Kim’s Korner:
The sun was out and there was no rain in the forecast for the day – yes!!! We left with another boat, Ivanhoe, and headed to Campbellford where we planned to stay for at least a few days as more rain was headed our way – ugh! The Trent-Severn Waterway is very narrow at times as our boats will at times run on a narrow canal which is separated from the Trent River where the falls and power plants are. With all the rain, spots exist that have very strong currents. It was a perfect day for traveling – the sun was out and the scenery was beautiful. We were so glad we had waited to travel in the sun as we were able to enjoy it much more than if it had been raining. We have enjoyed talking with the students at the locks – they are always interested in our trip and are a good source of information about the surrounding towns. All of them that day told us we had to get a cream donut at Dooher’s Bakery in Campbellford.
I saw more swans! This time they were usually grouped in pairs and several had youngsters with them. Again, the pictures don’t do them justice but I have really enjoyed seeing them. One flew right in front our boat which was cool.
When we reached lock 11, we could see the Ranney Falls Suspension Bridge on our right. As we entered lock 11, the gate in front of us was massive! Oh yeah – this was a double lock! Once we were lifted and the massive doors opened, we moved right into lock 12 and were lifted further. Cool! Before we could leave lock 12, they had to position the swing bridge so we could exit. I felt like we were in a giant puzzle. Not far ahead was our destination – the Campbellford City Wall.
Once we got tied up, power run, and paid, we got the bikes off and headed up to the Ranney Falls, the suspension bridge, and Ferris Provincial Park. We wanted to get as much in while the sun was out as we could – rain was forecast for the next four days. We enjoyed that, found a restaurant for dinner, and attended a free concert with Tim and Ann from Ivanhoe. It had been a very good day!
The next day, we went into town during a rain break and had one of the delicious cream donuts from Dooher’s Bakery – and they were delicious! We also found the World’s Finest Chocolate Factory Outlet which was a really dangerous place for me 😋. We got back to the boat just as the rain started again. David had a missed call from friends, Rob and Glenda, who actually live 30 miles from where we were. Rob and Glenda are on the Great Loop and we met them Thanksgiving Day, traveled a while together and haven’t seen them since Fort Myers in February. They are currently having boat repairs done and happened to be at home so they came for a visit. It was great to see them! If only Bob and Sharon had been there! They drove us to the Empire Cheese Factory and we loaded up on cheese and butter tarts, which are a Canadian pastry that is to die for! From there, we toured and sampled the Church-Key Brewery which is a micro-brewery in an old church – really interesting. This area is mostly farmland with rolling hills and cattle. Last, we went to Healey Falls which was quite impressive with all the extra rain water. We have such a good time – another good day on the Loop!
Picture of Chattanooga
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Frankford, Ontario
Kim’s Korner:
We left Trenton hoping to get through 12 locks to Campbellford since the day looked like a perfect travel day. As we all know, forecasts are not always correct and while we were in lock 3, a downpour came. Since it didn’t last long, we continued on. As soon as we pulled out of lock 6, we heard thunder and the sky was dark so we decided to tie up to the wall. Each lock has four walls available to stay on- two above the lock and two below. Some have power, most do not. Luckily we had power! Another downpour came – so glad we pulled over - we would have been miserable. Looking at the forecast now, thunderstorms are likely till 7:00 tonight.
The rain continued into the next day as well. The water level is already so high here and water is just standing in people’s yards. We stayed put and enjoyed going into town during rain breaks for some delicious Italian food at Dimitri’s.
We left Trenton hoping to get through 12 locks to Campbellford since the day looked like a perfect travel day. As we all know, forecasts are not always correct and while we were in lock 3, a downpour came. Since it didn’t last long, we continued on. As soon as we pulled out of lock 6, we heard thunder and the sky was dark so we decided to tie up to the wall. Each lock has four walls available to stay on- two above the lock and two below. Some have power, most do not. Luckily we had power! Another downpour came – so glad we pulled over - we would have been miserable. Looking at the forecast now, thunderstorms are likely till 7:00 tonight.
