Saturday, July 12, 2014
The alarm jolted us awake at 6 am! We have plans on this beautiful summer morning with sunshine and temps in the 70's! So, off we go...
The Canalside Park and dock areas are quiet this morning (wonderful!) except for a few people out for their morning coffee and walk. Before long, the crowds will gather for the morning yoga class in the park, a ride on a masted ship called the Spirit of Buffalo, take the Buffalo River History Tour by boat, or just people watch. We walked about 2 blocks to our rental car and headed for breakfast.
At 7 am, we met Andrew Nicholson (Mary's cousin's son) and his wife, Sarah, for breakfast at Sophia's on Military Road in Buffalo. So fun to catch up as it had been about 10 years since our last visit. Also, fabulous food (amazing omelets) and 5 star reviews!
Information for boaters!.....Canalside in Buffalo is a busy place and very convenient to most venues, however, do not assume that they will have dock space for your boat. They turned many boats away during our stay. We were told at 9 am, this morning, that the entire dock needed to be cleared for a group of 30 boats arriving at 10 am, this morning! We received no pre-warning!
This is our Garmin electronics display which we use for navigation. The top number on the right shows the speed of the boat (19.5 mph), and the bottom number shows the speed of the current (9.1 mph)
After 10 minutes of surprising speed, Dream Chaser passed under the International Railway Bridge and her moments of being a "speed boat" ended as the current slowed to 1-2 mph.
As we motored through Tonawanda, the beginning of the Erie Canal, we expected lots of activity due to the BIG Canal Fest this weekend. People must have been sleeping off the hangovers from their partying last night, because it just appeared to be another busy weekend day on the river. Boats were docked three deep along the canal wall, and people were moving into position for the next events.
About 7 miles east of Tonawanda, Andrew and Sarah Nicholson hopped aboard and cruised with us through the afternoon to Medina, NY. They live in Lockport, and wanted a cruising experience on Dream Chaser. She didn't disappoint them as she is steady and moves so smoothly through the water; you hardly know you are on a boat! From the shaded upped helm, we chatted and enjoyed the historic Erie Canal while snacking on chicken, cheese, crackers, grapes, and cold drinks. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
About 5:30 pm, we slid up to the city dock in Medina, tied Dream Chaser securely, plugged in the electricity, and headed into historic Medina to the Shirt Factory (Restaurant) for dinner. Sarah's father had come to give them a ride back to Lockport, so he joined us for dinner. Such a perfect way to end the day: great conversation, great food, great family!
The bright sun and warm breeze through the upper helm while motoring seven hours took it's toll, and the result was an early bedtime. The dock area is so quiet, and the sun is setting,
Sunday, July 13, 2014
After a restful quiet night tied to the city wall in Medina, we woke to overcast skies and temps in the low 70’s. Our air conditioner had run through the night, but humidity levels have dropped, so the windows are wide open again. Dream Chaser has fabulous air flow, so we very seldom need the air on.
Medina is one of the town's we've already explored and wrote about on the previous post, however, there some important facts to repeat. Medina is an interesting town with most of the buildings on Main Street listed on the Historic Register and in the process of being restored and preserved. Medina calls itself a towpath community, "born of Clinton's ditch and founded upon a rock". Clinton was the governor, at the time, and the world famous sandstone for constructing the Erie Canal was first quarried here in 1837.
After a short morning walk through town, the boat engines were started at 7:45 am, the bimini top was folded down due to 15’ bridges today, and we are prepped for departure.
The canal is quiet this morning; too early for boaters and walkers-just a handful of fishermen along the canal. Dick, a local boater docked next to us last night, informed us that the small numbers of boats on the canal, this year, was probably due to flooding in the canal areas over the last two years which not only damaged parts of the canal, but delayed boaters (for over a month) their access to Lake Erie. Many boaters just avoid the canal due to possible problems and find alternate routes through Lake Ontario. It’s really too bad that they are missing the Erie Canal experience! We have loved it!
