Western Section of the Erie Canal: Pittsford to Buffalo, NY
Sunday, July 6, 2014
We are in Pittsford, NY, tied at the “free” canal wall.
Our overnight at the canal wall at Pittsford was perfect; there were no waves, no noise, and beautiful sparkling lights from the restaurant and shops danced on the water. This is definitely one our favorite places to tie up and it’s free for up to two weeks.
The sun streamed into the cabin awaking us about 6 am, but after the late baseball game, we weren’t ready to “rise and shine”. About 7 am, we finally gave up on sleeping...too much to see and do!
The walkway along the canal was very busy this morning with people out taking a stroll and feeding the ducks. Family groups began arriving around 10 am, and the restaurant and cruise boats were getting busy. The walkways on both sides of the canal between the two main bridges has been popular and busy all day and into the night while we have been docked.
Several locals stopped by the boat to chat and about 10:30 we headed to Rochester for church.
The 11 am service was on the 4th floor of a huge old red brick building on Main St. in a (once very prosperous) old section of Rochester. It was a contemporary service at the Grace Road Church which is connected with the Acts 29 network. The inside of the building had intricately carved wood moulding with painted accents-obviously VERY old and beautiful.
You need to know that New York is more than just NYC! North of NYC, it is beautiful; it is an incredible state with the awesome Hudson River Valley, green rolling hills north and south of the Erie Canal, the quaint towns of the Erie Canal, and the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains. It’s on our “Return To” list for the fall!
We stopped by Taco Bell for our two free tacos. In the previous blog, we had attended a triple A Red Wings baseball game in Rochester, and the Red Wing's pitcher had struck out the designated "Taco Man" from the opposing team, so the crowd was rewarded with a free taco when they redeemed their ticket at a nearby Taco Bell. Our drive to Corning, NY took us through beautiful lush green rolling hills.
The Corning Museum of Glass is the world’s largest glass museum about 1 1/2 hours from Rochester. This large museum features live glass-blowing demonstrations, 35 centuries of glass artistry, an opportunity to make your own glass piece, and an international GlassMarket. We enjoyed the collections from the various glass artists and the glass demonstrations. The lady below is demonstrating how safety glass (the glass in your car, for example) breaks into small pieces because it has tape between two layers of glass. The tempered glass is used for high stress situations and is difficult to break. The regular glass (like in house windows) breaks into shards. It is a great educational stop and there is shopping!
Next, we are headed to...Watkin’s Glen International Raceway called “The Glen”. It is a Grand Prix course which is 3.4 miles long, with 11 turns, and an asphalt & concrete surface. It hosted the Grand Prix from 1961-1980 and many other events. Initially, public roads in the village of Watkin’s Glen were used until 1956, when the first raceway was built. Of course there have been many improvements since that time. Steve attempted to tour the racetrack, but due to a private engagement, the guard had other plans. It was disappointing, but we can always return another time.
Another 20 minutes brought us to Watkin’s Glen which is located at the end of beautiful Seneca Lake, one of the finger lakes. These finger lakes of NY occupy the beautiful deep the north-south valleys and gently rolling hills. The Seneca Harbor Station, overlooking the marina and a main dock, was our choice for dinner. Great salads, grilled chicken and shrimp! Originally built in 1876 as a train station, the building became a restaurant in 1999.
Captain Bill’s Lake Cruise and the Seneca Legacy Cruise depart from this location. Captain Bill's Stroller IV was built and launched in 1934 to provide sightseeing cruises on Seneca Lake. The classic wooden sailing schooner, True Love, was available for cruises, also. Built by John Alden it appeared in the 1956 movie "High Society" with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra. What a beautiful spot to people watch and enjoy a delicious dinner.
After dinner, we stopped at a state park on the edge of town and hiked up to the water falls-breathtaking!
Our drive back to Rochester took us through beautiful wine country and past dozens of wineries where the grapes flourish due to the fertile soil and the gentle winds. This finger lakes region was home to Seneca and Cayuga Indians of the Six Nations whose lands were devastated by the Clinton-Sullivan Experience of 1779. After 1830, the Erie Canal linked Cayuga and Seneca Lakes and the area flourished.
After another long, fun filled day, we were eager for a good night’s rest.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Our overnight in Pittsford was restful and quiet. Can’t get over what a great spot this is!
For boaters, the town is steps away... with no noise!
Pittsford, NY is a wonderful place to visit, and we enjoy the restful Erie Canal City Park walkways.
But, some buildings just remain standing as they are with their history still contained within their walls.
Tonight, while we relaxed on the boat, both sides of the canal are busy with families; their little ones, fascinated by the large numbers of ducks, are feeding or chasing them. The restaurant is full with patrons filling the outside decks and enjoying the breeze. It’s just a lovely evening to take advantage the beautiful surroundings. Just lovely!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Another blissful morning of sleeping in until 7:30 am. Dream Chaser’s air-conditioners were flipped on last night due to warm temps, but mostly because of the high humidity. So, this morning, Dream Chaser was cool and dry...perfect!