The rain continued into the next day as well. The water level is already so high here and water is just standing in people’s yards. We stayed put and enjoyed going into town during rain breaks for some delicious Italian food at Dimitri’s.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Trenton, Ontario
Kim’s Korner:
From Kingston, we had 72 miles to cover to get to Trenton. The two slow boats (yes – one of which is Overtime) chose to leave at 5:30 AM. It was going to be a long day whenever we left but normally, mornings are much calmer than afternoons and we wanted as much calm as possible. It was a beautiful day! By the time we reached the Bay of Quinte, the water was like glass. I wished that we could have anchored here overnight but storms were headed our way. I noticed these huge white birds and was like – there are no white pelicans up here. Then I remembered someone had told me about the white swans on the Bay of Quinte. I got my binoculars out and that’s exactly what they were. Unfortunately, they were near shore too far away for a picture. I did have the opportunity to see more swans – many more on the bay – see my pictures. They are still too far away to make out much but they are swans and there are a lot of them. Locals say that they have never seen this many before – maybe it’s due to the high water.
We’ve had our first interaction with the University students working the marina and Trent-Severn locks. We pulled in for fuel and a pump-out. Two young ladies greeted us warmly, told us to hop off the boat and they would be happy to take care of it for us. It was such a nice surprise! I enjoyed talking with them as they took care of us.
I have enjoyed getting our bikes out again – it’s been a while. Saturday, after going to the farmer’s market, we rode our bikes up to lock 1 to watch our friends lock through and take pictures of them. It’s a bit different from other locks we’ve done so it was interesting to see. They are smaller and will only fit about three boats the size of ours at one time. I also found a rails-to-trails path we enjoyed biking. Sunday, we rode over to Centennial Park and rode along the Bay of Quinte. It was quite a windy day though and we almost had to pedal to get down a hill – weird feeling.
The other thing that has been neat for me is seeing all the references to the Royal Canadian Air Force. Our marina is close to a base so we’ve seen all kinds of fast and loud planes fly overhead. We’ve also seen some very low flying ones. My father was a flight instructor for the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII so every time I see a reference to the RCAF, I think of him which has been neat.
It is still quite windy as I write this – like really windy. As long as it calms down like the forecast is predicting, we plan to start our journey tomorrow through the Trent-Severn Waterway Canal System which is a 241 mile, 43 lock waterway. Here is a link if you are interested. I also included a map in my pictures. We will be tied to the lock walls overnight much of the time so we may not have wifi available a lot of the time. Stay tuned… we’ll be in touch as wifi allows.
From Kingston, we had 72 miles to cover to get to Trenton. The two slow boats (yes – one of which is Overtime) chose to leave at 5:30 AM. It was going to be a long day whenever we left but normally, mornings are much calmer than afternoons and we wanted as much calm as possible. It was a beautiful day! By the time we reached the Bay of Quinte, the water was like glass. I wished that we could have anchored here overnight but storms were headed our way. I noticed these huge white birds and was like – there are no white pelicans up here. Then I remembered someone had told me about the white swans on the Bay of Quinte. I got my binoculars out and that’s exactly what they were. Unfortunately, they were near shore too far away for a picture. I did have the opportunity to see more swans – many more on the bay – see my pictures. They are still too far away to make out much but they are swans and there are a lot of them. Locals say that they have never seen this many before – maybe it’s due to the high water.
We’ve had our first interaction with the University students working the marina and Trent-Severn locks. We pulled in for fuel and a pump-out. Two young ladies greeted us warmly, told us to hop off the boat and they would be happy to take care of it for us. It was such a nice surprise! I enjoyed talking with them as they took care of us.
I have enjoyed getting our bikes out again – it’s been a while. Saturday, after going to the farmer’s market, we rode our bikes up to lock 1 to watch our friends lock through and take pictures of them. It’s a bit different from other locks we’ve done so it was interesting to see. They are smaller and will only fit about three boats the size of ours at one time. I also found a rails-to-trails path we enjoyed biking. Sunday, we rode over to Centennial Park and rode along the Bay of Quinte. It was quite a windy day though and we almost had to pedal to get down a hill – weird feeling.
The other thing that has been neat for me is seeing all the references to the Royal Canadian Air Force. Our marina is close to a base so we’ve seen all kinds of fast and loud planes fly overhead. We’ve also seen some very low flying ones. My father was a flight instructor for the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII so every time I see a reference to the RCAF, I think of him which has been neat.
It is still quite windy as I write this – like really windy. As long as it calms down like the forecast is predicting, we plan to start our journey tomorrow through the Trent-Severn Waterway Canal System which is a 241 mile, 43 lock waterway. Here is a link if you are interested. I also included a map in my pictures. We will be tied to the lock walls overnight much of the time so we may not have wifi available a lot of the time. Stay tuned… we’ll be in touch as wifi allows.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Kingston, Ontario
Kim’s Korner:
We were headed to Canada - another big milestone for us! As soon as we crossed over the US/Canadian border – on the water in our boat – David and I both got a text from AT&T saying that roaming charges would be applied since we were now in Canada. That was kind of impressive as we didn’t really realize we had actually crossed the border but who would have ever thought that AT&T would be the one to notify us?
