased by Myron Ferris for a tavern and was a popular stopping place for stagecoaches and travelers until 1859. There were a number of owners after Ferris until Buck purchased the nine acre property in 1991.
In the front yard, by the driveway is a bell from a one room school house at Lake Keuka and an antique gas pump.
All staff attorneys of the NFL are taught which websites to use for all their legal research and they are also told that if the computer doesn’t have the information they need to just ask Buck.
By the way, Tommy, Bucks “man Friday", joined us for the tour of the house and barn. Tommy has done most of the restoration on the property for Buck and done a beautiful job. He is also an expert on fireflies which happened to be blinking all over the yard. His explanation is that the females hover low, and the males do a dance above to entice them. What do you think?
There were more stories to be told, but we had 6:30 pm dinner reservation at the Boat House Restaurant in Ithaca on the harbor owned by one of Bucks friends. A fantastic place! The place was packed, but Buck’s connections got us a quick table.
It was Steve’s birthday, and he celebrated with calamari, BBQ ribs, beet salad, and a root beer float! Mary’s salmon was superb!
Years back, there was a village of Cayuga Indians on the shore near the lake, but in the 1770’s they fled when the American Revolutionary War soldiers passed through to remove all allies to the British.
Next, we were given a short tour of thecampus of Cornell University, founded
by Ezra Cornell and Andrew White.
We walked through the Arts Quad and
noticed the sun setting over the iconic bell
tower. As the darkness fell, we walked
through the campus and got a feel for
this institution that was so much a part
of Buck and Marty’s lives. Oh, the stories
that they shared with us and using discretion-
some stories they didn’t share! After all, it was
the 70’s!
One of the great mysteries of the universe is
how the students were able to place a pumpkin
on the top of the spire when there is no physical
access to that section of the tower. Buck may
know but he isn’t saying!
After our tour, we returned to the “Old Stone Heap” and watch fabulous fireworks from the deck of the house which overlooks Lake Cayuga. What a wonderful way to end the day!
The park was quiet when we returned to Dream Chaser, and we were ready to "hit the sack".
Friday, July 4, 2014
Happy July 4th!
It was an early morning departure, and at 6 am, the engines disrupted the solitude of the morning as they hummed to a start. With Marty aboard, Mary had the luxury of “sleeping in” which seldom happens on this adventure. If it means that Mary gets to sleep in, Marty may be returning in the near future!
We motored our way through Cayuga Lake and back to the Erie Canal and proceeded on to Fairport.
At Lyons, NY, we begin the Western Section of the Erie Canal. There are not as many locks, but there are 15 lift bridges with only about 16 ft. of clearance. With our bimini top up we clear about 15’ 6”. But there is never any guarantee, so there is an adrenaline rush whenever we pass under one of the low ones! Roving operators run most of the bridges, so they will perhaps operate 2-3 bridges, driving from one to the next. This western section of the canal most closely resembles the original canal.
At lock 28A in Lyons, we welcomed James and Connor Mix aboard Dream Chaser to ride the lock lift down and out through the lower doors. It was great fun! We emailed pictures of him on Dream Chaser, "the biggest boat he was ever on"!
over the canal.
The water levels are so high that it is important that boats go slowly to avoid wakes. Some people stand in their yards and watch the boats go by in order to make sure there is no wake. Others post "watch dogs" to make sure there is no wake!
This section of the Erie Canal has several low bridges. Like in the song, “Low Bridge, Everybody Down”, which warned travelers who rode on top of the old canal boats to get down out of the way of the low bridges, we were a bit nervous about the low clearance for Dream Chaser. We could take the bimini top down and then only need 12 ft for clearance, but we would lose our cover from the sun, so we continued to squeeze under the bridges. After Lock E29, we scraped the bottom of the bridge, so down came Dream Chaser’s bimini top.
LOCK E30, our last lock to pass through today, is at Macedon and has a 16.4 ft. lift.
It was a good thing we left so early this morning, because the locks closed early today, at 6 pm, for the 4th of July celebration.