We are delaying our departure from Pittsford, this morning, due to changing phone service providers and also getting new I-phone 5’s. We want the phones working, before we depart. It’s a wonderful sunny, warm day with some predicted storms possibly later in the day.
About 10:30 am, with temps near 80 and high humidity, we said a farewell to Pittsford and motored west towards Buffalo, NY. We transited Locks 32 & 33 with 6 other boats; the locks are very busy today.
Along the Erie Canal, miles 260 to 264 is known as the “Rock Cut” which required the most extensive excavation of the canal made through sold rock. Eighty years ago they didn't have earth moving machinery; they did it the old fashioned way! Also, the old cement canal walls line other sections of the canal.
The six boats following us pulled into Spencerport, also, and jockied for a spot to tie up on the wall.
We wanted to check out the town before the rainstorm arrived.
Just after walking through Spencerport, a predicted storm cell passed through bringing a deluge of rain. After three hours, the sun returned, and we walked to the popular Taste of Texas Bar-B-Q and enjoyed some BBQ.
A relaxed walk along the canal followed by a quiet evening in Dream Chaser completed our day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
After a great night’s sleep inSpencerport, we were ready
for a nice morning walk
along the canal. It was a
gorgeous morning, temps
in the 70‘s, and the uncomfortable
humidity is gone. The light
was good for a nice shot of
Dream Chaser with the town
of Spencerport in the background.
We’ve added Karma and Abbey
to our list of new friends- they
like the walking trail, also!
We planned to leave earlier today,
but sometimes, it’s hard to get your
ducks all in a row. About 9 am,
it all came together, and Dream
Chaser pulled from the canal wall.
We have been noticing that the land along the Erie Canal from Pittsford west has become more populated and affluent. We motored by Arrowhead Golf Course only about 10 minutes west of Spencerport. Beautiful area! The towpath, where the mules once pulled barges, is part of the 365 mile Erie Canalway Trail from Albany to Buffalo and has been very busy today.
Brockport was the next town along the canal, and we will probably do an overnight on our way back to Brewerton, next week. Brockport is a college town and the location of the factory that mass-produced reapers invented by Cyrus McCormick, an inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.
We passed Holley Canal Park. Holley is a quiet rural community with an historic village square. Originally, it was named Saltport, but later changed to honor one of the canal commissioners.
We passed by Albion, the home of George Pullman, the inventor of the Pullman sleeping train cars.
We were fascinated by the “Flight of Five”, an engineering wonder of step locks which were created by blasting through a 60 ft. wall of solid granite. Also, the Erie Canal Discovery Center, an interpretive museum, is located in Lockport. This museum transports you back to the old canal days.
As we proceed west, the homes along the canal are nicer, a few are small estates with manicured lawns. Amhurst was the next town on the canal. Originally settled by German speaking settlers and Mennonite populations, it is has become more like a suburb of Buffalo. The Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is a living history museum based in 19th century Western NY with 10 historic structures on the 35 acre campus.
Tonawanda Gateway Harbor Park is the last stop before Lake Erie and our destination for tonight. We arrived at Tonawanda Gateway Harbor about 7 pm, and joined the mass of boats already lining both north and south docking walls. We knew the Tonawanda Canal Fest was to start this weekend, but obviously, boats were already staking claim to their spots days in advance. As luck wold have it, the one spot left was on the south wall which was what we had hoped for...away from the loud band playing in the green space just across the canal.
The free concert scheduled for tonight, had drawn hundreds of people to the canal area. The bands were “Ultraviolet” and “Black Widow”. The band could be heard for blocks and, actually, played a few OK songs. The crowd was everywhere: some up close and personal with the band and others relaxed on blankets across the canal or had brought their lawn chairs. Thankfully, they were across the canal and that the “music” ended at 10 pm. Enough said!
We were greeted by a very friendly
local lady who brought us maps and
more information on the up-coming
weekend. Sounds like quite a week
of celebrations and partying.
She had a helper with her!
After our dinner of grilled turkey burger topped with chili sauce, rice, and Cuban beans, we were off to explore North and South Tonawanda. We discovered some interesting restaurants and old historic buildings, but no carousel factory. We will look for it tomorrow when we have a rental car.
In spite of Dream Chaser being docked a few boat lengths from an overhead railroad track, we slept well!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Sun streamed through the windows as we finished breakfast and headed to the upper helm with coffee in hand. We felt a little remorse as we slipped from our coveted dock and motored into the Niagara River. We had decided that although Tonawanda Canal Fest was the biggest event of the year (in this area and lasting for a week), it wasn’t where we wanted to spend our time.
By 8:50 am, Dream Chaser had cleared the Federal Lock, raised the 6 ft., and passed Grand Island. A right turn would have taken us up the Niagara River towards Niagara Falls. We took a left into the wide, deep commercial channel and Lake Erie.