We chose Confederation Basin Marina in Kingston, Ontario because we would be able to process through Canadian Customs from the marina. The rule is that once your boat is anchored or tied to a dock – basically touching Canadian soil in some way, the Captain only must report to Customs with passports of all people onboard the boat. David used a designated public pay phone near the marina that has a toll free number posted on a sign to Canadian Customs. I was not to get off the boat until David returned. After a quick phone call, David returned and that was all there was to it.
After a call to AT&T to get the whole Canada thing worked out, we headed out in search of a Canadian flag which we could fly from Overtime. This is considered a courtesy to Canadians. The American Flag is flown as well and there is a definite protocol on where each is to be placed. While attaching the Canadian flag to Overtime, David realized our American flag was gone so after another trip to the hardware store and attaching the American flag to Overtime, she was ready for our adventure through Canada.
By that time, we really only had a few hours left to get the most out of Kingston since we were leaving the next day so we decided to take the Trolley Tour. We were glad we had chosen to do this as we got to see the highlights of Kingston and learn a little bit about the history in a short amount of time. In the pictures, you will see cylindrical towers with red roofs which we had seen when approaching the harbor and wondered what they were. They are towers, built around 1813, that were used to defend Canada in case of an invasion by the United States. I realized that after all this American history I’d been receiving throughout this trip would now take on the perspective from another country… interesting… I can do that.
In 1840, Kingston had a fire that destroyed a good portion of the city. That resulted in a law requiring any building of importance was to be constructed of limestone or brick.
We were headed to Canada - another big milestone for us! As soon as we crossed over the US/Canadian border – on the water in our boat – David and I both got a text from AT&T saying that roaming charges would be applied since we were now in Canada. That was kind of impressive as we didn’t really realize we had actually crossed the border but who would have ever thought that AT&T would be the one to notify us?
We chose Confederation Basin Marina in Kingston, Ontario because we would be able to process through Canadian Customs from the marina. The rule is that once your boat is anchored or tied to a dock – basically touching Canadian soil in some way, the Captain only must report to Customs with passports of all people onboard the boat. David used a designated public pay phone near the marina that has a toll free number posted on a sign to Canadian Customs. I was not to get off the boat until David returned. After a quick phone call, David returned and that was all there was to it.
After a call to AT&T to get the whole Canada thing worked out, we headed out in search of a Canadian flag which we could fly from Overtime. This is considered a courtesy to Canadians. The American Flag is flown as well and there is a definite protocol on where each is to be placed. While attaching the Canadian flag to Overtime, David realized our American flag was gone so after another trip to the hardware store and attaching the American flag to Overtime, she was ready for our adventure through Canada.
By that time, we really only had a few hours left to get the most out of Kingston since we were leaving the next day so we decided to take the Trolley Tour. We were glad we had chosen to do this as we got to see the highlights of Kingston and learn a little bit about the history in a short amount of time. In the pictures, you will see cylindrical towers with red roofs which we had seen when approaching the harbor and wondered what they were. They are towers, built around 1813, that were used to defend Canada in case of an invasion by the United States. I realized that after all this American history I’d been receiving throughout this trip would now take on the perspective from another country… interesting… I can do that.
In 1840, Kingston had a fire that destroyed a good portion of the city. That resulted in a law requiring any building of importance was to be constructed of limestone or brick.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Clayton, Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle
Kim’s Korner:
We left Oswego and headed out into Lake Ontario which is a large body of water yet again and can get ugly without the right weather. We felt like we were on the Atlantic again as we had swells, kept life jackets handy and used the three touch rule when moving from the pilothouse to the cabin and back. It wasn’t calm but it definitely wasn’t the worst we’d seen either. Be sure you notice the picture of the depth reading we saw on Lake Ontario – far deeper than anywhere else we’ve been. After about four hours, we entered the St. Lawrence River, the swells stopped and we actually found ourselves hungry for lunch after a while.