At 6 pm, we arrived at Fairport known at the “Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal” and just nine miles east of Rochester. Fairport is a very popular, tourist friendly town nestled between two bridges. This beautiful area with red brick walkways, benches, and restaurants is full of people enjoying the summer evening. Below, the lift bridge over Main Street is higher on one side than the other-nothing is square on the bridge. Interesting!
On our return to Dream Chaser, we reconsidered her placement on the city canal wall and knew there would be a high noise level in this location. Steve found a spot for Dream Chaser to slip into near the end of the dock wall, between two rental canal boats, which was farther from the noise of the bridge and restaurants. As we were getting ready to move the boat, we began chatting with David and JoAnne Schmitt who are locals from Fairport. They were so interested in Dream Chaser and wanted to know about our adventure, so we invited them to hop on board while we redocked on the other side of the canal. We chatted as we slipped into the new dockage and retied lines. David generously volunteered to take us to the store or whatever, if we needed anything, but we were all set. Such great local folks!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
What a quiet restful night! With little train traffic, it was a great night of sleep.
At 7:30 am, Steve and Mary headed to the farmer’s market just a few blocks away in
Fairport. Great products including a grandma who knits the cutest baby hats!
For those of you who are Bruce Springsteen followers, the wooden statue of the mule, Sal, which he sang about in “Erie Canal” is located in front of the police station in Fairport. “Sal, the mule, was a “good ol’ worker and a good ol’ pal, 15 miles on the Erie Canal”. Here is that famous donkey!
The weather could not have been more perfect for cruising to the Village of Pittsford this morning. Nice to have another perfect day for Marty to enjoy before he flies home to Minnesota.
This is a well preserved section of the Erie Canal, and you can still see the “towpaths or mule trains” and some have become bike paths.
Also, “knowing the ropes” is an idiom that came from the Erie Canal. Every canal boat operator had to know what to do with the ropes (which were attached to the mules or horses) when they met another canal boat. They either dropped the lines and let them sink, so the boat went over or somehow got the ropes around the boat and then reattached them to the mules.
We passed the historic hamlet of Buchnell”s Basin. When the canal was being built, a store, warehouse, and boatyard were constructed next to the large earthen berm which became the Great Embankment. William Bushnell purchased the property, and this location became the terminus for a boat traffic going east and west.
Below, this interesting 21 ft. 1985 custom built boat, Tulley, was docked against the canal wall.
Meanwhile, David and JoAnne Schmitt from Fairport stopped by to say “hi”, and two other groups with Minnesota connections, wanted to know our story.
Steve picked up a rental car, and about 3 pm dropped Marty at the Rochester International Airport for his flight back to Minneapolis. It was great having Marty aboard and appreciated his help crewing!
From the Airport, we headed to the High Falls in Rochester where (in the early 1800’s) enterprising pioneers diverted water from the falls creating a labyrinth of water passages and raceways powering more than 20 mills along the Genesee River.
Today, the falls has a bout an 80 ft. drop. There is a great museum nearby and also a unique collection of 19th century buildings in this area which were built for milling, manufacturing, and tool-making. Among these are the 1914, 16 story Eastman Kodak Tower (remember the Brownie camera?), the Rochester Button Factory, and multiple flour mills.
This Rochester team is the minor league team for the Minnesota Twins.
So, you wonder “why in the world the other team would be named Pigs”?!
The IronPigs are from Allentown Pennsylvania, and the name is in reference to pig iron used in the manufacturing of steel for which the Lehigh Valley is well-known.
That all makes sense, BUT it must be just a little bit embarrassing to wear “Pigs” across the front of your jersey! Although, I doubt anyone would poke fun at this guy!
Tonight’s game included fireworks following the completion of the game. The problem was that the game was still tied at the end of the 12th inning! Most of the crowd was exiting, probably because the food had stopped when the concession stands closed. At that point, we headed “home” to Dream Chaser and a good night’s sleep.
The game continued into the 16th inning and the Pigs won! Hey, they had to play with “Pigs” on their chest...they deserved to win!
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