With clear blue skies, sunshine and temps in the 60’s, we entered Buffalo Harbor and took Dream Chaser for a quick spin into Lake Erie This is the 4th of the Great Lakes we have visited with Dream Chaser. We are back to navigating channels and big water so, we are remembering “red right return” which means red buoy on the right if returning from large body of water and going inland. It is vital to know which side of the buoys to be on. We have navigated Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and now, Lake Erie. Only Lake Ontario is left.
By 9:30 am, we were docked at Canalside, the Buffalo City Marina, in Buffalo, NY.
Tonight from 6:30-9 pm, there is a free concert 500 ft. from our boat with “Fitz and the Trantrums”.
The name sounds VERY loud!
This morning, we moved Dream Chaser about 150 ft. to make room for the U.S.Brig Niagara, which arrives by 3 pm this afternoon. The Niagara is a 198 ft. long two-masted, square-rigged sailing vessel reconstructed relief flagship of Commodore Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
After a quick chicken salad for lunch, we hopped in the rental car and headed to Tonawanda, determined to find the unique Herschell Carousel Factory Museum.
Our next destination was the Lumber Company Museum which contains the history of North Tonawanda. North Tonawanda had the largest manufacturing plant of Wurlitzer organs, pianos, and jukeboxes. It’s the home of the Rands, who are known for their banking, patented banking bookkeeping systems, and were eventually owners of Remington Manufacturing (typewriters), eventually known as Remington-Rand. This museum has an amazing collection of history of the area!
We knocked on the door of the Riviera Theater, went inside, and found the managing director who gave us a little tour of this historic theater. Built in 1926 as a showplace, it has ornate carvings with gold plating and is awesome! The theater has shown silent movies, films, and was a popular vaudeville venue. Over the past 35 years, top name artists have performed in hundreds of concerts. Frankie Avalon is scheduled in September, and they presently have a summer film series. An Opus 1524 Wurlitzer organ is played briefly before each venue. Unfortunately, nothing is on the schedule while we are in the area.
For lunch, we chose Pud Thai and Mutsamun Curry at “Yummy Thai” in North Tonawanda. Delish!
When we returned to Canal Park about 5 pm, the hundreds of people had already gathered
for the Thursday night FREE outdoor concert at the park area above where Dream Chaser is docked. This is one big event!
When the bands in the park took a break, the boaters down below would turn up THEIR music! It settled down about midnight. Quite a night!
Friday, July 11, 2014
After a quick breakfast, we walked through Canalside Park where a large yoga class is being held outside. We walked several blocks to where the car was parked (difficult parking around Canalside) and drove to Medina, NY. We are back tracking to see some of the areas we passed on the canal. We are enjoying the little towns, country roads, small old farms, and green corn fields. Many of the barns will be history if there is a big wind. Lots of 4th of July flags and banners were still out. Along the road on the edge of a farm property, hundreds of small American flags were stuck in the ground about 20 ft. apart. Really cool!
Medina has some very old buildings and interesting churches. This is just one of the churches.
It all started out as a childhood hobby for the owner of the museum, Marty Phelps, and has grown into the largest railroad museum in New York. He started with a layout in his basement and it just kept growing. The museum also has train rides scheduled throughout the year: A Ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, dinner trains, wine tour, Fall colors, and the Polar Express pajama party in Nov/Dec. Lots of fun!
As we were walking through town admiring all the old historic brick buildings, we wandered into the "Shirt Factory" located in a big renovated building that had been a shirt factory. This is now a coffee shop, and we found some delicious freshly baked scones.
After checking out some of the little shops in town, we drove to the aqueduct on Culvert Road and took a picture of the spot that Dream Chaser had motored over just days before! This is the only spot on the Erie Canal where you can drive under the canal!
We drove on Route 104 through Amish and Mennonite communities and small farms until we reached Miller's Bulk Food and Bakery. Oh, the mouth watering aged and smoked cheddar cheeses! We purchased our cheese, and when we returned to our car, there was a lady getting inside. It took awhile for her to realize it wasn't her car, and then she was REALLY embarrassed. Next stop was a country fruit stands for local cherries. YUM!
Lockport was the next town on our list. Lockport earned its name back in 1825 from the five flights of canal locks which were constructed to overcome the difference in elevation along the Niagara Escarpment. This is also the location of the “upside down railroad bridge”.
The Erie Canal Discovery Center really added to our awareness of the Erie Canal. We gained new information and details to what we already know about this amazing feat of engineering. We thought it was interesting that the man who really came up with the idea of digging a canal had written a letter to Governor Clinton from debtor's prison.
The average canal boatman had 2 boats and six horses/mules. He often had a family that traveled with him. Their living quarters were the cabin under the stern. The wife washed, ironed, and cooked for the family and crew. The stable was located in the bow of the boat-below.
We also walked down to the Erie Canal Museum along the remaining portion of the Flight of Five.
The state is in the process of restoring this area. Initially, there were 10 locks: five locks going up and five locks going down. One set of the locks was used to create the two larger updated locks which are used today.
After the long day and the six block walk back to Dream Chaser, it was time for bed!
I really enjoy your blog! You take wonderful side trips. We met along the way going down the rivers last fall. Robyn and Dave on MV Blue Moon.
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