We were now in an area where the US is on the right and Canada is on the left. The rule is – as long as you are moving, you may cross the US-Canada boundary without having to report to customs. But once you drop anchor or tie down in a marina in Canada, you have to report to Canadian Customs soon or there are consequences – expensive consequences. We stayed in the channel but tried to stay on the US side, just to avoid any issues. We came to the area that is called the Thousand Islands – absolutely beautiful! Second only to Alaska that I’ve seen. I’ll come back to them. One thing we noticed was the water was an emerald blue again and very clear. A funny thing happened that I’ll share – I was driving and noticed this lighthouse in the distance. As you know, I’ve been having fun with the lighthouses in trying to find the names and information about each. I kept googling for a lighthouse near us and there just wasn’t one – even as we got closer and closer. I finally looked through my binoculars – YIKES! That’s not a lighthouse – it’s a freighter! I quickly got out of its’ path and later found out that I was not the only one who had thought it was a lighthouse. We arrived at Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina and walked into town to check it out. I really liked the town – small but quaint. A lot of the buildings had murals painted on their side. We checked out a few really nice gift shops, made a purchase at the local cheese shop and ate at Bella’s restaurant. That night was the prettiest sunset I’ve ever seen – the pictures do not do it justice.
The next morning, David joined a few other guys and went to the Antique Boat Museum. I chose to run to the grocery store and do a load of laundry. After that, we all took a tour boat to the Boldt Castle. We had originally planned to take our boats to Boldt Castle where there are docks available for personal boats as well as for tour boats. Well… the water level in Lake Ontario, as well as the St. Lawrence River, are three feet higher than normal and the docks for the personal boats are all underwater. We learned that tours had to stop for two weeks while the docks for the tour boats were temporarily enhanced so that they weren’t underwater anymore. It actually turned out to be a good thing because the tour boat wound us through the Thousand Islands in a way we would not have taken our boats and we got a lot of history and fun facts from the tour guide along the way. Again – these islands are just beautiful! Some are very small and some are very large – just like the houses that are on them. Many of the islands having only one home on them. Boathouses and docks were submerged below the waterline. Rocks – there were rocks everywhere. And we could see strong currents in the water – we were glad we had not brought our boat up this far – but again, we wouldn’t have gone the way the tour boat took us.
We arrived at Heart Island where the building of Boldt Castle was begun in 1900. George Boldt had started building this castle and boathouse for his wife, but she died at 42 before it was completed. It is said that George never returned to the island. After years of neglect, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property in 1977 and began restoration of the castle funded by tours. It is amazing – it reminded me of the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Parts are still being restored as funds become available. Unfortunately, the boathouse was closed due to the high water level.
One other interesting fact I’ll mention is that Thousand Island salad dressing was created here and named after the Thousand Islands. Who knew?
We left Oswego and headed out into Lake Ontario which is a large body of water yet again and can get ugly without the right weather. We felt like we were on the Atlantic again as we had swells, kept life jackets handy and used the three touch rule when moving from the pilothouse to the cabin and back. It wasn’t calm but it definitely wasn’t the worst we’d seen either. Be sure you notice the picture of the depth reading we saw on Lake Ontario – far deeper than anywhere else we’ve been. After about four hours, we entered the St. Lawrence River, the swells stopped and we actually found ourselves hungry for lunch after a while.
We were now in an area where the US is on the right and Canada is on the left. The rule is – as long as you are moving, you may cross the US-Canada boundary without having to report to customs. But once you drop anchor or tie down in a marina in Canada, you have to report to Canadian Customs soon or there are consequences – expensive consequences. We stayed in the channel but tried to stay on the US side, just to avoid any issues. We came to the area that is called the Thousand Islands – absolutely beautiful! Second only to Alaska that I’ve seen. I’ll come back to them. One thing we noticed was the water was an emerald blue again and very clear. A funny thing happened that I’ll share – I was driving and noticed this lighthouse in the distance. As you know, I’ve been having fun with the lighthouses in trying to find the names and information about each. I kept googling for a lighthouse near us and there just wasn’t one – even as we got closer and closer. I finally looked through my binoculars – YIKES! That’s not a lighthouse – it’s a freighter! I quickly got out of its’ path and later found out that I was not the only one who had thought it was a lighthouse. We arrived at Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina and walked into town to check it out. I really liked the town – small but quaint. A lot of the buildings had murals painted on their side. We checked out a few really nice gift shops, made a purchase at the local cheese shop and ate at Bella’s restaurant. That night was the prettiest sunset I’ve ever seen – the pictures do not do it justice.