The area has been a big apple producing region in the early 1900’s and, although wineries are abundant, there are still several orchards along the canal.
At 9 am, we passed the northern most point on the Erie Canal!
After leaving Medina, the canal took us passed Knowlesville, Eagle Harbor, Albion, Hulberton, and Holley-all with friendly lift bridge operators and LOW bridges that we squeezed under.
By 10:30 am, we arrived at Holley, secured Dream Chaser against the city wall, chatted with other boaters tied to the wall, and set out to explore the town. As we followed the path down the hill, we passed a beautiful park with a children's playground. Holley is a cute little town near the canal with old German churches and Queen Anne style frame homes with beautiful flowers. On our return trip to the boat was walked to the 35 ft Holley Canal Waterfalls surrounded by lush woods. Beautiful!
According to the history markers located along the walkways, Holley was settled by Norwegian immigrants about 1825. According to historians, 52 Norwegian immigrants arrived in NYC from Stavanger Norway in 1825, traveled up the Hudson River and newly completed Erie Canal, and disembarked at Holley. Their spiritual leader and organizer, Lars Larson, had stayed behind to sell their ship. He then planned to join the group in Holley and bring the proceeds of the sale, but winter had set in. It is reported that Larson was so dedicated as a leader, he skated 290 miles to reach Holley and his group of followers.
Since it poured while we were eating lunch and Steve loves to scrub the boat when it rains, Dream Chaser was in for a good wash-down once we returned. As we returned to the boat, we chatted with boaters from Camelot, and they shared
great information on the next segmentof our trip- the Oswego Canal, Lake
Ontario, and Thousand Islands.
Shiloh, one of the “boat dogs”,
became Mary’s friend and followed
her back towards the boat. He wanted
to join us on our trip, but his owners
and Steve had other ideas.
He is a bit large for the boat!
Our next destination was Pittsford which is 24 miles away and will take us under several more low bridges and back through a massive cut of high rock walls. The sun has come out, and it has turned into a wonderful afternoon. People are out enjoying the canal.
At Lock 33, we hopped out of Dream Chaser and walked over to a kayak course that runs parallel with the lock. According to the lock master, the course is busy everyday.
By 6:45 pm, Dream Chaser was docked and secured at the city canal wall in Pittsford, NY. Less than a week ago, we were docked in this same spot while we explored the area. It is quiet, the birds are chirping, people are enjoying the walkways along the canal, and it is just beautiful!
After a light dinner, a walk along the canal, and a few loads of laundry, it was lights out!
Monday. July 14, 2014
Our overnight in Pittsford was so restful. that it is tempting to stay a few more nights. But, we have more miles to cover, so after the usual preparation, we are on our way. We are cruising with the bimini top down until we pass under the remaining low bridges.
We passed Buchnell Basin, known for a popular stop and houses of ill repute.
As we pass Fairport, we remember it as a great stop, probably one of the best along the Erie Canal.
The funny angled bridge is located here, and near lock E30 is one of the lowest bridges on the canal (15'6").
About noon, we arrived at lock 29, and were greeted by a crowd of spectators. We had just enough time to answer questions, give a very short version of our trip, and pass out boat cards before we descended into the bowels of the lock. This is the Mormon town of Palmyra. The land is being bought up by Mormon followers of Joseph Smith whose historic home is nearby. When we exited the lock, the captain sounded the boat horn, and the crowd responded with waves, cheers, and wishes for a safe trip.
After two hours of cruising, we arrived at Newark. NY and tied up at the city cement dock wall. By this time, the skies were overcast with a threat of rain predicted about 7 pm. A need for a walk combined with the fact that it was lunch time had us out scouting for a good spot to eat. On our way through the little park along the canal, we stopped to chat with a local, and his suggestion was to try Wegmans Grocery about a mile away. The salad bar was great, and after gathering some provisions, we were headed back to our dockage.
