July 3-22, 2018
We make the left to hit the Erie Canal, and our first stop on the canal is Waterford, NY. With the 4th of July tomorrow, we decide to spend two nights here. Our travel on the canal will be unlike any of the other waterways we have traveled. Instead of picking a marina or anchorage for the night, many towns along the way offer some sort of free or cheap place to tie up to. Waterford has a great facility and it is a great first stop. We get a chance to explore the town, and learn more about the New York Canal System. This year is the 100th anniversary of the NYSCS, so there are no fees to travel on the system. Once an essential transportation path to quickly and cheaply get goods to the Midwest, today the canal is mainly used by pleasure boats.
Setting out at a different pace than we have the entire trip, we will travel short days so we have time to stop and enjoy the towns on the way. We transit the Waterford Flight, a series of five locks that raise the boat 169 feet in less than two miles. Transiting under our first of many low bridges, we quickly understand the lyrics of “Low Bridge – The Erie Canal Song.” Google it, you’ll thank me when you’re still singing it several weeks from now. I had never heard it before this trip, and now I’ll never forget it! We stopped in Scotia for the night, and we were so excited the town had a small theater still showing the sailing movie Adrift. We caught the last showing with another couple transiting the canal. We weren’t disappointed, I highly recommend seeing it! The other couple joked with us that at least they didn’t have to go to sleep in a sailboat that night (they were in a trawler).
We had a short travel day and landed at Amsterdam for the night. Once home to Mohawk Carpet Mills, the now abandoned mill buildings and loss of jobs took its toll on this town. We set out the next day for Canajoharie. On the way, we spot an 80 foot smoke stack with a Volkswagen car sitting on top of it. I’m still not sure why it was there, but it was definitely unique. Add it to the list of random things we’ve seen along the way!
The next day, we head off towards Little Falls. Before we arrive at the dock, we enter Lock 17. With a 40 foot lift, Lock 17 is the highest lift lock on the Erie Canal and it is also unique because the entrance gate is lifted above the boat, as opposed to doors that swing open. We attempted to contact the lockmaster on the radio upon arrival. Without a response, we go ahead and enter the open lock chamber. Still unable to hail anyone, we decide to back out of the lock. It was very eerie staring up at over 40ft of concrete, knowing that all of that water is waiting on the other side. Finally the lockmaster appeared and we entered the lock. Little Falls was definitely a highlight of the Erie Canal. Besides having excellent boater’s facilities, the town was beautiful, sprawled out across the river and carved into the hillside. We enjoyed walking through the town, though most was closed on this Sunday.
The next day we make our way to Utica, followed by a stop the next day in Sylvan Beach. Sylvan Beach was a cute little vacation town, complete with a beach on Oneida Lake, restaurants, and an amusement park. I question if the park was still open, and actually hope it isn’t considering it looked like a place where old traveling carnivals go to die. As we were tied up to the free wall, go figure Chad starting talking with a local news crew who had just arrived, hoping to interview boaters about boating safety in light of a recent tragedy on a local lake. What first was to be a recorded interview with just Chad, somehow turned into me being on camera as well. What a sad reminder to always be vigilant about boat safety.
We depart early the next morning to cross Oneida Lake, the largest body of water on the Erie Canal. Considering we have our mast strapped down on deck, we want to make sure we cross the lake before any wind or waves have the chance to develop. After an easy crossing, we arrive at the free dock in Brewerton. After lunch, we decide to take the boat to a service marina. They have time to do a quick haul and power wash, and so we can change out our anode on the shaft. Chad’s skills are put to use, and he quickly finds himself employed for the next two days, earning us free dockage. I hear it’s a skill he’s had since he was a kid, finding work on vacation at a hotel in South Carolina. The marina is full of Loopers, staging up for the next leg of the journey.
The Erie Canal is divided into an Eastern and Western portion. Finding ourselves at another fork in the road, we decide to take the road less traveled and continue on to the Western Erie Canal. Most Loopers head north here and take the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario and the Canadian treasures that lie north. Most take this route for two reasons, the first being because it’s a beautiful and very worthwhile trip. The second being because most Looper boats cannot transit the Western Erie Canal, because this section of the canal requires you to clear several 15’6” bridges. Since we have our mast down already, we decide to take advantage and continue on the Erie Canal. (Also we got a gig updating the Skipper Bob guide for the entire Erie Canal!)
Our first stop on this portion of the canal is in Baldwinsville. We finally catch up with the Corning Museum of Glass GlassBarge and the replica Canal boat Lois McClure. They are traveling the New York State Canal System this season to mark the 150th anniversary of Corning Incorporated’s move to Corning, NY via the Hudson River and New York’s Canals, and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the New York State Barge Canal. We were able to get tickets to the glass blowing demonstration, and it was amazing. If you are ever near Corning, NY, I highly recommend you go to the museum. Note: Glass blowing demonstrations are really hot, and you can only imagine how hot when you are on a barge outside and it is 98 degrees!
The weather was heating up again, and we had a hot but scenic cruise to Clyde. We traveled through the countryside today, seeing cows drinking from the canal and hilly farm terrain. We passed by the remains of the Montezuma Aqueduct, where the canal of 1862 crossed the Seneca River. We have seen several rental canal boats, it seems they mostly travel the Western canal. If you are looking for a fun vacation, check out a rental! We saw several families and couples making the trip. We also passed the canal junction where the Cayuga-Seneca canal splits from the Erie Canal. It is on my bucket list to make it back to the finger lakes to tour wine country!
We celebrated my birthday in Newark, and met two other couples bringing their boat back to Michigan. They are preparing to do the Loop in a few years. Our advice, do it now! They invited us over for drinks, and after they sung me happy birthday, we discovered they had relatives from Three Oaks, MI where Chad’s dad grew up. It really is a small world! We move on down the canal to Fairport, where we spend a few days. I even found a tailor to fix my favorite hat! We found Fairport to be another favorite stop, with much to see and do around town. We encounter our first lift bridge on the canal, the first of many more to come. This bridge is an engineering marvel as no two angles on it are the same! We talk with the bridge tender inquiring about her first morning opening, when we find out she already knows the name of our boat from the previous lock.
Our next stop is in Brockport, a small college town. We have dinner at the local brewery, and then enjoy a surprise concert in the park, right next to the boat. Rilee is not a fan, and we quickly retreat below when she decides to bark! The next day, we cross over Culvert Road on an aqueduct, very different to see cars drive under the canal! This is the first and only time on the loop that a car drives under the boat! We arrive in Medina, and find a charming town going through quite a revival. Medina Sandstone was shipped worldwide and several local buildings are built from it. Chad found a meadery, and we enjoyed sampling all of their unique cocktails and meads. The next morning, we are happy to find a great local farmers market, and we restock the fridge and freezer!
Nearing the end of the canal, we stop for the night just outside of Lockport, in the old Widewaters Marina. Chad tried to get into the Lockport cave and underground boat ride but it had closed for the day. Instead Chad enjoyed the Erie Canal Discovery Center! Up next in the morning is a large staircase lock. Entering the first lock, you raise 25 feet and then exit and immediately enter the second lock, rising an additional 24 feet, while going under one of the widest bridges in the world. These two locks replaced five original step locks, which are still in place next to the new locks. We pass through Tonawanda, in the middle of Canal Fest. Unfortunately there is no docking available, so we continue on.
Exiting the Erie Canal, we make our way towards Buffalo and the Great Lakes!