The next morning, David joined a few other guys and went to the Antique Boat Museum. I chose to run to the grocery store and do a load of laundry. After that, we all took a tour boat to the Boldt Castle. We had originally planned to take our boats to Boldt Castle where there are docks available for personal boats as well as for tour boats. Well… the water level in Lake Ontario, as well as the St. Lawrence River, are three feet higher than normal and the docks for the personal boats are all underwater. We learned that tours had to stop for two weeks while the docks for the tour boats were temporarily enhanced so that they weren’t underwater anymore. It actually turned out to be a good thing because the tour boat wound us through the Thousand Islands in a way we would not have taken our boats and we got a lot of history and fun facts from the tour guide along the way. Again – these islands are just beautiful! Some are very small and some are very large – just like the houses that are on them. Many of the islands having only one home on them. Boathouses and docks were submerged below the waterline. Rocks – there were rocks everywhere. And we could see strong currents in the water – we were glad we had not brought our boat up this far – but again, we wouldn’t have gone the way the tour boat took us.
We arrived at Heart Island where the building of Boldt Castle was begun in 1900. George Boldt had started building this castle and boathouse for his wife, but she died at 42 before it was completed. It is said that George never returned to the island. After years of neglect, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property in 1977 and began restoration of the castle funded by tours. It is amazing – it reminded me of the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Parts are still being restored as funds become available. Unfortunately, the boathouse was closed due to the high water level.
One other interesting fact I’ll mention is that Thousand Island salad dressing was created here and named after the Thousand Islands. Who knew?
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Erie and Oswega Canals
Kim’s Korner:
So far on this trip, we've done 53 locks. Yesterday, we did 8 locks all of which were lowering us. When we entered a lock, we were at the top of the lock and we would have to lean over to grab the ropes (I added red arrows in one picture to show the ropes) - we grab one in front and one in back and then hold them as we are lowered. At times, whether the lock is lowering or raising us, when we are at the top of the lock it can be difficult to hang onto as the wind can catch the boat and start to push it out. We had four boats, two on port and two on starboard. Normally, I grab a rope from the bow using our boat pole and walk the rope back to David who is still at the helm. As Overtime continues to move forward slowly, I'll grab a second rope that I hang onto from the bow. At that point, David moves to the stern.
Yesterday, Lock 6 and 7 were the most difficult we've ever done. At lock 6, the wind caught Overtime just as I handed David his rope and her stern swung out from the wall. I had to quickly grab another rope from the bow as David did his best to hang onto the one at the stern - even though he was hanging on at the very end of the rope. He was able to hang on and was able to cleat it. You don't normally cleat the ropes when locking but in this instance, he couldn't hang onto it otherwise. Then he was able to pull the stern back in and uncleat it. The other boats were also having problems - thank goodness we were all able to finally get things under control without hitting each other - but it was definitely close! It really shook us all up.
Then came lock 7 only 1/2 mile after lock 6. There were not many ropes in lock 7 and those that were there were spaced widely apart. It was clear we would have to lock through with only one rope to hold onto. David maneuvered the boat close to the ropes and I tried to grab one with my boat pole - problem was, we were too high and I couldn't reach it - I got hold of one but the wind caught us and the rope was at a weird angle and wouldn't slide along the boat pole. It reminded me of our mooring incident where I injured my fingers - one of which is still messed up. I was able to finally drop the rope and we aimed for the next one - we had to get the next one as it was the last one in front of us. I was squatted down as low as I could and leaning over - if I'd leaned anymore, I would have fallen in. We've never run into this before. The other three boats with us were also having trouble. David had to grab a second boat pole we have which extends (it's old and ornery and it refuses to extend for me) - all while the wind was blowing us and we were quickly getting really close to the boat on the port side - who was also having problems. He extended the pole, gave it to me and went back to the helm to try to get Overtime back to the starboard wall. This time, I was able to grab the rope from about 8 feet out, the rope slid towards me and I was able to grab it with my hand and hang on for dear life. David took the rope and was able to get Overtime back to the wall and hang on from midship until the lock lowered us enough so the wind wasn't an issue. Wow - two bad lock experiences within one mile. We were dreading lock 8 which was only about another 1/2 mile away but we locked thru it with no issues. Of course, I will say that the lock master at lock 8 handed the ropes up to us. This is not his job but we sure did appreciate it. Whew - Oswego Marina was our destination which was only a mile from lock 8 and within a stone's throw of Lake Ontario. We were certainly ready to call it a day - all 4 boats.
Not to mention that we had to wait on Lock 3 due to a child falling into the lock. An ambulance was called and the lock stopped operation until the ambulance had left. Also, the marina had no record of our reservations so it was really painful getting that squared away. Thankfully, they had room for us. Once we finally got into our slips and tied up, they made one of our four boats move to another slip. Thank goodness it wasn’t Overtime but still… what a day! Glad we haven’t seen many like that!
