To the end of the Erie and Beyond

Tony M in Clyde

After Newark we continued on the Erie Canal until we came to the tiny town of Clyde. with a 2,300 person population.  They too offer weary boaters a free dock with power and water so, of course, we took them up on it.  While we were there, the annual bike tour from Albany to Buffalo used Clyde as one of their resting places.  There were 400 +/- bikers attempting this year's trek.

The famous mineral spring is the perfect place to recharge a biker's energy

Clyde- very proud of their heritage

Construction on the Richmond Aqueduct (also known as the Montezuma Aqueduct) was begun in 1849 and completed in 1857. It enabled the Enlarged Erie Canal to pass over the Seneca River, on a series of 31 stone arches. The Aqueduct was about 900 feet long.

We arrived in Baldwinsville with intention of staying two nights but we ended up staying four nights, mainly because of the great folks we met there.  As we were tying up, another boat was coming in so Pete helped them.  They had engine problems which Pete did his magic on.  Needless to say, after that we were very much welcomed into their marina members weekend get-together. They enjoyed  a good time and did their best to make sure it happened.  We were also lucky enough to be entertained by Fire and Ice (a Pat Benetar Tribute Band) concert Saturday night-we had excellent seats across the canal from the Budweiser Amphitheater. 

Ginny, Tommy and Jane -they adopted us!

Budweiser Amphitheater engaged in concert

Staying four nights in one place is more than we usually stay put so we welcomed starting our engine and untying our lines to continue our journey.  The Erie Canal at this point is also the Seneca River but it shortly connects with the Oswego Canal which runs north/south while the Erie Canal runs east/west.  We decided to take the Oswego up to Phoenix because they have power (the temp is beginning to warm up and power means we can us the AC without running the generator) and they have a laundromat which we need to use. We arrived on Sunday which means the Bridgehouse Brats, a Phoenix volunteer youth group who will deliver meals and do other services for tips, are off.  We found out why...there are no restaurants opened on Sunday so there's no food to be delivered.  Oh well, there's plenty in the freezer.

The famous Phoenix sign

Approaching Phoenix

We have been meeting S/V Ilanga, a Norwegian boat that had been to 48 countries around the world in seven years-they plan on sailing for three more years!

We traveled south  down the Oswego back to the Erie Canal and headed East toward Brewerton.  We were prepared to stay in Brewerton if Oneida Lake was too rough but the lake was calm so we motored the twenty miles across it to Sylvan Beach where we would spend the night.  We have been here before so we were familiar with the beach, amusement park and restaurants.  It feels like a throwback to the 50's and 60's vacation destination-maybe we're in a time warp-even with the sweet smell of cotton candy and popcorn.

Sylvan Beach's wall for us to tie up to

An Icon for this era

Do you remember this?

Lots and lots of ducks

July 21, 2010 YIKES

Sunset over the Erie

Pete hanging on to the bollard in the Troy Lock-the last lock on our journey-Yippee!

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse

We enjoyed the Hudson River's beauty-it rivals anything in the rest of the Loop.

Spuyten Duyvil is the left turn from the Hudson to the Harlem River.  We were fortunate we didn't have to wait for a train and could just scoot through the intersection.

View of the many bridges on the Harlem River.

Harlem Murals

Condos on the Harlem River

Would you believe a horse ranch on the Harlem River?

With careful planning, Hell's Gate looks like this...a piece of cake!

These were my faithful gloves that got me thru many disgusting locks.  They began with painted fingernails a "diamond" and a fancy "bracelet", designed by talented friend Linda Reznik. The certainly didn't end that way!   Thanks, Linda!

Our ending Stats in Stratford-Awesome

Our first visit on return was to see our Lucie.  Isn't she adorable?

Well, we are back in  Newtown, CT, waiting for the closing of our house and figuring where and when we our next adventure will be.  We have had fourteen months of travel through the US and Canada that have left us with memories that will be with us forever.  We have met marvelous people, visited awesome places, seen nature up close and personal, ate some interesting foods and learned to appreciate what gifts we have. The Loop has enriched our lives...it will be a tough act to follow!