The rains came proving the weatherman correct, so we spent the afternoon and evening with boat project, scheduling, and organizing. About midnight, we completed our Rummikub game and called it a night.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
It was another of those blissfully quiet nights while docked in Newark. At 6 am, we woke to light rain and cloud covered skies. Dream Chaser was dry and cool with the air conditioning working beautifully!
Mary donned her raincoat and Steve, a positive thinker, grabbed an umbrella. We met the men at Canal Place, a local cafe about three blocks away. Minutes after arriving at the cafe, the skies emptied to the point at which an umbrella would be useless.
So, over breakfast and lots of hot coffee, the both Freds told their stories. The two older gentlemen, both 77 years old, have been friends since they were 6 months old. Ryan, a grandson, teaches in Phoenix and had the time free to join them on their adventure. The pontoon boat in stored in Buffalo, NY and the two Freds have taken it on a 2-3 week adventures every summer for the past 10 years. They told of many adventures and "situations" in which they found themselves, but the best story is...
They planned a fun trip to New York City with one of the wives and a niece. All went well along the Erie Canal and through the Hudson River Valley. Gorgeous areas with lots to see! As they neared NYC, the water became very choppy. Remember, they are in a pontoon boat which is not made for waves. Well, it became VERY rough, and the ladies were situated in the back of the pontoon. It became so rough that the only thing the ladies could see was first water...and then sky due to the pitching up and down. After repeated cries and shouts of "Oh My God!", the ladies were finally dropped off at a nearby marina and flew home. It has been just the men traveling together on adventures ever since, and they do try VERY hard to avoid BIG water!
With more adventures to come and rain tapering off, we made our way back to Dream Chaser and prepped for departure.
Dream Chaser was a bit humiliated today when she was passed, easily, by bikers traveling on the walking/bike path along the canal. She typically only goes 7-8 mph and the bikers had a schedule!
Since we have no intercom on the boat, we use a system which works very well and reminds us of the lyrics from an old song sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn. "Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me." The banging from the upper helm can be heard very well when attention is needed like coming to a lock, a tie up at the dock, or perhaps just coffee!
By 10:30 am, we had reached Lyons, NY, and Dream Chaser slid up to the city concrete wall. We had motored passed Lyons on our way west to Buffalo, and now we had an agenda. Since Lyons was once called the "Peppermint Capital of the World", we set off to find the historic Hotchkiss Essential Oil Building next to the canal.
With peppermints and peppermint oil in hand, we were off to destination number two, the museum of Wayne County History. As we passed a beautiful large brick church on our way to Butternut St, the church bells began ringing out the song, "Onward Christian Soldiers" and then other favorite songs from long ago. So beautiful! Such a treat!
The Wayne County Museum contains many interestingdisplays and artifacts, but it is best known for
the old Wayne County Jail which is attached to
the sheriff's house where he and his family lived.
The residence was built in 1856 and used
until 1960. The old stone jail consists of
24 cells which are still intact with original
inmate art work on the walls. Included are
detailed accounts of infamous past prisoners
who were held here, including train robber,
Oliver Curtis Perry, bank robber "Big Ed" Kelly,
and convicted murderer, William Fee.
Mr. Fee was the only inmate (who in 1860)
was hung for murder in the north side cell
block. Don't miss the Carriage House Exhibition
out back which is full of more history displays
with buggies, sleighs, and a huge collection of
farm items. Great collections!
Our third destination was the Ohmann Theater. Built in 1914, it continues to provide live plays, musical entertainment, and movies. Unfortunately, the doors were locked and no one was visible for a tour, so a peek through the windows would have to suffice.
All the exploring had created quite an appetite, so our stop at Burnhams Canalside Café was the perfect answer.
Having completed our "to see" list, Dream Chaser pulled out into the canal and headed east. Our final destination and dockage for tonight is in Baldwinsville, NY.
It has been a long day of motoring with warm, humid weather, and several near top-scraping low bridges. We were happy when we arrive at Baldwinsville and found an empty spot on the city canal wall.
Tomorrow, we leave early for Brewerton.
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