So far on this trip, we've done 53 locks. Yesterday, we did 8 locks all of which were lowering us. When we entered a lock, we were at the top of the lock and we would have to lean over to grab the ropes (I added red arrows in one picture to show the ropes) - we grab one in front and one in back and then hold them as we are lowered. At times, whether the lock is lowering or raising us, when we are at the top of the lock it can be difficult to hang onto as the wind can catch the boat and start to push it out. We had four boats, two on port and two on starboard. Normally, I grab a rope from the bow using our boat pole and walk the rope back to David who is still at the helm. As Overtime continues to move forward slowly, I'll grab a second rope that I hang onto from the bow. At that point, David moves to the stern.
Yesterday, Lock 6 and 7 were the most difficult we've ever done. At lock 6, the wind caught Overtime just as I handed David his rope and her stern swung out from the wall. I had to quickly grab another rope from the bow as David did his best to hang onto the one at the stern - even though he was hanging on at the very end of the rope. He was able to hang on and was able to cleat it. You don't normally cleat the ropes when locking but in this instance, he couldn't hang onto it otherwise. Then he was able to pull the stern back in and uncleat it. The other boats were also having problems - thank goodness we were all able to finally get things under control without hitting each other - but it was definitely close! It really shook us all up.
Then came lock 7 only 1/2 mile after lock 6. There were not many ropes in lock 7 and those that were there were spaced widely apart. It was clear we would have to lock through with only one rope to hold onto. David maneuvered the boat close to the ropes and I tried to grab one with my boat pole - problem was, we were too high and I couldn't reach it - I got hold of one but the wind caught us and the rope was at a weird angle and wouldn't slide along the boat pole. It reminded me of our mooring incident where I injured my fingers - one of which is still messed up. I was able to finally drop the rope and we aimed for the next one - we had to get the next one as it was the last one in front of us. I was squatted down as low as I could and leaning over - if I'd leaned anymore, I would have fallen in. We've never run into this before. The other three boats with us were also having trouble. David had to grab a second boat pole we have which extends (it's old and ornery and it refuses to extend for me) - all while the wind was blowing us and we were quickly getting really close to the boat on the port side - who was also having problems. He extended the pole, gave it to me and went back to the helm to try to get Overtime back to the starboard wall. This time, I was able to grab the rope from about 8 feet out, the rope slid towards me and I was able to grab it with my hand and hang on for dear life. David took the rope and was able to get Overtime back to the wall and hang on from midship until the lock lowered us enough so the wind wasn't an issue. Wow - two bad lock experiences within one mile. We were dreading lock 8 which was only about another 1/2 mile away but we locked thru it with no issues. Of course, I will say that the lock master at lock 8 handed the ropes up to us. This is not his job but we sure did appreciate it. Whew - Oswego Marina was our destination which was only a mile from lock 8 and within a stone's throw of Lake Ontario. We were certainly ready to call it a day - all 4 boats.
Not to mention that we had to wait on Lock 3 due to a child falling into the lock. An ambulance was called and the lock stopped operation until the ambulance had left. Also, the marina had no record of our reservations so it was really painful getting that squared away. Thankfully, they had room for us. Once we finally got into our slips and tied up, they made one of our four boats move to another slip. Thank goodness it wasn’t Overtime but still… what a day! Glad we haven’t seen many like that!
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Waterford and the Mohawk River
Kim’s Korner:
We spent five nights at Shady Harbor Marina due to the fact that several of the Erie Canal locks were closed due to high water from rain. Things north of us were getting bottlenecked again and more loopers were arriving each day. We did an oil change, defrosted the freezer and other maintenance activities which needed doing. We took several walks even though the road was narrow with no sidewalks and little to no shoulder. When the locks opened, we moved north to Waterford, going through the Federal Lock in Troy (E1).
Waterford has a tremendous amount of history here concerning the original locks and the current locks. On a 1000 ft. long dock at the Waterford Visitor Center, we got the last available spot which was right at the front closest to the famous Waterford Flight of Locks which were built to allow boats to navigate around Cohoes Falls. The Flight of Locks is the first five (E2-E6) locks along the Erie Canal and is the largest lift (165 feet) in the shortest distance (1.5 miles) of any system in the world. We stayed here two nights in order to see the old Erie and Champlain Locks, Peeples Island State Park and other historical sites that were nearby. Waterford is an interesting town.