Historic Palmyra and Newark, NY, not NJ

Tony M in peaceful Palmyra

 Palmyra, the Queen of the Erie Canal (why queen I don't have a clue), has a welcoming dock with complimentary  power and water in a man-made basin.  This town of about 8,000 had an abundance of tour buses that intrigued us until we found out about the strong Mormon influence and history connected to it. In 1820 John Smith had a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove beside his family home near Palmyra that led to the founding of the Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Palmyra was hosting the world famous Hill Cumorah Pageant, an outdoor theatrical production accounting the rise and fall of the ancient inhabitants of the North American continent and the visit of Jesus Christ  It has a cast of over 600 performing on a seven-level stage; hence, the bus loads of folks coming to Palmyra to see this free performance.  There were lots of Mormon related souvenir shops with tons of Mormon Tee shirts and books but Pete declined.the Tee shirt I wanted to get for him.  

The original print shop for the book of Mormon

                                                                  

Some residences along Main Street

More Mural Madness!!

 On the main intersection of Main and Church Streets in the Village is a Ripley's Believe It Or Not.  The four corners at this intersection each have a church on them- a Presbyterian, a United Methodist, a First Baptist and a Zion Episcopal.  Its supposed to one of the most photographed spots in rural America and we added to that fact! 

The Village is very proud of Palmyra Village Hall  built in 1867

There were four museums in Palmyra but since we were getting museumed out by this time, I chose to only  go to the Alling Coverlet Museum (notice Pete didn't choose it) for its collection of hand woven coverlets from the early 1800's.  It was interesting until we got asked to leave because they don't think dogs enjoy looking at coverlets- they never asked Buddy what he thought!

With that, we moved on to Newark, NY who pull out all the stops for boaters.  Not only do they offer free dockage with power, water and WiFi but they have a FREE washer and dryer for boaters' use.  I wonder if the taxpayers know about that?  We were the only one  there - is anyone else cruising?
We did sneak in another museum-this one the Hoffman Clock Museum we found in the town library.  Beautiful clocks were plentiful with many from CT-made us a little more homesick.

Tony M on wall in Newark

Buddy cooling off-he thinks he's swimming

a Newark park

More  churches but this one is without a steeple

Newark Visitors Center

Detailed mural that goes from Visitor's Center to under bridge

and around the bridge's embankment

Their generosity is appreciated.

Onward to Lyons...

Pittsford and Fairport (again!)

In Pittsford sharing power with a houseboat

Spencerport is a tough act to follow but Pittsford tried its best.   Located seven miles southeast of Rochester,  Pittsford is a small village (1500 people) and less than a square mile. 
The present charm of the Village's waterfront is due to the survival of historic canal warehouses, mills and silos, many of which have been renovated for boutiques and restaurants.  It had lots of energy and gave us a sense they wanted us here.  Pete got his buzz cut haircut and an earful of local gossip from the female barber who had inherited the business from her barber father. 

The Erie Canal brought industry and commerce to Pittsford

This exceptional front-gable 2½-story Queen Anne style civic building was constructed in 1890.  The Town Hall’s  facade features a mix of materials including brick, terra cotta, Medina sandstone and slate.  The building originally contained a large auditorium which was used for movies, shows and other community events-much like our Newtown's beloved EdmontonTown Hall

The flour mill and grain elevator are the most important character defining elements of Pittsford’s canal waterfront. This complex consists of a three-story wood-frame flour mill, and a 130 feet tall concrete grain elevator. The flour mill was constructed next to the canal in the mid-nineteenth century. The flour mill was expanded in the early twentieth century for additional production area and office space.

More Mural Mania!!!

We were trying to hit all the towns on the way East we had missed on the way West but Fairport was so nice we decided to stay there again.   We stayed in Fairport for just a night and enjoyed its charm one more time.

We kept seeing this canal boat all over this area!

A mural on anything that doesn't move!

Lock 29 - one of the worst locks on the Canal

We're off to Palmyra!!!  Stay tuned!