The old locking system included very narrow locks and canals on which “canal barges” were pulled through the water using mules led by children (indicated by the footprints and hooves in the picture).
Let me say that we are experiencing what they call the “June snow” while here. There is what appears to be cotton blowing through the air which in reality is from cottonwood trees. I took several pictures so if you are wondering what the white snow is – it’s stuff from the cottonwood tree. We put our screens up – not to keep the bugs out but to keep the cottonwood out!
We started the Flight of Locks with five other boats. It took us two hours to climb 165 feet over 1.5 miles. At the end were two gates which protect Waterford in case of flooding. The first gate normally remains open and the second gate is normally kept closed as a precautionary measure.
My friends father contacted me some time ago and shared some childhood memories with me. He was born near Schenectady and later moved to a house on the Aplaus Creek off the Mohawk River. I was so glad that he reached out – it made this stretch of our journey so much more interesting! His family owned boats that they traveled in this area including the old canals. We stopped at Schenectady Yacht Club because they had some of the original Erie Canal locks on it – one of the locks is now used where they lift boats out of the water. Although we didn’t get to see inside, the clubhouse is the original building where the mules were kept. I tried to take lots of pictures for him. Once we got situated at the Schenectady Yacht Club, David and I hopped on our bikes and rode over to a bridge that crosses the Aplaus Creek. On the way, we passed a fire station that looked like parts of it could be old and I wondered if he had ever visited there as a child. I hope you recognize some of the pictures Cliff! Either way, we enjoyed looking for landmarks that you might recognize. Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us!
The following day, we traveled 50 miles including 8 locks (E8 thru E15) – it was a long day! And hot! The Mohawk River is gorgeous – it reminds us of home as did the Hudson. We arrived exhausted at the St. Johnsville Municipal Marina for the night.
We spent five nights at Shady Harbor Marina due to the fact that several of the Erie Canal locks were closed due to high water from rain. Things north of us were getting bottlenecked again and more loopers were arriving each day. We did an oil change, defrosted the freezer and other maintenance activities which needed doing. We took several walks even though the road was narrow with no sidewalks and little to no shoulder. When the locks opened, we moved north to Waterford, going through the Federal Lock in Troy (E1).
Waterford has a tremendous amount of history here concerning the original locks and the current locks. On a 1000 ft. long dock at the Waterford Visitor Center, we got the last available spot which was right at the front closest to the famous Waterford Flight of Locks which were built to allow boats to navigate around Cohoes Falls. The Flight of Locks is the first five (E2-E6) locks along the Erie Canal and is the largest lift (165 feet) in the shortest distance (1.5 miles) of any system in the world. We stayed here two nights in order to see the old Erie and Champlain Locks, Peeples Island State Park and other historical sites that were nearby. Waterford is an interesting town.
The old locking system included very narrow locks and canals on which “canal barges” were pulled through the water using mules led by children (indicated by the footprints and hooves in the picture).
Let me say that we are experiencing what they call the “June snow” while here. There is what appears to be cotton blowing through the air which in reality is from cottonwood trees. I took several pictures so if you are wondering what the white snow is – it’s stuff from the cottonwood tree. We put our screens up – not to keep the bugs out but to keep the cottonwood out!
We started the Flight of Locks with five other boats. It took us two hours to climb 165 feet over 1.5 miles. At the end were two gates which protect Waterford in case of flooding. The first gate normally remains open and the second gate is normally kept closed as a precautionary measure.
My friends father contacted me some time ago and shared some childhood memories with me. He was born near Schenectady and later moved to a house on the Aplaus Creek off the Mohawk River. I was so glad that he reached out – it made this stretch of our journey so much more interesting! His family owned boats that they traveled in this area including the old canals. We stopped at Schenectady Yacht Club because they had some of the original Erie Canal locks on it – one of the locks is now used where they lift boats out of the water. Although we didn’t get to see inside, the clubhouse is the original building where the mules were kept. I tried to take lots of pictures for him. Once we got situated at the Schenectady Yacht Club, David and I hopped on our bikes and rode over to a bridge that crosses the Aplaus Creek. On the way, we passed a fire station that looked like parts of it could be old and I wondered if he had ever visited there as a child. I hope you recognize some of the pictures Cliff! Either way, we enjoyed looking for landmarks that you might recognize. Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us!
The following day, we traveled 50 miles including 8 locks (E8 thru E15) – it was a long day! And hot! The Mohawk River is gorgeous – it reminds us of home as did the Hudson. We arrived exhausted at the St. Johnsville Municipal Marina for the night.
Monday, June 5, 2017
Croton to New Baltimore
Kim's Korner:
What a beautiful day! We passed many of the sites we had visited by car so it was fun to see them from the water now – usually a very different perspective. I put the ones of West Point in their own folder. I must say that from the water, West Point looks more like a fortress than the campus it did from land. We arrived late at Rondout Yacht Basin in Kingston and were exhausted. We ate leftovers and went to bed. As we left early the next day, we only saw the town from the boat as we passed it to and from the marina. I did enjoy three young deer who were enjoying breakfast quite near our boat.
Today was cloudy and calm. We didn’t run into much traffic and we arrived at Shady Harbor Marina in New Baltimore, NY. We succeeded in beating the rain and are taking advantage of their ‘stay 2 nights, get the 3rd free’ special as rain is supposed to set in for the next 2-3 days.
Pictures!
What a beautiful day! We passed many of the sites we had visited by car so it was fun to see them from the water now – usually a very different perspective. I put the ones of West Point in their own folder. I must say that from the water, West Point looks more like a fortress than the campus it did from land. We arrived late at Rondout Yacht Basin in Kingston and were exhausted. We ate leftovers and went to bed. As we left early the next day, we only saw the town from the boat as we passed it to and from the marina. I did enjoy three young deer who were enjoying breakfast quite near our boat.
Today was cloudy and calm. We didn’t run into much traffic and we arrived at Shady Harbor Marina in New Baltimore, NY. We succeeded in beating the rain and are taking advantage of their ‘stay 2 nights, get the 3rd free’ special as rain is supposed to set in for the next 2-3 days.
Pictures!
New York City to Croton
Kim's Korner:
After delaying our departure due to fog, we left Staten Island and headed for New York Harbor! Taking Overtime’s picture with Lady Liberty was a huge milestone for us and that day was finally here. We can’t believe how far we’ve come and I have to say it’s sad thinking that half our trip is over. I’ve included lots of pictures along the 18 mile stretch from Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, also known as the GW Bridge. You have to realize for us to travel 18 miles thru this heavily traveled harbor, it took us 2 ½ hours. For 2 ½ hours, it was just huge buildings everywhere we looked – it was remarkable!
As we left New York further behind, I realized this Hudson River area was beautiful! It reminded us of home and the Tennessee River. A train runs along the left side and Amtrack runs along the right side carrying passengers to and from NYC. Both sides of the river have ridges and even mountains. Every now and then, we’d pass a small town that would populate the side of the ridge. The churches always stand out for me as they are usually some of the oldest and prettiest buildings in a town.
After delaying our departure due to fog, we left Staten Island and headed for New York Harbor! Taking Overtime’s picture with Lady Liberty was a huge milestone for us and that day was finally here. We can’t believe how far we’ve come and I have to say it’s sad thinking that half our trip is over. I’ve included lots of pictures along the 18 mile stretch from Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the George Washington Bridge, also known as the GW Bridge. You have to realize for us to travel 18 miles thru this heavily traveled harbor, it took us 2 ½ hours. For 2 ½ hours, it was just huge buildings everywhere we looked – it was remarkable!
As we left New York further behind, I realized this Hudson River area was beautiful! It reminded us of home and the Tennessee River. A train runs along the left side and Amtrack runs along the right side carrying passengers to and from NYC. Both sides of the river have ridges and even mountains. Every now and then, we’d pass a small town that would populate the side of the ridge. The churches always stand out for me as they are usually some of the oldest and prettiest buildings in a town.
We stopped at Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton for three nights. Enterprise is a short walk so we picked up a rental car and visited the Franklin D Roosevelt Estate, the Vanderbilt Estate which is currently being renovated, ate at the American Culinary Institute, visited the Croton Dam and toured West Point. All were very interesting and worth doing. The most interesting tidbit for me was at West Point – during the Revolutionary War, a huge chain (which was evidently quite an engineering feat) was stretched across the Hudson River using log rafts to keep it from sinking in order to keep British ships out. Because the Hudson River freezes, it would have to be removed each year before the first winter freeze and replaced after the spring thaw which was quite a difficult undertaking. Thirteen links (one for each of the original colonies) of this chain were kept and are on display at West Point close to “The Million Dollar View” as it is called of the Hudson River. Let me also say here that it may be confusing as you will see pictures of West Point in two different places – the first is when we toured it and the second is when we passed it on the river in the boat.
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